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Arduino PWM and

Analog Output
Hans-Petter Halvorsen
• Arduino is an open-source physical computing platform
designed to make experimenting with electronics and
programming more fun and intuitive.
• Arduino has its own unique, simplified programming language
and a lots of premade examles and tutorials exists.
• With Arduino you can easily explore lots of small-scale sensors
and actuators like motors, temperature sensors, etc.
• The possibilities with Arduino are endeless.
http://www.arduino.cc
Microcontroller
USB
Arduino

Arduino is an open-source electronics platform

 Contents
• Introduction to Pulse Width
Modulation (PWM)
• Arduino analogWrite() function
• Arduino UNO has no true Analog
Outputs. What can we do?
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Pulse Width
Modulation (PWM)
Hans-Petter Halvorsen
 PWM
PWM is a digital (i.e. square wave) signal that oscillates according to a given frequency and
duty cycle.
The frequency (expressed in Hz) describes how often the output pulse repeats.
The period is the time each cycle takes and is the inverse of frequency.
The duty cycle (expressed as a percentage) describes the width of the pulse within that
frequency window.

You can adjust the duty cycle

to increase or decrease the
average "on" time of the
signal. The following diagram
shows pulse trains at 0%,
25%, and 100% duty:

https://developer.android.com/things/sdk/pio/pwm.html
Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM)
 Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM)
The “shocking truth” behind analogWrite():
• We know that the Arduino can read analog voltages (voltages between 0 and 5 volts)
using the analogRead() function.
• Is there a way for the Arduino to output analog voltages as well? The answer is no... and
yes. Arduino does not have a true analog voltage output. But, because Arduino is so
fast, it can fake it using something called PWM ("Pulse-Width Modulation"). The pins on
the Arduino with “~” next to them are PWM/Analog out compatible.
• The Arduino is so fast that it can blink a pin on and of almost 1000 times per second.
PWM goes one step further by varying the amount of time that the blinking pin spends
HIGH vs. the time it spends LOW. If it spends most of its time HIGH, a LED connected to
that pin will appear bright. If it spends most of its time LOW, the LED will look dim.
Because the pin is blinking much faster than your eye can detect, the Arduino creates
the illusion of a "true" analog output.
• To smooth the signal even more, we will create and use a RC circuit (Lowpass Filter)
 Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM)
• The Arduino's programming language makes PWM easy to use; simply call
analogWrite(pin, dutyCycle), where dutyCycle is a value from 0 to 255, and pin is one
of the PWM pins (3, 5, 6, 9, 10, or 11).
• The analogWrite function provides a simple interface to the hardware PWM, but
doesn't provide any control over frequency. (Note that despite the function name, the
output is a digital signal, often referred to as a square wave.)
0 − 5𝑉 → 0 − 255 → 𝑦 𝑥 = 51𝑥
𝑢 = 0𝑉 → 𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 0
𝑢 = 5𝑉 → 𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 255
𝑢 = 𝑥𝑉 → 𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 51 ∗ 𝑥
analogWrite():
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/AnalogWrite

Secrets of Arduino PWM:

https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/SecretsOfArduinoPWM
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Using analogWrite()

Hans-Petter Halvorsen
 analogWrite
int ledPin = 9;
int value = 0;
void setup()
This functions write an “analog value” {
(PWM signal) to the specified pin. You pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
can e.g., use it to make a LED light with }
different intensity.
Syntax: void loop()
analogWrite(pin, value) {
where value is a value between 0 and 255 value = random(256);
analogWrite(ledPin, value);
delay(1000);
Writes an analog value (PWM wave) to a pin.
Can be used to light a LED at varying
}s
brightness's or drive a motor at various
speeds. After a call to analogWrite(), the pin Note! You need to use one of the pins marked with ~
will generate a steady rectangular wave of
the specified duty cycle until the next call to
analogWrite()
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/AnalogWrite
 analogWrite()
Arduino can give a signal between 0 and 5𝑉
0.5
0.5𝑉: 100% → 10%
5

0.5V (10% of 255) -> analogWrite(pin, 25)

2.5
2.5𝑉: 100% → 50%
5

2.5V (50% of 255) -> analogWrite(pin, 127)

Arduino syntax: analogWrite(pin, value)
value: the duty cycle: between 0 (always 4.5
4.5𝑉: 100% → 90%
off) and 255 (always on). 5
0-5V -> 0-255
4.5V (90% of 255) -> analogWrite(pin, 229)
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True Analog Out

Hans-Petter Halvorsen
 Arduino Analog Out
• Arduino UNO has no true built-in Analog Output
Channels (only PWM)
• What if we need a real Analog Out Signal (0-5V)?
• We will use a 2 different options:
– Create a RC Lowpass Filter that converts PWM to
Voltage
– Use a DAC chip/IC (Digital to Analog Converter)
• Such a chip uses either the SPI bus or the I2C bus
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Lowpass Filter using

RC Circuit
Hans-Petter Halvorsen
Option 1: Convert PWM to Voltage
e.g., 𝑅 = 3.9𝑘Ω

RC Lowpass Filter: e.g., 𝐶 = 10𝜇𝐹

• http://www.instructables.com/id/Analog-
Output-Convert-PWM-to-Voltage/
• http://provideyourown.com/2011/analogwrit
e-convert-pwm-to-voltage/
 Electrical Components
Capacitor
Resistor
e.g., 𝐶 = 10𝜇𝐹
𝑅 = 3.9𝑘Ω

A capacitor stores and releases electrical energy in a A resistor resists the flow of electrical energy in a
circuit. When the circuits voltage is higher than what is circuit, changing the voltage and current as a result
stored in the capacitor, it allows current to flow in, giving (according to Ohms law, 𝑈 = 𝑅𝐼). Resistor values are
the capacitor a charge. When the circuits voltage is lower, measured in ohms (Ω). The color stripes on the sides
the stored charge is released. Often used to smooth of the resistor indicate their values. You can also use
fluctuations in voltage a Multi-meter in order to find the value of a given
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor resistor.

These electronics components are typically included in a “Starter Kit”, or they can be bought “everywhere” for a few bucks.
 Capacitor e.g., 𝐶 = 10𝜇𝐹

The Capacitor is typically included in the Arduino

Starter Kit (or similar Kits).

If you don't have such a Kit you may buy capacitors

from Elfa, Kjell & Company, etc.

Note! You can also easily measure the capacitance using a Multi-
meter. A Multi-meter that cost from 400-500+ NOK has built-in
support for measuring capacitors (same for resistors and
resistance).

We will use the capacitor to create a RC Lowpass Filter in order to

smooth the PWM signal from the Arduino to make a “true”
Analog Out Signal
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Digital to Analog
Converters (DAC)
Hans-Petter Halvorsen
 Option 2Using a DAC chip

• DAC – Digital to Analog Converter

• Use, e.g., Microchip MCP4911, MCP4725 or
similar
• SPI Arduino Library:
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/SPI
• MCP49XX Arduino Library:
https://github.com/exscape/electronics/tree/mas
ter/Arduino/Libraries
 DAC MCP4725

Arduino UNO has no Analog Output Pins, so we need a

DAC such as, e.g., Microchip MCP4911, MCP4725 or
similar
MCP4911: 10-bit single DAC, SPI Interface
12-bit resolution
I2C Interface
The MCP4725 is a little more
expensive, but simpler to use

Microchip MCP4911 can be bought “everywhere” (10 NOK).

 SPI Bus
• Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) is a synchronous serial data protocol used by
microcontrollers for communicating with one or more peripheral devices quickly over
short distances.
• With an SPI connection there is always one master device (usually a microcontroller)
which controls the peripheral devices.
• SPI devices communicate in full duplex mode using a master-slave architecture with a
single master.
• The interface was developed by Motorola and has become a de facto standard.
• Typical applications include sensors, Secure Digital cards, and liquid crystal displays
(LCD).
SCLK : Serial Clock (output from master)
MOSI : Master Output, Slave Input (output from master)
MISO : Master Input, Slave Output (output from slave)
SS (or SC) : Slave Select (active low, output from master) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_Peripheral_Interface_Bus
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/serial-peripheral-interface-spi
 Arduino SPI
• https://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/SPI
• http://tronixstuff.com/2011/05/13/tutorial-
arduino-and-the-spi-bus/
• http://arduino.stackexchange.com/questions/163
48/how-do-you-use-spi-on-an-arduino
• https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/serial-
peripheral-interface-spi
 I2C Bus
• I²C (Inter-Integrated Circuit), is a multi-master, multi-slave,
single-ended, serial computer bus
• It is typically used for attaching lower-speed peripheral ICs to
processors and microcontrollers.
• I²C is typically spelled I2C (pronounced I-two-C)
• The I²C bus was developed in 1982 by Philips Semiconductor.
• The I²C protocol requires only 2 wires for connecting all the
peripheral to a microcontroller.
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/i2c
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I2C
 MCP4911: 10-bit single DAC
DAC
The LDAC input can be used to select the device,
and you could use a GPIO pin to turn the device on
Arduino MCP4911 and off through this pin. In this example, we just tie
it to ground so it is always selected and powered.

𝑉HH = 5𝑉
Analog Out (0-5V)
𝑉OO = 0𝑉

𝐿𝐷𝐴𝐶
𝑉EFG
𝑉IJK
𝑉HH
SCK (13) 8 7 6 5
MISO (12)
MOSI (11) MCP4911
SS (10)
1 2 3 4

𝑆𝐶𝐾
𝑆𝐷𝐼
𝑉OO
𝐶𝑆
MISO Not Used, since we get nothing back from DAC IC
 Ex
MCP49xx Arduino Library Example am
pl
e

#include <SPI.h> //Include the Arduino SPI Library

https://github.com/exscape/electronics/tree/master/Arduino/Libraries
#include <DAC_MCP49xx.h> //Include the MCP49xx Arduino Library

// The Arduino pin used for the slave select / chip select
#define SS_PIN 10 The control signal (u) should
//Set up the DAC DAC MCP4911
come from the PI/PID
DAC_MCP49xx dac(DAC_MCP49xx::MCP4911, SS_PIN); controller function.
void setup() It need to be converted from 0-
{
} 5V (or 0-100%) -> 0-1023
void loop() before we send it to the DAC
{
double u; //Control Signal
// For MCP4911, use values below (but including) 1023 (10 bit)
u = 255; //Simulating the Control Value
dac.output(u);
delay(5000);
Connect the circuit (Arduino + MCP4911) on a
u = 512; //Simulating the Control Value
dac.output(u);
breadboard. Use a multi-meter so see if you get
}
delay(5000); the correct output signal
 Ex
MCP49xx Arduino Library Example am
pl
e
#include <SPI.h> //Include the Arduino SPI Library
#include <DAC_MCP49xx.h> //Include the MCP49xx Arduino Library

// The Arduino pin used for the slave select / chip select
#define SS_PIN 10

DAC_MCP49xx dac(DAC_MCP49xx::MCP4911, SS_PIN);

void setup()
{
Connect the circuit (Arduino + MCP4911) on a
}
Serial.begin(9600); breadboard. Use a multi-meter so see if you get the
void loop()
correct output signal.
{
double u; //Control Signal
int aiPin = 0;
int aiValue;
On the Multimeter you should see the output slowly
for (int i=0; i<1023; i++)
increasing from ~0V to ~5V with intervals of 1000ms.
{
u = i;
dac.output(u);
You can also connect the output from the DAC to an
aiValue = analogRead(aiPin);
Serial.print("AIValue=");
Analog Input Pin on the Arduino. Write the value to
Serial.println(aiValue); the Serial Monitor.
delay(1000);
}
}
 Alternative Solution
MCP4725

12-bit resolution
I2C Interface The MCP4725 is a little more expensive
(than MCP49xx), but simpler to use.

http://henrysbench.capnfatz.com/henrys-bench/arduino-output-devices/arduino-mcp4725-digital-to-analog-
converter-tutorial/
Hans-Petter Halvorsen
University of South-Eastern Norway
www.usn.no

E-mail: hans.p.halvorsen@usn.no
Web: https://www.halvorsen.blog