So, hello to all viewers and welcome back to Gettobyte Platform. In This blog you are going to know about RFID Reader MFRC522, which is designed by NXP Semiconductors. Objective would be to interface this module with Host MCU’s like of NXP Semiconductors, STMicroelectronics or other vendors MCU’s. Will make the driver to interface the RFID Reader with any MCU, not unlike just with Arduino and Arduino IDE environment. To make the driver of RFID reader at first, we need to dig into its datasheet, to understand its various sub parts. And that’s all about this blog is gotten going to be, to make the datasheet understand in easy way-out.
Table of Contents
Next & Previous Blog
RFID Technology
RFID modules is a wireless sensing technology which is used to track/identify/monitor the objects.
MFRC522 RFID Reader/PCD
MFRC522 is a highly integrated reader/writer IC for contactless communication at 13.56 MHz. These reader supports the ISO 14443 A protocol for communicating with RFID Tags. They are used to detect the MIFRAME RFID tags.
MFRC522 has internal RF transceiver, which provides a robust and efficient implementation for demodulating and decoding signals from MIFRAME compatible cards using ISO 14443 A protocol. The digital module of MFRC522 manages the complete ISO/IEC 14443 A framing and error detection (parity and CRC) functionality.
MFRC522 supports 3 tags of MIFRAME family, that are MF1xxS20, MF1xxS70 and MF1S50 products.
MFRC522 features
MFRC522 though quite old RFID reader and in today’s time many new advance RFID readers have come up. But so as to get started with this technology as a hobbyist/student/DIY project, it is perfect module to lay your hands on this Technology.
- MFRC522 has highly integrated analog circuitry to demodulate and decode responses when RFID tags are brought in close proximity of these devices.
- RFID readers are connected with some host MCU, where the processing of data which is received via RFID tags happens according to the application. MFRC522 can connect with host MCU, using SPI, Serial UART and I2C -bus interface.
- It supports ISO 14443 A protocol and can be used with MIFRAME family of RFID tags. And in MIFRAME family it supports only MF1xxS20, MF1xxS70 and MF1xxS50 products.
- It has internal CRC-coprocessor.
- Internal FIFO buffer which can handle 64 bytes of sending and receiving.
- It uses the Crypto-1 cipher for authenticating.
- It supports Internal oscillator for connection to 27.12 MHz quartz crytsal.
- It is low power device, need 2.5 V to 3.3 V power supply.
- It also has flexible interrupt modes when some RFID tags are detected and trigering events too. In addition to flexible interrupt, it has programmabe I/O pins and timer.
- It can perform Internal self-test too.
MFRC522 Functional description
MFRC522 Host Interfaces
MFRC522 can be connected to Host MCU using 3 serial protocols: UART, I2C or SPI.
MFRC522 checks the current host interface type.
automatically after performing a power-on or hard reset. The MFRC522 IC identifies the host
interface by sensing the logic levels on the below pins after the reset phase. 
The MFRC522 is equipped with a series of registers that allow the Host MCU to access its functional description blocks. To ensure the proper functioning of the MFRC522, the Host MCU must initialize and configure these functional blocks by sending the corresponding register addresses.
Each register is essentially an address byte that is transmitted from the Host MCU. Depending on the function described in the register section, read/write operations are performed on the corresponding address byte.
It is crucial to properly initialize and configure these functional blocks to ensure the optimal performance of the MFRC522. By understanding the purpose of each register and its corresponding function, the Host MCU can effectively communicate with the MFRC522 and achieve the desired results.
–> MFRC522_write_register()
–> MFRC522_Read_register()
MFRC522 Interrupts
MFRC522 can trigger the interrupts, when certain events occur. There are 8 events as shown in below table when interrupt can be triggered.
When above event occurs, IRQ pin is used to interrupt the host. IRQ pin signal is asserted and host MCU can use its interrupt handling capabilities (basically NVIC if we are talking about ARM based MCU) on what to do when corresponding interrupt has occurred.
- Status1Reg Register IRq bit is used to indicate if any interrupt source has been triggerered.
- Which interrupt has been triggered is indicated by ComIrqReg and DivIrqReg Register. 
- Which interrupts to be configured and behavior of IRQ pin is configured by ComIEReg and DivIEReg Register.
MFRC522 Time Unit
There is a Timer unit in MFRC522, that is used for multiple purposes. Timer unit is essential for maintaing the configuring the clock and analog interfaces. Also timer unit can be used for following features:
- Timeout counter
- Watchdog counter
- Stopwatch
- Programmable one shot
- Periodical trigger
Timer has an input clock of 13.56 MHz derived from the 27.12 MHz quartz crystal oscillator. The timer consists of 2 stages: prescaler and counter.
- The prescaler(TPrescaler) is a 12-bit counter. That can be configured using TModeReg register’s TPrescaler_Hi[3:0] and TPrescalerReg register’s TPrescaler[7:0] bits.
- The Reload value for the counter is defined by 16 bits between 0 & 65535 in the TReloadReg register.
- The current value of the timer is indicated in the TCounterVAlReg Register.
MFRC522 FIFO
FIFO overview
The MFRC522 contains an internal FIFO buffer of 64 bytes, which is equivalent to 8 x 64 bits. This buffer is utilized for both input and output data streams. The host MCU has the capability to perform both Read and Write operations on this FIFO. The host MCU sends commands to PCD for communication with PICC. these commands are specified in ISO14443 A standard, which is then inputted into the FIFO. When the PICC responds to these commands, the response is also stored in the FIFO. The host MCU can then read the FIFO to obtain the response from the PICC.
The FIFO buffer is a crucial component in the communication process between the host MCU and the PICC. It allows for efficient data transfer and ensures that all responses are stored in a centralized location. The ability to perform both Read and Write operations on the FIFO provides flexibility and control to the host MCU. By utilizing the FIFO buffer, the communication process is streamlined and optimized for maximum efficiency.
About FIFO registers
FIFO buffer input and output data bus is connected to the FIFODataReg register. Writing to this register stores one byte in the FIFO buffer and increments the internal FIFO buffer write pointer. Reading from this register shows the FIFO buffer contents stored in FIFO read pointer and decrements the FIFO buffer read pointer.
Only one FIFO buffer has been implemented which can be used for input and output. The microcontroller must
ensure that there is not any unintentional FIFO buffer accesses.
The FIFOLevelReg is utilized to determine the number of bytes stored in the FIFO. This register is particularly useful in checking the number of bytes received in the FIFO buffer when the PICC sends a response to the PCD command. By using the FIFOLevelReg, you can easily keep track of the amount of data stored in the FIFO, which is essential in ensuring the smooth operation of your system.
One can also get the status of FIFO buffer using status and error registers.
- FIFO buffer almost full warning can be got to know from Status1Reg register’s HiAlert bit.
- FIFO buffer almost empty warning can be got to know from Status1Reg register’s LoAlert bit.
- FIFO buffer overflow warning, using ErrorReg register’s BufferOvfl bit.
MFRC522 CRC
MFRC522 has a Cyclic Rebudency Check (CRC) coprocessor to check the integrity of the data when data from PICC is received or when data is wriiten to PICC.
- CRC has preset value 0000h, 6363h, A671h or FFFFh. We can configure the preset values using ModeReg CRCPreset[1:0].
- CRC polynomial for the 16-bit CRC is fixed to x^16 + x^12 + x^5 + 1.
- CRCResultReg register indicates the result of the CRC calculation.
- CRC algorithm which is used is according to ISO/IEC 14443 A and ITU-T.
To perform the CRC calculation refer its state machine in below section.
MFRC522 Command Set
MFRC522 operation is determined by certain commands. According to these commands, correspondingly MFRC522 would be performing some action.
So, it’s like at first, we will configure the FIFO, CRC, Interrupts and timer unit. After that Host MCU will instruct the commands to MFRC522 in order to tell what it has to do. Host MCU will write the command code to the CommandReg Register.
Main commands that would be used are Idle, Transceive, CalcCRC and Transmit commands. Transceive command is the one which has to be sent from Host MCU to MFRC522 to send the FIFO buffer data to the antenna, which is further propagated to the RFID readers. And according to the data which we have written in FIFO RFID readers would act and give response.
Each command that needs a data bit stream (or data byte stream) as an input immediately processes any data in the FIFO buffer. An exception to this rule is the
Transceive command. Using this command, transmission is started with the BitFramingReg register’s StartSend bit.
MFRC522 Block Diagram
Above is the simplified block diagram of MFRC522 module. MFRC522 has an internal memory, power supply, interrupt pins, FIFO buffer, Antenna and analog interface, digital module for communicating with Host MCU.
Analog Interface handles the modulation and demodulation of the analog signals. FIFO Buffer ensures fast and convenient data transfer.
Register bank are the set of registers through which MFRC522 would be configured and initialized to use. Parameters like Clock, Interrupts, status of errors while communicating with RFID readers, CRC calculation, FIFO configuration and etc need to be configured before using the MFRC522.
How the MFRC522 Internal system works?
Host MCU will send PCD Commands to MFRC522, according to which it will perform some operations. MCU will send these commands by writing into one of the registers of PCD.( For MFRC522 CommandReg is register)
Operations like:
- Activation of CRC Coprocessor
- Transmission of data from FIFO buffer of MFRC522 and activation of receiver circuits to get the response from PICC
- transfer of data from FIFO to an internal buffer
- soft reset and authentication-based operations
Further MFRC522 will emit the commands for communicating with PICC, here referred to as PICC Commands, according to which operation with PICC takes place, like scanning of PICC, selecting the PICC, reading and writing the data on PICC. MFRC522 emits these commands via electromagnetic induction and electric coupling. ( That is the main working principle behind the RFID technology)
Host MCU to PCD
Host MCU will send the commands to PCD, according to which PCD will perform the operations like activation of FIFO buffer or CRC coprocessor, and transmission of data from FIFO. We will name these commands as MFRC522 Commands sets. Host MCU will send those commands to PCD (here MFRC522) by writing into the CommandReg Register using low level Host Interface write API.
- Idle Command: Places the MFRC522 in Idle mode.
- Mem Command: Transfers the 25 bytes from the FIFO Buffer to the internal buffer. This command is used when, we want to read the data from PICC( As described in ISO-14443-4 doc), as PICC response is always recorded in PCD FIFO.
- Generate RandomID: generates a 10-byte random ID number.
- CalcCRC: Activates the CRC coprocessor or performs a self test.
- Transmit: transmit data from the FIFO buffer
- NoCmdChange: no command change, can be used to modify the CommandRef register bits without affecting the command
- Receive: activates the receiver circuits
- Transceive: Transmit data from the FIFO buffer to antenna and automatically activates the receiver after transmission.
- MFAuthent: performs the MIFARE standard authentication as a reader
- SoftReset: This command performs a reset of the device. The configuration data of the internal buffer remains unchanged. All registers are set to the reset values. This command automatically terminates when finished.
PCD to PICC
Further there are also command set which PCD have to emit to communicate with PICC and enter the PICC into some state machine.
PICC States:
- Power-off State: In the POWER-OFF state, the PICC is not powered by a PCD operating field
- Idle State: In the IDLE state, the PICC is powered. It listens for commands and shall recognize REQA and WUPA commands.
- Ready State: Cascade levels are handled inside this state to get the complete UID. PICC enters the ACTIVE state when it is selected with its complete UID.
- Active State: PICC complies with ISO-14443-4 to accept protocol activation commands (RATS)
- HALT State: In this state PICC only responds to WUPA command.
- Protocol State: PICC behaves according to 1s014443-4 specifications.
We will name these commands as PICC commands. Host MCU will write these PICC command into the PCD FIFO (refer the MFRC522 FIFO section on how to write the data on FIFO). PCD would transmit the FIFO data when it enters the Transceiver state machine (refer above topic).
PCD would transmit these commands via the electromagnetic induction and communicates with PICC via electronic coupling. PCD’s have RF transceivers through which it emits the electromagnetic waves with commands sets encoded in them. PICC have antenna and small circuitry, which gets energized via electromagnetic waves emitted by PCD and then further both PCD and PICC get coupled together to have 2 way wireless communication. How PCD would send commands to PICC and in return how PICC would respond, that is done according to IS014443 protocol. ISO14443 specifies all the frame formats,PICC command and their format , modulation schemes for RFID technology. 
PICC Frame formats:
- Short Frame:
- Standard Frames
PICC Command Set:
- REQA/WUPA Command: This command is send by PCD to scan the valid and IS014443 compatible PICC’s. This command is in short frame format. Host MCU will write this command into the PCD FIFO, from where this command is transmitted and emitted wirelessly. Response to this command is with ATQA. PICC are in Idle state when listening to this command and after successfully transmitting the ATQA response they enter into Ready State. These commands consist of 7 bits, as specified below:
- ANTICOLLISION/SELECT Command: PICC are in ready state when listening to this command and after this command they enter into ACTIVE STATE. This Command is used to get the UID of the scanned PICC and further select the corresponding PICC for Reading and writing data from it. For the MF1S503 PICC’s UID is of 4 bytes, for that only 1 cascade level is needed.
These commands need to be configured and then these bytes are written into The PCD FIFO for transmission and emission of signal to PICC wirelessly. This Command consists of:
- Select code SEL(1byte): Specify the cascade level.
- No of valid bits NVB (1 byte): specify number of bytes that would be transmitted by PCD to PICC (including SEL, NVB and below point)
- 0 to 40 data bits of UID according to value of NVB.
ANTICOLLISION Command consist of:
- Select Code: Cascade level 1= 0x93
- No of valid bits NVB = 0x20
Response to ANTICOLLISION Command is with the UID of the Scanned PICC(0xEA, 0x24, 0x77, 0x15) and its CRC(0xAC).
- SELECT Command consists of:
- Select code: Cascade level 1 = 0x93
- No of valid bits NVB – 0x70
- 0 to 40 data bits of UID that has been received in ANTICOLLISION Command( 0xEA, 0x24, 0x77, 0x15)
- CRCA(1 byte) : CRC of SELECT Command would be calculated by PCD and then it would be sent to PICC. And When PICC receives the SELECT Command it will check this CRCA and then will send the ACK.(0xAC)
Response to SELECT Command is with the Select Acknowledge:
MFRC522 Hardware and Pinout
MFRC522 IC has 32 pins in total and it comes in SOT617-1 package.
Pin description can be found from the datasheet of MFRC522. To use the MFRC522 IC its module is widely available and quite inexpensive. Can be brought from Robu at cost of 150 rupees. With the module an RFID tag and a key fob tag of MIFRAME Classic 1KB comes in.
In MFRC522 module, IC has 8 pins exposed out for connection and connecting to host MCU.
- The module has 4 pins exposed out for connecting it to host MCU using either SPI, I2C or UART. By default, reader can communicate with a microcontroller over a 4-pin SPI with a maximum data rate of 10 Mbps. It also supports I2C and UART protocols. As told in MFRC522 functional description part, MFRC522 checks the host interface type automatically depending on the signals on it’s control pins.
- MFRC522 module has 1 interrupt pin also exposed out, which can be used to trigger interrupts to alert the microcontroller when a RFID tag is in the vicinity.
- And remaining 3 pins are power supply pins and a reset pin. Reset pin is used for power down mode and reset signal. Module requires the power supply of 3.3 V, that is provided via VCC and GND pins.
Other vendor RFID readers
STMicroelectronics
Texas Instruments
Infenion technologies
Sensor & Modules to explore
Technologies to Explore
Other Blog to Explore
ARM Coresight: Debug and Trace in Embedded System
Table of Contents Definition of ARM CoreSight \”CoreSight is the Debug Architecture from ARM for Debugging and Trace Solutions in Complex SoC designs (Single core and Multi core)\” CoreSight Provides all the Infrastructure that is required to Debug, Trace, Monitor, and optimize the performance of a Complete System on Chip (SoC)Design. The Debug and Trace Features of the ARM Cortex M processors (M3/M4/M33/M7/M0, etc.) are designed based on the CoreSight Debug Architecture. This Architecture Covers a Wide Area Including Debug Interface protocols, on chip bus for debug access, Control of debug components, security features, trace data interface and more. Debug and Trace in Embedded Systems By now one obvious question to beginners or newbies that must have come in their mind is what is Debug and Trace. What are these features for which we have a whole complete Architecture called CoreSight? Why do we need Debug and Trace solutions in our Processors/Embedded Controllers? Is it not? For those readers They can check out this blog, providing you clarity and understanding of all such questions. One can Understand Debug and Trace Feature/Functionality as one of the Block/Unit of the Processor. Just like We have UART, SPI, I2C, etc. peripherals for our Microcontrollers for which we have separate Block, Architecture, Peripheral Memory Registers for accessing them and Communication Protocol pins in our Microcontroller. Same Way-out Debug/Trace is one of the peripherals which is present in our Processor for which it has its whole architecture and above Marked things. ARM Processor has CoreSight Architecture. MIPS Processor has EJTAG Architecture. IBM PowerPC processor has COP. (Units/Block of the Processor are not called peripherals, I have used the above term just to make u understand the analogy) What are Debug Features?? Features are used to observe or modify the state of parts of the design. This is also Called Invasive Debugging Execute instructions line by line function i.e., halting the processor after execution of each line of code(single stepping). Execute Instructions Function by function i.e., halting the processor after execution of each functions (Step Over) Return from the Function (Step Return/Step Out) Stop the processor (halting) Stop the Processor at a particular à line of code (called Breakpoint) àmemory address (Called Watchpoint) à coded condition of a variable or memory address is achieved (Conditional Breakpoint/Watchpoint) On can control the program execution (By points 1-5)so as to examine(Both read or Write) the change in value of bits of the MCU Peripheral registers and Core Processor Registers (like examining the contents of UART peripheral Registers to mark at which line of code data is received or transmitted by seeing the UART Status registers which has corresponding bits to indicate the event of receiving and transmit data). Debug frequently involves halting execution once a failure has been observed and collecting state information retrospectively to investigate the problem. There are 2 Communication Protocols For using Debug Features: SWD & JTAG JTAG is an industry Standard protocol (IEEE 1149.1) which is used for debugging and boundary scan testing. It is the de facto Serial Protocol which is present in almost every Processor Family other than ARM also like AVR 8 core, MIPS, PowerPC, etc. To be noted down: JTAG Requires 4 pins: TCK, TDI, TMS, TDO; the recent signal TRST is optional. ARM CoreSight Technology introduced the 2 wire Protocol SWD (Serial Wire Debug): SWCK and SWDIO which is used for Debugging all the ARM based Processors. The Serial Wire debug(SWD) protocol provides the same debug access features and supports parity error detection, which enables better reliability in systems with higher electrical noise. Therefore, the Serial Wire debug protocol is more favorable then JTAG Interface. Also, SWD and JTAG debug protocols share the same Connections: TCK and SWCL use the same pin, TMS and STDIO use the same pin. The SWD port alone does not allow real-time tracing. What are Trace Features?? Trace refers to the process of capturing data that shows information about how the components in a design of a firmware are operating, executing, and performing. This is also Called Non-invasive Debugging. It is real-time (with a small timing delay) and can provide a lot of useful information without stopping the processor. Information like: Amount of execution time for each function(Statistical Profiling) Call hierarchy and execution time sequence of functions Event Execution timing(Timestamp) Clock cycles taken for execution of a particular Instruction. Examine or change the contents of the memory or peripherals at any time, even when the processor is running. This feature is often called on-the-fly memory access. Data Trace(Monitoring the Variable or Memory address in Real Time execution of Code and Plotting their graph). Instruction Trace(information about Instruction execution of a Core)ETM & PTM). Instrumentation Trace (Printf () Statement via ITM). System trace Trace is an advanced version of Debugging as it analyzes the performance of our firmware code and how efficient it is in terms of memory and efficiency by capturing the various kinds of data when the CPU is running. For Trace features there are 2 Modes: 1 Serial-Pin model called Serial Wire Viewer à Using Serial Wire Output (SWO) with Serial Wire Debug (SWD) interface. The Serial Wire Output (SWO) pin can be used in combination with SWD. It is used by the processor to emit real-time trace data, thus extending the two SWD pins with a third pin. The combination of the two SWD pins and SWO pin enables Serial Wire Viewer (SWV) real-time tracing in compatible Arm® processors. The Serial Wire Viewer (SWV) is a real-time trace technology that uses the Serial Wire Debug (SWD) port and the Serial Wire Output (SWO) pin. The Serial Wire Viewer provides advanced system analysis and real-time tracing without the need to halt the processor to extract the debug information. 2 Multi-pin Trace Port interface (4 data pins + 1 clock pin). For Capturing the Data There must be à Source for generating the Trace data àSinks are the endpoints of trace data à Links provide Connection, triggering and flow of traced data between
What is RFID technology? Applications, Working Principal, Types, Projects
Table of Contents What is RFID technology? RFID is a technology by which objects can be tracked and identified using electromagnetic fields. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. An RFID system consists of an RFID reader known as a Proximity Coupling device (PCD) and RFID tags known as Proximity Integrated Circuit Cards (PICC). RFID Tags are attached to the objects which need to be tracked/identified and each tag has a unique value hard coded. RFID readers are attached to the main system/computer where all the processing takes place. Now, these tags are brought in close proximity to the RFID readers, RFID readers decode the value and send the information to the main system for tracking/identifying/monitoring purposes depending on the application. RFID technology is similar to a barcode or the magnetic stripe of a credit card, as the data encoded in the label or magnetic strip can be captured by a device and stored in a database. RFID belongs to a group of technologies referred to as automatic identification and data capture (AIDC). AIDC methods automatically identify objects, collect data about them and enter the data directly into systems with little or no human intervention. RFID methods use radio waves and automation technologies to accomplish all of this. This technology has grown a lot since its first application. It has not only been improved over the years but also the cost of implementing and utilizing it continues to minimize, making this technology more efficient and affordable. In its simplest form, an RFID system consists of 2 components: an RFID tag and an RFID reader. Refer to the section below to know more in-depth about RFID tags and Readers. RFID tags are used to track objects, by reading/writing information on them and are usually composed of an integrated circuit, antenna, and battery. The integrated circuit stores the data and powers the antenna, allowing it to be read by a reader. Tags contain digitally encoded information that is stored in the integrated circuit and is transmitted to the reader. Readers are devices that intercept, decode, and interpret the information stored in the tag. Typically, readers consist of RFID antennas, multiple operating modes (active and passive), frequency capabilities, and signal processing. The readers, antennas, and tags work together to collect data from RFID tags and transmit it to computer systems. RFID Reader (PCD) PCD(Proximity Coupling device): Also known as RFID readers. They decode the RFID Tags and communicate with them based on ISO14443 standard. PCD can perform read and write operation of data i.e bidirectional communication once PCD and PICC are coupled together. The coupling between PCD and PICC is based on inductive coupling (Refer to Working principle of RFID technology to know physics behind it).PCD energizes the PICC by coupling with them when PICC comes in close vicinity of PCD.And PICC gets energized, it starts transmitting its radio signals with UID of it. For energizing the PICC, they need to be brought in close proximity so that PCD magnetic fields get properly coupled with PICC. PCD’s have the memory(FIFO buffers, EEPROM), communication pins for Host Interface(I2C,SPI,UART), antenna for generating of radio signals, power supply, I/O pins(Interrupt and Timer pins), small CPU for processing of data(CRC,Interrupt controller, Timer unit), Analog interface for RF front head(oscillators, PLL, PGA and etc), Low power modes and support of multi protocols for decoding tags. PCD has the crypto features also implemented inside them, so that only authenticated RFID readers can communicate with PICC. And this also becomes the distinguishing feature in different PCD’s. Like NXP semiconductors, RFID readers follow the crypto-1 cipher for authenticating. Also some PCD’s have secure models and key handling capabilities for secure communication between PCD and PICC for banking and transaction related applications. There are many semiconductor companies who provide the RFID reader chips, with many enhanced features.NXP semiconductors and STMicroelectronics are world leaders in providing RFID reader chips. NXP semiconductors has a family of RFID/NFC chips with many enhanced features. For more indepth knowledge on PCD, viewers can refer to:Radio-frequency identification – Wikipedia. In the upcoming blog, we are going to interface NXP semiconductors MFRC522 and PN512 with host MCU. By making its device driver and to showcase the working of PCD’s RFID Tag(PICC) PICC (Proximity Integrated Circuit Card): These are the RFID Tags, which are known as Proximity Integrated Circuit cards, in technical terms. PICC are attached to the objects which need to be tracked. PICC consists of an antenna for generation of radio waves and memory for storing the UID and other information of PICC. Each PICC has a Unique value hardcoded inside them. This unique value is referred to as UID. The UID value is 7 bytes. PICC have memory divided in terms of blocks and sectors for storing the important information. There are mainly 2 types of PICC/RFID tags. Active tags and Passive tags. Active tags: They have on chip batteries; thus, they can operate at bigger distances and can operate at higher frequencies. Passive tags: They don’t have an on-chip battery, instead they get energized and get the power from the PCD’s.magnetic fields. Thus, Passive tags need to be brought in very close proximity to PCD of about 1-2 cm, for decoding its value. Also, tags are available in many different shapes, depending on the application. They come in credit card-based shapes, to small key ring-based shapes. Also, some tags have crypto features inside them for authentication purposes when PCD’s communicate with them. NXP semiconductor is a world leader in providing RFID Tag chips. Their MIFRAME family of RFID tags has been implemented in 1000’s of devices and use cases. PCD and PICC communicate with each other according to ISO14443 spec. There are certain commands specified in that protocol, which are at first transmitted by PCD’s and then corresponding PICC responds, and the communication session is initialized. For more in-depth knowledge on PICC, viewers can refer to:Radio-frequency identification – Wikipedia. NXP semiconductor is a world leader in providing RFID Tag chips. Their MIFRAME family of RFID tags
FTM Peripheral(PWM) in S32K144
Explore about FTM Peripheral of Automotive MCU S32K1xx using ElecronicsV3 Board (S32K144 MCU) || FTM PWM || FTM ICU || FTM Counter Modes
How to start with Microcontrollers?
What is Microcontroller Technology??? How to start learning about Microcontrollers technology
UART Peripheral in S32K144 MCU
LPUART Peripheral in S32K144 MCU || Briefing about LPUART Peripheral in S32K1xx MCU’s
Getting started with AVR and Arduino
Home Category Child Category Part I – Untangling the wires: On your journey of exploring the different areas of embedded systems and microcontroller programming, you must’ve come across the term ‘AVR’. This blog (or series of blogs) will try to demystify all the terminologies. Prerequisites Before we proceed, this blog assumes that you already have a basic overview and understanding of what microcontrollers are, what their basic functionalities are, and how they differ from microprocessors. Knowledge of the C/CPP programming language would be beneficial. Table of Contents Introduction Arduino vs AVR The family of AVR microcontrollers Keywords Further reading References Introduction The technical definition of what AVR is, is: The AVR microcontroller is a family of mostly 8-bit microcontrollers developed by Atmel (now Microchip), that follow the Harvard RISC architecture. Let\’s try to break all this technical jargon down. Harvard architecture is a type of architecture where the instructions (program code) and data are stored in different parts of memory. This is in contrast to Von Neumann\’s architecture where no such distinction is made. The following illustration might help you understand the concept a little better. Now coming to the other piece of jargon that might’ve thrown you off RISC. It stands for Reduced Instruction Set-Computer. It is a computer architecture philosophy that generally follows the idea of having smaller and atomic instruction sizes when compared to its counterpart CISC (Complex Instruction Set-Computer), which has relatively bigger instructions. We won\’t be diving into this as this is a topic for another day. Arduino vs AVR Before we move any further let\’s clear one big misconception out of the way. People tend to confuse the terms Arduino and AVR quite often. Although it wouldn\’t be fair to compare these two (it would be like comparing an engine to a car), the following table clearly explains what are the differences between the two. In this article when we use the word “Arduino”, we will be referring to the Arduino platform which includes all the hardware and software made by the company. Arduino AVR 1. Is hardware and software platform which includes, but is not limited to: the Arduino IDE, Arduino Uno board, and the Arduino programming language 1. Is a family of microcontrollers developed in 1996 by Atmel. It is only a piece of hardware. 2. The Arduino Uno is a board that is built around the ATMega328, which is an AVR microcontroller. Apart from the microcontroller itself, it has other components such as a USB2.0 cable and a PCB on top of which the components such as resistors and capacitors are wired together. 2. Is a microcontroller that requires additional passive and active components (clock, LEDs, etc.) to be wired up by the end-user for it to work. 3. Products are developed and maintained by Arduino (company) 3. Products are developed and maintained by Microchip Technology Inc 4. An Arduino Uno board:Notice the various components such as voltage regulators, connectors, switches, LEDs that are already soldered onto the board.The rectangular black IC (Integrated Circuit)/chip on the bottom right-hand corner of the board is the engine that drives the car (board), ie, the ATmega328, which is an AVR microcontroller 4. The ATmega328P, an AVR microcontroller: It doesn’t come packaged with any components, which have to be attached by the vendor/programmer themselves Difference Between Arduino and AVR The family of AVR microcontrollers Microchip offers a wide selection of microcontrollers to choose from, each meeting a different set of requirements. They can broadly be divided into three categories. Series Package size FlashSize Operating Frequency Example ATtiny(TinyAVR) 8-32 pins 0.5kB – 32kB 1.6MHz-32Mhz ATtiny85 ATMega(megaAVR) 28-100 pins 4kB – 256kB 1.6MHz-32Mhz ATMega328 ATxmegaXMEGA 44-100pins 16kB – 256kB 1.6MHz-32Mhz ATXmega128 AVR MCU Family Series Differences The above table isn’t exhaustive as there are many other families of microcontrollers such as the 32-bit AVR32 and the newly released AVR Dx series. The family of microcontrollers you end up choosing, totally depends on the scope of your project. Looking for a very small compact and lower power microcontroller which can automate a basic task, like toggling an LED-based on an input switch? Then go for the ATtiny family. Looking to control a servo motor that is connected to an IR sensor? You definitely won\’t go wrong with the ATmega series. Still, looking for more firepower for controlling multiple sensors? The ATxmega series has got your back. In the upcoming blog, we shall deep dive into one of the most widely loved and used microcontrollers – the humble yet mighty ATmega328. Till next time! Ciao! Further Reading http://ce.sharif.edu/~pourmohammadi/AVR%20Microcontroller%20and%20Embedded%20Systems/AVR%20Microcontroller%20and%20Embedded%20Systems.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVR_microcontrollers http://www.avrbeginners.net/ References https://www.microchip.com/en-us/product/ATmega328P Intro Video on Device Drivers and Application Code for AVR(Arduino Boards) – YouTube Author: Kunal Gupta
Author: Kunal Gupta
