Intermediate
30 min

Determine the distance of the desired target with VL53L5CX and PIC18F57Q43

Detect the unexpected

Proximity 16 Click with Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Published Feb 13, 2024

Click board™

Proximity 16 Click

Dev. board

Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F57Q43

Detect the absence or presence of an object without physical contact

A

A

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Proximity 16 Click is based on the VL53L5CX, an 8x8 multi-zone Time-of-Flight sensor with wide FoV for each zone from STMicroelectronics. The VL53L5CX offers multi-target detection and distance measurement in each zone up to 4 meters. It integrates a SPAD array, physical infrared filters, and diffractive optical elements to achieve the best-ranging performance in various ambient lighting conditions. Also, with ST’s patented histogram algorithms, the VL53L5CX detects multiple objects within the FoV and ensures immunity to cover glass crosstalk beyond 60cm. Using diffractive optical elements above the vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) allows a square field-of-view of 45°x45° (63° diagonal)

to be projected onto the scene, where the receiver lens focuses the light reflection onto a SPAD array. The VL53L5CX can range to 8x8 zones at 15Hz for higher resolution or 4x4 at 60Hz for faster-ranging measurements. Proximity 16 Click communicates with MCU using the standard I2C 2-Wire interface to read data and configure settings, supporting Fast Mode Plus Mode up to 1MHz. Also, this Click board™ provides the ability to use I2C communication in Low-Power mode, which activates via the setting of the LP pin routed to the PWM pin on the mikroBUS™ socket. Besides, it provides an intelligent interrupt function that generates every time a ranging measurement is available, alongside an I2C Reset feature

routed to the RST pin on the mikroBUS™ socket, which resets the sensor I2C communication only. Once the host reads the result, the interrupt is cleared, and the ranging sequence can repeat. This Click board™ can only be operated 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.

Proximity 16 Click top side image
Proximity 16 Click lateral side image
Proximity 16 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
I2C Interface Reset
PA7
RST
NC
NC
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
Low Power I2C Enable
PB0
PWM
Interrupt
PA6
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
I2C Clock
PB2
SCL
I2C Data
PB1
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

Proximity 16 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
Board mapper by product8 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 Proximity 16 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • proximity16_get_int_pin This function returns the INT pin logic state.

  • proximity16_get_resolution This function gets the current resolution (4x4 or 8x8).

  • proximity16_get_ranging_data This function gets the ranging data, using the selected output and the resolution.

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 Proximity 16 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of Proximity 16 click board by reading and displaying
 * 8x8 zones measurements on the USB UART.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and performs the click default configuration.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Reads all zone measurements approximately every 500ms and logs them to the USB UART as an 8x8 map. 
 * The silicon temperature measurement in degrees Celsius is also displayed.
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "proximity16.h"

static proximity16_t proximity16;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    proximity16_cfg_t proximity16_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.
    proximity16_cfg_setup( &proximity16_cfg );
    PROXIMITY16_MAP_MIKROBUS( proximity16_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == proximity16_init( &proximity16, &proximity16_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( PROXIMITY16_ERROR == proximity16_default_cfg ( &proximity16 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    if ( !proximity16_get_int_pin ( &proximity16 ) )
    {
        proximity16_results_data_t results;
        uint8_t resolution, map_side;
        err_t error_flag = proximity16_get_resolution ( &proximity16, &resolution );
        error_flag |= proximity16_get_ranging_data ( &proximity16, &results );
        if ( PROXIMITY16_OK == error_flag )
        {
            map_side = ( PROXIMITY16_RESOLUTION_4X4 == resolution ) ? 4 : 8;
            log_printf ( &logger, "\r\n %ux%u MAP (mm):\r\n", ( uint16_t ) map_side, ( uint16_t ) map_side );
            for ( uint16_t cnt = 1; cnt <= resolution; cnt++ )
            {
                log_printf ( &logger, " %u\t", results.distance_mm[ cnt - 1 ] );
                if ( 0 == ( cnt % map_side ) )
                {
                    log_printf ( &logger, "\r\n" );
                }
            }
            log_printf ( &logger, " Silicon temperature : %d degC\r\n", ( int16_t ) results.silicon_temp_degc );
        }
    }
}

void main ( void ) 
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources

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