Color 16 Click

How does it work?

Color 16 Click is based on the AS7343, a 14-channel multi-purpose spectral sensor from ams OSRAM, providing fast and accurate spectral measurements. It is optimized for reflective (thanks to an onboard LDC red LED controlled through LDR pin), transmissive, and emissive light applications, including color matching, fluid or reagent analysis, lateral flow test applications, and spectral identification in the visible range. The AS7343 has a built-in aperture that controls the light entering the sensor array to increase accuracy. The spectral response is defined by individual channels covering approximately 380nm to 1000nm with 11 channels centered in the visible spectrum, one near-infrared, and a clear channel.

The AS7343 features a 5×5 photodiode array. Above and below the array there are two photodiodes with dedicated functions such as flicker detection and near-infrared response, while in each corner, the array has a photodiode without filter that is responsive in the visible spectral range. The AS7343 can detect 14 channels – 12 wavelengths, plus a clear and flicker output channel – making this Click board™ great for LED color calibration, miniature optical spectrometers, and more.

This sensor does not need a specific Power-Up sequence but requires a voltage of 1.8V for its interface and logic part to work correctly. Therefore, a small regulating LDO, the TLV700, provides a 1.8V out of selected mikroBUS™ power rail.

Color 16 Click communicates with MCU using the standard I2C 2-Wire interface with a maximum clock frequency of 400kHz, fully adjustable through software registers. Since the sensor for operation requires a power supply of 1.8V, this Click board™ also features the TXS0104E voltage-level translator. The communication lines are routed to the voltage-level translator allowing this Click board™ to work with any MCU properly. Also, it uses an interrupt pin, the INT pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, used when an interrupt occurs to alert the system when the color result crosses upper or lower threshold settings, and IO1 which is general-purpose input/output pin used as synchronization input to start/stop the spectral measurement.

This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VCC SEL jumper. This way, both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs can use the communication lines properly. Also, this Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing easy-to-use functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

Specifications

Pinout diagram

This table shows how the pinout on Color 16 Click corresponds to the pinout on the mikroBUS™ socket (the latter shown in the two middle columns).

Notes	Pin					Pin	Notes
	NC	1	AN	PWM	16	IO1	General-Purpose I/O
Light Source Control	LDR	2	RST	INT	15	INT	Interrupt
ID COMM	CS	3	CS	RX	14	NC
	NC	4	SCK	TX	13	NC
	NC	5	MISO	SCL	12	SCL	I2C Clock
	NC	6	MOSI	SDA	11	SDA	I2C Data
Power Supply	3.3V	7	3.3V	5V	10	5V	Power Supply
Ground	GND	8	GND	GND	9	GND	Ground

Onboard settings and indicators

Color 16 Click electrical specifications

Software Support

Color 16 Click demo application is developed using the NECTO Studio, ensuring compatibility with mikroSDK‘s open-source libraries and tools. Designed for plug-and-play implementation and testing, the demo is fully compatible with all development, starter, and mikromedia boards featuring a mikroBUS™ socket.

Example Description

This example demonstrates the use of Color 16 Click by reading and displaying the values from all 14 channels.

Key Functions

• color16_cfg_setup Config Object Initialization function.
• color16_init Initialization function.
• color16_default_cfg Click Default Configuration function.
• color16_read_data This function checks if the spectral measurement data is ready and then reads data from all channels along with the STATUS and ASTATUS bytes.
• color16_set_wait_time_ms This function sets the wait time in milliseconds by setting the WTIME register.
• color16_set_integration_time_ms This function sets the integration time in milliseconds by setting the ATIME and ASTEP registers.

Application Init

Initializes the driver and performs the Click default configuration.

Application Task

Waits for the spectral measurement complete flag and then reads data from all 14 channels in 3 cycles, and displays the results on the USB UART every 300ms approximately.

Application Output

This Click board can be interfaced and monitored in two ways:

• Application Output – Use the “Application Output” window in Debug mode for real-time data monitoring. Set it up properly by following this tutorial.
• UART Terminal – Monitor data via the UART Terminal using a USB to UART converter. For detailed instructions, check out this tutorial.

Additional Notes and Information

The complete application code and a ready-to-use project are available through the NECTO Studio Package Manager for direct installation in the NECTO Studio. The application code can also be found on the MIKROE GitHub account.