Beginner
10 min

Create bridge between TTL level UART and RS485 communication with SN75HVD12 and ATmega328P

Help electronic systems communicate over long distances and in noisy environments

RS485 Click 3.3V with Arduino UNO Rev3

Published Feb 14, 2024

Click board™

RS485 Click 3.3V

Dev. board

Arduino UNO Rev3

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

ATmega328P

Provide reliable and long-distance communication between TTL-level UART and RS485 bus devices in various applications

A

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

RS485 Click 3.3V is based on the SN75HVD12, an RS-485 transceiver from Texas Instruments. It is a tristate differential line driver and differential input line receiver. It is intended to be used as a physical layer device, often called PHY, providing physical interfacing of the MCU TTL level UART lines with the RS422/485 bus. It is well suited for transmitting smaller data blocks over long distances, using a twisted differential signal pair for both TX and RX signals, allowing for half-duplex asynchronous communication. The SN75HVD12 transceiver consists of separate driver and receiver sections, with Driver Enable and Receiver Enable pins used to enable the appropriate sections. The driver section drives the RS422/485 bus with the signal received on the UART RX line, while the receiver section returns data from the bus back to the MCU via the UART TX line. RS422/485 standard only specifies the electrical characteristics of the transmitter and the receiver. It does not specify or recommend any communications protocol, only the physical layer. The top layer communication protocol of choice can be used, such as the MODBUS or similar protocols. Therefore, RS485 Click 3.3V offers UART RX and TX pins routed to

the appropriate mikroBUS™ TX and RX UART pins. The MCU uses these pins to send data to the RS485 bus in a form determined by the user protocol. The SN75HVD12 IC allows signaling data rates up to 32Mbps. However, the bus length determines the maximal transfer speed: longer bus lines will result in less transfer speed. The RS422/RS485 bus needs to be terminated with the resistor on both ends (so-called parallel termination) equal to the characteristic impedance of the cable used to prevent line reflections. The RS485 standard prescribes using a twisted pair cable as the data bus. Twisted pair cable tends to cancel common-mode noise and cause cancellation of the magnetic fields generated by the current flowing through each wire, thereby reducing the effective inductance of the pair. The Click board™ is equipped with a jumper that can be used to route the termination resistor of 120 Ω between the bus lines. It is also equipped with two more jumpers, labeled as BIAS ENABLE. These jumpers enable bus biasing by using pull-up and pull-down resistors between the bus differential lines and VCC/GND, respectively, preventing certain faulty conditions when no drivers are enabled on the

bus, in addition to existing IC protection. RS485 Click 3.3V uses a standard 2-Wire UART interface to communicate with the host MCU with commonly used UART RX and TX lines. Receiver output enable (RE) and driver output enable (DE) pins of the SN75HVD12 are joined together and routed to the R/T pin of the mikroBUS™ socket.  When left floating, a pull-down resistor determines the states on these pins, so you have to enable the device by writing a High logic state. Note that DE and RE pins use opposite signal polarities for the active state, making it possible to drive them with a single MCU pin. When a HIGH logic level is applied to the R/T pin, the transmitter becomes activated, while the receiver is deactivated at the same time - and vice versa. The R/T pin acts as a communication direction pin in this configuration. This Click board™ can be operated only with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

RS485 Click 3.3V 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

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.

Click Shield for Arduino UNO accessories 1 image

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
NC
NC
RST
NC
NC
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
Receive/Transmit
PD6
PWM
NC
NC
INT
UART TX
PD0
TX
UART RX
PD1
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

RS485 Click 3.3V 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

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 RS485 Click 3.3V driver.

Key functions:

  • rs4853v3_generic_read - This function reads a desired number of data bytes by using UART serial interface.

  • rs4853v3_send_command - This function sends a command by using UART serial interface.

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 RS485 3V3 Click Example.
 *
 * # Description
 * This example reads and processes data from RS485 3.3V clicks.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes driver and wake-up module.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Reads the received data and parses it.
 *
 * ## Additional Function
 * - static void rs4853v3_clear_current_rsp_buf ( void ) - The general process of clearing buffer.
 * - static void rs4853v3_process ( void ) - The general process of collecting the received data.
 * @author Stefan Ilic
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "rs4853v3.h"
#include "string.h"

#define PROCESS_COUNTER 10
#define PROCESS_RX_BUFFER_SIZE 100
#define PROCESS_PARSER_BUFFER_SIZE 100

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

#define DEMO_APP_RECEIVER
// #define DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER

static rs4853v3_t rs4853v3;
static log_t logger;

static char current_rsp_buf[ PROCESS_PARSER_BUFFER_SIZE ];
static uint8_t send_data_cnt = 0; 

unsigned char demo_message[ 9 ] = { 'M', 'i', 'k', 'r', 'o', 'E', 13, 10, 0 };
// ------------------------------------------------------- ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS

static void rs4853v3_clear_current_rsp_buf ( void ) {
    memset( current_rsp_buf, 0, PROCESS_PARSER_BUFFER_SIZE );
}

static void rs4853v3_process ( void ) {
    int16_t rsp_size;
    uint16_t rsp_cnt = 0;

    char uart_rx_buffer[ PROCESS_RX_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
    uint8_t check_buf_cnt;
    uint8_t process_cnt = PROCESS_COUNTER;

    // Clear parser buffer
    memset( current_rsp_buf, 0 , PROCESS_PARSER_BUFFER_SIZE ); 

    while( process_cnt != 0 ) {
        rsp_size = rs4853v3_generic_read( &rs4853v3, &uart_rx_buffer, PROCESS_RX_BUFFER_SIZE );

        if ( rsp_size > 0 ) {  
            // Validation of the received data
            for ( check_buf_cnt = 0; check_buf_cnt < rsp_size; check_buf_cnt++ ) {
                if ( uart_rx_buffer[ check_buf_cnt ] == 0 ) {
                    uart_rx_buffer[ check_buf_cnt ] = 13;
                }
            }
            // Storages data in parser buffer
            rsp_cnt += rsp_size;
            if ( rsp_cnt < PROCESS_PARSER_BUFFER_SIZE ) {
                strncat( current_rsp_buf, uart_rx_buffer, rsp_size );
            }
            
            // Clear RX buffer
            memset( uart_rx_buffer, 0, PROCESS_RX_BUFFER_SIZE );
        } 
        else {
            process_cnt--;
            
            // Process delay 
            Delay_ms( 100 );
        }
    }
}

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

void application_init ( void ) {
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    rs4853v3_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 );

    //  Click initialization.

    rs4853v3_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    RS4853V3_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    rs4853v3_init( &rs4853v3, &cfg );
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
    Delay_ms( 100 );
    
#ifdef DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "    Send data:    \r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "      MikroE      \r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "  Transmit data   \r\n" );
    Delay_ms( 1000 );

#endif
    
#ifdef DEMO_APP_RECEIVER 
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------\r\n" );

    log_printf( &logger, "   Receive data  \r\n" );
#endif
    
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------\r\n" );
}

void application_task ( void ) {  
#ifdef DEMO_APP_RECEIVER 
    rs4853v3_process( );
    if ( current_rsp_buf > 0 ) {
        log_printf( &logger, "%s", current_rsp_buf );
        rs4853v3_clear_current_rsp_buf( );
    }
#endif 

#ifdef DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER
    rs4853v3_send_command( &rs4853v3, &demo_message[ 0 ] );
    log_printf( &logger, "\t%s",  &demo_message[ 0 ] );
    Delay_ms( 2000 );
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------\r\n" ); 
#endif   
}

void main ( void ) {
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources

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