1.25 TC Capture Mode

This example application shows how to use the TC module in capture mode to measure duty cycle and frequency of an external input.

Description

The TC channel is configured in capture mode to measure duty cycle and frequency of the PWM signal. The PWM signal is generated using another TC channel which is configured in compare mode. Output of the compare TC channel is connected to input of the capture TC channel.

Downloading and Building the Application

To clone or download this application from Github, go to the main page of this repository and then click Clone button to clone this repository or download as zip file. This content can also be downloaded using content manager by following these instructions.

Path of the application within the repository is apps/tc/tc_capture_mode.

To build the application, refer to the following table and open the project using its IDE.

Project NameDescription
sam_a7d65_curiosity.XMPLABX project for SAMA7D65 Curiosity Board

Setting Up AT91Bootstrap Loader

To load the application binary onto the target device, we need to use at91bootstrap loader. Refer to the at91bootstrap loader documentation for details on how to configure, build and run bootstrap loader project and use it to bootstrap the application binaries.

Setting Up the Hardware

The following table shows the target hardware for the application projects.

Project NameDescription
sam_a7d65_curiosity.XSAMA7D65 Curiosity Board

Setting Up SAMA7D65 Curiosity Board

SETTING UP THE BOARD
  • Connect the USBA port J3 on the board to the computer using a Type-C USB cable (to power the board)
  • Connect the UART Debug port (J35) on the board to the computer using a FTDI-USB cable
  • Short TIOA pin of TC0, Channel 1 (PC16, Pin 12 on RPi connector) with TIOA pin of TC1, Channel 0 (PB12, Pin 1 of J39 connector)

Running the Application

  1. Open the Terminal application (Ex.:Tera term) on the computer.
  2. Connect to the Virtual COM port and configure the serial settings as follows:
    • Baud : 115200
    • Data : 8 Bits
    • Parity : None
    • Stop : 1 Bit
    • Flow Control : None
  3. Build and program the application using its IDE
  4. Console displays frequency and duty cycle of input signal as shown below
  5. Frequency is constant (~1000 Hz) and duty cycle changes by ~10%
    BoardCompare Output PinCapture Output Pin
    SAMA7D65 Curiosity BoardTC0_TIOA1 (PC16, Pin 12 on RPi connector)TC1_TIOA0 (PB12, Pin 1 of J39 connector)