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PWM Pulse Convert To Voltage1

The PWM command on the BASIC Stamp generates an analog output voltage through pulse-width modulation. It takes a pin number, duty cycle from 0-255, and duration. The duty cycle determines the average output voltage as a proportion of 5V. The duration specifies the time to charge a capacitor connected to the pin, filtering the pulses to a steady analog voltage. After outputting the pulses, the pin is left in input mode to disconnect it and prevent voltage drift on the capacitor.

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54 views3 pages

PWM Pulse Convert To Voltage1

The PWM command on the BASIC Stamp generates an analog output voltage through pulse-width modulation. It takes a pin number, duty cycle from 0-255, and duration. The duty cycle determines the average output voltage as a proportion of 5V. The duration specifies the time to charge a capacitor connected to the pin, filtering the pulses to a steady analog voltage. After outputting the pulses, the pin is left in input mode to disconnect it and prevent voltage drift on the capacitor.

Uploaded by

Benjamin House
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Function

Convert a digital value to analog output via pulse-width modulation.

 Pin is a variable/constant/expression* (0 - 15) that specifies the I/O pin to


use. This pin will be set to output mode initially then set to input mode when
the command finishes.

 Duty is a variable/constant/expression* (0 - 255) that specifies the analog


output level as a number of 256ths of 5 V (0 to 4.98 V).

 Duration is a variable/constant/expression* (0 - 255) that specifies the


duration of the PWM output.
*  Note: expressions are not allowed as arguments on the BS1. The range of
the Pin argument on the BS1 is 0–7.

Quick Facts
BS2 and
  BS1 BS2sx BS2p BS2pe BS2px
BS2e
Units in Duration 5 ms 1 ms 0.4 ms 0.65 ms 1.62 ms 0.4 ms
Average voltage equation Average Voltage = (Duty ÷ 256) x 5 volts
Require charge time
Charge time = 5 x R x C, Duration = Charge time ÷ Units in Duration
(Duration ) equation
Special Notes Pin is set to output initially, and set to input at end
Related Commands FREQOUT, DTMFOUT

Explanation
Pulse-width modulation (PWM) allows the BASIC Stamp (a purely digital device)
to generate an analog voltage. The basic idea is this: If you make a pin output
high, the voltage at that pin will be close to 5 V. Output low is close to 0 V.
What if you switched the pin rapidly between high and low so that it was high
half the time and low half the time? The average voltage over time would be
halfway between 0 and 5 V (2.5 V). PWM emits a burst of 1s and 0s whose
ratio is proportional to the duty value you specify.

The proportion of 1s to 0s in PWM is called the duty cycle. The duty cycle
controls the analog voltage in a very direct way; the higher the duty cycle the
higher the voltage. In the case of the BASIC Stamp, the duty cycle can range
from 0 to 255. Duty is literally the proportion of 1s to 0s output by
the PWM command. To determine the proportional PWM output voltage, use
this formula: (Duty ÷ 256) x 5 V. For example, if Duty is 100, (100 ÷ 256) x 5
V = 1.953 V; PWM outputs a train of pulses whose average voltage is 1.953 V.
In order to convert PWM into an analog voltage we have to filter out the pulses
and store the average voltage. The resistor/capacitor combination shown below
will do the job. The capacitor will hold the voltage set by PWM even after the
instruction has finished. How long it will hold the voltage depends on how much
current is drawn from it by external circuitry, and the internal leakage of the
capacitor. In order to hold the voltage relatively steady, a program must
periodically repeat the PWM instruction to give the capacitor a fresh charge.

Just as it takes time to discharge a capacitor, it also takes time to charge it in


the first place. The PWM command lets you specify the charging time in terms
of PWM duration. The timing for the units in Duration is shown in in the table
above. So, on the BS2, to charge a capacitor for five milliseconds, you would
specify five units in Duration.

How do you determine how long to charge a capacitor? Use this rule-of-thumb
formula: Charge time = 5 x R x C. For instance, the circuit below uses a 10 kΩ
(10 x 103 ohm) resistor and a 1 µF (1 x 10-6 F) capacitor:

Charge time = 5 x 10 x 103 x 1 x 10-6 = 50 x 10-3 seconds, or 50 milliseconds.

 
Since, on the BS2, each unit in Duration is approximately a millisecond, it would
take at least 50 units to charge the capacitor. Assuming the circuit is connected
to P0, here's the complete PWM instruction:

PWM 0, 100, 50 ' Put a 1.96V charge on cap (BS2, BS2e)


To charge the same circuit to the same level using a BS2sx, the Durationwould
require adjustment as follows:

PWM 0, 100, 125 ' Put a 1.96V charge on cap (BS2sx)


After outputting the PWM pulses, the BASIC Stamp leaves the pin in input
mode (0 in the corresponding bit of DIRS). In input mode, the pin's output
driver is effectively disconnected. If it were not, the steady output state of the
pin would change the voltage on the capacitor and undo the voltage setting
established by PWM. Keep in mind that leakage currents of up to 1 µA can flow
into or out of this "disconnected" pin. Over time, these small currents will cause
the voltage on the capacitor to drift. The same applies for leakage current from
an op-amp's input, as well as the capacitor's own internal leakage.
Executing PWM occasionally will reset the capacitor voltage to the intended
value.

PWM charges the capacitor; the load presented by your circuit discharges it.
How long the charge lasts (and therefore how often your program should repeat
the PWM command to refresh the charge) depends on how much current the
circuit draws, and how stable the voltage must be. You may need to
buffer PWMoutput with a simple op-amp follower if your load or stability
requirements are more than the passive circuit can handle.

The term "PWM" applies only loosely to the action of the BASIC
Stamp's PWM command. Most systems that output PWM do so by splitting a
fixed period of time into an on time (1) and an off time (0). Suppose the
interval is 1 ms and the duty cycle is 100 ÷ 256. Conventional PWM would turn
the output on for 0.39 ms and off for 0.61 ms, repeating this process each
millisecond. The main advantage of this kind of PWM is its predictability; you
know the exact frequency of the pulses (in this case, 1 kHz), and their widths
are controlled by the duty cycle.

BASIC Stamp's PWM does not work this way. It outputs a rapid sequence of


on/off pulses, as short as 1.6 µs in duration, whose overall proportion over the
course of a full PWM cycle of approximately a millisecond is equal to the duty
cycle. This has the advantage of very quickly zeroing in on the desired output
voltage, but it does not produce the neat, orderly pulses that you might expect.
All BS2 modules also uses this high-speed PWMtechnique to generate pseudo-
sine wave tones with the DTMFOUT and FREQOUT instructions.

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