Intermediate
20 min

Transform raw ultrasonic data into actionable insights with TUSS4470 and PIC18F57Q43

Echos transformed: Elevate your ultrasonic experience

Ultrasonic 5 Click with Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Published Feb 13, 2024

Click board™

Ultrasonic 5 Click

Dev. board

Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F57Q43

Unlock the true potential of your ultrasonic sensor with our purpose-built circuits, engineered to extract maximum precision from every pulse and revolutionize your sensing capabilities.

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Ultrasonic 5 Click is based on the TUSS4470, a transformer-drive ultrasonic sensor IC with a logarithmic amplifier from Texas Instruments. This highly integrated driver and receiver IC is designed especially for ultrasonic transducers operating in a range of 40KHz up to 1MHz, with pre-driver mode. It has three configurable drive stages: a direct drive using an internal H-bridge for transducer excitation, a pre-driver configuration to use an internal H-bridge to drive external FETs for the higher current drive, and configurable burst patterns over the SPI interface. Also, it has a configurable bandpass filter, wide-band logarithmic amplifier, and first-stage adjustable low-noise amplifier. The cut-off frequency of the low-pass filter can be set over the left frequency selection FREQ SEL jumper with options 40K and 1M, where the 40K(Hz) is set by default. The negative transducer receive path has a frequency selection FREQ SEL jumper on the right side with the same values as the left FREQ SEL jumper. It is also set to 40K as default. It is possible to select some other frequency for both sides by replacing the CINN capacitors (C7, C8) and the CFLT capacitors (C5, C6). Users can choose a burst

pattern from an integrated pulse generator to feed the output driver. There are 4 IO_MODEs that supply the desired frequency through an external clock. This enables you to supply a highly precise clock calibrated to the center frequency of the transducer to enable the highest sound pressure level generation. Ultrasonic 5 Click has a 3-pin terminal (OUTB, GND, OUTA) to connect with the ultrasonic sensor (one UTR-1440K ultrasonic sensor comes with the board). The UTR-1440K ultrasonic sensor comes in an aluminum housing, and its terminal material is tin-plated copper. Its echo sensitivity is ≥200 millivolts. In addition, a zero-crossing signal output (OUT3 header) can be used to validate the frequency of the received echo signal to provide robustness against interference from other signals. It is derived from a row amplified input signal from a particular stage as it is demodulated in the log amp block. The ultrasonic sensor can work on different voltages. Over the VPWR SEL jumper, you can power the transformer-drive IC and the ultrasonic sensor itself with 5V or higher voltages by setting the VOUT option. The 5V from the mikroBUS™ socket power rail is set by default. If you want to use 12V

or 24V to power the sensor and the IC, you must set the VOUT option and choose an appropriate voltage over the VOUT SEL just below (12V is set by default). The TLV61046A, an output voltage boost converter with a power diode and isolation switch from Texas Instruments, provides the 12V and 24V voltages. Ultrasonic 5 Click uses a standard 4-Wire SPI interface to communicate with the host MCU and provide full-duplex communication. The demodulated echo analog output of the IC is available on the AN pin. The echo interrupt signal is available on the INT pin, which goes HIGH logic when the signal on the demodulated echo analog output pin crosses a defined threshold. The configurable burst patterns can be chosen over the IO1 and IO2 pins. This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VIO 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.

Ultrasonic 5 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

Echo Analog Output
PA0
AN
Burst Mode Pattern
PA7
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
Burst Mode Pattern
PB0
PWM
Interrupt
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

Ultrasonic 5 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
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 Ultrasonic 5 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • ultrasonic5_clear_io1_pin - This function clears the IO1 pin to low logic state.

  • ultrasonic5_pwm_start - This function starts the PWM module output.

  • ultrasonic5_read_an_pin_voltage - This function reads results of AD conversion of the AN pin and converts them to proportional voltage level.

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 Ultrasonic 5 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of Ultrasonic 5 Click board by reading
 * the measurements from the connected ultrasonic sensor and displaying it
 * on a Serial Plot.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and performs the Click default configuration.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Performs a burst generation which starts the measurement and then reads the next
 * 200 ADC samples and displays the results on the USB UART (SerialPlot).
 * 
 * @note
 * In order to get valid measuremets a proper ultrasonic sensor must be connected to OUTA and OUTB.
 * We have used an UTR-1440K-TT-R sensor for the test. We recommend using the SerialPlot tool
 * for data visualizing. Refer to the datasheet "Application Curves" section in order to check
 * and compare the results from the plotter.
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "ultrasonic5.h"

static ultrasonic5_t ultrasonic5;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    ultrasonic5_cfg_t ultrasonic5_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.
    ultrasonic5_cfg_setup( &ultrasonic5_cfg );
    ULTRASONIC5_MAP_MIKROBUS( ultrasonic5_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( ULTRASONIC5_OK != ultrasonic5_init( &ultrasonic5, &ultrasonic5_cfg ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( ULTRASONIC5_OK != ultrasonic5_default_cfg ( &ultrasonic5 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    float voltage = 0;
    // Burst generation / Start measurement
    ultrasonic5_set_duty_cycle ( &ultrasonic5, ULTRASONIC5_DEF_DYTY );
    ultrasonic5_pwm_start( &ultrasonic5 );
    ultrasonic5_clear_io1_pin ( &ultrasonic5 );
    Delay_500us ( );
    ultrasonic5_set_io1_pin ( &ultrasonic5 );
    ultrasonic5_pwm_stop( &ultrasonic5 );
    // Read and log the next 200 ADC samples which we will plot on a Serial Plotter
    for ( uint16_t cnt = 0; cnt < 200; cnt++ )
    {
        if ( ULTRASONIC5_OK == ultrasonic5_read_an_pin_voltage ( &ultrasonic5, &voltage ) ) 
        {
            log_printf( &logger, "%.3f\r\n", voltage );
        }
    }
}

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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