Beginner
10 min

Control the speed and direction of the brushed DC motors with DRV8833 and STM32F091RC

Switch the motor ON or OFF and manage its direction using simple digital signals

DC MOTOR Click with Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU

Published Feb 26, 2024

Click board™

DC MOTOR Click

Dev Board

Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32F091RC

Compact, user-friendly solution for controlling brushed DC motors with minimal fuss and maximum reliability

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

DC MOTOR Click is based on the DRV8833, an H-bridge motor driver with current-control PWM circuitry from Texas Instruments. The DRV8833 has two integrated H-bridges connected in parallel for double the current of a single H-bridge rated for an operating voltage range from 3V to 10V. The output driver block of the DRV8833 consists of N-channel power MOSFETs configured as an H-bridge to drive the motor windings, where each H-bridge includes circuitry to regulate or limit the winding current. Thanks to the current sense resistors R2 and R5 of 220mΩ, the driving current is limited to 0.9A. In addition, the 74HC4053 is also incorporated into the design to run the motor with only one PWM line from the mikroBUS™ socket. Thanks to this multiplexer, in combination with the selection pins

SL1 and SL2, routed to the RST and CS pins of the mikroBUS™ socket, control of the DRV8833 driver as well as management of its operating modes (Coast/Fast Decay, Reverse, Forward, Brake/Slow Decay) is enabled. This mux can also be used for PWM control of the motor speed. The DRV8833 also has a complete set of diagnostic and protection capabilities that support robust and reliable operation, like over-current protection, short circuit protection, undervoltage lockout, and overtemperature. In any case, the user can also visually detect them, in addition to the FLT pin, through the red LED marked with FAULT. It is also possible to set the driver in low-power Sleep mode via the SLP pin routed to the AN pin of the mikroBUS™ socket. In this state, the H-bridges are

disabled, the gate drive charge pump is stopped, all internal logic is reset, and all internal clocks are stopped. This Click board™ can operate with both 3.3V and 5V logic voltage levels selected via the PWR SEL jumper. It allows both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs to use the communication lines properly. Additionally, there is a possibility for the DRV8833 power supply selection via jumper labeled as MOTOR PWR to supply the DRV8833 from an external power supply terminal from 3V to 10V or from mikroBUS™ power rails. However, the 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.

DC Motor Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU offers a cost-effective and adaptable platform for developers to explore new ideas and prototype their designs. This board harnesses the versatility of the STM32 microcontroller, enabling users to select the optimal balance of performance and power consumption for their projects. It accommodates the STM32 microcontroller in the LQFP64 package and includes essential components such as a user LED, which doubles as an ARDUINO® signal, alongside user and reset push-buttons, and a 32.768kHz crystal oscillator for precise timing operations. Designed with expansion and flexibility in mind, the Nucleo-64 board features an ARDUINO® Uno V3 expansion connector and ST morpho extension pin

headers, granting complete access to the STM32's I/Os for comprehensive project integration. Power supply options are adaptable, supporting ST-LINK USB VBUS or external power sources, ensuring adaptability in various development environments. The board also has an on-board ST-LINK debugger/programmer with USB re-enumeration capability, simplifying the programming and debugging process. Moreover, the board is designed to simplify advanced development with its external SMPS for efficient Vcore logic supply, support for USB Device full speed or USB SNK/UFP full speed, and built-in cryptographic features, enhancing both the power efficiency and security of projects. Additional connectivity is

provided through dedicated connectors for external SMPS experimentation, a USB connector for the ST-LINK, and a MIPI® debug connector, expanding the possibilities for hardware interfacing and experimentation. Developers will find extensive support through comprehensive free software libraries and examples, courtesy of the STM32Cube MCU Package. This, combined with compatibility with a wide array of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), including IAR Embedded Workbench®, MDK-ARM, and STM32CubeIDE, ensures a smooth and efficient development experience, allowing users to fully leverage the capabilities of the Nucleo-64 board in their projects.

Nucleo 64 with STM32F091RC MCU double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M0

MCU Memory (KB)

256

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

64

RAM (Bytes)

32768

You complete me!

Accessories

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 comes equipped with two proprietary mikroBUS™ sockets, allowing all the Click board™ devices to be interfaced with the STM32 Nucleo-64 board with no effort. This way, Mikroe allows its users to add any functionality from our ever-growing range of Click boards™, such as WiFi, GSM, GPS, Bluetooth, ZigBee, environmental sensors, LEDs, speech recognition, motor control, movement sensors, and many more. More than 1537 Click boards™, which can be stacked and integrated, are at your disposal. The STM32 Nucleo-64 boards are based on the microcontrollers in 64-pin packages, a 32-bit MCU with an ARM Cortex M4 processor operating at 84MHz, 512Kb Flash, and 96KB SRAM, divided into two regions where the top section represents the ST-Link/V2 debugger and programmer while the bottom section of the board is an actual development board. These boards are controlled and powered conveniently through a USB connection to program and efficiently debug the Nucleo-64 board out of the box, with an additional USB cable connected to the USB mini port on the board. Most of the STM32 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 STM32 Nucleo-64 board with our Click Shield for Nucleo-64, you can access hundreds of Click boards™, working with 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels.

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 accessories 1 image

DC Gear Motor - 430RPM (3-6V) represents an all-in-one combination of a motor and gearbox, where the addition of gear leads to a reduction of motor speed while increasing the torque output. This gear motor has a spur gearbox, making it a highly reliable solution for applications with lower torque and speed requirements. The most critical parameters for gear motors are speed, torque, and efficiency, which are, in this case, 520RPM with no load and 430RPM at maximum efficiency, alongside a current of 60mA and a torque of 50g.cm. Rated for a 3-6V operational voltage range and clockwise/counterclockwise rotation direction, this motor represents an excellent solution for many functions initially performed by brushed DC motors in robotics, medical equipment, electric door locks, and much more.

DC MOTOR Click accessories image

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

Sleep Mode
PC0
AN
Control Pin 1
PC12
RST
Control Pin 2
PB12
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
PWM Signal
PC8
PWM
Fault Detection
PC14
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

DC MOTOR Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 accessories 1 image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU as your development board.

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 accessories 1 image hardware assembly
Nucleo 64 with STM32F401RE MCU front image hardware assembly
LTE IoT 5 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
LTE IoT 5 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
Nucleo-64 with STM32XXX MCU Access MB 1 Mini B Conn - 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
Clicker 4 for STM32F4 HA 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 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.

DEBUG_Application_Output

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for DC MOTOR Click driver.

Key functions:

  • dcmotor_pwm_start - Start PWM module.

  • dcmotor_enable - Enable the motor function.

  • dcmotor_sleep_mode - Set sleep mode 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 DcMotor Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This application change the speed and direction of DC Motor.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Initialization driver enable's - GPIO,
 * PWM initialization, set PWM duty cycle and PWM frequency, enable the motor, start PWM and start write log.
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * This is a example which demonstrates the use of DC Motor Click board.
 * DC Motor Click communicates with register via PWM interface.
 * It shows moving in the left direction from slow to fast speed
 * and from fast to slow speed.
 * Results are being sent to the Usart Terminal where you can track their changes.
 * 
 * \author Nikola Peric
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "dcmotor.h"

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

static dcmotor_t dcmotor;
static log_t logger;
uint8_t dcmotor_direction = 1;

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    dcmotor_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.

    dcmotor_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    DCMOTOR_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    dcmotor_init( &dcmotor, &cfg );

    log_printf( &logger, " Initialization  PWM \r\n" );
    
    dcmotor_set_duty_cycle ( &dcmotor, 0.0 );
    dcmotor_pwm_start( &dcmotor );
    log_printf( &logger, "---------------------\r\n" );
}

void application_task ( )
{    
    static int8_t duty_cnt = 1;
    static int8_t duty_inc = 1;
    float duty = duty_cnt / 10.0;

    if ( dcmotor_direction == 1 )
    {
        dcmotor_sleep_mode ( &dcmotor );
        dcmotor_right_direction_slow ( &dcmotor );
        log_printf( &logger, "> CLOCKWISE <\r\n" );
        dcmotor_enable ( &dcmotor );
    }
    else
    {
        dcmotor_sleep_mode ( &dcmotor );
        dcmotor_left_direction_slow ( &dcmotor );
        log_printf( &logger, "> COUNTER CLOCKWISE <\r\n" );
        dcmotor_enable ( &dcmotor );
    }

    dcmotor_set_duty_cycle ( &dcmotor, duty );
    Delay_ms( 500 );

    if ( 10 == duty_cnt ) 
    {
        duty_inc = -1;
        
        if ( dcmotor_direction == 1 )
        {
            dcmotor_direction = 0;
        }
        else if ( dcmotor_direction == 0 )
        {
            dcmotor_direction = 1;
        }
    }
    else if ( 0 == duty_cnt ) 
    {
        duty_inc = 1;
    }
    duty_cnt += duty_inc;

}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources

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