Achieve a deeper understanding of UVB radiation with GUVB-C31SM and PIC18F57Q43
Safeguarding your skin: The game-changing UVB sensing solution
Published Feb 13, 2024
Click board™
UVB Click
Dev. board
Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
PIC18F57Q43
Discover how our solution delivers accurate UVB data for informed decisions and healthier living
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
UVB Click is based on GUVB-C31SM, a digital UV sensor from GenUV. The sensor detects UVB light, as it includes on-chip GaN Sensors for UVB. The current generated by photo detectors is converted and measured by ADC and changed to 16-bit resolution digital data. The measured data can be delivered to host via I2C serial interface. Spectral responsivity of sensor is from 240nm up to 320nm which covers full range of UVB spectrum that's defined as light with wavelength from 280nm up to 315nm. The atmosphere blocks about 77% of the Sun's UV, of the ultraviolet radiation that reaches the Earth's surface, more than 95% is the longer
wavelengths of UVA, with the small remainder UVB. Overexposure to UVB radiation not only can cause sunburn but also some forms of skin cancer. UVB radiation can cause direct DNA damage. This cancer connection is one reason for concern about ozone depletion and the ozone hole. One of the benefits of UV light is that it causes the body to produce vitamin D (specifically, UVB), which is essential for life. The human body needs some UV radiation to maintain adequate vitamin D levels; however, excess exposure produces harmful effects that typically outweigh the benefits. With all of this in mind it's very useful to know the
amount of UVB radiation that you are exposed to, and UVB Click board™ is perfect solution for such purpose, and perfect tool for developing wearable devices or weather stations that can report amount of UVB light intensity. Since sensor is supplied with 3.3V only, also featured on this Click board™ is voltage level shifter. For the level shifting, the PCA9306 dual bidirectional I2C bus and SMBus voltage level shifter is used. This level shifter IC allows shifting (converting) the I2C signal levels to the voltage level selected by the VCC SEL onboard SMD jumper. This allows both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs to be interfaced with the UVB Click.
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.
Microcontroller Overview
MCU Card / MCU
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.
Used MCU Pins
mikroBUS™ mapper
Take a closer look
Click board™ Schematic
Step by step
Project assembly
Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43 as your development board.
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 UVB Click driver.
Key functions:
uvb_configuration- Configuration registeruvb_read_byte- Read one byte data from registeruvb_get_uv_data- Get UVB data
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 UVB Click example
*
* # Description
* This Click is ultraviolet sensing board, capable of measuring UV index between 0 to 16.
* UVB Click supports integrated functions of ultraviolet light sensors.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initialization driver init, check communication and configuration module for measurement.
*
* ## Application Task
* Reads UVB data and logs to the USBUART every 1500ms.
*
* @author Mikroe Team
*
*/
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "uvb.h"
static uvb_t uvb;
static log_t logger;
static uint16_t uvb_data;
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg; /**< Logger config object. */
uvb_cfg_t uvb_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.
uvb_cfg_setup( &uvb_cfg );
UVB_MAP_MIKROBUS( uvb_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
err_t init_flag = uvb_init( &uvb, &uvb_cfg );
if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == init_flag ) {
log_error( &logger, " Application Init Error. " );
log_info( &logger, " Please, run program again... " );
for ( ; ; );
}
uvb_default_cfg ( &uvb );
log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
log_printf( &logger, "--------------------------\r\n" );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
uvb_data = uvb_get_uv_data( &uvb );
log_printf( &logger, ">> UVB data: %d\r\n", uvb_data );
log_printf( &logger, "--------------------------\r\n" );
Delay_ms( 1500 );
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; ) {
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
