STM32 Nucleo

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This guide is intended for STM32 Nucleo F767ZI demo board, with Axel runtime.

Quickstart

USB connection

It is possible to connect the Nucleo board via USB-Serial connection; just refer to the following steps:

Connect USB cable into CN1 connector.
Open LogicLab.
Create new Nucleo_F767ZI project.
Select from LogicLab main menu bar On-line -> Set up communication.
Select Modbus protocol, click on Activate button and then on Properties button, the settings dialog will appear; configure it as shown in the image below:

Click Ok
Now from the main menu bar, choose On-line -> Connect
Now, in the right-lower corner of the application window, you should see a green rectangle with the word CONNECTED written inside.

Ethernet connection

It is possible to connect the Nucleo board via Ethernet; just refer to the following steps:

Connect to Ethernet LAN plugging cable into CN14 connector.
Open LogicLab
Click Scan Network… button
If Nucleo board is recognized, you should see this results table:

By default, IP address is assigned by DHCP
Click on the (+) button to automatically create a new nucleo project with the right communication settings

From the main menu bar choose On-line -> Connect
Now, in the right-lower corner of the application window, you should see a green rectangle with the word CONNECTED written inside.

Modify ethernet communication settings

If the IP address cannot be correctly assigned by DHCP, it is possible to manually configure a fixed IP address for the Nucleo board. See the following instruction:

Connect USB cable into CN1 connector
Open SoftTune
Create new Nucleo_F767ZI project
From the menu bar choose Target -> Communication settings
Select Modbus protocol, then click on Activate and then click on Properties
Configure the Modbus setting as shown in the following image (specify the USB virtual COM port as recognized by your system):

Click OK
Click on the connection Icon
In the bottom-right corner of the application window, you should see a green rectangle with CONNECTED written inside
Inside the parameters tree, select All Parameters -> Communication -> Configure TCP IP address, and specify the desired IP address (this should write the parameter inside the target)
Save parameters and reboot (from the menu bar choose Target -> Save parameter, then Target -> Device reboot
Connect LogicLab to target via Ethernet (see 1.2 Ethernet connection)

Peripheral connection

Peripheral	Connector	Description	Usage
Ethernet	CN14	RJ45 port	Modbus TCP slave
USB	CN1	USB-RS232 virtual port	Modbus RTU slave
GPIO - Out	CN12 – Pin 11 (PA5)	GPIO digital output pin	I/O
GPIO - Out	CN12 – Pin 13 (PA6)	GPIO digital output pin	I/O
GPIO - In	CN12 – Pin 23 (PA8)	GPIO digital input pin	I/O
GPIO - In	CN12 – Pin 21 (PA9)	GPIO digital input pin	I/O
CAN Rx	CN11 – Pin 57 (PD0)	CAN Rx signal	CAN Open master
CAN Tx	CN11 – Pin 55 (PD1)	CAN Tx signal	CAN Open master
USART1 Rx	CN12 – Pin 26 (PB15)	RS485 Rx signal	Modbus RTU master
USART1 Tx	CN12 – Pin 28 (PB14)	RS485 Tx signal	Modbus RTU master
USART1 DE	CN12 – Pin 12 (PA12)	RS485 Direction enable signal	Modbus RTU master

Firmware upgrade

This is the procedure to prepare Nucleo F767ZI demo board to run Axel PLC.

N.B: all data on the flash will be erased, that means license key will be erased too.
If the target has been already licensed please be sure to have the license key available. You can read it from target using SoftTune before proceeding with the target upgrade.

Download “STM32 ST-LINK Utility” application from ST official website at the following link
https://www.st.com/en/development-tools/stsw-link004.html#get-software
Connect Nucleo F767ZI demo board to PC using USB (CN1 connector)
Launch “STM32 ST-LINK Utility”
Connect to target (Target -> Connect)
Erase the flash (Target -> Erase chip)
Prepare to download (Target -> Program & Verify)
Choose the new firmware (Select the new firmware file from Axel Installation folder, for example "C:\Program Files (x86)\Axel PC Tools\Catalog\Nucleo_F767ZI_1p0\Firmware\NUCLEO_STM32F767ZI_RTOS_1p0.bin")

Execute the download (Click Start)

Plugin development

With Nucleo F767ZI demo board, is possible to write a user plugin to add custom functionalities to default implementation.

Plugin development allows the user to add:

Embedded functions
Datablocks
Callbacks related to events

Users can develop a plugin library project with its own implementation and run it together with the already available firmware core functions.
Nucleo firmware source demo project is available for STM32 F767ZI demo board.

Firmware source consist of four project:

NUCLEO_STM32F767ZI_RTOS – main project
- Contains .ioc project file for ST code generation
- Main PLC porting feature
- Database
- Modbus TCP slave communication stack
- TCP scan support for target identification
COPMLib – lib project
- The CANopen master project
ModbusRTULib – lib project
- The Modbus RTU master/slave project
IOPluginLib – lib project
- IO Plugin sample project

IOPluginLib is here described in details as explanation on how it is possible to add plugins to your project.

IOPluginLib user sample plugin

IOPluginLib is provided as sample plugin for Nucleo demo board to show how to do a plugin with custom user functionalities.

This plugin is used to manage 4 GPIOs: 2 inputs + 2 outputs in this way
GPIO configuration set at startup
I/O datablocks are published to LogicLab
Inputs are read each time the task Fast is executed by system (using callback event)
Outputs are written each time the task Fast is executed by system (using callback event)

Project settings

Sample project has been created using STM32 Cube IDE 3.0.0 as C static library empty project for STM32 F767ZITx target.

These include paths have then been added to access system and driver functions.

"${workspace_loc:/NUCLEO_STM32F767ZI_RTOS/Drivers/CMSIS/Device/ST/STM32F7xx/Include}"
"${workspace_loc:/NUCLEO_STM32F767ZI_RTOS/Drivers/CMSIS/Include}"
"${workspace_loc:/NUCLEO_STM32F767ZI_RTOS/Drivers/STM32F7xx_HAL_Driver/Inc}"
"${workspace_loc:/NUCLEO_STM32F767ZI_RTOS/Drivers/STM32F7xx_HAL_Driver/Inc/Legacy}"
"${workspace_loc:/NUCLEO_STM32F767ZI_RTOS/Inc}"
"${workspace_loc:/NUCLEO_STM32F767ZI_RTOS}"
"${workspace_loc:/NUCLEO_STM32F767ZI_RTOS/Src}"

In addition, if RTOS is required by your plugin add this includes:

"${workspace_loc:/NUCLEO_STM32F767ZI_RTOS/Middlewares/Third_Party/FreeRTOS/Source/include}"
"${workspace_loc:/NUCLEO_STM32F767ZI_RTOS/Middlewares/Third_Party/FreeRTOS/Source/CMSIS_RTOS_V2}"
"${workspace_loc:/NUCLEO_STM32F767ZI_RTOS/Middlewares/Third_Party/FreeRTOS/Source/portable/GCC/ARM_CM7/r0p1}"

These project defines have been defined to use the same micro and AlPlcRuntime defines of the main project. MCU GCC Compiler →Preprocessor

STM32F767xx,
USE_HAL_DRIVER,
ALPLC_C_GCCARM,
ALPLC_P_ARM_THUMB2VFP2,
USE_STDINT_FOR_MISRA_C

IOPlugin interface description

IOPlugin public interface
IOPluginLib.h is the header plugin interface.

These functions can be called directly by system core but they are not published to LogicLab.

bool_t GetDigitalInput(uint8_t id);
bool_t GetDigitalOutput(uint8_t id);
void SetDigitalOutput(uint8_t id, bool_t value);
void IOPlugin_Init(void);

IOPluginLib.c provides the implementation of the plugin interface

IOPlugin_Init function

void IOPlugin_Init()
{
MX_GPIO_Init();
/* mandatory to force plugin interface allocation */
ALPLC_PLUGIN_ACTIVATE( IOPlugin )
}

This function must be called in main.c before AlPlcInit() function.
IOPlugin is the unique name of the plugin. This name must be same in all macro declaration of the plugin.
Plugin interface is defined in this c source and here described in details.

Embedded functions table

ALPLC_FUNCTIONS_TABLE_INI( IOPlugin ) // start table definition
// ALFCNREC_FUNC( userFunction ) // function to publish
ALPLC_FUNCTIONS_TABLE_END // end table definition

In this case no user function have been published. Even if function table is empty the definition is mandatory.
To publish functions add between ALPLC_FUNCTIONS_TABLE_INI and ALPLC_FUNCTIONS_TABLE_END macro.a series of ALFCNREC_FUNC records indicating the function to call. Functions will be published to LogicLab with the same name of the C code function name.

Datablocks table

ALPLC_DATABLOCKS_TABLE_INI( IOPlugin ) // start table definition
ALDBREC_INPUT( 0, m_sysDigitalInputs, sizeof(m_sysDigitalInputs[0]), DBRW_R )
ALDBREC_OUTPUT( 0, m_sysDigitalOutputs, sizeof(m_sysDigitalOutputs[0]), DBRW_RW )
ALPLC_DATABLOCKS_TABLE_END // end table definition

Datablock table definition is mandatory, starts with ALPLC_DATABLOCKS_TABLE_INI and terminate with ALPLC_DATABLOCKS_TABLE_END.
In this case two datablocks have been added using macro:

ALDBREC_INPUT to publish the digital inputs datablock as DBTY_INP datablock with index 0.
ALDBREC_OUTPUT to publish the digital outputs datablock as DBTY_OUT datablock with index 0.

With this kind of definitions the whole array is published.
It is possible to use ALDBREC_MEMO macro to add memo datablocks with default settings or ALDBREC_EX macro to specify each setting.

Callback data definition

ALCBKREC_DATA(OnBeforeTaskFast)

Some callback types (high priority callbacks) requires additional definition to provide memory to AlPlcRuntime in order to manage properly callbacks.
This is the case of ALCBKREC_ON_BEFORE_PLC_TASK_IO that is used to call OnBeforeTaskFast.function. ALCBKREC_DATA definition is used for this.

See AlPlcUserPlugin.h the list of callbacks that requires this definition. If no definition is provided compile error is given.

Callback table definition

ALPLC_CALLBACKS_TABLE_INI( IOPlugin ) // start table definition
ALCBKREC_ON_BEFORE_PLC_TASK_IO(OnBeforeTaskFast)
ALPLC_CALLBACKS_TABLE_END // end table definition

Callbacks table definition is mandatory, starts with ALPLC_DATABLOCKS_TABLE_INI and terminate with ALPLC_DATABLOCKS_TABLE_END.
In IOPlugin the only callback associated is the OnBeforeTaskFast function associated to the on before plc task IO event (that is raised periodically in task fast).

Plugin definition

ALPLC_PLUGIN_DEFINITION( IOPlugin )

This is the definition of the plugin. This definition is mandatory.

Add plugin to main firmware

If you want to create a new plugin you should start creating a library project (as explained in 4.1.1 Project settings), you should provide the plugin definition as explained in the sample project. See 4.3 User plugin definition for more information.

Once you got your plugin library you can link it from main Nucleo firmware project:

Project properties -> C++ Build -> Tool Settings. MCU GCC Linker -> Libraries
Libraries box: Add your plugin library here
Project properties -> C++ Build -> Tool Settings. MCU GCC Linker -> Libraries
Libraries search path box: Add the path of the plugin library
In main.c #include the file “yourPluginLib.h” where the init function is declared.
The init function is the function that call the ALPLC_PLUGIN_ACTIVATE function.
In the IOPluginLib sample is the IOPlugin_Init function.
In main.c go to StartMainTask function and add the init function call before AlPlcInit call.

User plugin interface

Plugin definition

#macro	Description
ALPLC_FUNCTIONS_TABLE_INI(plugin)	Start your function table plugin definition with this macro. Plugin is the univoque plugin name.
ALFCNREC_FUNC(userFunction)
ALPLC_FUNCTIONS_TABLE_END
ALPLC_DATABLOCKS_TABLE_INI(plugin)
ALDBREC_INPUT(dbId, var, sizeEl, rw)
ALDBREC_OUTPUT(dbId, var, sizeEl, rw)
ALDBREC_MEMO(dbId, var, sizeEl, rw)
ALDBREC_EX(img, type, dbId, addr, numEl, sizeEl, rw, flags)
ALPLC_DATABLOCKS_TABLE_END
ALCBKREC_DATA(func)
ALPLC_CALLBACKS_TABLE_INI(plugin)
ALCBKREC_ON_BEFORE_ALPLCINIT(func)
ALCBKREC_ON_AFTER_ALPLCINIT(func)
ALCBKREC_ON_BEFORE_ALPLCMANAGE(func)
ALCBKREC_ON_BEFORE_START_TASKS(func)
ALCBKREC_ON_BEFORE_STOP_TASKS(func)
ALCBKREC_ON_AFTER_STOP_TASKS(func)
ALCBKREC_ON_BEFORE_PLC_TASK_IO(func)
ALCBKREC_ON_AFTER_PLC_TASK_IO(func)
ALCBKREC_ON_BEFORE_PLC(func)
ALCBKREC_ON_AFTER_PLC(func)
ALCBKREC_ON_END_PLC_LOAD(func)
ALPLC_CALLBACKS_TABLE_END
ALPLC_PLUGIN_DEFINITION(plugin)
ALPLC_PLUGIN_DECLARE(plugin)
ALPLC_PLUGIN_ACTIVATE(plugin)

STM32 Nucleo

Contents

Quickstart

USB connection

Ethernet connection

Modify ethernet communication settings

Peripheral connection

Firmware upgrade

Plugin development

IOPluginLib user sample plugin

Project settings

IOPlugin interface description

Add plugin to main firmware

User plugin interface

Plugin definition

Navigation menu

STM32 Nucleo

Quickstart

USB connection

Ethernet connection

Modify ethernet communication settings

Peripheral connection

Firmware upgrade

Plugin development

IOPluginLib user sample plugin

Project settings

IOPlugin interface description

Add plugin to main firmware

User plugin interface

Plugin definition

Navigation menu

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