Beginner
10 min

Deliver precise electrical isolation and signal conditioning with DCL540C01 and PIC18F57Q43

Explore the future of industrial automation and beyond.

DIGI Isolator Click with Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Published Feb 13, 2024

Click board™

DIGI Isolator Click

Development board

Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F57Q43

Perfect solution for developers pushing the boundaries in industrial automation, motor control, inverters, and more. Experience enhanced SPI and UART interface isolation where it matters.

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

DIGI Isolator Click is based on two DCL540C01, high-speed, quad-channel digital isolators from Toshiba Semiconductor. Toshiba used the magnetic coupling structure and CMOS technology to achieve high reinforced isolation. The isolated lines are divided into two electrically connected groups. The first group comes in the form of 8 screw terminals, while the second forms a classic male 10-header row for easier jumper wire usage. Both groups of connectors have the same functions and are labeled the same. You can

distinguish the power VDD2 and GND2 lines from the data lines: four SPI, UART TX/RX, and two digital IO lines. The isolator can work with supply voltages from 2.25 up to 5.5V. DIGI Isolator Click uses standard 4-Wire SPI serial interface lines, standard UART TX/RX interface lines, and two additional GP lines from the mikroBUS™ socket as an insulated extension, marked D2 and D1, respectively. The SPI and UART pins are labeled according to the standard interface markings. These eight lines go through the DCL540C01s to

the terminals and headers, thus isolating the host MCU from the connected device. This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VCC SEL switch. 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.

DIGI Isolator Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

PIC18F57Q43 Curiosity Nano evaluation kit is a cutting-edge hardware platform designed to evaluate microcontrollers within the PIC18-Q43 family. Central to its design is the inclusion of the powerful PIC18F57Q43 microcontroller (MCU), offering advanced functionalities and robust performance. Key features of this evaluation kit include a yellow user LED and a responsive

mechanical user switch, providing seamless interaction and testing. The provision for a 32.768kHz crystal footprint ensures precision timing capabilities. With an onboard debugger boasting a green power and status LED, programming and debugging become intuitive and efficient. Further enhancing its utility is the Virtual serial port (CDC) and a debug GPIO channel (DGI

GPIO), offering extensive connectivity options. Powered via USB, this kit boasts an adjustable target voltage feature facilitated by the MIC5353 LDO regulator, ensuring stable operation with an output voltage ranging from 1.8V to 5.1V, with a maximum output current of 500mA, subject to ambient temperature and voltage constraints.

PIC18F57Q43 Curiosity Nano double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

PIC

MCU Memory (KB)

128

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

48

RAM (Bytes)

8196

You complete me!

Accessories

Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards is a versatile hardware extension platform created to streamline the integration between Curiosity Nano kits and extension boards, tailored explicitly for the mikroBUS™-standardized Click boards and Xplained Pro extension boards. This innovative base board (shield) offers seamless connectivity and expansion possibilities, simplifying experimentation and development. Key features include USB power compatibility from the Curiosity Nano kit, alongside an alternative external power input option for enhanced flexibility. The onboard Li-Ion/LiPo charger and management circuit ensure smooth operation for battery-powered applications, simplifying usage and management. Moreover, the base incorporates a fixed 3.3V PSU dedicated to target and mikroBUS™ power rails, alongside a fixed 5.0V boost converter catering to 5V power rails of mikroBUS™ sockets, providing stable power delivery for various connected devices.

Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards accessories 1 image

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

General-Purpose I/O
PA0
AN
NC
NC
RST
SPI Chip Select
PD4
CS
SPI Clock
PC6
SCK
SPI Data OUT
PC5
MISO
SPI Data IN
PC4
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
General-Purpose I/O
PA6
INT
UART TX
PC2
TX
UART RX
PC3
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Schematic

DIGI Isolator Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43 as your development board.

Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards front image hardware assembly
Charger 27 Click front image hardware assembly
PIC18F47Q10 Curiosity Nano front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Charger 27 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
Curiosity Nano with PICXXX 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
PIC18F57Q43 Curiosity 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 DIGI Isolator Click driver.

Key functions:

  • digiisolator_spi_transfer - DIGI Isolator SPI transfer function.

  • digiisolator_uart_write - DIGI Isolator UART data writing function

  • digiisolator_get_d1_pin_voltage - DIGI Isolator read D1 pin voltage level function.

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 DIGI Isolator Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of the DIGI Isolator click board 
 * by reading and writing data by using SPI and UART serial interface 
 * and reading results of AD conversion.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initialization of SPI, UART and ADC module and log UART.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * At the start, the demo application reads and checks the manufacturer ID and 
 * device ID of the connected Flash 11 click board by using SPI serial interface. 
 * After that, sends a "MikroE" message, reads the received data, 
 * and parses it by using UART serial interface in loopback mode. 
 * And finally, the demo app reads the results of the AD conversion of the D1 (AN) pin. 
 * Results are being sent to the UART Terminal, where you can track their changes.
 *
 * @author Nenad Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "digiisolator.h"

#define FLASH11_CMD_GET_ID         0x90, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00
#define FLASH11_MANUFACTURER_ID    0x1F
#define FLASH11_DEVICE_ID          0x15
#define DEMO_MESSAGE               "\r\nMikroE\r\n"
#define PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE        200

static digiisolator_t digiisolator;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    digiisolator_cfg_t digiisolator_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.
    digiisolator_cfg_setup( &digiisolator_cfg );
    DIGIISOLATOR_MAP_MIKROBUS( digiisolator_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( SPI_MASTER_ERROR == digiisolator_init( &digiisolator, &digiisolator_cfg ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
    log_printf( &logger, " -----------------------\r\n" );
    Delay_ms( 100 );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    static uint8_t cmd_get_id[ 6 ] = { FLASH11_CMD_GET_ID };
    static uint8_t read_id[ 6 ] = { 0 };
    static char app_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
    static float voltage = 0;
    
    if ( DIGIISOLATOR_OK == digiisolator_spi_transfer( &digiisolator, &cmd_get_id[ 0 ], &read_id[ 0 ], 6 ) )
    {
        if ( ( FLASH11_MANUFACTURER_ID == read_id[ 4 ] ) && ( FLASH11_DEVICE_ID == read_id[ 5 ] ) )
        {
            log_printf( &logger, " SPI\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Manufacturer ID: 0x%.2X\r\n", ( uint16_t ) read_id[ 4 ] );
            log_printf( &logger, " Device ID: 0x%.2X    \r\n", ( uint16_t ) read_id[ 5 ] );
            log_printf( &logger, " -----------------------\r\n" );
            Delay_ms( 2000 );
        }
    }
    
    if ( 0 < digiisolator_uart_write( &digiisolator, DEMO_MESSAGE, strlen( DEMO_MESSAGE ) ) )
    {
        if ( 0 < digiisolator_uart_read( &digiisolator, app_buf, strlen( DEMO_MESSAGE ) ) )
        {
            log_printf( &logger, " UART\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, "%s", app_buf );
            memset( app_buf, 0, PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE );
            log_printf( &logger, " -----------------------\r\n" );
            Delay_ms( 2000 );
        }
    }
    
    if ( DIGIISOLATOR_OK == digiisolator_get_d1_pin_voltage ( &digiisolator, &voltage ) ) 
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " ADC\r\n" );
        log_printf( &logger, " Voltage : %.3f[V]\r\n", voltage );
        log_printf( &logger, " -----------------------\r\n" );
        Delay_ms( 2000 );
    }
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources