Intermediate
30 min

Achieve stunning color mixing with TLC5947 and PIC18F57Q43

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LED Driver 18 Click with Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Published Feb 13, 2024

Click board™

LED Driver 18 Click

Dev. board

Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F57Q43

Trust our reliable and innovative LED driver solution to bring your lighting projects to life, delivering unparalleled performance and efficiency for all your LED lighting needs

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

LED Driver 18 Click is based on the TLC5947, a 24-channel 12-bit PWM LED driver from Texas Instruments. Each channel supports many LEDs in series connected to the LED terminal and has an individually-adjustable 4096-step PWM grayscale brightness control accessible through a serial interface port. It has a programmable current value of all 24 channels achievable through the AD5171, an I2C-configurable digital potentiometer, with a maximum of 30mA of LED current per channel. The TLC5947 also features a built-in thermal shutdown function that turns OFF all output drivers during an over-temperature condition.

All channels automatically restart when the temperature returns to normal conditions. LED Driver 18 Click communicates with MCU through a register-selectable standard SPI interface that enables a high clock speed of up to 30MHz for optimum performance. In addition to the interface signals, the TLC5947 uses another signal from the mikroBUS™ socket. The enable signal routed on the EN pin of the mikroBUS™ socket provides the ability to turn OFF all constant-current outputs. When the EN pin is in a high logic state, all channels (0-23) are forced OFF, the grayscale PWM timing controller initializes, and the grayscale counter

resets to 0. When the EN pin is in a low logic state is low, the grayscale PWM timing controller controls all LED channels. 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.

LED Driver 18 Click top side image
LED Driver 18 Click lateral side image
LED Driver 18 Click bottom side 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

NC
NC
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
Channels Enable
PB0
PWM
NC
NC
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
I2C Clock
PB2
SCL
I2C Data
PB1
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

LED Driver 18 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 LED Driver 18 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • leddriver18_set_output_pwm LED Driver 18 set output channel PWM value function.

  • leddriver18_write_config LED Driver 18 write config function.

  • leddriver18_set_cc_output LED Driver 18 set constant current output 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 LED Driver 18 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This library contains API for LED Driver 18 Click driver. 
 * The library initializes and defines the I2C bus drivers to 
 * write and read data for setting constant current output, 
 * as well as the default configuration for a PWM output value 
 * of the OUT pins.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and performs default configuration and sets 
 * the device in output enabled mode.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * This example demonstrates the use of the LED Driver 18 Click board by 
 * changing PWM values for all output from a minimum value to 
 * maximum value and back to minimum controlling the brightness of the 
 * LEDs in the process.
 *
 * @author Stefan Ilic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "leddriver18.h"

static leddriver18_t leddriver18;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    leddriver18_cfg_t leddriver18_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.
    leddriver18_cfg_setup( &leddriver18_cfg );
    LEDDRIVER18_MAP_MIKROBUS( leddriver18_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == leddriver18_init( &leddriver18, &leddriver18_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( LEDDRIVER18_ERROR == leddriver18_default_cfg ( &leddriver18 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    float pwm_val;

    for ( int8_t  n_cnt = 0; n_cnt <= 100; n_cnt += 10 )
    {
        for ( uint8_t out_cnt = 0; out_cnt < LEDDRIVER18_MAX_OUTPUT_NUM; out_cnt++ )
        {
            leddriver18_set_output_pwm( out_cnt, n_cnt );
        }
        pwm_val = leddriver18_get_output_pwm( 0 );
        log_printf( &logger, " PWM value: %.2f \r\n", pwm_val );
        leddriver18_write_config( &leddriver18 );
        Delay_ms ( 200 );
    }
    for ( int8_t  n_cnt = 100; n_cnt >= 10; n_cnt -= 10 )
    {
        for ( uint8_t out_cnt = 0; out_cnt < LEDDRIVER18_MAX_OUTPUT_NUM; out_cnt++ )
        {
            leddriver18_set_output_pwm( out_cnt, n_cnt );
        }
        pwm_val = leddriver18_get_output_pwm( 0 );
        log_printf( &logger, " PWM value: %.2f \r\n", pwm_val );
        leddriver18_write_config( &leddriver18 );
        Delay_ms ( 200 );
    }
}

int main ( void ) 
{
    /* Do not remove this line or clock might not be set correctly. */
    #ifdef PREINIT_SUPPORTED
    preinit();
    #endif
    
    application_init( );
    
    for ( ; ; ) 
    {
        application_task( );
    }

    return 0;
}

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

Additional Support

Resources

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