Intermediate
30 min

Take your audio to new heights with LM4860 and ATmega328

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AudioAmp 4 Click with Arduino UNO Rev3

Published Feb 14, 2024

Click board™

AudioAmp 4 Click

Dev.Board

Arduino UNO Rev3

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

ATmega328

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

AudioAmp 4 Click is based on the LM4860, a Boomer® series 1W audio power amplifier with shutdown mode from Texas Instruments. Besides the LM4860, there is also the CD74HC4051, a high-speed CMOS logic analog mux/demux IC from Texas Instruments. The LM4860 is used as the main audio amplifier component. This IC features a high level of integration, reducing the number of external components to a minimum. It does not require any output capacitors, bootstrap capacitors, or snubber circuits, which makes the design straightforward. Besides other functions, the IC features the Shutdown mode, activated by a HIGH logic level on a dedicated SHUTDOWN pin. Therefore, this pin must be set to a LOW logic level to enable the amplifier. However, AudioAmp 4 click already has a pull-down resistor, so the audio amplifier IC is enabled by default. The SHUTDOWN pin is routed to the CS pin of the mikroBUS™, labeled as EN. While in Shutdown mode, the power consumption is minimized, which is very useful for applications that rely on a battery power supply. The Shutdown mode pin is also routed to the

#E pin of the CD74HC4051, simultaneously disabling this IC as well. The audio signal can be connected via the 3.5mm JACK connector. By default, this signal is connected to one side of the voltage divider, composed of eight resistors. The other end of the voltage divider is tied to the GND, while the middle tap of the voltage divider can be selected by activating any of the eight available positions of the CD74HC4051 IC. The CD74HC4051 IC uses three control pins, allowing its internal analog SP8T switch to be closed between any of the eight I/O pins (A0 to A7) and one common I/O pin. The audio signal goes through this divider, gets divided by the ratio selected with the control pins, and into the audio input of the LM4860 audio amp IC. This results in having eight discrete volume levels, which can be digitally selected by S0-S3 control pins routed to the mikroBUS™. AudioAmp 4 Click is equipped with the SMD jumper labeled IN SEL. This jumper allows to selection the output from the RC filter, which filters out the PWM signal from the mikroBUS™ PWM pin, creating a DC signal of constant voltage.

By changing the PWM signal's pulse width, the RC filter's voltage output will change. If the IN SEL switch is moved to the PWM position, this signal will be introduced into the voltage divider instead of the 3.5mm jack connector audio signal. It can be used to generate custom waveforms by the software running on the host MCU. Three control pins of the CD74HC4051, labeled as S0, S1, and S2, are routed to the mikroBUS™ pins AN, RST, and INT, respectively, labeled according to the names of the control pins. These pins accept logic HIGH and LOW levels from the host MCU, so the CD74HC4051 can be controlled using a binary format on the control pins. The Click board™ uses only 5V rail from the mikroBUS™, so it should not be interfaced with MCUs with only 3.3V tolerant pins. The complete control of the IC is done exclusively by the GPIO pins of the MCU, so the software development complexity is reduced to a minimum. However, the click comes with the mikroSDK compliant library, offering a simple usage example and functions for rapidly developing applications.

audioamp-4-click-hardware-overview

Features overview

Development board

Arduino UNO is a versatile microcontroller board built around the ATmega328P chip. It offers extensive connectivity options for various projects, featuring 14 digital input/output pins, six of which are PWM-capable, along with six analog inputs. Its core components include a 16MHz ceramic resonator, a USB connection, a power jack, an

ICSP header, and a reset button, providing everything necessary to power and program the board. The Uno is ready to go, whether connected to a computer via USB or powered by an AC-to-DC adapter or battery. As the first USB Arduino board, it serves as the benchmark for the Arduino platform, with "Uno" symbolizing its status as the

first in a series. This name choice, meaning "one" in Italian, commemorates the launch of Arduino Software (IDE) 1.0. Initially introduced alongside version 1.0 of the Arduino Software (IDE), the Uno has since become the foundational model for subsequent Arduino releases, embodying the platform's evolution.

Arduino UNO Rev3 double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

AVR

MCU Memory (KB)

32

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

32

RAM (Bytes)

2048

You complete me!

Accessories

Click Shield for Arduino UNO has two proprietary mikroBUS™ sockets, allowing all the Click board™ devices to be interfaced with the Arduino UNO board without effort. The Arduino Uno, a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P, provides an affordable and flexible way for users to try out new concepts and build prototypes with the ATmega328P microcontroller from various combinations of performance, power consumption, and features. The Arduino Uno has 14 digital input/output pins (of which six can be used as PWM outputs), six analog inputs, a 16 MHz ceramic resonator (CSTCE16M0V53-R0), a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and reset button. Most of the ATmega328P microcontroller pins are brought to the IO pins on the left and right edge of the board, which are then connected to two existing mikroBUS™ sockets. This Click Shield also has several switches that perform functions such as selecting the logic levels of analog signals on mikroBUS™ sockets and selecting logic voltage levels of the mikroBUS™ sockets themselves. Besides, the user is offered the possibility of using any Click board™ with the help of existing bidirectional level-shifting voltage translators, regardless of whether the Click board™ operates at a 3.3V or 5V logic voltage level. Once you connect the Arduino UNO board with our Click Shield for Arduino UNO, you can access hundreds of Click boards™, working with 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels.

Click Shield for Arduino UNO accessories 1 image

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

Control pin 0
PC0
AN
Control pin 1
PD2
RST
Shutdown mode enable
PB2
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
NC
NC
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
PWM Input
PD6
PWM
Control pin 2
PC3
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

Schematic

AudioAmp 4 Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Click Shield for Arduino UNO front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Arduino UNO Rev3 as your development board.

Click Shield for Arduino UNO front image hardware assembly
Arduino UNO Rev3 front image hardware assembly
Charger 27 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Charger 27 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
Arduino UNO Rev3 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
Arduino UNO 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

After loading the code example, pressing the "DEBUG" button builds and programs it on the selected setup.

Application Output Step 1

After programming is completed, a header with buttons for various actions available in the IDE appears. By clicking the green "PLAY "button, we start reading the results achieved with Click board™.

Application Output Step 3

Upon completion of programming, the Application Output tab is automatically opened, where the achieved result can be read. In case of an inability to perform the Debug function, check if a proper connection between the MCU used by the setup and the CODEGRIP programmer has been established. A detailed explanation of the CODEGRIP-board connection can be found in the CODEGRIP User Manual. Please find it in the RESOURCES section.

Application Output Step 4

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for AudioAmp 4 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • audioamp4_set_channel - This function sets the volume channel.

  • audioamp4_shutdown - This function is used to switch device ON or OFF

Open Source

Code example

This example can be found in NECTO Studio. Feel free to download the code, or you can copy the code below.

/*!
 * \file 
 * \brief AudioAmp 4 Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This example switches device on & off and sets volume channel to 3.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Initializes GPIO interface, turns module ON and sets volume level to 0.
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * Turns device OFF & ON and sets a three different volume values.
 * 
 * ## Additional Functions
 * - application_error_handler - Collects the response from the functions.
 * 
 * \author Petar Suknjaja
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "audioamp4.h"

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

static audioamp4_t audioamp4;
static log_t logger;

// ------------------------------------------------------- ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS

void application_error_handler ( AUDIOAMP4_RETVAL error_code ) 
{
    switch ( error_code ) 
    {
        case AUDIOAMP4_OK :
        {
            log_info( &logger, "OK\r\n");
        break;    
        }
        case AUDIOAMP4_SHTDWN_STATE_ERR :
        {
            log_info( &logger, "Shutdown state error\r\n" );
        break;
        }
        case AUDIOAMP4_VOL_CHANN_ERR :
        {
            log_info( &logger, "Volume channel error\r\n" );
        break;
        }
        default : 
        {
        break;
        }  
    }
}

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

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    audioamp4_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.

    audioamp4_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    AUDIOAMP4_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    audioamp4_init( &audioamp4, &cfg );
    audioamp4_default_cfg( &audioamp4 );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    log_info( &logger, "Turn on device:" );
    application_error_handler( audioamp4_shutdown( &audioamp4, AUDIOAMP4_SHUTDOWN_OFF ) );
    
    log_info( &logger, "Set volume channel 1:" );
    application_error_handler( audioamp4_set_channel( &audioamp4, AUDIOAMP4_VOLUME_CHANN_1 ) );
    Delay_ms( 2000 );
    
    log_info( &logger, "Set volume channel 5:" );
    application_error_handler( audioamp4_set_channel( &audioamp4, AUDIOAMP4_VOLUME_CHANN_5 ) );
    Delay_ms( 2000 );
    
    log_info( &logger, "Set volume channel 7:" );
    application_error_handler( audioamp4_set_channel( &audioamp4, AUDIOAMP4_VOLUME_CHANN_7 ) );
    Delay_ms( 2000 );
    
    log_info( &logger, "Turn off device:" );
    application_error_handler( audioamp4_shutdown( &audioamp4, AUDIOAMP4_SHUTDOWN_ON ) );
    Delay_ms( 500 );
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources