Experience the future of parameter adjustments with PTA3043-2015CPB103 and PIC18F57Q43

Slide to precision: Our mechanical slider potentiometer elevates control

Slider 2 Click with Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Published Feb 13, 2024

Click board™

Slider 2 Click

Dev. board

Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F57Q43

We aim to empower your projects with the precision and reliability of our slider potentiometer, offering seamless adjustments and control for a wide range of uses

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Slider 2 Click is based on the PTA3043, a linear, high-grade, 10K potentiometer from Bourns. This potentiometer has a 30 mm travel distance. The long travel distance of the wiper allows more accurate movements and combined with the high-quality manufacturing process it allows to dial-in the desired voltage with ease. This type of potentiometers are also known as sliders, thus the name for this Click board™. The potentiometer has a small dent in the middle, which enables tactile feedback when the center position is reached. The potentiometer is connected between the VREF and GND, acting as a voltage divider. Its wiper terminal outputs voltage in the range from 0 to 4.096V, depending on its position. The used potentiometer is linear, so the wiper potential changes linearly with its position. The voltage reference(VREF) is obtained from the MCP1501, a high-precision voltage reference IC from Microchip. The main purpose of this IC is to provide and retain a very accurate voltage of

4.096V. Its voltage reference is accurate enough for most applications where the analog output from the Slider 2 click can be utilized as a control voltage signal (CV). The output is buffered with a rail-to-rail, low-power operational amplifier, labeled as OPA344, produced by Texas Instruments. After the buffering op-amp, the output signal is delivered at the AN pin of the mikroBUS, labeled as VO on this Click Board, so it can be easily sampled by the internal A/D converter of the host microcontroller unit (MCU. Most MCUs have A/D peripherals that can use 4.096 as the reference voltage for the full-scale value (PIC 8-bit family is a good example). However, there are many cases where 2.048V is more adequate, so the Click board offers a choice: if there is a HIGH logic level at the RSL pin, the N-type MOSFET will open and another resistor will be introduced to the circuit. A voltage divider will be formed at the input of the buffering op-amp, which will halve the voltage from the potentiometer, reducing its maximum

value to 2.048V. When the logic level at the RSL pin is LOW, the N-type MOSFET will stay closed, so the second resistor of the voltage divider remains isolated. This will cause the full voltage level from the potentiometer to appear at the VO pin of the Click Board, in the range from 0 to 4.096V max. The MCP1501 IC has the #SHDN pin, used to shut down the IC when it's set to a LOW logic level. When this pin is set to a LOW logic level, the voltage reference output will be turned OFF, so there will be no voltage changes at the VO pin. By enabling the MCP1501 the voltage reference is established once again, so the Click Board can deliver an analog signal with the voltage ranging from 0 to 4.096V, or from 0 to 2.048V if the RSL pin is set to a HIGH logic level. It is recommended to start up the Click Board with the EN pin at the LOW logic level, to allow the internal power supply of the MCP1501 to reach its operational values.

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

Architecture

PIC

MCU Memory (KB)

128

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

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.

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

Analog Output

PA0

RST

MCP1501 Enable

PD4

SCK

MISO

MOSI

3.3V

Ground

GND

Reference Voltage Selection

PB0

PWM

INT

SCL

SDA

Power Supply

Ground

GND

Take a closer look

Click board™ 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.

Charger 27 Click front image hardware assembly

PIC18F47Q10 Curiosity Nano front image hardware assembly

Board mapper by product8 hardware assembly

PIC18F57Q43 Curiosity MCU Step hardware assembly

Necto No Display image step 8 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 Slider 2 Click driver.

Key functions:

slider2_enable - This function sets desired state to EN pin
slider2_set_reference - This function sets desired reference to RSL pin

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 
 * \brief Slider2 Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This Click utilizes potentiometer with long travel distance of the wiper 
 * witch allows more accurate movements and combined with the high-quality 
 * manufacturing process it allows to dial-in the desired voltage with ease.
 * Its wiper terminal outputs voltage in the range from 0 to 4.096V. 
 * The used potentiometer is linear, so the wiper potential changes linearly with its position.
 * 
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Initialization driver init and ADC init.
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * Read Slider data value and this data logs to USBUART every 500ms.
 * 
 * 
 * \author MikroE Team
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "slider2.h"

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

static slider2_t slider2;
static log_t logger;


// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    slider2_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.

    slider2_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    SLIDER2_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    slider2_init( &slider2, &cfg );
    slider2_default_cfg( &slider2);

}

void application_task ( void )
{
    slider2_data_t tmp;
    
    //  Task implementation.
    
    tmp = slider2_generic_read ( &slider2 );
    log_printf( &logger, "** ADC value : [DEC]- %d, [HEX]- 0x%x \r\n", tmp, tmp );
    
    Delay_ms ( 500 );

}

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