Intermediate
30 min

Build your BLDC motor driver with DRV8313 and STM32F302VC

A smoother drive starts with us!

Brushless 20 Click with UNI Clicker

Published Mar 11, 2023

Click board™

Brushless 20 Click

Dev Board

UNI Clicker

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32F302VC

3-phase motor driver for BLDC motor control, solenoids, or other loads

A

A

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Brushless 20 Click is based on the DRV8313, a fully integrated three-phase BLDC motor driver from Texas Instruments. The highly integrated DRV8313 comes with PWM/enable control interface, a wide voltage operating range, an integrated 10mA LDO, and robust on-chip protection features. Low RDSON and efficient switching algorithms ensure excellent thermal performance and high drive capability. This Click board™ offers an energy-saving solution and quiet motor operation for brushless DC (BLDC) motors used in various applications. Each output driver channel comprises N-channel power MOSFETs configured in a 1/2-H-bridge configuration. Control pins can be accessed through the I2C interface

and the PCA9538A port expander, with which the states of those pins, alongside the state of the output terminals, can be directly controlled. The PCA9538A also allows choosing the least significant bit (LSB) of its I2C slave address by positioning SMD jumpers labeled ADDR SEL to an appropriate position marked as 0 and 1, alongside its interrupt and Reset features routed to the INT and RST pins of the mikroBUS™ socket. The DRV8313 is active unless the SLP pin, routed to the CS pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, is brought to a low logic state. The charge pump and output FETs are disabled in sleep mode alongside the internal LDO regulator. The DRV313 is automatically brought out of sleep mode if SLP is in a logic high state.

This board also supports an external power supply for the motor, which can be connected to the input terminal labeled as VM and should be within the range of 8V to 60V, while the BLDC motor coils can be connected to the terminals labeled as 1, 2, and 3. This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VCC SEL jumper. This way, both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs can use the communication lines properly. 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.

brushless-20-click-hardware-overview

Features overview

Development board

UNI Clicker is a compact development board designed as a complete solution that brings the flexibility of add-on Click boards™ to your favorite microcontroller, making it a perfect starter kit for implementing your ideas. It supports a wide range of microcontrollers, such as different ARM, PIC32, dsPIC, PIC, and AVR from various vendors like Microchip, ST, NXP, and TI (regardless of their number of pins), four mikroBUS™ sockets for Click board™ connectivity, a USB connector, LED indicators, buttons, a debugger/programmer connector, and two 26-pin headers for interfacing with external electronics. Thanks to innovative manufacturing technology, it allows you to build

gadgets with unique functionalities and features quickly. Each part of the UNI Clicker development kit contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. In addition to the possibility of choosing the UNI Clicker programming method, using a third-party programmer or CODEGRIP/mikroProg connected to onboard JTAG/SWD header, the UNI Clicker board also includes a clean and regulated power supply module for the development kit. It provides two ways of board-powering; through the USB Type-C (USB-C) connector, where onboard voltage regulators provide the appropriate voltage levels to each component on the board, or using a Li-Po/Li

Ion battery via an onboard battery connector. All communication methods that mikroBUS™ itself supports are on this board (plus USB HOST/DEVICE), including the well-established mikroBUS™ socket, a standardized socket for the MCU card (SiBRAIN standard), and several user-configurable buttons and LED indicators. UNI Clicker is an integral part of the Mikroe ecosystem, allowing you to create a new application in minutes. Natively supported by Mikroe software tools, it covers many aspects of prototyping thanks to a considerable number of different Click boards™ (over a thousand boards), the number of which is growing every day.

UNI clicker double image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Type

8th Generation

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M4

MCU Memory (KB)

256

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

100

RAM (Bytes)

40960

You complete me!

Accessories

Brushless DC (BLDC) Motor with a Hall sensor represents a high-performance motor from the 42BLF motor series. This motor, wired in a star configuration, boasts a Hall Effect angle of 120°, ensuring precise and reliable performance. With a compact motor length of 47mm and a lightweight design tipping the scales at just 0.29kg, this BLDC motor is engineered to meet your needs. Operating flawlessly at a voltage rating of 24VDC and a speed range of 4000 ± 10% RPM, this motor offers consistent and dependable power. It excels in a normal operational temperature range from -20 to +50°C, maintaining efficiency with a rated current of 1.9A. Also, this product seamlessly integrates with all Brushless Click boards™ and those that require BLDC motors with Hall sensors.

Brushless 20 Click accessories image

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
Reset
PC13
RST
Sleep Mode
PE8
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
Interrupt
PE13
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
I2C Clock
PA9
SCL
I2C Data
PA10
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Schematic

Brushless 20 Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

UNI Clicker front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the UNI Clicker as your development board.

UNI Clicker front image hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click front image hardware assembly
SiBRAIN for STM32F745VG front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
UNI Clicker 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
Necto image step 7 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

After loading the code example, pressing the "DEBUG" button builds and programs it on the selected setup.

Application Output Step 1

After programming is completed, a header with buttons for various actions available in the IDE appears. By clicking the green "PLAY "button, we start reading the results achieved with Click board™.

Application Output Step 3

Upon completion of programming, the Application Output tab is automatically opened, where the achieved result can be read. In case of an inability to perform the Debug function, check if a proper connection between the MCU used by the setup and the CODEGRIP programmer has been established. A detailed explanation of the CODEGRIP-board connection can be found in the CODEGRIP User Manual. Please find it in the RESOURCES section.

Application Output Step 4

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for Brushless 20 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • brushless20_perform_com_sequenceThis function performs a single commutation sequence at a desired speed for the selected rotation direction.

  • brushless20_drive_motor This function drives the motor for a desired time by performing multiple commutation sequences for the selected rotation direction at a desired speed.

  • brushless20_get_fault_pin This function returns the fault pin logic state.

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 main.c
 * @brief Brushless 20 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of the Brushless 20 click board by driving the 
 * motor in both directions at different speeds.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and performs the click default configuration.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Drives the motor in both directions and changes the motor speed every 3 seconds approximately.
 * The current driving direction and speed will be displayed on the USB UART.
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "brushless20.h"

static brushless20_t brushless20;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    brushless20_cfg_t brushless20_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 );
    log_info( &logger, " Application Init " );

    // Click initialization.
    brushless20_cfg_setup( &brushless20_cfg );
    BRUSHLESS20_MAP_MIKROBUS( brushless20_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == brushless20_init( &brushless20, &brushless20_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( BRUSHLESS20_ERROR == brushless20_default_cfg ( &brushless20 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }

    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    log_printf ( &logger, "\r\n Driving motor clockwise \r\n" );
    for ( uint8_t speed = BRUSHLESS20_SPEED_MIN; speed <= BRUSHLESS20_SPEED_MAX; speed += 20 )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, " Speed: %u\r\n", ( uint16_t ) speed );
        if ( BRUSHLESS20_OK != brushless20_drive_motor ( &brushless20, BRUSHLESS20_DIR_CW, speed, 3000 ) )
        {
            log_error ( &logger, " Drive motor " );
        }
    }
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    log_printf ( &logger, "\r\n Driving motor counter-clockwise \r\n" );
    for ( uint8_t speed = BRUSHLESS20_SPEED_MIN; speed <= BRUSHLESS20_SPEED_MAX; speed += 20 )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, " Speed: %u\r\n", ( uint16_t ) speed );
        if ( BRUSHLESS20_OK != brushless20_drive_motor ( &brushless20, BRUSHLESS20_DIR_CCW, speed, 3000 ) )
        {
            log_error ( &logger, " Drive motor " );
        }
    }
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
}

void main ( void ) 
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources