PSoC5LP: Oscilloscope, Logic Analyser, Signal Generator

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Anonymous
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Hi everyone,

   

I found these articles

   

http://www.embedded.com/design/prototyping-and-development/4421857/Configuring-a-PSoC-for-a-DIY-osci... 

   

http://www.embedded.com/design/prototyping-and-development/4421858/Configuring-a-PSoC-for-a-DIY-osci...

   

on how to use the PSoC5LP to make an electronics lab kit (with oscilloscope, signal generator and logic analyser) and I thought it will be a great final year project. However, I have several issues:

   

1. Can the PSoC5 be bought as a single chip one can use on a custom PCB? I have only seen it as part of a kit.

   

2. The article does not give details on how to program the different blocks and components used. How do I do this (I'm fairly new to the C-language)?

   

I appreciate your help.

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ETRO_SSN583
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1. Can the PSoC5 be bought as a single chip one can use on a custom PCB? I have only seen it as part of a kit.

   

Yes, very much so. Most product solutions using PSOC are PSOC centric, and require few external

   

components because of the mixed signal nature of PSOC coupled with CPLD/FPGA like digital resources.

   

 

   

2. The article does not give details on how to program the different blocks and components used. How do I do this (I'm fairly new to the C-language)?

   

I would contact the authors, their email address is at end of the articles. Normally one

   

uses a DVK board to do development, then go to PCB.

   

 

   

There are many videos on PSOC, start with the PSOC Creator 101 series.

   

 

   

    

   

          http://video.cypress.com/video-library/video/PSoC-Software

   

 

   

Regards, Dana.

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ETRO_SSN583
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Just a thought, if you are new to C, and to PSOC, you might consider

   

tackling a portion of the design, vs the whole design. Unless of course

   

if you do not have to write code or do hardware design. Not knowing

   

the class expectations hard to advise, but if you tackle part, and find you

   

have time to do more, you can always add to the project. But get one part

   

right/complete first as your goal.

   

 

   

Just a thought, Dana.

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Anonymous
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Thanks Dana,

   

 

   

There's no link to buy a separate PSoC5LP chip on the cypress store (or I have not found it).

   

 

   

I have all the videos in the series and have been watching them repeatedly.

   

 

   

I've been mailing the three addresses including cypress support contact I was given after I downloaded PSoC Creator since May, 2014 without replies. I recieve mails on the go and I check Spam many times a day, still no replies.

   

 

   

I'm new to PSoC, but have done basic C. I've taken your advice and will approach the project in parts (I'm the only one assigned to it).

   

 

   

I appreciate any further help I can get. Topic is already approved and I'm fascinated by the capabilities of PSoC as compared to regular MCUs. There's no going back. Thanks.

   

 

   

John

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Bob_Marlowe
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There are 2 different meanings of the word "to program"

   

1st it describes the process of designing the wnted behaveour of the chip, using high-level languages as C or VeriLog. This all can be done with the Cypress IDE "Creator" which you may download freely from here: secure.cypress.com/psoccreator/.

   

2nd the process of fixing the information from 1st step into the flash memory of the chip. This you need a device (programmer) for. On the CY8CKIT-050 this programmer is already integrated (as a separate chip) onto the board. In the case of a self-made pcb you will need an external programmer, easiest is a MiniProg3 www.cypress.com/ which additionally allows for debugging the chip on the pcb (setting breakpoints, inspecting variables and call stack...)

   

 

   

Hope that helps

   

Bob

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Bob_Marlowe
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A user named "hli" has done a logic analyzer (and an oscilloscope?) and he will probably give you some hints. Getting a PSoC 5LP chip is nothing that will bring your project further immediately. I would suggest you to get hands on a CY8CKIT-050 www.cypress.com/ for prototyping. You will additionally need an above mentioned MiniProg3 when the first pcbs get their PSoC5 on them. There are some pins to take aside for programming.

   

 

   

Bob

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Bob_Marlowe
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... and at last: When in need of small amounts of PSoC chips, you may contact your local distri as Mouser Electronics or Arrow. They may even keep development kits on stock and might be faster with shipping depending on where you

   

 reside.

   

Bob

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HeLi_263931
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Use the device selector to select the device you need: http://www.cypress.com/?id=5044 to order single chips.

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HeLi_263931
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Oh, and the project I did some years ago can be found on my project page: http://www.hendriklipka.de/hardware/admscope.html

   

But its written for PSoC5 (not 5LP), so it will need some upgrading.

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ETRO_SSN583
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Here is another scope, search here on "psoc nokia display"

   

 

   

    

   

          http://www.element14.com/community/welcome

   

 

   

Note the display used in original post you made pretty cheesey puke green

   

can be substantially upgraded. Thats why I had you search on "psoc nokia display",

   

its a better looking display.

   

 

   

Regards, Dana.

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Anonymous
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Hi everyone who has contributed to helping me make this project a reality, im sorry i was quiet for a while. i realised that i wont be able to do much without getting the hardware (development kit, display and chip) first.

   

I was about ordering but realised i should let you guys know what i have gone for so you could advice me still. 

   

1. I am getting the CY8CKIT-050 PSoC® 5LP Development Kit which i know is a must-have.

   

2. I am also getting the chip itself for use on a custom PCB for the project. I have choosen CY8C5888AXI-LP096 becuase it seems to be the one with the highest max.operating frequency.

   

3. For display, i have choosen the PSoC® TFT Expansion Board as Bharadhwaja suggested

   

But since the display is from a different store (Mikroeletronika), i have to pay for shipping at 2 stores and that is expensive. is there no store i could purchase the kit, chip and display together at once so i get to pay for shipping once?

   

Please don't fail to advice on choice of chip, i cannot make a mistake with this.

   

Thanks.

   

John Otu

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ETRO_SSN583
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This might help with the chip -

   

 

   

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ETRO_SSN583
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Not to confuse you but there is a $ 25 Pioneer board, where a PSOC 5LP is

   

used as a bridge to debug a PSOC 42xx low end part, Arduino form factor.

   

 

   

The beauty of this board is you that you can program/debug a project in

   

PSOC 4, then use the PSOC 5LP as a GP processor. Limitation is very small

   

amount of GPIO available off the PSOC 5LP. And you can revert the

   

PSOC 5LP back to its role as the debuger/bridge to the PSOC 4 at any

   

time. Might be useful to have a miniprog3 if you choose to do this in order

   

to debug the PSOC 5LP.

   

 

   

Tons of projects, including a scope, freq sysnthesizer at element14. See

   

attached project list with links to each project.

   

 

   

Regards, Dana.

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Anonymous
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 Thanks Danaa,

   

I will have to stick to PsoC5LP and a single chip rather than a board because of the scope of the project.

   

However, you've not told me where I can purchase chip, kit and display so i can save cost of shipping.

   

Thanks. John.

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HeLi_263931
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When you order the chip alone from Cypress, you won't pay shipping (even in single quantities). If you combine it with the board, shipping applies though.

   

MikroElectronika also has a board combining a PSoC5LP with a display: http://www.mikroe.com/mikromedia/psoc-5lp/, which might even be cheaper than buying a -050 board and the display separately. Since you did not tell where you need the stuff delivered, giving an advice where to buy is difficult.

   

A similar display is available from Watterott in Germany, for 30 EUR (http://www.watterott.com/de/MI0283QT-2-Adapter , shipping depends on the country). But you probably can use any other graphical LCD that you might find for a reasonable price (I used a cheap one from ebay and wrote the display routines from scratch).

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ETRO_SSN583
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Another possibility for board -

   

 

   

www.schmartboard.com/index.asp

   

 

   

Regards, Dana.

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Anonymous
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 Thank you Hli and Dana,

   

I think the Mikromedia board will be excellent. Getting it right away.

   

I live in Nigeria.

   

Thanks again,

   

John.

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Anonymous
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Will I need the MikroProg to program the chip or is the bootloader and USB enough? what level of programming does one have to do with the MikroProg?

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ETRO_SSN583
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From the web page for the board -

   

 

   
    

Programming

    

On-board PSoC® 5LP microcontroller is preprogrammed with fast USB HID bootloader, so it’s ready to work right out of the box. You don’t have to spend a dollar more on programmers. For those who need it, board can also be programmed and debugged using mikroProg™ for PSoC® 5LP debugger.

    

 

    

Regards, Dana.

   
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HeLi_263931
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Looking at the schematic: it should also be possible to use the MiniProg3. There is a programming header available (actually two), one of them seems to be the 50 mil MiniProg3 header.

   

Btw: I saw that there even is a VS1053 MP3 decoder on that board 🙂

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Anonymous
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 Thanks Dana, I won't bother with an extra programmer.

   

Hli, the board obviously has more functions and modules than I need, an excellent choice I might add, thanks. I will just use what I need and leave the rest. Waste of resources? I have already started thinking of other ideas I could fully optimize that board. But for now, I need to finish with this before delving into some other.

   

I will be leaning on you guys for the rest of this journey. Thanks again,

   

John.

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Anonymous
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 Hi guys,

   

My Mikromedia for PSoC 5LP arrived today, meaning work begins in earnest. But first I want to practice the sample projects I downloaded in order to become familiar with the kit. Will let you guys know if I have any hitch.

   

Thanks for always being there.

   

John.

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Anonymous
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 Help, I can't find the .cyacd file which the kit's manual says should be uploaded from Bootloader Host

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ETRO_SSN583
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I believe Creator creates that at build/compile time. So build the

   

project.

   

 

   

Regards, Dana.

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HeLi_263931
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To be more precise: you need to build the project that uses the boot loader. The MikroE guide is not really clear in that regard 😞

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Anonymous
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 I have followed a sample bootloader project on PSoC creator but still cannot find the Bootloadable.cyad file. Any ideas pls?

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HeLi_263931
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That file is generated only when your project really is a bootloadable project. Set it as such, and add a BootLoadable component to it. You need the example projects from Mikroe for that, and set

   

mm_psoc\PSoC Creator 3.0 SP1\BootLoadable\Bootloader Example\Bootloader_USBFS.cydsn\CortexM3\ARM_GCC_473\Debug\Bootloader_USBFS.hex

   

as dependency for the BootLoadable component (the ELF file will be set automatically). When you the build the project, the CYACD file is generated in the folder "CortexM3\ARM_GCC_473\Debug"

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Anonymous
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 I noticed that the Mikromedia for PSoC 5 LP manual says "Note: Prior to use, bootloader .HEX file needs to be programmed into the mikromedia for PSoC 5LP's MCU."

   

I thought this meant using PSoC Programmer so i tried but among the device family i couldn't find the family for CY8C58.

   

How can i program this mikromedia for PSOC 5LP?

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ETRO_SSN583
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Sounds like you do not have current version of Programmer ?

   

 

   

Here for download - www.cypress.com/

   

 

   

Regards, Dana.

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Anonymous
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 My PSoC programmer is 3.21...

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HeLi_263931
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Did you try to install the Programmer as standalone installation? When looking at mine, installed with Creator, I also see only PSoC1 devices in its device list (and the install folder has files for them only).

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Anonymous
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First i had it installed while i was installing Creator. Then uninstalled it and downloaded just Programmer (PSocProgrammerSetup_3.21.0.1926.exe). Still, the device family was missing.

   

 

   

i just realised that under programmer characteristics, protocol is set to ISSP, which is why i havent seen any PSoC5LP listed in the device family. But that option is greyed out and i cant change it to jtag or swd. How do i make the optiona active so i can change protocol?

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HeLi_263931
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I think you can select the programming mode only when the programmer is connected with PSoC programmer (because not all programmers support all modes).

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Anonymous
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 Hli,

   

1. Have you used the Mikromedia for PSoC 5LP before? If yes, i need all the help you can give me. It was a good recommendation because it saved me cost of shipping and i appreciate that.

   

2. When i connect the board to my PC, PSoC Programmer doesnt detect it.

   

Thanks,

   

John.

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Anonymous
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 i have managed to build the oscilloscope frontend but had 7 errors as follows:

   

1. Terminals "R_1.T1" connected to signal "Net_11" have mismatching types.

   

2. CyDsFit aborted due to errors, please address all errors and rerun CyDsFit.

   

3. Terminals "Opamp_1.Vplus" connected to signal "Net_8" have mismatching types.

   

4. Terminals "R_1.T1" connected to signal "Net_169" have mismatching types.

   

5. Terminals "R_2.T1" connected to signal "Net_177" have mismatching types.

   

6. Terminals "R_2.T2,R_1.T2" connected to signal "Net_8" have mismatching types.

   

7. Terminals "Opamp_2.Vout,A_Pin_2.analog_0,ADC_SAR_1.vdac_ref,ADC_SAR_1.vminus" connected to signal "Net_177" have mismatching types.

   

 

   

See attached jpeg for a screenshot of design. 

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Bob_Marlowe
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It is always easier for us when you provide us with a complete project archive, but it looks as if you may have connected the two resistors that are off-chip to internal wires and not to the pins. Check whether you have enabled "Show External Terminal" for both of them.

   

 

   

Bob

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Anonymous
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 Thanks Bob,

   

I enabled "show external terminal" and removed the resistors (since they are offchip) and 5 of the errors were cleared.

   

I was thining that posting the whole program wont make sense because I only modified the bootloadable MP3 example code in order to use Mikroelektronika's TFT and TP component and library.

   

I need help in writing the main.c code for the oscilloscope frontend.

   

In case it can help, I have attached a zip file of the project. Pls open "Template_Media.cywrk" and ignore the other folders and files associated with the MP3 example.

   

Thanks,

   

John.

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Anonymous
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 Just noticed that the zip file was too large so i have removed the sound.mp3 file which makes it much smaller. find the smaller zip below

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Bob_Marlowe
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In line 53 in main.c you deleted a closing comment (*/).

   

I cannot compile your project because the required bootloader is not part of the project. A question: What has an MP3-player to do with an oscilloscope???

   

Your Creator version is outdated, You will need to update your current version to the latest, use Cypress Update Manager for this job.

   

 

   

Bob

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ETRO_SSN583
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You buffered the VDAC output via OpAmp into Vref pin , but take note of the below

   

comment.

   

 

   

"vdac_ref – Input *
The VDAC reference (vdac_ref) is an optional pin. You see it if you have selected Vssa to
VDAC*2 (Single Ended) or 0.0 +/- VDAC (Differential) input range; otherwise, this I/O is
hidden. You can only connect this pin to a VDAC component output. Do not connect it to any
other signal.

   

 

   

Also you have Vref trying to drive - input as well as VDAC, that will not work. If you want

   

your scope to handle single ended + signals just use the + input and bias the - input from internal

   

Vref.

   

 

   

Regards, Dana.

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