MicroMod mikroBUS™ Carrier Board Hookup Guide

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Contributors: santaimpersonator, MAKIN-STUFF
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Necto Studio Example

In this example, we will be using the Weather Click board™ and outputting the BME280 sensor's data to the UART Terminal. To get started, follow the instructions below.

Required Materials

For this example, users will need a MicroMod mikroBUS™ carrier board, STM32 processor board, phillips head screwdriver, Weather Click, MIKROE CODEGRIP for STM32 programmer, 50-100mil JTAG adapter, and access to a computer with the Necto Studio and the CODEGRIP Suite installed:

SparkFun MicroMod mikroBUS Carrier Board

DEV-18710
MicroMod Screwdriver

MicroMod Screwdriver

TOL-19012
$0.50
SparkFun MicroMod STM32 Processor

SparkFun MicroMod STM32 Processor

DEV-17713
$16.50

MIKROE Weather Click

SEN-18823
Retired

MIKROE CODEGRIP for STM32

PGM-19105
Retired

MIKROE 50-100mil Adapter

PGM-19220
Retired

Users will also need some soldering equipment and a JTAG header to connect the programmer to the board:

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool

TOL-09325
$9.95
8
Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen  - 10mL

Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen - 10mL

TOL-14579
$8.95
4
Header - 2x5 Pin (Male, 1.27mm)

Header - 2x5 Pin (Male, 1.27mm)

PRT-15362
$1.75

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

TOL-14228
2 Retired

To read the data output from the Weather Click example code, users will also need a Terminal Click, serial breakout board, jumper wires, and a USB cable:

SparkFun Serial Basic Breakout - CH340C and USB-C

SparkFun Serial Basic Breakout - CH340C and USB-C

DEV-15096
$9.95
7
Jumper Wires Premium 6" M/F Pack of 10

Jumper Wires Premium 6" M/F Pack of 10

PRT-09140
$4.50
1
USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot

USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot

CAB-14743
$5.50
4

MIKROE Terminal Click

DEV-18961
Retired

For users who haven't soldered before and/or need to install the CH340 driver for the Serial Basic breakout, the following tutorials should be reviewed before proceeding further:

How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering

This tutorial covers everything you need to know about through-hole soldering.

SparkFun Serial Basic CH340C Hookup Guide

SparkFun Serial Basic Breakout takes advantage of USB-C and is an easy-to-use USB-to-Serial adapter based on the CH340C IC from WCH. With USB-C you can get up to three times the power delivery over the previous USB generation and has the convenient feature of being reversable.

How to Install CH340 Drivers

How to install CH340 drivers (if you need them) on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Getting Started with Necto Studio

Necto Studio is a user friendly development environment for users looking to get started with MikroElektronika's MIKROE products.

Hardware Assembly

Hardware assembly is relatively straight forward, attach the STM32 processor board to the MicroMod slot, solder on the JTAG header, insert the Click boards™ into the mikroBUS™ socket, connect the carrier board to the programmer, connect the Serial Basic breakout, and then link the programmer to the computer.

MicroMod processor board attached to the carrier board
The STM32 processor board attached to the MicroMod mikroBUS™ carrier board. (Click to enlarge)

If users haven't done so, solder the JTAG header to the board.

Soldering a JTAG header
Soldering a JTAG header to the MicroMod mikroBUS™ carrier board. (Click to enlarge)

To breakout the serial pins of the mikroBUS™ socket, the Terminal Click board™ needs to be stacked between the Weather Click board™ and the mikroBUS™ socket.

Attached click boards
The Weather and Terminal Click boards™ inserted into the mikroBUS™ socket of the MicroMod mikroBUS™ carrier board. (Click to enlarge)

Once the serial pins have been broken out with the Terminal Click board™, users can access the serial pins with a Serial Basic breakout and some jumper wire.

Connected serial-to-UART adapter
The Serial Basic breakout connected to the Terminal Click board™. (Click to enlarge)

The pin connections are summarized in the table below and illustrated more closely in the images (click to enlarge).

Terminal Click™ Serial Breakout Description
RX RXI Serial data output from Click board™ to MCU
TX TXO Serial data output from MCU to Click board™
3.3V VCC Power input to mikroBUS socket™
GND GND Ground

Wiring between the Serial Basic breakout and the Terminal Click board™. (Click to enlarge)

Finally, connect the CODEGRIP programmer with a JTAG adapter. Then, connect both the programmer and Serial Basic breakout to the computer.

CODEGRIP Programmer
Connecting the MicroMod mikroBUS™ carrier board to the computer. (Click to enlarge)

If everything was connected properly, the POWER and ACTIVE, and USB LINK LED indicators on the programmer will turn on. Once the ACTIVE LED indicator stops blinking, the CODEGRIP programmer is ready to be used.

programmer LEDs
Indicator LEDs on the CODEGRIP programmer. (Click to enlarge)

Software Setup

On the computer, users should have Necto Studio and the CODEGRIP Suite installed.

  • In the CODEGRIP Suite, users will need to link with the programmer and configure the programming target:

    • MCU: STM32F4045RG
    • Protocol: SWD
    • Connection: Under reset
    • Halt on Connect: Enabled
    NOTE: Users won't need to enable the power output on the programmer because the power connection from the Serial breakout board. This will provide enough power for the carrier board.

    After the programmer has been linked and the MCU target has been configured, users should be able to perform a target verification with the detect function.

    target detected
    Detecting the target MCU in the CODEGRIP Suite. (Click to enlarge)

    For more details, check out the Programmer Configuration section of the Necto Studio getting started guide.

  • In Necto Studio, if users should have already created a hardware configuration through the Setups page. The hardware configuration should include the following options:

    • mikroC AI for ARM compiler
    • mikroSDK (latest)
    • MicroMod Carrier Board
    • STM32F4045RG-Tx (should be only option)
    • No display
    • CODEGRIP Programmer
      • To be able to debug and program the MCU from Necto Studio, users will want to configure the following target option parameters:
        target options
        Target options for the CODEGRIP programmer in Necto Studio. (Click to enlarge)
      • Erase Type: Erase and unlock
      • Connection: Under reset
      • Hold on Connect: Enabled

    setup example
    Hardware configuration in Setups page of Necto Studio. (Click to enlarge)

    For more details, check out the Setups section of the Necto Studio getting started guide.

  • In the package manager of Necto Studio, users will need to install the Weather Click library.

    library installation
    The Weather Click library installed through the Package Manager page of Necto Studio. (Click to enlarge)

    For more details, check out the Package Manager section of the Necto Studio getting started guide.

  • Once the Weather Click library has been installed, users will have access the associated example for the library. From the Package Manager page, users should be able to create a new project by clicking on the Open Example button.

Running the Example Code

After the project has been created for the Weather Click example, users will be able to program the example onto their carrier board. This can be done either of two methods; however, the simplest method would be to use the Program button in Necto Studio.

To receive and display the serial data output from the example, users will need to open the UART Terminal in Necto Studio by selecting Tools > UART Terminal from the drop down menu.

In the UART Terminal, users will need to:

  • Select the Port for the Serial Basic breakout
  • Set the Baud rate to 115200 bps
  • Click on the Connect button

    UART Terminal
    UART Terminal configuration to connect to the Serial Basic breakout. (Click to enlarge)

If the connection succeeds, users should then see data from the BME280 sensor being displayed in the Receive text box.

data output
The BME280 sensor data being displayed in the UART Terminal. (Click to enlarge)

NOTE: If the data doesn't output immediately, try power cycling the carrier board, by disconnecting and reconnecting the power from the Serial Basic breakout.