Measure a wide range of current values using CT415 and TM4C129ENCPDT

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Published Mar 06, 2023

Click board™

Current 9 Click

Dev. board

Fusion for Tiva v8

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

TM4C129ENCPDT

Precise and accurate current sensing solution

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Current 9 Click is based on the CT415-HSN830DR, an XtremeSense® TMR current sensor providing high-accuracy current measurements from Crocus Technology. The CT415-HSN830DR has an integrated current-carrying conductor (CCC) that handles the current from 0A up to 30A. It has high sensitivity and a wide dynamic range with excellent accuracy (low total output error), making it suitable for many consumer, enterprise, and industrial applications. When current flows through the CCC, the XtremeSense® TMR sensors inside the chip sense the field, generating a differential voltage signal that goes through the analog front-end to output a current measurement with less than ±1% full-scale total output error. The CT415-HSN830DR

is designed to enable a fast response time for the current measurement. In addition, the user can select the output voltage level of the sensor performed by the onboard SMD jumper by populating it to an appropriate position marked as 3V3 or 5V. Even with high bandwidth of 1MHz, the CT415-HSN830DR consumes minimal power. The output signal of the CT415-HSN830DR can be converted to a digital value using MCP3221, a successive approximation A/D converter with a 12-bit resolution from Microchip using a 2-wire I2C compatible interface, or can be sent directly to an analog pin of the mikroBUS™ socket labeled as AN. The selection can be made by an onboard SMD jumper labeled ADC SEL, placing it in an

appropriate position marked as EXT and INT. Also, this Click board™ should be connected in series with the load. Two onboard terminal connectors measure the current, one terminal block for the positive and the other for the negative current input. 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.

Features overview

Development board

Fusion for TIVA v8 is a development board specially designed for the needs of rapid development of embedded applications. It supports a wide range of microcontrollers, such as different 32-bit ARM® Cortex®-M based MCUs from Texas Instruments, regardless of their number of pins, and a broad set of unique functions, such as the first-ever embedded debugger/programmer over a WiFi network. The development board is well organized and designed so that the end-user has all the necessary elements, such as switches, buttons, indicators, connectors, and others, in one place. Thanks to innovative manufacturing technology, Fusion for TIVA v8 provides a fluid and immersive working experience, allowing access

anywhere and under any circumstances at any time. Each part of the Fusion for TIVA v8 development board contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. An advanced integrated CODEGRIP programmer/debugger module offers many valuable programming/debugging options, including support for JTAG, SWD, and SWO Trace (Single Wire Output)), and seamless integration with the Mikroe software environment. Besides, it also includes a clean and regulated power supply module for the development board. It can use a wide range of external power sources, including a battery, an external 12V power supply, and a power source via the USB Type-C (USB-C) connector.

Communication options such as USB-UART, USB HOST/DEVICE, CAN (on the MCU card, if supported), and Ethernet is also included. In addition, it also has the well-established mikroBUS™ standard, a standardized socket for the MCU card (SiBRAIN standard), and two display options for the TFT board line of products and character-based LCD. Fusion for TIVA v8 is an integral part of the Mikroe ecosystem for rapid development. Natively supported by Mikroe software tools, it covers many aspects of prototyping and development thanks to a considerable number of different Click boards™ (over a thousand boards), the number of which is growing every day.

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

Type

8th Generation

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M4

MCU Memory (KB)

1024

Silicon Vendor

Texas Instruments

Pin count

128

RAM (Bytes)

262144

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

Analog Signal

PD0

RST

SCK

MISO

MOSI

Power Supply

3.3V

Ground

GND

PWM

INT

I2C Clock

PD2

SCL

I2C Data

PD3

SDA

Power Supply

Ground

GND

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Fusion for PIC v8 front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Fusion for Tiva v8 as your development board.

NECTO Output Selection Step Image hardware assembly

In the advanced settings, pay special attention to the Redirect standard output field. By default, it is set to Application output as the method of displaying final results. To show results via a UART terminal, select the “UART” option in that field and click the “SAVE” button. You will be returned to the Compiler field, and now you can move on to the next step by pressing the “NEXT” button.

GNSS2 Click front image hardware assembly

SiBRAIN for PIC32MZ1024EFK144 front image hardware assembly

GNSS2 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly

Board mapper by product7 hardware assembly

NECTO Compiler Selection Step Image 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 Current 9 Click driver.

Key functions:

current9_read_voltage This function reads the raw ADC value and converts it to a proportional voltage level.
current9_read_current This function reads the input current level [A] based on @b CURRENT9_NUM_CONVERSIONS of voltage measurements.
current9_set_vref This function sets the voltage reference for the Current 9 Click driver.

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 Current 9 Click Example.
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of Current 9 Click board by reading and
 * displaying the input current measurements.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and logger.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Reads the input current measurements and displays the results on the USB UART
 * approximately once per second.
 *
 * @note
 * For better accuracy, set the voltage reference by using the @b current9_set_vref function,
 * increase the number of conversions by modifying the @b CURRENT9_NUM_CONVERSIONS macro, 
 * and adjust the @b CURRENT9_ZERO_CURRENT_OFFSET voltage value.
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "current9.h"

static current9_t current9;   /**< Current 9 Click driver object. */
static log_t logger;    /**< Logger object. */

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    current9_cfg_t current9_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.
    current9_cfg_setup( &current9_cfg );
    CURRENT9_MAP_MIKROBUS( current9_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    err_t init_flag = current9_init( &current9, &current9_cfg );
    if ( ( ADC_ERROR == init_flag ) || ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == init_flag ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    float current = 0;
    if ( CURRENT9_OK == current9_read_current ( &current9, &current ) ) 
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Current : %.3f[A]\r\n\n", current );
        Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    }
}

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