Cerebot MX3cK Board Reference Cerebot MX3cK Board Reference MMaannuuaall Revision: Augusg 01, 2012 1300 NE Henley Court, Suite 3 Pullman, WA 99163 (509) 334 6306 Voice (509) 334 6300 Fax Overview The Cerebot MX3cK is a microcontroller development board based on the Microchip PIC32MX320F128H, a member of the 32-bit PIC32 microcontroller family. It is compatible with Digilents line of Pmod peripheral modules, and is suitable for use with the Microchip MPLAB IDE tools. The Cerebot MX3cK is also compatible for use with the chipKIT MPIDE development environment. ChipKIT and MPIDE is a PIC32 based system compatible with many existing Arduino code examples, reference materials and other resources. The Cerebot MX3cK is designed to be easy to use and suitable for use by anyone from beginners to advanced users for experimenting with electronics and embedded control systems. It is intended to be used with either the Multi-Platform IDE, (modified Arduino IDE), MPIDE, or the Microchip MPLAB IDE. The kit contains everything needed to start developing embedded applications using the MPIDE. In order to use the MPLAB IDE, an additional programming/debugging device, such as a Microchip PICkit3 is required. The Cerebot MX3cK provides 42 I/O pins that support a number of peripheral functions, such 2 as UART, SPI and I C ports as well as five Specifications pulse width modulated outputs and five Microcontroller: PIC32MX320F128H external interrupt inputs. Eleven of the I/O pins Flash Memory: 128K can be used as analog inputs in addition to RAM Memory: 16K their use as digital inputs and outputs. Operating Voltage: 3.3V Max Operating Frequency: 80Mhz The Cerebot MX3cK can be powered via USB, Typical operating current: 75mA or an external power supply that may be either Input Voltage (recommended): 7V to 15V an AC-DC power adapter, or batteries. Input Voltage (maximum): 20V I/O Pins: 42 total Analog Inputs: 12 Analog input voltage range: 0V to 3.3V DC Current per pin: +/-18mA Doc: 502-227 page 1 of 23 Copyright Digilent, Inc. All rights reserved. Other product and company names mentioned may be trademarks of their respective owners. Cerebot MX3cK Reference Manual Programming Tools command to choose the appropriate serial port The Cerebot MX3cK is designed to be used from the list of available serial ports on the PC. with either the Multi-Platform IDE (MPIDE), the development software environment used with When the MPIDE needs to communicate with the chipKIT system, or as a more traditional the MX3cK board, the board is reset and starts microcontroller development platform using the running the boot loader. The MPIDE then Microchip MPLAB IDE and development establishes communications with the boot tools. The Cerebot MX3cK if fully compatible loader and downloads the program to the with Microchip development tools that support board. the PIC32 family of microcontrollers. When the MPIDE opens the serial The Cerebot MX3cK is immediately useable communications connection on the PC, the with the chipKIT MPIDE. Additional hardware DTR pin on the FT232R chip is driven low. is required to use the Microchip MPLAB tools. This pin is coupled through a capacitor to the MCLR pin on the PIC32 microcontroller. Driving the MCLR line low resets the Using the Cerebot MX3cK with the microcontroller, restarting execution with the chipKIT MPIDE boot loader. ChipKIT and the MPIDE is a PIC32 based Once the MPIDE has established hardware and software system compatible with communication with the boot loader, it many existing Arduino code examples, transfers the users program to the boot loader, reference materials and other resources. The which programs it into the flash memory in the MPIDE development platform was produced by Microcontroller. modifying the Arduino IDE and is fully backward compatible with the Arduino IDE. The automatic reset action when the serial The Cerebot MX3cK board is designed to be communications connection is opened can be fully compatible with the chipKIT MPIDE disabled. To disable this operation, remove the system, version 20111209 or later. shorting block from jumper JP1. It is also possible that it will interfere with the operation The MPIDE uses a serial communications port of the MPLAB IDE and a Microchip hardware to communicate with a boot loader running in programmer/debugger. In this case, also, the the target board. The serial port on the MX3cK shorting block should be removed from JP1. board is implemented using an FTDI FT232R The shorting block is reinstalled on JP1 to USB serial converter. Before attempting to use restore operation with the MPIDE. the MPIDE to communicate with the MX3cK, the appropriate USB device driver must be Two red LEDs (LD1 and LD2) will blink when installed. data is being sent or received between the Cerebot MX3cK and the PC over the serial The Cerebot MX3cK board uses a standard connection. mini-USB connector for connection to a USB port on the PC. Use a standard USB-A to mini- The header connector J3 provides access to B cable (not provided) to connect the board to the other serial handshaking signals provided an available USB port on the PC. by the FT232R. Connector J3 is not loaded at the factory but can be installed by the user to In the MPIDE, use the Tools.Board command access these signals. to select the Cerebot MX3cK from the list of available boards. Use the Tools.Serial Port www.digilentinc.com page 2 of 23 Copyright Digilent, Inc. All rights reserved. Other product and company names mentioned may be trademarks of their respective owners.