Beginner
10 min

Create a secure and efficient pathway for your data with ADUM4160 and PIC18LF24K50

Keep it safe, keep it sound: USB isolation is the key

USB UART 2 Click with EasyPIC v8

Published Nov 01, 2023

Click board™

USB UART 2 Click

Dev. board

EasyPIC v8

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18LF24K50

Enhance the longevity and reliability of your devices by implementing our USB isolation solution, which shields them from power fluctuations

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

USB UART 2 Click is based on the ADUM4160, a USB port isolator from Analog Devices. The click is designed to run on either 3.3V or 5V power supply. It communicates with the target microcontroller over UART interface, with additional functionality provided the following pins on the mikroBUS™ line: RST, CS, PWM, INT. Use the USB UART 2 click for isolating USB communication, and preventing voltage spikes from destroying sensitive equipment. The ADUM4160BRWZ is a USB port isolator, based on Analog Devices, iCoupler® technology. Combining high-speed CMOS and

monolithic air core transformer technology, these isolation components provide outstanding performance characteristics and are easily integrated with low and full speed USB-compatible peripheral devices. The ADUM4160BRWZ uses the edge detection based iCoupler technology in conjunction with internal logic to implement a transparent, easily configured, upstream facing port isolator. Isolating an upstream facing port provides several advantages in simplicity, power management, and robust operation. The click takes power both from

the development system and from the USB, so both sides of the isolator can function. The FT232RL chip on board to act as a USB-UART converter. This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VIO SEL jumper. This way, both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs can use the communication lines properly. Also, this Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing easy-to-use functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

USB UART 2 Click top side image
USB UART 2 Click bottom side image

Features overview

Development board

EasyPIC v8 is a development board specially designed for the needs of rapid development of embedded applications. It supports many high pin count 8-bit PIC microcontrollers from Microchip, regardless of their number of pins, and a broad set of unique functions, such as the first-ever embedded debugger/programmer. The development board is well organized and designed so that the end-user has all the necessary elements, such as switches, buttons, indicators, connectors, and others, in one place. Thanks to innovative manufacturing technology, EasyPIC v8 provides a fluid and immersive working experience, allowing access anywhere and under any

circumstances at any time. Each part of the EasyPIC v8 development board contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. In addition to the advanced integrated CODEGRIP programmer/debugger module, which offers many valuable programming/debugging options and seamless integration with the Mikroe software environment, the board also includes a clean and regulated power supply module for the development board. It can use a wide range of external power sources, including a battery, an external 12V power supply, and a power source via the USB Type-C (USB-C) connector.

Communication options such as USB-UART, USB DEVICE, and CAN are also included, including the well-established mikroBUS™ standard, two display options (graphical and character-based LCD), and several different DIP sockets. These sockets cover a wide range of 8-bit PIC MCUs, from the smallest PIC MCU devices with only eight up to forty pins. EasyPIC v8 is an integral part of the Mikroe ecosystem for rapid development. Natively supported by Mikroe software tools, it covers many aspects of prototyping and development thanks to a considerable number of different Click boards™ (over a thousand boards), the number of which is growing every day.

EasyPIC v8 horizontal image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

PIC

MCU Memory (KB)

16

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

28

RAM (Bytes)

2048

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
UART CTS
RA0
RST
Sleep Mode
RA5
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
Power Enable
RC1
PWM
UART RTS
RB1
INT
UART TX
RC6
TX
UART RX
RC7
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
2

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

USB UART 2 Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

EasyPIC v8 front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the EasyPIC v8 as your development board.

EasyPIC v8 front image hardware assembly
LTE IoT 5 Click front image hardware assembly
MCU DIP 28 hardware assembly
LTE IoT 5 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
EasyPIC v8 28pin-DIP Access - upright/background hardware assembly
Necto image step 2 hardware assembly
Necto image step 3 hardware assembly
Necto image step 4 hardware assembly
NECTO Compiler Selection Step Image hardware assembly
NECTO Output Selection Step Image hardware assembly
Necto image step 6 hardware assembly
Necto DIP image step 7 hardware assembly
Necto image step 8 hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Necto PreFlash Image hardware assembly

Track your results in real time

Application Output

1. Application Output - In Debug mode, the 'Application Output' window enables real-time data monitoring, offering direct insight into execution results. Ensure proper data display by configuring the environment correctly using the provided tutorial.

2. UART Terminal - Use the UART Terminal to monitor data transmission via a USB to UART converter, allowing direct communication between the Click board™ and your development system. Configure the baud rate and other serial settings according to your project's requirements to ensure proper functionality. For step-by-step setup instructions, refer to the provided tutorial.

3. Plot Output - The Plot feature offers a powerful way to visualize real-time sensor data, enabling trend analysis, debugging, and comparison of multiple data points. To set it up correctly, follow the provided tutorial, which includes a step-by-step example of using the Plot feature to display Click board™ readings. To use the Plot feature in your code, use the function: plot(*insert_graph_name*, variable_name);. This is a general format, and it is up to the user to replace 'insert_graph_name' with the actual graph name and 'variable_name' with the parameter to be displayed.

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for USB UART 2 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • usbuart2_pwr_ctrl - This function sets the click turns click on.

  • usbuart2_set_cts - This function sets CTS pin.

  • usbuart2_send_command - This function is used for sending commands.

Open Source

Code example

The complete application code and a ready-to-use project are available through the NECTO Studio Package Manager for direct installation in the NECTO Studio. The application code can also be found on the MIKROE GitHub account.

/*!
 * @file main.c
 * @brief USB UART 2 Click Example.
 *
 * # Description
 * This example reads and processes data from USB UART 2 clicks.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Initializes driver and power module.
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * Reads data and echos it back to device and logs it to board.
 *
 * @author Stefan Ilic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "usbuart2.h"
#include "string.h"

#define PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE 500

static usbuart2_t usbuart2;
static log_t logger;

static char app_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
static int32_t app_buf_len = 0;

void application_init ( void ) {
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    usbuart2_cfg_t usbuart2_cfg;  /**< Click config object. */

    /** 
     * Logger initialization.
     * Default baud rate: 115200
     * Default log level: LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG
     * @note If USB_UART_RX and USB_UART_TX 
     * are defined as HAL_PIN_NC, you will 
     * need to define them manually for log to work. 
     * See @b LOG_MAP_USB_UART macro definition for detailed explanation.
     */
    LOG_MAP_USB_UART( log_cfg );
    log_init( &logger, &log_cfg );
    log_info( &logger, " Application Init " );
    Delay_ms( 100 );

    // Click initialization.

    usbuart2_cfg_setup( &usbuart2_cfg );
    USBUART2_MAP_MIKROBUS( usbuart2_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    
    err_t init_flag  = usbuart2_init( &usbuart2, &usbuart2_cfg );
    if ( UART_ERROR == init_flag ) {
        log_error( &logger, " Application Init Error. " );
        log_info( &logger, " Please, run program again... " );

        for ( ; ; );
    }

    app_buf_len = 0;
    
    usbuart2_pwr_ctrl( &usbuart2, USBUART2_POWER_ON );
    usbuart2_set_cts( &usbuart2, USBUART2_CTS_NO_ACTIVE );
    usbuart2_set_mode( &usbuart2, USBUART2_MODE_NORMAL );
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) {
    app_buf_len = usbuart2_generic_read( &usbuart2, app_buf, PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE );
    
    if ( app_buf_len > 0 ) {
        log_printf( &logger, "%s", app_buf );
        memset( app_buf, 0, PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE );
    }
}

void main ( void ) {
    application_init( );

    for ( ; ; ) {
        application_task( );
    }
}

// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END

Additional Support

Resources

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