Intermediate
30 min

Accurately monitor vibrations with LDT0-028K and PIC18F2455 for enhanced safety

From rumbles to data

Vibra Sense 2 Click with EasyPIC v8

Published Nov 01, 2023

Click board™

Vibra Sense 2 Click

Dev. board

EasyPIC v8

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F2455

Enhance equipment reliability with our piezo vibro sensor to monitor and analyze mechanical vibrations, enabling proactive maintenance

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Vibra Sense 2 Click is based on the LDT0-028K, a flexible 28 μm thick piezoelectric PVDF polymer film with screen-printed silver ink electrodes, laminated to a 0.125 mm polyester substrate, and fitted with two crimped contacts from TE Connectivity. This piezo sensor comes with solderable crimp pins often used for flex, touch, vibration, and shock measurements. When the sensor moves back and forth, the voltage comparator inside will create a small AC and a large voltage. However, it has a high receptivity for strong impacts with a wide dynamic range that guarantees excellent measuring performance. The LDTM-028K is a vibration sensor where the sensing element comprises a cantilever beam loaded by an additional mass to offer high

sensitivity at low frequencies. A charge amplifier detects the output signal as a vibration and sends it to the single-ended analog input pin of the ADC. Using a charge amplifier allows a very long measurement time constant and thus allows the "open-circuit" voltage response to be calculated). To bring the corresponding signal to the ADC pin, this Click board™ uses an analog circuitry made of OpAmp MCP6282 from Microchip that has a buffer function. Vibra Sense 2 Click communicates with MCU through the MCP3221, a successive approximation A/D converter with a 12-bit resolution from Microchip, using a 2-wire I2C compatible interface. This device provides one single-ended input with low power consumption, a low maximum conversion current, and a

Standby current of 250μA and 1μA, respectively. Data on the I2C bus can be transferred to 100 kbit/s in the Standard Mode and 400 kbit/s in the Fast Mode. Also, maximum sample rates of 22.3 kSPS with the MCP3221 are possible in a Continuous-Conversion Mode with a clock rate of 400 kHz. 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. 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.

Vibra Sense 2 Click top side image
Vibra Sense 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)

24

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

28

RAM (Bytes)

2048

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
NC
NC
RST
NC
NC
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
NC
NC
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
I2C Clock
RC3
SCL
I2C Data
RC4
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
2

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

Vibra Sense 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
Rotary B 2 Click front image hardware assembly
MCU DIP 28 hardware assembly
EasyPIC v8 28pin-DIP - 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 Vibra Sense 2 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • vibrasense2_read_data - Read data function

  • vibrasense2_read_voltage - Read voltage function

  • vibrasense2_vibration_level - Get Vibration Level function

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 VibraSense2 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example shows capabilities of Vibra Sense 2 click board.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initalizes I2C driver and makes an initial log.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Demonstrates use of Vibra Sense 2 click board by checking
 * vibration levels and displaying changes via USART terminal.
 *
 * @author Stefan Ilic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "vibrasense2.h"

static vibrasense2_t vibrasense2;
static log_t logger;

int8_t old_val;
int8_t new_val;

void application_init ( void ) {
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    vibrasense2_cfg_t vibrasense2_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.
    vibrasense2_cfg_setup( &vibrasense2_cfg );
    VIBRASENSE2_MAP_MIKROBUS( vibrasense2_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    err_t init_flag = vibrasense2_init( &vibrasense2, &vibrasense2_cfg );
    if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == init_flag ) {
        log_error( &logger, " Application Init Error. " );
        log_info( &logger, " Please, run program again... " );

        for ( ; ; );
    }

    old_val = VIBRASENSE2_ERROR;
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
    log_printf( &logger, "-------------------------------------\r\n" );
}

void application_task ( void ) {
    new_val = vibrasense2_vibration_level( &vibrasense2 );
    Delay_ms( 100 );
    if ( new_val != old_val ) {
        switch ( new_val ) {
            case VIBRASENSE2_VIBRA_LVL_0: {
                log_printf( &logger, "            No Vibration \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "-------------------------------------\r\n" );
                break;
            }
            case VIBRASENSE2_VIBRA_LVL_1: {
                log_printf( &logger, " Vibration level : Marginal Vibration \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "-------------------------------------\r\n" );
                break;
            }
            case VIBRASENSE2_VIBRA_LVL_2: {
                log_printf( &logger, " Vibration level : Slight Vibration \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "-------------------------------------\r\n" );
                break;
            }
            case VIBRASENSE2_VIBRA_LVL_3: {
                log_printf( &logger, " Vibration level : Enhanced Vibration \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "-------------------------------------\r\n" );
                break;
            }
            case VIBRASENSE2_VIBRA_LVL_4: {
                log_printf( &logger, " Vibration level : Moderate Vibration \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "-------------------------------------\r\n" );
                break;
            }
            case VIBRASENSE2_VIBRA_LVL_5: {
                log_printf( &logger, " Vibration level : High Vibration \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "-------------------------------------\r\n" );
                break;
            }
            case VIBRASENSE2_VIBRA_LVL_6: {
                log_printf( &logger, " Vibration level : Severe Vibration \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "-------------------------------------\r\n" );
                break;
            }
            default: {
                log_printf( &logger, "Error occured!" );
                log_printf( &logger, "-------------------------------------\r\n" );
            }
        }
        old_val = new_val;
    }
}

void main ( void ) {
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources

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