microSD ATmega32 Data-Logger

Hi friends,

aim of this project is to present a way to store a large quantity of data into microSD card in files with FAT32 format. Here, ATmega32 is used for data collection and microSD interface. The data is received from in-build 8-channel ADC of ATmega32. One channel is used for reading temperature from LM35 sensor and remaining channels are used for simply reading voltages and storing them.

This project can be used to interface 8 different sensors with ADC of ATmega32, similar to the LM35 used here. The data is stored in CSV (comma separated values) format, which can be read using a PC/Laptop with Microsoft Excel or other compatible software. A snapshot of the excel file is given later in this post.

This project is an example of how to use the microSD FAT32 library presented in my earlier post. In that post, the files were created using hyper-terminal and entering data with the PC keyboard, since that demonstrates the file creation and it's easy to debug. But many users have requested to make the file creation independent of the terminal, done inside the microcontroller, so I'm showing here how to use those functions independent of terminal. If you have directly landed on this page, it would be more helpful if you visit the original post first as it would be a better starting place for learning SD or FAT32 functions (also Check out my this post for updated version of this project with 16x2 LCD and DS1621 temperature sensor

Here is the schematic (click on the images for larger view or download PDF):

The project contains RTC interface (for date and time storage), RS232 (for connection with PC) and a microSD module. Here, the hyper-terminal connection is required only for setting RTC date and time. Once the date/time are set, the RS232 connection is not required anymore for normal data-logging operation (It can be used for debugging purpose if there is a problem).

The microSD module used here is from eXtreme Electronics.
The module is shown in the figure here. Other than the microSD socket, this low-cost module also contains on-board 3.3v regulator for the microSD card, a 5v-3.3v level converter and other safety features required for the card. This module is used here as it provides a stable interface and makes the the card compatible with 5v supply and 5v signals of microcontroller.

The module is available at: http://store.extremeelectronics.co.in/MicroSD-TF-Module.html

The schematic also shows two LEDs and a push-button. The LEDs are used for indications of power and recording and the push-button is used to start-stop recording.

Operation of the circuit:
-----------------------------------------------
For setting RTC date/time (or for debugging mode):

• Connect the microSD module, insert the microSD card
• Connect the RS232 cable with the circuit. Set-up hyper terminal with 19200 baud, no parity, 8-bit data, 1 stop-bit and flow-control as 'None'
• Connect the power cable and power on the circuit while keeping the push-button pressed
• Green LED will glow in the circuit board
• A menu will be displayed on the Hyper terminal as shown in the figure below. Select desired option and follow the displayed instructions
• When date/time is set or debugging done, select option '0' to come out of the menu and start functioning a s data-logger
• At this point, the RS232 cable can be removed

Operation as Data-Logger:

• Connect the power cable and power on the circuit
• Green LED will glow
• Whenever the data-logging is required, press the push-button
• Red LED will glow, indicating that the recording has started
• To stop recording, press the push-button again, recording will stop and red LED will turn off
• Files stored in the card can be read using a PC card-reader or using hyper-terminal with the circuit started in debugging mode

The operation is very simple as it uses just one push-button and an LED indication. In case of any error in accessing the card, red LED will blink continuously. In such a case, you can start circuit in debug mode (with terminal) and see the error messages.

Files are stored with the date as a name and .CSV extension. For example, data-logging done on 10 May 2011 would be stored in "10052011.CSV" file. Since the date is the name of file, everyday a single file is created and all the data recording done in a day goes into single file, no matter how many times the recording is stopped/started. First column of the file shows date, second shows time and next 8 columns show data from the 8 channels.

A file created during testing is shown in the figure below, where 5 sec interval was set for measurements (click on the image to enlarge it). Here channel-0 was used for LM35 temperature sensor, and remaining channels measure voltage. 5v was connected to channel-1 and 3v Li cell was connected to channel-3 (Channel 2 & 4 show some small voltages due to noise from voltages connected to nearby channels, which can be corrected by using bypass caps).


The interval between two measurement cycles is defined in main.c file, which can be set as per the user requirement. Basically, the program forms a dataString in every measurement cycle and appends this string to the file, if the file already exists or it creates a new file (for example, during the first recording in a day). You may go through the comments in the source code file for more info.

Note: Make sure that RTC circuit is properly connected, otherwise the code will simply hang waiting for receiving date & time from RTC

New Version: Check out my this post for updated version of this project with 16x2 LCD and DS1621 temperature sensor. Project Code with FatFs library is also shared there.

Download project files
--------------------------------------
The source code is written in AVR-GCC format using winAVR with AVRStudio-4, complete AVRStudio project folder can be downloaded from here:

- Download Source Code

Download schematic:
- Schematic (PDF)
- Schematic (EAGLE)

References:
--------------
Visit my earlier post for the references on SD card & FAT32 which are given at the end of the post

SD/SDHC Card Interfacing with ATmega8 /32 (FAT32 implementation)

Hi friends,
Here is my project on interfacing of SD Card (microSD). microSD cards are available very cheap nowadays, a great option for having a huge memory in any embedded system project. It is compatible with SPI bus, so the interfacing is easy. SD card adapters are also easily available in market, one can easily make a bread-board adapter by soldering few pins on it. Following figures show the SD card pin-out & the bread-board adapter design by soldering 7-pins of a breakout header on the microSD adapter (Click on images for larger view).












I had started this project with 1GB microSD card from SanDisk (later on tested with transcend cards also). The microcontroller is AVR ATmega8 or ATmega32 running at 8Mhz internal clock. MAX232 is used to interface the circuit with PC for monitoring the data. A 3.3v supply is used for powering the mega8, microSD and max232 (though the specified supply for max232 is 5v, it works comfortably at 3.3v).7 pins of the microSD are used here, shown in the figure of pin-out.

Schematic for ATmega8 is shown here (updated on 10 May 2010, SD series resistors are removed, as they were limiting the speed of SPI bus. 51k pullups are added on CMD/DAT lines. This gives better stability with different cards. Also, two 3.6v zeners are added to protect SD in case when the ISP programmer voltage levels are of 5v. these diodes are not required if your programmer has settings for 3.3v output)
(Note: VCC & GND pins of MAX232 are not shown in the schematic, but they must be connected in the actual hardware)
Following is the schematic for ATmega32, without RTC (updated on 10 May 2010):


Following is the schematic for ATmega32, with RTC (added on 17 May 2010; CS pin correction, PB4 instead of PB1, done in Mar 2014). Here two supply voltages are used, 3.3v for SD & 5v for remaining ICs.

The aim of this project was to learn interfacing of SD card and to understand the data transfer in raw format as well as in FAT32 format. I started with raw data transfer, sending some data to any block of the microSD, reading a block of it, reading and writing multiple blocks, erasing multiple blocks. All this in raw format. I used RS232 for viewing the data read by microcontroller from SD card. The uc sends the data to HyperTerminal. Similarly, to write data to card, the data was fed thru HyperTerminal, by typing some text.

Once raw data transfer achieved, I formatted the card with windowsXP (FAT32) and loaded it with some text files, directories and other files (all stored in root directory of the card). After that I wrote the FAT32 routines to read files, get file list (using HyperTerminal again), finding the total/free memory of card. All this data is sent to HyperTerminal by the uc.

Following is the HyperTerminal window showing different options:
Options 0 to 4 are low level functions dealing with raw data. If you use option 0, 1 or 3, you may have to reformat the card before using the FAT32 routines.
0: Erases selected number of blocks strating from selected block
1: Writes data to specified SD block address. Data to be entered in HyperTerminal using PC keyboard
2: Readss data of specified SD block address. Data is displayed on HyperTerminal window
3. Writes selected number of blocks strating from selected block
4. Reads selected number of blocks strating from selected block

Here, the multiple-block functions related to options 3 & 4 are disabled due to memory constraint as that time mega8 was used for testing and these functions are not required for FAT32 testing. While testing with mega32, options 3 & 4 can be enabled by removing a macro (#define FAT_TESTING_ONLY) defined in SD_routines.h.

Options 5 to 9 are related to FAT32 . Only short file names are supported right now, 8byte name+3bytes extension. If you store a long name file in SD, it will be displayed by these routines in short name format only.
For testing these options, format the card with FAT32 file system and store some directories and text files (because text files can be read & checked thru HyperTerminal).

5: Displays list of available directories and files with size (in the root directory of the card)
6: Reads a specified file and displays the file contents on HyperTerminal
7: Create/Append file with specified name, enter text from HyperTerminal
8: Deletes any existing file with specified name
9: Displays total & free memory of the card (using FSinfo sector of the SD card)

Following figures show the HyperTerminal window when options 5 & 9 are selected:
(These figures show menu from Ver2.3 or earlier. Menu style is changed from Ver_2.4 onwards, which is shown in the update history)

Note: HyperTerminal is used here at 19200 baudrate, No parity, Flow Control 'none'.

This project needs very few components and can be done easily at home. Try it out!











Download the source code files from here:Download here the zipped source code files modified for mega32, written in winAVR-AVRStudio.

Version 2.4.1 (RTC added for Date/Time entries) 17 May 2010/24 Apr 2011
Version 2.3 (SDHC support added) 09 May 2010
Version 2.2 (No SDHC support) 13 Sep 2009

Download EAGLE schematic file of Ver 2.4
Download/view source code files V2.1 (for ATmega8):
Following files are compiled using winAVR inside AVRStudio. This Version does not support SDHC cards. Also, append file feature is not available.
1. SD_main.c
2. SD_routines.c & SD_routines.h
3. FAT32.c & FAT32.h (Ver 2.1, last updated-13 Sep 09)
4. SPI_routines.c & SPI_routines.h
5. UART_routines.c & UART_routines.h
6. Makefile
7. HEX file (Ver 2.1, last updated-13 Sep 09)

Please put up a comment or mail me if you find a bug in the code. The updates are because of valuable suggestions & comments from the users of this code. Thanks a lot!!

This library has been updated by ExploreEmbedded to support lpc2148, lpc1114, lpc1768 controllers (in addition to ATmega devices). Please visit this page for more details:
https://www.exploreembedded.com/wiki/LPC1768:_SD_Card_Interface

Buy from Farnell (Element14): ATmega32 (India), ATmega32 (USA)


Related posts:

• You can visit my post of microSD ATmega32 Data-Logger, with LCD and temperature sensor, which uses modified FAT32 (or FatFs) library for automatically creating files without using hyper terminal.
• If you want to test FAT32 functions or learn more without making the microcontroller hardware, you can visit my post here: microSD-FAT32 using Visual C++)

Update History-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 2.4:
- Real Time Clock circuit support is added for time & date entries in the files. Now the current date of file creation and file update will be entered in the FAT table (can be viewed by checking file 'properties' using a PC)
(The RTC will also be useful in data-logging with time-stamp)
- Three more options added in the Hyper Terminal menu for displaying or updating RTC date & time. New menu is shown in the above figure.

Ver 2.4.1:
- Same as 2.4, with a bug fix for RTC: 'twi_init' function added to define I2C clock freq. 100K@ 16MHz (50k@8MHz). This was taking default values earlier, which was as high as 500K@8MHz, not desirable

(Note: Version 2.2, 2.3 & 2.4 are tested on ATmega32, but they can be adopted to any controller having RAM >= 1KB and Flash >= 16KB)
Current memory usage (Ver_2.4): Flash: 12908 Bytes; RAM: 700 Bytes (appx.);

Version 2.3:
- Support for SDHC cards added (tested with SanDisk & Transcend microSD and microSDHC cards). The initialization sequence and command formats are modified.
- A bug which was causing the program flow to go into infinite loop if the character number 512 in a sector was a CR (Carriage Return, '\r'), in the writeFile function. Thanks to David & Piotr M. who pointed it out in the comments.
- Code is also tested successfully at 16MHz clock (8MHz SPI clock) with for SD/SDHC cards.

Follwing are the Hyper Terminal windows showing card detection (One window shows baudrate as 38400, that was while testing for higher clock speeds, current code still uses 19200 baud and 8MHz internal clock of Mega32).








Version 2.2:
- Append file feature added. 'createFile' function replaced with writeFile, which looks for the filename first, if the given file name doesn't exist then it creates new file and writes data, but if the file already exists, then it opens it and appends the entered data.
- A bug removed which was giving error related to use of 'LONG'
- The FAT32.c & .h files are updated on 13 Sep 09 to remove a bug which was limiting file size to 32MB (Thanks to Kun-Szabo Marton who pointed it out)

Data transfer rate: 1 raw data block (512 bytes) takes 4.15ms for reading or writing (123.37 KBytes/s) at current 4 MHz SPI clock rate. If you have flash more than 8k, you can declare the SPI_receive() and SPI_transmit() functions as 'inline' functions. This will increase the transfer rate to 140 KBytes/s. These transfer rates can be further increased by using a 16MHz crystal (8 MHz SPI clock). FAT32 file reading is done at 78 to 91 KBytes/sec.

Version 2.1:
- A bug removed which stopped creating new files after 32*8 files in the root directory
- The root directory was unnecessarily getting expanded by one cluster whenever a file was created. Fixed in the new version
- Also, the fixed cluster size of 8 sectors is removed, this version will support other cluster sizes as well

Version 2.0:
- Support added for SD cards having first sector as MBR rather than the boot sector
- createFile and deleteFile functions added
- A bug fixed in reading files stord at far locations in memory also correction made to accept 8+3 char file name (by mistake, it was taking 7+3 earlier)
- FSinfo sector used for storing total free cluster count &
next free cluster number for faster file access
- Instant freeMemory display (earlier it was taking more than 30secs) using FSinfo sector. FSinfo sector is updated now whenever a file is created or deleted
- File memory size display in decimal, like windows (earlier it was in hex)
- Raw SD functions multiple block read and write, which are not required for FAT32, are disabled using FAT32_TESTING_ONLY macro for getting extra space required by createFile & deleteFile changes (you can activate it if you have more than 8k flash) Right now flash is 99.9% full
- Clock speed raised from 1Mhz to 8 MHz, new SPI speed (after SD initialization): 4MHz instead of 500K & baudrate: 19200 (for HyperTerminal) instead of 4800
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

References/ Further Reading:
1. Microsoft's FAT32 specification document
2. SD-Simplified Physical Layer Specifications
4. F. Foust's Application Note on SD
5. FAT32 Structure info, includes MBR details
6. Simple FAT32 Structure explanation 
7. Chan's FAT library
8. SD Association's Website for further info

Regards,
CC Dharmani
ccd@dharmanitech.com

Home-made Double Layer ATmega32 PCB for RS232/RS422 Communication testing

Hi guys,
after making my single layer starter's kit M32_Card, I was looking for making a double layer M32 PCB at home. So, here is my attempt to make it. Well, it didn't turn out to be as difficult as I had thought it to be earlier. I had to dump one PCB before making this one as the top-layer routine was not solder-friendly!!

I've made this one mainly for an application where RS232 & RS422 testing was required. It uses MAX232 & MAX488 ICs from for those serial communication. Selection between RS232 & RS422 is through jumpers. The board is using ATmega32 controller, just like my single layer pcb. It also has 4x4 matrix keyboard, an LCD interface, ADC connector, SPI connector (for In System Programming), a reset switch and an LED for beginner's programming. It operates with the standard 12v DC adapter.

Here is the schematic (click on the image to enlarge):


There is a small mistake here in the schematic, the RX/TX pin connections in the RS232 connector are swapped, which I found while testing the PCB. So, I had to correct it by cutting those two tracks and placing jumpers. After the correction, the communication with PC was established. The schematic is similar to the M32_Card, accept that I've removed the RTC DS1307 and placed the MAX488. Also, the individual push buttons are replaced with the 16 key matrix key-board.
Click here to get more info and for downloading code to interface the 4x4 matrix keyboard shown here

The PCB etching is done with Ferric Chloride. In making the double layer PCB, as I don't have any PTH (printed through holes) facility, I've put small pieces of single core wire into the holes and soldered both sides. Check out the top and bottom layers here














If you have an application where the circuit can not be contained in a single layer, a home-made double layer PCB is worth a try!!

Thanks!
---------
ccd@dharmanitech.com

Make-Yourself ATmega32 Starter's Kit with LCD, I2C, SPI, RTC, ADC interfaces

Hi friends,
here is my home-made kit of ATmega32 microcontroller interfacing. The ATmega32 controller is rich with features like onboard 32kB in-System programmable flash, 1 KB EEPROM, 2KB SRAM, 10bit ADC (8 channel), SPI bus inteface, TWI (compatible with I2C bus) interface, an USART, analog comparator, etc. That's why I've selected it to load my kit with all those features.

This M32 card is having an LCD inteface with contrast adjustment, an RS232 port for connecting with PC, a connector for 8 analog voltage inputs to measure by ADC, a Real Time Clock IC DS1307 from maxim with battery back-up, four general purpose keys, two keys for generating interrupts and an LED.
The circuit can be powered by an easily available 12v DC adapter. The voltage regulator IC 7805 used to convert the input into regulated 5v supply.

See below the kit in powered on condition and the schematic (click to enlarge the images)













The PCB is completely home-made, using the etching technique with the Ferric Chloride chemical. If you want to know how to make a PCB yourself from your layout, visit following webpage, it's really helpful:

http://electrons.psychogenic.com/modules/arms/art/10/pcb_howto.php

The schematic and layout of the M32_card shown here are prepared using EAGLE. It's a single layer board for making the home-preparation easy. Check out the bottom layer and the layouts in the pics below:












The software for the ATmega32 controller is written using imageCraft AVR compiler. The software contains code for LCD interface, use of RTC and communication with PC with RS232 port. Using the Hyper terminal in windows, the functionality of the kit can be checked, as I've mentioned in my previous post of RTC_EEPROM interface with ATmega128.
Sown below are the pics of RTC circuit in test and related screen shot of the hyper terminal while interacting with the M32_Card

















Here is Proteus ISIS Simulation:



The complete source code files including new addition of ADC (check out Here) can be downloaded below.


Download
----------------
Source code
PCB files (in PDF & EAGLE formats)Proteus Simulation Model

Datasheets:

ATmega32 DS1307 MAX232

--------
ccd@dharmanitech.com

Interfacing RTC & serial EEPROM using i2c bus, with ATmega128 uC

Hi friends,
here is my experiment with i2c bus for interfacing serial EEPROM (24C256) and RTC (DS1307) using AVR microcontroller ATmega128. The circuit is also provided with an RS232 port for connecting with PC to send commands for reading/writing EEPROM or setting date/time in RTC (Click on images to enlarge them).

Communication with PC is done through Hyper Terminal. A screen shot of the message sent to PC by microcontroller immediately after power ON is shown in the figure at the left, where the user is asked to enter choice from the menu options related to EEPROM and RTC. User can store data in EEPROM, or set RTC date and time by entering them using PC keyboard.
Hyper Terminal is used with 19200 Baud, No parity, No hardware flow control settings.

When the circuit is powered on, a welcome message is displayed on the Hyper Terminal window and a menu with 9 options (0-8) is displayed (refer to the figure). The options are explained here:

0: Erase EEPROM (fills eeprom with 0xff bytes)
1: Write EEPROM (starts writing eeprom starting with 0x0000 address)
2: Read EEPROM (reads eeprom starting with 0x0000 address)
3: Write eeprom page (writes one page of eeprom at specified page number)
4: Read eeprom page (Reads one page of eeprom at specified page number)
5: Display RTC Date (Displays current date from RTC)
6: Display RTC time (Displays current time from RTC)
7: Update RTC Date (Setting new date in RTC)
8: Update RTC time (Setting new time in RTC)

The option is selected from PC keyboard. While writing to eeprom or RTC the data is entered using PC keyboard as specified by the program.

The software routines include DS1307 library, 24C256 library & I2C library along with the main function.

The code is written in C using winAVR (inside AVRStudio). The complete project folder can be downloaded here in zip format (updated on 25-April-2009, earlier it was in ICCAVR format):

Here is running simulation on Proteus ISIS (click on image to enlarge it):


Downloads
------------------
Complete Source code (winAVR, AVRStudio-4 format)
Proteus Simulation Model

Datasheets:
ATmega128,  DS1307,  FM24C256,  MAX232

Thanks!

(last updated on 25-April-2009)
---------
ccd@dharmanitech.com

USART-to-USB converter using FT232BM chip

Hi guys,
here is an easy an popular way to start using USB in your designs without going into learning the complicated USB protocol. This circuit converts normal USART signals from any microcontroller into USB compatible signals which can be directly connected to the PC. If u r designing a circuit and u need pc interface, then this is the best way, use USB, as the RS232 ports are disappearing from PCs and laptops very fast.

This circuit is as suggested by FTDI's datasheet for the device FT232BM. It also includes an EEPROM to input your device name which will appear in PC when u connect your circuit to PC. The Tx and Rx LED indication is also provided.

Drivers for this IC are available free on FTDI's website mentioned below. The drivers create virtual serial comm ports, hence keep the USB protocol completely in background. U can program yr controller just like u r designing it for RS232 communication!!

New! (21 May 2010)

FTDI has released a RS232 to USB converter in DB9 connector package, an easiest way to migrate from RS232 to USB without any change in your PCB, you can have the footprint of DB9 female connector but place this module instead and you are USB ready!! Really cool!!!


More info: http://www.ftdichip.com