Microcontroller Timers

ECET 209 – Lecture 12

Introduction to Microcontrollers
 Clock Select

GND (no signal )

System Clock

CK/8

TCCR1B
System Clock
Prescale

CK/64
Timer/Counter
CK/256
Register
CK/1024

External Pin T1

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 Microcontroller Timer

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 Microcontroller Timer

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 Microcontroller Timer

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 Microcontroller Timer

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 Creating a 1mSec Delay

• To create a desired delay, we must calculate

the number of timer ticks it takes to
implement the delay.

• The equation is:

#ticks = desired delay / (fosc / prescale)-1

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 Load TCNT1 with
64,786 TCNT1 = 64786;

Select Clock / 8 TCCR1B = 2;

while ((TIFR & 0x04) == 0)

Wait for TOV1
to be set {
}

Stop the Timer

TCCR1B = 0;

Clear the Timer

Overflow Flag TIFR = TIFR | 0x04;

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 TCNT1 = 64786; // set for 250 counts
TCCR1B = 2; // select CLK / 8
while ( (TIFR & 0x04) == 0) // wait for flag
{
}
TCCR1B = 0; // stop the clock
TIFR = TIFR | 0x04; // clear the flag

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 Goal

• Our goal is to create our own timer delay

• Specifically, we are going to:
– Create a 1 millisecond time delay using Timer 1
– Later, we make it a variable 1mSec delay

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 Functions

• Functions are “building blocks”

– Perform complicated processes ( > 1 line of C )
– Eliminate redundant code
– Make code easier to read
– Allow for “libraries”
– Allow software to be modularized

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 delay_1ms Function

void delay_1ms ( void ); // function prototype

delay_1ms(); // delay for 1mSec

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 delay_1ms()
void delay_1ms(void)
{
TCNT1 = 64786; // set for 250 counts
TCCR1B = 2; // select CLK / 8
while ( (TIFR & 0x04) == 0) // wait for flag
{
}
TCCR1B = 0; // stop the clock
TIFR = TIFR | 0x04; // clear the flag
}

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 What if we needed a variable
1mSec delay?

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 Variable 1mSec delay

counter = 0
Set loop counter
to zero counter++
Increment loop
counter
for loop
Is
loop counter Yes
less than
desired?

No

Delay 1mSec

delay_1ms( )

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 Variable 1mSec delay
void delay(unsigned int time)
{
unsigned int cntr;
for (counter=0; counter < time;counter++)
{
delay_1ms( );
}
}

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 Example Functions

delay_ms( 4 );

void delay_ms ( unsigned int );

Function Prototype

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 Any Questions?

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