Microcontroller

When choosing a controller, various factors such as the availability of interfaces, computing power and the number of inputs and outputs must be taken into account. For the current project the RP2040 microcontroller from Raspberry Pi is chosen, one reason for using the RP2040 is its compatibility with MicroPython. This makes programming easier and speeds up the development of a prototype. The RP2040 has at least 4 ADC which are important for analog signal acquisition, these are used for various applications such as voltage measurement and current measurement.

Another aspect is the speed of the controller. The RP2040 has a dual-core architecture and a clock frequency of up to 133 MHz. This enables it to perform complex calculations quickly and process data in real time, even though it is programmed with the slow language Micropython.

Another feature of the RP2040 is its PWM capability, which allows fine control of analog signals. The controller is capable of generating PWM outputs at a frequency of the required 50 kHz, which is important for controlling the duty cycle $d$.

Specifically, the XIAO RP2040 module from Seeed Studio is used, and the interconnection with the other parts of the project is shown in Figure. The two outputs GPIO6 and GPIO7 which drive the gate driver are populated with resistors of $R_{pwm}=R_{sd}=330\Omega$ to limit the current to $1mA$.

Xiao RP2040