Beginner
10 min

Measure current flow without direct contact with the conductor with BM14270 and ATmega328

Current sensing solution based on a magnetic MI (Magnetic Impedance) sensor

Current 14 Click with Arduino UNO Rev3

Published Nov 19, 2024

Click board™

Current 14 Click

Dev. board

Arduino UNO Rev3

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

ATmega328

Monitor current consumption in industrial machines and equipment

A

A

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Current 14 Click is based on the BM14270 (BM14270AMUV-LB), a magnetic current sensor IC from ROHM Semiconductor. Engineered for long-term support in the industrial market, this coreless, non-contact current sensing solution uses a magnetic MI (Magnetic Impedance) sensor, enabling accurate current measurement with minimal power loss. Its non-invasive design allows it to measure current flowing through a conductor without direct contact, making it both efficient and adaptable for various applications. This Click board™ is an ideal solution for scenarios requiring accurate current monitoring without introducing additional load or loss into the circuit, providing robust support in demanding environments. Current 14 Click uses a standard 2-wire I2C communication

protocol to enable the host MCU to control the TSC1641. The I2C interface supports clock frequencies up to 400kHz, with the I2C address selectable via the ADDR SEL jumper. Data output is provided through a 14-bit digital format via the I2C interface, delivering high precision in current detection. The sensor’s magnetic measurable range extends to ±280μT (typical), with a magnetic sensitivity of 0.045μT/LSB, allowing for fine-tuned and reliable measurements across various applications. This capability particularly benefits industrial equipment monitoring, power measurement meters, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and power conditioning systems. This Click board™ also includes an alert interrupt pin, ALR, as a data-ready indicator. In addition to

the standard interface pins, the ALR pin signals when new measurement data is available, streamlining the data acquisition process and ensuring timely updates for the host MCU. This feature enhances the board’s responsiveness in real-time monitoring applications, making it particularly effective for dynamic systems where precise and immediate current data is essential. This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VCC 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.

Current 14 Click hardware overview image

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

NC
NC
AN
NC
NC
RST
ID COMM
PB2
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
Alarm Interrupt
PC3
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
I2C Clock
PC5
SCL
I2C Data
PC4
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

Current 14 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
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
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

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for Current 14 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • current14_calib_offset - This function calibrates the zero current offset value.

  • current14_calib_resolution - This function calibrates the data resolution at the known load current.

  • current14_get_current - This function reads the input current level [A].

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 Current 14 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of Current 11 Click board by reading and
 * displaying the input current measurements.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and calibrates the zero current offset and data resolution
 * at 3A load current.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Reads the input current measurements and displays the results on the USB UART
 * approximately once per second.
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "current14.h"

static current14_t current14;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    current14_cfg_t current14_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.
    current14_cfg_setup( &current14_cfg );
    CURRENT14_MAP_MIKROBUS( current14_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == current14_init( &current14, &current14_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( CURRENT14_ERROR == current14_default_cfg ( &current14 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }

    log_printf( &logger, " Calibrating zero current offset in 5 seconds...\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, " Make sure no current flows through the sensor during the calibration process.\r\n" );
    for ( uint8_t cnt = 5; cnt > 0; cnt-- )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " %u\r\n", ( uint16_t ) cnt );
        Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    }
    if ( CURRENT14_ERROR == current14_calib_offset ( &current14 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Calibrate offset." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    log_printf( &logger, " Offset calibration DONE.\r\n\n" );

    log_printf( &logger, " Calibrating data resolution in 5 seconds...\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, " Keep the load current set at 3A during the calibration process.\r\n" );
    for ( uint8_t cnt = 5; cnt > 0; cnt-- )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " %u\r\n", ( uint16_t ) cnt );
        Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    }
    if ( CURRENT14_ERROR == current14_calib_resolution ( &current14, 3.0f ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Calibrate resolution." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    log_printf( &logger, " Data resolution calibration DONE.\r\n" );
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    float current = 0;
    if ( CURRENT14_OK == current14_get_current ( &current14, &current ) )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, " Current: %.3f A\r\n\n", current );
    }
}

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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