43.6.2.11 Channel Triggers

The ADC controller starts the capture and conversion of an input channel when that channel is “triggered”. The ADC Controller needs to know when a channel requests an analog-to-digital conversion. For this purpose, each input channel contains a trigger signal which is passed by the channel to the Module’s Access Arbiter. The Access Arbiter drives the address selections to both the input Analog Multiplexer and to the output Digital De-multiplexer.

Trigger Priority

When two triggers arrive at the Access Arbiter at the same time the trigger associated with the input channel having the lower index k will be serviced. The second trigger will be queued for later service, provided it is not overwritten by a third trigger request. In that case, the third trigger will be lost and not serviced.

Channel Trigger Selection

The trigger used for the ADC, Input Channel k, is specified by CHNCFG{4|5}n.TRGSRCk[3:0]. (CHNCFG4n contains the trigger choices for k = 0,1,…,7. CHNCFG5n contains the trigger choices for k = 8,9,…,15. TRGSRCk for Sn ≤ k are not defined.)

The possible values for TRGSRCk are:

= 0000: No Trigger (NOP)

= 0001: Global Software Trigger (CTRLB.GSWTRG)

= 0010: Global Level Software Trigger (CTRLB.LSWTRG)

= 0011: SCANTRG - Scan Trigger

= 0100: STRIG Synchronous Trigger

= 0101 - 1111: ADC Trigger Event User 0 – 10

Input channels with no triggers will not be serviced during the Module’s operation. For all trigger sources except the SCANTRG, setting the TRGSRCk will result in only input channel k being serviced by the Module. To collect a “scan” of input channels TRGSRCk must be set to SCANTRG and then SCANTRG is defined by CORCTRLn.STRGSRC. All the input channels to be included in a scan started by SCANTRG must have CHNCFG2n.CSSk set to one.

The SCANTRG source is selected by CORCTRLn.STRGSRC:

= 0000: No trigger (NOP)

= 0001: Global Software trigger (CTRLB.GSWTRG)

= 0010: Level Software trigger (CTRLB.LSWTRG)

= 0011: Reserved

= 0100: Synchronous Trigger (STRIG)

= 0101 - 1111: EVSYS Event Generator 0 – 10

The Synchronous Trigger (STRIG) is driven by a counter at the ADC Control Clock (CTL_CLK) frequency and fires when the counter reaches the value defined by CTRLC.CNT[7:0]. To enable this clock set CTRLB.STRGEN to one.

Software Triggers

ADC captures can be directly controlled from software by using the Global Software Trigger to start a single capture (when CTRLB.GSWTRG = 1) or by using the Global Level Software Trigger to start a burst of captures that will continue as long CTRLB.LSWTRG = 1 and stop when LSWTRG = 0.

ADC Debugging

Setting CTRLB.SWCNVEN = 1 allows two bits in CTRLB to control the Module and the input channel specified by CTRLB.ADCHSEL. For this to work all the other input channels for the Module must be disabled by setting TRGSRCk = 0, which can only be accomplished when the ADC is disabled. Sampling of the specified input channel starts when CTRLB.SAMP is set to one and stops when CTRLB.SAMP is reset to zero. Immediately after this start conversion by setting CTRLB.RQCNVRT to one.

The CTRLB register has a dedicated SYNCBUSY bit to allow the manipulation of these bits when the ADC is enabled. After writing to the CTRLB register the SYNCBUSY.CTRLB will go high. Wait until the bit goes low before writing to CTRLB again.

Trigger Limitations

Trigger Rule 1: In order to ensure synchronizing every single pulse on GSWTRG, the GSWTRG pulses must be at least 4 ADC Control Clock periods apart, positive edge to positive edge (because the GSWTRG lasts only 1 single APB clock period by construction).

Trigger Rule 2: If a channel k is effectively included in scan n by setting CHNCFG{4|5}n.TRGSRCk = 3 (SCANTRG) and CHNCFG2n.CSSk= 1, then the user MUST ensure that NO other triggers are generated for that channel using CTRLB.RQCNVRT or any digital filter. Otherwise the scan behavior is unpredictable.

Trigger Rule 3: In order to ensure synchronizing every single pulse on LSWTRG, the LSWTRG pulses must be at least 8 ADC Control Clock periods + 10 Main Clock clock periods positive edge to positive edge, and also at least 4 ADC control clock periods + 4 Main Clock periods negative edge to positive edge.