PIKODER PiKoder/SPE User manual
PiKoder/SPE User Manual
ii
Content
Overview 3
Features 5
Pin Description and Packaging 7
Description of pins............................................................................................8
Standard application 10
LED status indication (in USB mode)..........................................................10
The PiKoder Control Center G2 13
Getting started..................................................................................................13
Real-time control .............................................................................................14
Watchdog..........................................................................................................14
UART baudrate................................................................................................14
PPM Settings ....................................................................................................14
Startup ...............................................................................................................15
Save Parameters ...............................................................................................15
Serial Interface 17
ASCII Command Interface............................................................................17
Mini SSC Protocol ...........................................................................................19
Connect the SPE to a Raspberry Pi 21
Connect the SPE to an Arduino 23
1
Overview
The PiKoder/SPE (Serial PPM Encoder) is a single chip solution using a
modern PIC controller to generate a PPM-Stream with 2 –8 channels con-
trolled from serial port (UART) of an SBC (Single Board Computer) such as
a Raspberry Pi or an Arduino.
As a second generation PiKoder the SPE features a USB interface for cus-
tomizing the controller to the requirements of your application in addition to
the serial port.
This User Manual covers the features, the programming, and the command
interface of the PiKoder/SPE as well as common applications.
In section 2 you will find a brief description of key features, the overall func-
tion and an overview of the interfaces supported. It is recommended to care-
fully read this section to get a good basic understanding of the PiKoder/SPE.
The next two sections 3 and 4 deal with the controller hardware. Section 3
provides the pinning and section 4 describes the reference schematic for the
PiKoder/SPE. Please note that the applications and interfaces de-
scribed in the following sections assume that the PiKoder/SPE is setup
in line with this reference schematic.
Your next step is most likely to commission and test your PiKoder/SPE.
Rather than using the “bits and bytes”-serial interfaces directly, which are laid
out in section 6, you may consider using the more sophisticated PCC G2
(PiKoder Control Center Generation 2) Windows 10 software with a graph-
ical user interface described in section 5.
Section 7 demonstrates how you would interface your PiKoder/SPE to a
Raspberry Pi and Section 8 focusses on connecting the PiKoder/SPE to an
Arduino.
This User Manual is based on the most recent hard- and firmware version 4.0
available for the PiKoder/SPE and the related PCC programming software.
PiKoder/SPE User Manual
4
Please check for updated information and new software releases on
www.pikoder.com.
Hyperlinks were integrated into the text for convenience. You would also
find all downloads referenced on the PiKoder/SPE webpage.
Please share with me any comments, improvement ideas or errors you will
find or encounter in working with your PiKoder/SPE. I can be reached at
[email protected]. Thank you very much!
2
Features
This section will familiarize you with the feature set and provide a high-level
overview of the intended use of the PiKoder/SPE allowing you to customize
the controller to your specific needs and requirements.
The PiKoder/SPE generates a PPM stream which is controlled by a com-
mand protocol via a UART port. More specific, the PiKoder/SPE features a
two-way ASCII-Protocol designed to be used in combination with standard
terminal programs such as (but not limited to) Tera Term and TTY.
In addition, various application specific parameters such as startup position
after powering up, failsafe value per channel, PPM polarity, the number of
channels and the baud rate of the UART can be adjusted to your specific
needs and the settings are maintained in a non-volatile memory.
You can connect an SBC (Single Board Computer) such as your Arduino or
Raspberry Pi without any additional interface hardware directly to the
PiKoder’s UART (please refer to sections 7 and 8 for more details). In this
capacity the PiKoder would free up the Arduino or Raspberry Pi of respond-
ing to real-time events such as generating pulses within “real-time” and thus
free up resources such as internal timers and PWM generators ('Set and For-
get'-function).
You would program the PiKoder/SPE by connecting it with a standard USB
cable to your computer. A free graphical and intuitive configuration and con-
trol program, the “PCC G2 (PiKoder Control Center Generation 2)” is avail-
able for Windows 10, making it simple to test and program the controller
over USB (please refer to section 5 for more details). All settings are stored
in a non-volatile memory.
The PiKoder/SPE does support a failsafe position for the use in autonomous
and RC applications. You can activate a watchdog-timer for 0.1 s to 99.9 s to
PiKoder/SPE User Manual
6
monitor the communication. If no message is received within this preset time
frame, then the PiKoder would set all channel values to the failsafe position.
PiKoder/SPE User Manual
8
A complete description of the pins is given on the following page. If a differ-
ent package would be required for your application, then please contact
Description of pins
Pin
Symbol
Description
1
VDD
Supply voltage. Connect to 3,3 –5 V DC
2
BM
Boot Mode. If this pin is high while booting, the
PiKoder will start in USB mode (activating the
USB interface), otherwise UART would be active
3
NC
Not connected (reserved for later use)
4
MCLR/VPP
Reset pin, active low. Connects directly to Vss for
automatic reset at power up.
5
RX
UART receive. Active only when BM = 0 when
starting up
6
TX
UART transmit. Active only when BM = 0 when
starting up
9
7
LED
LED indicator output (please refer to Appendix B
for more information)
8
PPM_OUT
Output pin with PPM signal
9
PGC
Clock pin for In-Circuit-Serial-Programming
10
PGD
Data pin for In-Circuit-Serial-Programming
11
VUSB3V3
Positive supply for USB transceiver; 470n capaci-
tor required
12
D-
USB data line
13
D+
USD data line
14
VSS
Ground connection
PiKoder/SPE User Manual
10
4
Standardapplication
The following schematic shows the standard application of the
PiKoder/SPE. Please note that the bi-color LED indicates the USB status
and is optional and will remain red in UART mode.
LED status indication (in USB mode)
This following table shows the status of the USB connection (“DEVICE
STATE”) based on the LED signaling state (“LED RESPONSE”).
DEVICE STATE
LED RESPONSE
DETACHED
OFF
ATTACHED
RED
POWERED
RED
DEFAULT
RED & GREEN
ADRESS
RED & GREEN
CONFIGURED
GREEN
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