Introduction

The Analog-to-Digital Converter with Computation (ADCC) and Context Switching can be used for converting both single-ended and differential analog input signals to a 12-bit representation of that signal. The ADCC with Context Switching can be used in real-time monitoring and feedback control applications using different computational actions, such as averaging or low-pass filtering. The code examples in this technical brief also apply to other PIC18 families of devices.

There is a code-generated implementation using MPLAB® Code Configurator (MCC) Melody for each use case. The MCC-generated code offers hardware abstraction layers that facilitate the use of the code across different devices from the same family.

This technical brief describes the application area, the modes of operation, and the hardware and software requirements of the ADCC with Context Switching. It covers the following use cases:

• Differential ADC Reading:

  • Reading the voltage difference between two potentiometers connected on the mikro bus interface with the ADCC with Context Switching configured in Differential mode. The conversion result will be displayed on a plot using the Data Visualizer tool combined with the Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) peripheral.
• ADCC with Context Switching:
  • Creating a context configured for each sensor (e.g., Thermo 16 Click – Average mode, Ambient Click – Accumulation mode) and switching the contexts for reading both sensors with the appropriate configuration. The conversion results will be displayed using the UART peripheral together with a terminal emulator.
• ADCC with Context Switching Triggered by APM:
  • Visual illustration of the ON and OFF time for the ADCC with Context Switching triggered by the Analog Peripheral Manager (APM), showing the voltage of a POT 3 Click on the OLED Click connected on the mikro bus