Optimize DC load management for efficiency with G6D-ASI and ATmega328
Say goodbye to clicks and clacks
Published Feb 14, 2024
Click board™
FLICKER Click
Dev Board
Arduino UNO Rev3
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
ATmega328
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
Flicker Click is based on the G6D-ASI, a power PCB relay from OMRON. It has a long service life with up to 300.000 operations at maximum rated loads. Its contact resistance is 100mΩ, with 5ms of release time, and it is designed to withstand 500VDC. Its coil is powered by 5V from the mikroBUS™ socket. The load can be connected to the relay over the onboard screw terminal and isolated from the board. Remember not to touch the board while the external power supply is on; the Flicker Click has exposed pins/pads. Thanks to
the onboard NE556, a dual precision timer from Texas Instruments, and two onboard 500K potentiometers, you can easily set the on/off periods. You will need a fine screwdriver to set the desired position of the potentiometers. A stopwatch can measure the ON/OFF periods if you need precise time. This way, you can set different or the same periods for both on and off states. The onboard LED stands for the visual presentation of the status of the relay. The Flicker Click uses a FON pin of the mikroBUS™ socket to communicate
with the host MCU. Over this pin, you can turn the NE556 ON and OFF. This Click board™ can be operated only with a 5V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. Also, it comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.
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.
Microcontroller Overview
MCU Card / MCU
Architecture
AVR
MCU Memory (KB)
32
Silicon Vendor
Microchip
Pin count
32
RAM (Bytes)
2048
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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.
Used MCU Pins
mikroBUS™ mapper
Take a closer look
Schematic
Step by step
Project assembly
Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Arduino UNO Rev3 as your development board.
Track your results in real time
Application Output via Debug Mode
1. Once the code example is loaded, pressing the "DEBUG" button initiates the build process, programs it on the created setup, and enters Debug mode.
2. After the programming is completed, a header with buttons for various actions within the IDE becomes visible. Clicking the green "PLAY" button starts reading the results achieved with the Click board™. The achieved results are displayed in the Application Output tab.
Software Support
Library Description
This library contains API for FLICKER Click driver.
Key functions:
flicker_engage- Flicker engage function
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 Flicker Click example
*
* # Description
* This application simple solution if you need to turn a device on and off at specific time intervals.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initialization driver enables GPIO and also starts write log.
*
* ## Application Task
* This example demonstrates capabilities of Flicker Click board.
*
* \author MikroE Team
*
*/
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "flicker.h"
// ------------------------------------------------------------------ VARIABLES
static flicker_t flicker;
static log_t logger;
// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg;
flicker_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.
flicker_cfg_setup( &cfg );
FLICKER_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
flicker_init( &flicker, &cfg );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
// Task implementation.
log_printf( &logger, " *Flicker on!* \r\n" );
Delay_ms( 500 );
flicker_engage( &flicker );
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
