PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Hardware User Guide Preface The PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano evaluation kit is a hardware platform to evaluate microcontrollers in the PIC18- Q84 family. This board has the PIC18F57Q84 microcontroller (MCU) mounted. ® Supported by MPLAB X IDE, the board provides easy access to the features of the PIC18F57Q84 to explore how to integrate the device into a custom design.
– 1.8-5.1V output voltage (limited by USB input voltage) – 500 mA maximum output current (limited by ambient temperature and output voltage) Board Overview The Microchip PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano evaluation kit is a hardware platform to evaluate the PIC18F57Q84 microcontroller. Figure 1-1. PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Board Overview Micro-USB 32.768 kHz...
Tip: The latest device family packs are available through Tools > Packs in MPLAB X IDE or online at ® Microchip MPLAB X Packs Repository. Design Documentation and Relevant Links The following list contains links to the most relevant documents and software for the PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano board: ® ® ® ® •...
A Data Gateway Interface (DGI) for code instrumentation with logic analyzer channels (debug GPIO) to visualize program flow The on-board debugger controls a Power and Status LED (marked PS) on the PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano board. The table below shows how the LED is controlled in different operation modes.
Page 7
PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Curiosity Nano Remember: Keep the debugger’s firmware up-to-date. Firmware upgrades automatically when using ® MPLAB X IDE. 3.1.2 Virtual Serial Port (CDC) The virtual serial port (CDC) is a general purpose serial bridge between a host PC and a target device.
Page 8
PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Curiosity Nano Info: For all operating systems: Be sure to use a terminal emulator that supports DTR signaling. See 3.1.2.4 Signaling. 3.1.2.3 Limitations Not all UART features are implemented in the on-board debugger CDC. The constraints are outlined here: •...
Page 9
PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Curiosity Nano 3.1.2.5 Advanced Use CDC Override Mode In normal operation, the on-board debugger is a true UART bridge between the host and the device. However, in certain use cases, the on-board debugger can override the basic operating mode and use the CDC TX and RX pins for other purposes.
Page 10
PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Curiosity Nano ® • Write access for programming Intel HEX formatted files into the target device’s memory • Write access for simple text files for utility purposes 3.1.3.1 Mass Storage Device Implementation The on-board debugger implements a highly optimized variant of the FAT12 file system that has several limitations, partly due to the nature of FAT12 itself and optimizations made to fulfill its purpose for its embedded application.
Page 11
X IDE or a stand-alone application that can be used ® in parallel with MPLAB X IDE. Although DGI encompasses several physical data interfaces, the PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano implementation includes logic analyzer channels: • One debug GPIO channel (also known as DGI GPIO) 3.1.4.1...
PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Curiosity Nano ® Figure 3-2. Monitoring Debug GPIO with MPLAB Data Visualizer Debug GPIO channels are timestamped, so the resolution of DGI GPIO events is determined by the resolution of the DGI timestamp module. Important: Although bursts of higher-frequency signals can be captured, the useful frequency range of signals for which debug GPIO can be used is up to about 2 kHz.
PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Curiosity Nano ...continued Debugger Signal Target MCU Description VBUS — VBUS voltage for external use VOFF — Voltage Off input. Disables the target regulator and target voltage when pulled low. — Target voltage — Common ground Figure 3-3. Curiosity Nano Standard Pinout...
Page 14
1.7V to 5.1V. Additional output voltage limits are configured in the debugger firmware to ensure that the output voltage never exceeds the hardware limits of the PIC18F57Q84 microcontroller. The voltage limits configured in the on-board debugger on PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano are 1.8-5.5V.
Page 15
VBUS Output Pin PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano has a VBUS output pin that can be used to power external components that need a 5V supply. The VBUS output pin has a PTC fuse to protect the USB against short circuits. A side effect of the PTC fuse is a voltage drop on the VBUS output with higher current loads.
Page 16
PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Curiosity Nano Figure 3-6. VBUS Output Voltage vs. Current 3.3.4 Power Supply Exceptions This is a summary of most exceptions that can occur with the power supply. Target Voltage Shuts Down This can happen if the target section draws too much current at a given voltage and cause the thermal shutdown safety feature of the MIC5353 regulator to kick in.
PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Curiosity Nano No Target Voltage and PS LED is Lit 1 This occurs if the target voltage is set to 0.0V. To fix this, set the target voltage to a value within the specified voltage range for the target device.
7.4 Disconnecting the On-Board Debugger. Programming External Microcontrollers The on-board debugger on PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano can be used to program and debug microcontrollers on external hardware. 3.5.1 Supported Devices All external AVR microcontrollers with the UPDI interface can be programmed and debugged with the on-board debugger with Microchip Studio.
Page 19
PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Curiosity Nano Figure 3-8. Hide Unsupported Devices Info: Microchip Studio allows any microcontroller and interface to be selected when the Hide unsupported devices setting is set to False, also microcontrollers and interfaces which are not supported by the on-board debugger.
Page 20
DBG3 is an open-drain connection and requires a pull-up resistor to function. PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano has pull-down resistors R204 and R205 connected to the ICSP data and clock signal (DBG0 and DBG1). There is also a pull-up resistor R200 connected to the #MCLR signal (DBG3). The location of pull resistors is shown in the 7.2 Assembly Drawing...
JTAG interface, overriding GPIO or other peripheral functions attached to the pins. The JTAG peripheral is enabled by default. If RA0, RA5, RB3 or RB5 on the PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano are to be used for other functions in an application, the JTAG must be disabled by setting the FJTAGEN bit to 0 in the PIC18F57Q84’s CONFIG2 Configuration Word.
Page 25
4.2.3 32.768 kHz Crystal The PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Board has a 32.768 kHz crystal footprint made for standard 3.2 mm by 1.5 mm surface mount crystals with two terminals. The crystal footprint is not connected to the PIC18F57Q84 by default, as the GPIOs are routed out to the edge connector.
Page 26
Bo�om side 4.2.4 10.00 MHz Crystal The PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Board has a 10.00 MHz crystal mounted, the crystal used is a VXM7-9048-10M0000000 in a standard 3.2 mm by 2.5 mm package with four terminals. The 10.00 MHz crystal is accurate to within 20 ppm.
Page 27
Bo�om side 4.2.5 On-Board Debugger Implementation PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano features an on-board debugger that can be used to program and debug the PIC18F57Q84 using ICSP. The on-board debugger also includes a virtual serial port (CDC) interface over UART and ®...
Identifying Product ID and Revision There are two ways to find the revision and product identifier of the PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano: Either by utilizing ® the MPLAB X IDE Kit Window or by looking at the sticker on the bottom side of the PCB.
PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Appendix Disconnecting the On-Board Debugger The on-board debugger and level shifters can be completely disconnected from the PIC18F57Q84. The block diagram below shows all connections between the debugger and the PIC18F57Q84. The rounded boxes represent connections to the board edge. The signal names shown are also printed in silkscreen on the bottom side of the board.
PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano The Microchip Website Microchip provides online support via our website at www.microchip.com/. This website is used to make files and information easily available to customers. Some of the content available includes: • Product Support – Data sheets and errata, application notes and sample programs, design resources, user’s guides and hardware support documents, latest software releases and archived software •...
The Adaptec logo, Frequency on Demand, Silicon Storage Technology, and Symmcom are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in other countries. GestIC is a registered trademark of Microchip Technology Germany II GmbH & Co. KG, a subsidiary of Microchip Technology Inc., in other countries.
Need help?
Do you have a question about the PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers