Beginner
10 min

Achieve precise current monitoring in various industrial settings with HO 10-P and PIC18F57Q43

Current transducer with galvanic isolation and reliable measurements of DC, AC, and pulse currents up to 10ARMS

Current Sens 2 Click with Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Published Mar 19, 2024

Click board™

Current Sens 2 Click

Dev. board

Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F57Q43

Precise monitoring and control of both AC and DC currents, suitable for a wide range of applications where accurate current measurement and safety are crucial

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Current Sens 2 Click is based on the HO 10-P, an AC/DC current transducer from LEM USA. The HO 10-P is well-known for measuring DC, AC, and pulse currents up to 10ARMS with galvanic isolation between the primary and secondary circuits. With its core built on the open-loop Hall effect measuring principle, the Current Sens 2 Click ensures precise and reliable current measurements. Its capability covers a variety of industrial applications, including AC variable speed drives, UPS systems, SMPS, and power supplies for welding, which benefit from low power consumption and high immunity to external interference. The device's fast response time suits dynamic and demanding environments. The HO 10-P is designed for through-hole PCB mounting and features a sizable aperture (8x8mm) for the primary

conductor, ensuring easy integration and versatility. Although the sensor can measure current up to 10A, its sensitivity can be altered in three specific scenarios. When current is applied to the input, for instance, pin 6, and the output is obtained from pin 11, the sensor's sensitivity becomes x1. This configuration is considered as the wire being wound only once around the sensor's core, marking the first scenario. In another configuration, short-circuiting pins 7 and 10 while keeping the input and output on pins 6 and 11 doubles the sensitivity (x2). Similarly, sensitivity triples (x3) when pins 7-10 and 8-9 are short-circuited, maintaining the input and output on pins 6 and 11. Maintaining a straight signal path from the input to the output is crucial, as depicted in the schematic (6-11, 7-10, 8-9). It's also possible to measure the conductor's current by

pulling it through the sensor's core and allowing current to flow through it. The sensor is powered by the 5V mikroBUS™ power rail and outputs the sensed current as an analog signal through the AN pin. Additionally, an orange LED and a dedicated pin (OCD) on the mikroBUS™ socket signal an overcurrent condition, providing enhanced safety and monitoring features. 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.

Current Sens 2 Click hardware overview image
Current Sens 2 Click Current Warning 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

Analog Output
PA0
AN
NC
NC
RST
ID COMM
PD4
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
Overcurrent Detection
PA6
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

Current Sens 2 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

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 Current Sens 2 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • currentsens2_get_int_pin - Current Sens 2 get int pin state function

  • currentsens2_tare - Current Sens 2 tare function

  • currentsens2_get_current - Current Sens 2 read current 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 Current Sens 2 Click Example.
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of Current Sens 2 click board by reading and
 * displaying the input current measurements.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and logger.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Reads the input current measurements and displays the results on the USB UART
 * approximately once per second.
 *
 * @author Stefan Ilic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "currentsens2.h"

static currentsens2_t currentsens2;   /**< Current Sens 2 Click driver object. */
static log_t logger;    /**< Logger object. */

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    currentsens2_cfg_t currentsens2_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.
    currentsens2_cfg_setup( &currentsens2_cfg );
    CURRENTSENS2_MAP_MIKROBUS( currentsens2_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( ADC_ERROR == currentsens2_init( &currentsens2, &currentsens2_cfg ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    log_printf( &logger, " Remove Click from the electrical circuit \r\n" );
    Delay_ms( 1000 );
    if ( CURRENTSENS2_ERROR == currentsens2_tare ( &currentsens2 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Click tare error." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }

    currentsens2_set_prim_turn_no( &currentsens2, CURRENTSENS2_NUM_OF_PASSES_1 );

    log_printf( &logger, " Connect Click to the electrical circuit \r\n" );
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    float current = 0;
    if ( CURRENTSENS2_OK == currentsens2_get_current ( &currentsens2, &current ) ) 
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Current : %.2f[A]\r\n\n", current );
        Delay_ms( 1000 );
    }
}

void main ( void ) 
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources

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