Redefine how you sense and measure inductance with LDC1041 and ATmega328P
Infinite possibilities, one converter: Inductance-to-Digital marvel!
Published Feb 14, 2024
Click board™
LDC 2 Click
Dev. board
Arduino UNO Rev3
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
ATmega328P
Elevate your measurement capabilities with our inductance-to-digital converter, an essential tool for engineers and researchers seeking high-precision sensing in fields like robotics, instrumentation, and materials science
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
LDC 2 Click is based on the LDC1041, an inductance-to-digital converter simultaneously measuring an LC resonator's impedance and resonant frequency from Texas Instruments. This Click board™ is easy to use, requiring only the sensor frequency within 5kHz and 5MHz to begin sensing, and demonstrates the use of inductive sensing technology to sense and measure a conductive target object's presence, position, or composition. In addition, the LDC1041 also measures the oscillation frequency of the LC circuit, which is used to determine the inductance of the LC circuit. The device then outputs a digital value that is inversely proportional to frequency. The LDC measures the inductance change that a conductive target causes when it moves into the inductor's AC magnetic field to provide information about the target's position over a
sensor coil. The inductance shift is caused by eddy currents (circulating currents) generated in the target due to the sensor's magnetic field. These eddy currents generate a secondary magnetic field that opposes the sensor field, causing a shift in the observed inductance, used for precise positioning of the target as it moves laterally over the sensor coil. Also, the LDC1041 has two power modes: Active and Standby Mode. Active Mode enables proximity data and frequency data conversion, while Standby mode represents the default mode on the devices' Power-Up sequence. In Standby Mode, the conversion process is disabled. This Click board™ comes with an example of a PCB sensor coil designed to give the user maximum flexibility. The LDC1041 communicates with MCU using the standard SPI serial interface with a maximum frequency of
4MHz. In addition to this serial interface, one GPIO pin connected to the mikroBUS™ socket is also used. The configurable interrupt pin routed to the INT pin of the mikroBUS™ socket may be configured in three different ways by programming the interrupt Terminal mode register with SPI. An interrupt pin can act as a proximity switch, wake-up feature, or data-ready pin, indicating a valid condition for new data availability. 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
28
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.
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 Arduino UNO Rev3 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 LDC 2 Click driver.
Key functions:
ldc2_measure_resonance_impedance- This function measures the resonance impedance and proximity dataldc2_measure_inductance- This function measures the inductance and sensor frequencyldc2_get_sensor_frequency- This function reads and calculates the sensor frequency.
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 LDC2 Click example
*
* # Description
* This example demonstrates the use of LDC 2 Click board.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initializes the driver and configures the Click board.
*
* ## Application Task
* Measures the resonance impedance and proximity as well as the inductance and sensor frequency
* approximately every 200ms and displays all values on the USB UART.
*
* @author Stefan Filipovic
*
*/
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "ldc2.h"
static ldc2_t ldc2;
static log_t logger;
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg; /**< Logger config object. */
ldc2_cfg_t ldc2_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 );
Delay_ms ( 100 );
log_info( &logger, " Application Init " );
// Click initialization.
ldc2_cfg_setup( &ldc2_cfg );
LDC2_MAP_MIKROBUS( ldc2_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
if ( SPI_MASTER_ERROR == ldc2_init( &ldc2, &ldc2_cfg ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Application Init Error. " );
log_info( &logger, " Please, run program again... " );
for ( ; ; );
}
if ( LDC2_ERROR == ldc2_default_cfg ( &ldc2 ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Default Config Error. " );
log_info( &logger, " Please, run program again... " );
for ( ; ; );
}
log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
uint8_t prox_data = 0;
float rp_data = 0;
float freq = 0;
float inductance = 0;
if ( LDC2_OK == ldc2_measure_resonance_impedance( &ldc2, &prox_data, &rp_data ) )
{
log_printf( &logger, " Proximity: %u\r\n Resonance Impedance: %.3f kOhm\r\n\n", ( uint16_t ) prox_data, rp_data );
}
if ( LDC2_OK == ldc2_measure_inductance( &ldc2, &freq, &inductance ) )
{
log_printf( &logger, " Sensor Frequency: %.3f MHz\r\n Inductance: %.6f uH\r\n\n", freq, inductance );
}
Delay_ms ( 200 );
}
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
Category:Inductance
