Intermediate
30 min

Experience unbeatable motor control with MP6523 and PIC18F27K42

Explore the versatility and power of H-bridge

H-Bridge 10 Click with EasyPIC v8

Published Nov 01, 2023

Click board™

H-Bridge 10 Click

Dev Board

EasyPIC v8

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F27K42

The ultimate solution for precision motor control and seamless switching

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

H-Bridge 10 Click is based on the MP6523, a triple, half-bridge motor driver from Monolithic Power Systems (MPS). The MP6523 contains three MOSFET half-bridge outputs that can drive up to three different loads with separate controls for high-side or low-side MOSFETs from a standard serial data interface. It has a low quiescent current in standby mode, making it suitable for many applications. The input voltage ranges from 7V to 28V, with up to 0.9A output current capability per channel. Complete protection features include short-circuiting protection, under-voltage protection, and thermal shutdown.

This Click board™ communicates with MCU through a standard SPI interface and operates at clock rates up to 3MHz, providing data in a digital format of 16 bits. It also can be enabled or disabled through the EN pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, hence, offering a switch operation to turn ON/OFF power delivery to the MP6523. It also provides a fault status indication signal, labeled as FLT and routed to the INT pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, alongside its red LED indicator marked as FLT to indicate different fault conditions such as current limit and thermal shutdown. A unique addition that this board has is checking the

existence of an external power supply. By adding resistors R4 and R5, the user can monitor and check the presence of an external power supply on the VS terminal via the voltage divider routed to the AN pin of the mikroBUS™ socket. This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VCC SEL jumper. This way, both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs can use the communication lines properly. However, the 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.

h-bridge-10-click-hardware-overview

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)

128

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

28

RAM (Bytes)

8192

You complete me!

Accessories

DC Gear Motor - 430RPM (3-6V) represents an all-in-one combination of a motor and gearbox, where the addition of gear leads to a reduction of motor speed while increasing the torque output. This gear motor has a spur gearbox, making it a highly reliable solution for applications with lower torque and speed requirements. The most critical parameters for gear motors are speed, torque, and efficiency, which are, in this case, 520RPM with no load and 430RPM at maximum efficiency, alongside a current of 60mA and a torque of 50g.cm. Rated for a 3-6V operational voltage range and clockwise/counterclockwise rotation direction, this motor represents an excellent solution for many functions initially performed by brushed DC motors in robotics, medical equipment, electric door locks, and much more.

H-Bridge 10 Click accessories image

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

Power Supply Check
RA3
AN
NC
NC
RST
SPI Chip Select
RA5
CS
SPI Clock
RC3
SCK
SPI Data OUT
RC4
MISO
SPI Data IN
RC5
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
Enable
RC1
PWM
Fault Indication
RB1
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
2

Take a closer look

Schematic

H-Bridge 10 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

After pressing the "FLASH" button on the left-side panel, it is necessary to open the UART terminal to display the achieved results. By clicking on the Tools icon in the right-hand panel, multiple different functions are displayed, among which is the UART Terminal. Click on the offered "UART Terminal" icon.

UART Application Output Step 1

Once the UART terminal is opened, the window takes on a new form. At the top of the tab are two buttons, one for adjusting the parameters of the UART terminal and the other for connecting the UART terminal. The tab's lower part is reserved for displaying the achieved results. Before connecting, the terminal has a Disconnected status, indicating that the terminal is not yet active. Before connecting, it is necessary to check the set parameters of the UART terminal. Click on the "OPTIONS" button.

UART Application Output Step 2

In the newly opened UART Terminal Options field, we check if the terminal settings are correct, such as the set port and the Baud rate of UART communication. If the data is not displayed properly, it is possible that the Baud rate value is not set correctly and needs to be adjusted to 115200. If all the parameters are set correctly, click on "CONFIGURE".

UART Application Output Step 3

The next step is to click on the "CONNECT" button, after which the terminal status changes from Disconnected to Connected in green, and the data is displayed in the Received data field.

UART Application Output Step 4

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for H-Bridge 10 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • hbridge10_set_output_state This function sets the output channel state.

  • hbridge10_get_status This function reads the status of output register.

  • hbridge10_get_fault_pin This function returns the fault (FLT) pin logic state.

Open Source

Code example

This example can be found in NECTO Studio. Feel free to download the code, or you can copy the code below.

/*!
 * @file main.c
 * @brief HBridge10 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of the H-Bridge 10 click board by
 * driving the motors connected between OUT1-OUT2 and OUT2-OUT3 in both directions. 
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and performs the click default configuration.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Drives the motors connected between OUT1-OUT2 and OUT2-OUT3 in both directions
 * in the span of 6 seconds, and displays the status messages on the USB UART.
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "hbridge10.h"

static hbridge10_t hbridge10;
static log_t logger;

/**
 * @brief H-Bridge 10 display status function.
 * @details This function parses the status from output register and displays it on the USB UART.
 * @param[in] status : 16-bit status value.
 * @return None.
 * @note None.
 */
void hbridge10_display_status ( uint16_t status );

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    hbridge10_cfg_t hbridge10_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 " );

    // Click initialization.
    hbridge10_cfg_setup( &hbridge10_cfg );
    HBRIDGE10_MAP_MIKROBUS( hbridge10_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( SPI_MASTER_ERROR == hbridge10_init( &hbridge10, &hbridge10_cfg ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( HBRIDGE10_ERROR == hbridge10_default_cfg ( &hbridge10 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    uint16_t status;
    if ( ( HBRIDGE10_OK == hbridge10_set_output_state ( &hbridge10, HBRIDGE10_CHANNEL_OUT1, HBRIDGE10_OUT_HIGH ) ) && 
         ( HBRIDGE10_OK == hbridge10_set_output_state ( &hbridge10, HBRIDGE10_CHANNEL_OUT2, HBRIDGE10_OUT_LOW ) ) && 
         ( HBRIDGE10_OK == hbridge10_set_output_state ( &hbridge10, HBRIDGE10_CHANNEL_OUT3, HBRIDGE10_OUT_HIGH ) ) )
    {
        Delay_ms ( 100 );
        if ( HBRIDGE10_OK == hbridge10_get_status ( &hbridge10, &status ) )
        {
            hbridge10_display_status ( status );
            Delay_ms ( 3000 );
        }
    }
    if ( ( HBRIDGE10_OK == hbridge10_set_output_state ( &hbridge10, HBRIDGE10_CHANNEL_OUT1, HBRIDGE10_OUT_LOW ) ) && 
         ( HBRIDGE10_OK == hbridge10_set_output_state ( &hbridge10, HBRIDGE10_CHANNEL_OUT2, HBRIDGE10_OUT_HIGH ) ) && 
         ( HBRIDGE10_OK == hbridge10_set_output_state ( &hbridge10, HBRIDGE10_CHANNEL_OUT3, HBRIDGE10_OUT_LOW ) ) )
    {
        Delay_ms ( 100 );
        if ( HBRIDGE10_OK == hbridge10_get_status ( &hbridge10, &status ) )
        {
            hbridge10_display_status ( status );
            Delay_ms ( 3000 );
        }
    }
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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

void hbridge10_display_status ( uint16_t status )
{
    if ( HBRIDGE10_OUT_OVER_TEMP_SD == status )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, " Over temperature shutdown! \r\n" );
        return;
    }
    if ( status & HBRIDGE10_OUT_OVER_TEMP_WARNING )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, " Over temperature pre-warning! \r\n" );
    }
    log_printf ( &logger, " OUT1 : " );
    if ( status & HBRIDGE10_OUT_STATUS_LS1_ON )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, "LOW \r\n" );
    }
    else if ( status & HBRIDGE10_OUT_STATUS_HS1_ON )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, "HIGH \r\n" );
    }
    else
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, "OFF \r\n" );
    }
    log_printf ( &logger, " OUT2 : " );
    if ( status & HBRIDGE10_OUT_STATUS_LS2_ON )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, "LOW \r\n" );
    }
    else if ( status & HBRIDGE10_OUT_STATUS_HS2_ON )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, "HIGH \r\n" );
    }
    else
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, "OFF \r\n" );
    }
    log_printf ( &logger, " OUT3 : " );
    if ( status & HBRIDGE10_OUT_STATUS_LS3_ON )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, "LOW \r\n" );
    }
    else if ( status & HBRIDGE10_OUT_STATUS_HS3_ON )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, "HIGH \r\n" );
    }
    else
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, "OFF \r\n" );
    }
    if ( status & HBRIDGE10_OUT_SHORT_CIRCUIT_DETECTED )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, " Short circuit detected! \r\n" );
    }
    log_printf ( &logger, " Power : " );
    if ( HBRIDGE10_OUT_NORMAL_OPERATION != ( status & HBRIDGE10_OUT_NORMAL_OPERATION ) )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, "Standby \r\n" );
    }
    else if ( status & HBRIDGE10_OUT_VS_UNDER_VOLTAGE )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, "Under-voltage at VS detected \r\n" );
    }
    else
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, "Normal operation \r\n" );
    }
    log_printf ( &logger, "\r\n" );
}

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

Additional Support

Resources