Beginner
10 min

Broadcast the music via the FM radio band using the Si4713-B30 and STM32F407VGT6

Superior performance in FM broadcasting covering a frequency range from 76MHz to 108MHz

RadioStation Click with Clicker 4 for STM32F4

Published Dec 29, 2023

Click board™

RadioStation Click

Dev Board

Clicker 4 for STM32F4

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32F407VGT6

Combined with the capability to broadcast both music and informational data, this project is a match for anyone looking to explore the world of FM broadcasting or to develop applications requiring FM signal transmission

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

RadioStation Click is based on the Si4713-B30, an FM radio transmitter with receive power scan from Silicon Labs. The RadioStation Click broadcasts the audio signal by utilizing the principles of FM radio broadcasting. The audio signal, brought to the low noise analog input terminals of the Si4713-B30 routed to a mini 3.5 female jack on board, is attenuated and converted into an alias-free, digital format. The digitalized audio is then sent to the digital signal processor (DSP) section of the Si4713-B30 IC, which provides modulation adjustment and audio dynamic range control of the signal for the best listening experience. The audio signal is processed to have the optimal dynamic qualities. Also, Si4713 has programmable low audio and high audio-level indicators that enable and

disable the carrier signal based on the presence of audio content. The Si4713-B30 IC can be used to measure the received signal. The antenna which is used to broadcast the signal can also be used to accept the incoming signal sent by the receiving device. Although it can be used both to receive and transmit signals, the antenna can't operate in both modes simultaneously. This feature can be useful when calibrating the transmission power of the Click board™. The Si4713-B30 integrates the complete transmit functions for standards-compliant unlicensed FM broadcast stereo transmission. The user application must comply with the local radio frequency (RF) transmission regulations. RadioStation Click uses a standard 2-Wire I2C interface to communicate with the host

MCU, supporting clock frequency of up to 400KHz. The I2C address can be selected over the SEN pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, depending on the logic state. The radio transmitter can be reset over the RST pin, which will, among others, disable analog and digital circuitry. The device will interrupt the host MCU over the INT pin if a condition occurs, such as the frequency exceeding the deviation level. This Click board™ can be operated only with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

RadioStation Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

Clicker 4 for STM32F4 is a compact development board designed as a complete solution that you can use to quickly build your own gadgets with unique functionalities. Featuring an STM32F407VGT6 MCU, four mikroBUS™ sockets for Click boards™ connectivity, power management, and more, it represents a perfect solution for the rapid development of many different types of applications. At its core is an STM32F407VGT6 MCU, a powerful microcontroller by STMicroelectronics based on the high-performance

Arm® Cortex®-M4 32-bit processor core operating at up to 168 MHz frequency. It provides sufficient processing power for the most demanding tasks, allowing Clicker 4 to adapt to any specific application requirements. Besides two 1x20 pin headers, four improved mikroBUS™ sockets represent the most distinctive connectivity feature, allowing access to a huge base of Click boards™, growing on a daily basis. Each section of Clicker 4 is clearly marked, offering an intuitive and clean interface. This makes working with the

development board much simpler and, thus, faster. The usability of Clicker 4 doesn’t end with its ability to accelerate the prototyping and application development stages: it is designed as a complete solution that can be implemented directly into any project, with no additional hardware modifications required. Four mounting holes [4.2mm/0.165”] at all four corners allow simple installation by using mounting screws.

Clicker 4 for STM32F4 double image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M4

MCU Memory (KB)

10

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

100

RAM (Bytes)

100

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
Reset
PC15
RST
I2C Address Selection
PA4
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
Interrupt
PD0
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
I2C Clock
PB10
SCL
I2C Data
PB11
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Schematic

RadioStation Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Clicker 4 for STM32F4 front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Clicker 4 for STM32F4 as your development board.

Clicker 4 for STM32F4 front image hardware assembly
LTE IoT 5 Click front image hardware assembly
LTE IoT 5 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
Clicker 4 STM32F4 Access MB 1 - upright/background hardware assembly
Necto image step 2 hardware assembly
Necto image step 3 hardware assembly
Necto image step 4 hardware assembly
Necto image step 5 hardware assembly
Necto image step 6 hardware assembly
Clicker 4 for STM32F4 HA MCU Step hardware assembly
Necto No Display image step 8 hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Debug Image Necto Step hardware assembly

Track your results in real time

Application Output

After loading the code example, pressing the "DEBUG" button builds and programs it on the selected setup.

Application Output Step 1

After programming is completed, a header with buttons for various actions available in the IDE appears. By clicking the green "PLAY "button, we start reading the results achieved with Click board™.

Application Output Step 3

Upon completion of programming, the Application Output tab is automatically opened, where the achieved result can be read. In case of an inability to perform the Debug function, check if a proper connection between the MCU used by the setup and the CODEGRIP programmer has been established. A detailed explanation of the CODEGRIP-board connection can be found in the CODEGRIP User Manual. Please find it in the RESOURCES section.

Application Output Step 4

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for RadioStation Click driver.

Key functions:

  • radiostation_get_asq_status - This function returns status information about the audio signal quality and current FM transmit frequency

  • radiostation_power_up - This function powers up the chip with default settings

  • radiostation_get_tune_status - This function returns status information which is set by radiostation_get_tune_measure, radiostation_set_tune_frequency or radiostation_set_tune_power

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 
 * \brief RadioStation Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * RadioStation click can be used to broadcast the music via the FM radio band 
 * ( which operates in the frequency range of 76MHz to 108MHz ).
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Initialization driver enable's - I2C and sets transmit_frequency.
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * In this example Radio Station Click is receiving signal from audio connector and broadcasting 
 * it on 100.00 MHz frequency.
 * 
 * 
 * \author MikroE Team
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "radiostation.h"

// ------------------------------------------------------------------ VARIABLES

static radiostation_t radiostation;
static radiostation_cmd_t radiostation_cmd;
static log_t logger;

static uint8_t buff[ 16 ];
 
// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    radiostation_cfg_t cfg;

    /** 
     * 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.

    radiostation_cfg_setup( &cfg, true );
    RADIOSTATION_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    radiostation_init( &radiostation, &cfg );

    radiostation.transmit_frequency = 10000; 
    radiostation.status = 0xFF;

    radiostation_default_cfg( &radiostation, &radiostation_cmd );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    radiostation_get_asq_status( &radiostation, &radiostation_cmd, &buff[ 0 ] );
    Delay_ms( 50 );
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources

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