Intermediate
30 min

Scaling up your IoT projects with ease using FT6050 and STM32F031K6

Unleash the future of wired connectivity with FT Click!

FT Click with Nucleo 32 with STM32F031K6 MCU

Published Oct 01, 2024

Click board™

FT Click

Dev. board

Nucleo 32 with STM32F031K6 MCU

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32F031K6

Simplify the development and installation of scalable IoT solutions across diverse markets with a user-friendly Free Topology (FT) interface

A

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

FT Click is based on the FT6050, a smart transceiver from Renesas designed to simplify integration and maintenance of a complete system, and supports polarity-insensitive cabling using star, bus, daisy chain, loop, or combined topologies. The flexibility of Free Topology wiring frees the installer from the need to adhere to a strict set of wiring rules, reducing the time and expenses of device installation. It also simplifies network expansion by eliminating restrictions on wire routing, splicing, and device placement. The FT Click works as the communication layer for any embedded application. The main component is the system-on-chip FT 6050 smart transceiver, which combines strengths of BACnet and LON for the first time in one solution. In addition to the transceiver, on this board we have several other building blocks from Dialog including the FT-X3 communications transformer which provides

reliable communication without interference, and external AT25SF081 flash memory for storing additional resources for the FT 6050. In addition, the board also features an STMicroelectronics microcontroller whose role is to hold network custom stacks and APIs that are interpreted through the FT transceiver. The FT 6050 chip includes multiple processors, read-write and read-only memory (RAM and ROM), communication subsystems, and I/O subsystems. Each FT 6050 chip includes a processor core for running applications and managing network communications, memory, I/O, and a 48-bit identification number (the Neuron ID) that is unique to every device. FT 6050 devices simultaneously provide a LON, LON/IP, BACnet/IP Server, BACnet MS/TP server, and messaging interface. As mentioned, the FT Click uses an external AT25SF081 flash of 8Mb for storing

additional resources for the FT 6050. This flash contains active and standby bootloaders, system images, and applications. It also holds persistent system and application data, as well as data logs. Larger applications can be supported because certain code can be designated to be “transient” which means it is brought into RAM for execution out of flash only on demand. The FT-X3 external communication transformer enables operation in the presence of high frequency common-mode noise on unshielded twisted-pair networks. The transformer also offers outstanding immunity from magnetic noise, eliminating the need for protective magnetic shields in most applications ensuring robust communication. The FT Click interface supports all two-wire "Free Topology" twisted-pair networks with polarity-insensitive star, daisy chain, bus, loop, trunked, or mixed topology wiring with very high noise immunity.

FT Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

Nucleo 32 with STM32F031K6 MCU board provides an affordable and flexible platform for experimenting with STM32 microcontrollers in 32-pin packages. Featuring Arduino™ Nano connectivity, it allows easy expansion with specialized shields, while being mbed-enabled for seamless integration with online resources. The

board includes an on-board ST-LINK/V2-1 debugger/programmer, supporting USB reenumeration with three interfaces: Virtual Com port, mass storage, and debug port. It offers a flexible power supply through either USB VBUS or an external source. Additionally, it includes three LEDs (LD1 for USB communication, LD2 for power,

and LD3 as a user LED) and a reset push button. The STM32 Nucleo-32 board is supported by various Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) such as IAR™, Keil®, and GCC-based IDEs like AC6 SW4STM32, making it a versatile tool for developers.

Nucleo 32 with STM32F031K6 MCU double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M0

MCU Memory (KB)

32

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

32

RAM (Bytes)

4096

You complete me!

Accessories

Click Shield for Nucleo-32 is the perfect way to expand your development board's functionalities with STM32 Nucleo-32 pinout. The Click Shield for Nucleo-32 provides two mikroBUS™ sockets to add any functionality from our ever-growing range of Click boards™. We are fully stocked with everything, from sensors and WiFi transceivers to motor control and audio amplifiers. The Click Shield for Nucleo-32 is compatible with the STM32 Nucleo-32 board, providing an affordable and flexible way for users to try out new ideas and quickly create prototypes with any STM32 microcontrollers, choosing from the various combinations of performance, power consumption, and features. The STM32 Nucleo-32 boards do not require any separate probe as they integrate the ST-LINK/V2-1 debugger/programmer and come with the STM32 comprehensive software HAL library and various packaged software examples. This development platform provides users with an effortless and common way to combine the STM32 Nucleo-32 footprint compatible board with their favorite Click boards™ in their upcoming projects.

Click Shield for Nucleo-32 accessories 1 image

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
Reset
PA11
RST
SPI Chip Select
PA4
CS
SPI Clock
PB3
SCK
SPI Data OUT
PB4
MISO
SPI Data IN
PB5
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
NC
NC
INT
UART TX
PA10
TX
UART RX
PA9
RX
I2C Clock
PB6
SCL
I2C Data
PB7
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

FT Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Click Shield for Nucleo-144 front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Nucleo 32 with STM32F031K6 MCU as your development board.

Click Shield for Nucleo-144 front image hardware assembly
Nucleo 144 with STM32L4A6ZG MCU front image hardware assembly
Stepper 22 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Stepper 22 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
Nucleo-32 with STM32 MCU 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
STM32 M4 Clicker HA MCU/Select 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 FT Click driver.

Key functions:

  • ft_get_data_status - Use this function to get current status of data

  • ft_get_data - Use this function to read received data

  • ft_send_package - Use this function to send data to other module

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 
 * @brief FT Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of an FT click board by showing
 * the communication between the two click boards.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Initalizes device and makes an initial log.
 * 
 * ## Application Task
 * Depending on the selected application mode, it reads all the received data or 
 * sends the desired text message once per second.
 * 
 * @author MikroE Team
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "ft.h"

// Comment out the line below in order to switch the application mode to receiver
#define DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER

// Text message to send in the transmitter application mode
#define DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE           "MIKROE - FT click board\r\n\0"

static ft_t ft;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    ft_cfg_t ft_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.
    ft_cfg_setup( &ft_cfg );
    FT_MAP_MIKROBUS( ft_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( UART_ERROR == ft_init( &ft, &ft_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }

#ifdef DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER
    log_printf( &logger, " Application Mode: Transmitter\r\n" );
#else
    log_printf( &logger, " Application Mode: Receiver\r\n" );
#endif
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
#ifdef DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER
    ft_send_package( &ft, DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE, strlen( DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE ), 1 );
    log_printf( &logger, " Sent data: %s", ( char * ) DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE );
    Delay_ms( 1000 );
#else
    uint8_t rsp_data_buf[ FT_MAX_DATA_BUFFER ] = { 0 };
    uint8_t rx_byte = 0;
    if ( 1 == ft_generic_read( &ft, &rx_byte, 1 ) )
    {
        ft_isr_parser( &ft, rx_byte ); 
        if ( FT_NEW_DATA_AVAILABLE == ft_get_data_status( &ft ) )
        {
            if ( ft_get_data( &ft, rsp_data_buf ) )
            {
                log_printf( &logger, " Received data: %s", rsp_data_buf );
            }
        }
    }
#endif
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources

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