PalmSens EmStat4M User manual

Development Kit Manual
Rev. 4-2022-002

PAGE | 1
2Important before you start unpacking ..............................................................................2
3Customer support ...........................................................................................................2
4Terms and Definitions ......................................................................................................2
5Introduction .....................................................................................................................2
6EmStat4M Development Kit contents..............................................................................2
7Recommended software tools.........................................................................................3
8Development board.........................................................................................................3
8.1 Schematic ..............................................................................................................3
8.2 PCB Layout ............................................................................................................4
8.3 Pin descriptions ......................................................................................................5
8.4 Connecting to the PC via USB-C or micro-USB .....................................................7
8.5 Using the Bluetooth module ...................................................................................8
8.5.1 Hardware settings for connecting via Bluetooth with the EmStat4M ...................8
8.5.2 Connecting in PSTrace using SPP (Classic Bluetooth) ........................................9
8.5.3 Connecting using vSP (for iOS) .........................................................................10
8.5.4 Hardware settings for programming the Laird BT900 module ...........................11
8.6 Using the Real-Time Clock ...................................................................................11
8.7 Using the EEPROM ..............................................................................................11
8.8 Using an Arduino MKR Zero .................................................................................11
8.9 Powering the Development Board ........................................................................12
8.9.1 Powering from the micro-USB or USB-C port...................................................12
8.9.2 Powering from a Lithium-Ion battery .................................................................12
8.9.3 Powering from an Arduino MKR board..............................................................12
8.10 Heat dissipation when using EmStat4M HR..........................................................13
8.11 Connecting the cell (or sensor) .............................................................................13
9Software and documentation ..........................................................................................15
9.1 Communication protocols.....................................................................................15
9.2 Using PSTrace for Windows .................................................................................15
9.2.1 Generating MethodSCRIPT...............................................................................16
9.3 Windows drivers ...................................................................................................16
9.3.1 Development Board Micro USB connector .......................................................16
10 Development board and module dimensions...................................................................17
11 Software Development Kits for .NET................................................................................18
12 Document Revison History ..............................................................................................19
13 Disclaimer........................................................................................................................20

PAGE | 2
Make sure your software and firmware are up-to-date. You can update PSTrace for Windows via
the menu Help → Check for updates. The firmware of your instrument is updated automatically
in PSTrace upon connecting to the EmStat4M Development Board, if needed. In case of
questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at sup[email protected]om. Try to describe the
problem as detailed as possible, photos and screenshots are often very helpful.
BT
Bluetooth
EEPROM
Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
ES4M
EmStat4M
GPIO
General Purpose Input Output (pin)
IC
Integrated Circuit
PCB
Printed Circuit Board
RTC
Real-Time Clock
SDK
Software Development Kit
UART
Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter
USB
Universal Serial Bus
The EmStat4M Development Board is intended as development, demonstration and testing
platform for electrochemical applications using the EmStat4M module.
The EmStat4M is a module (small PCB) of 62 x 40 mm functioning as Potentiostat,
Galvanostat, and optional Frequency Response Analyser (FRA) for Electrochemical Impedance
Spectroscopy (EIS).
The development board can be powered and communicate directly via its USB-C port, or it can
be connected using the pin headers for communication, power, and cell connections.
A high-end LEMO connector for use with our standard shielded sensor cables is available on
the EmStat4M module. It is always advised to use the LEMO connector for best performance.
The box you received contains the following items:
▪EmStat4M LR or HR module
▪Development Board
▪Micro-USB cable
▪USB-C cable
▪USB splitter cable for extra power (EmStat4M HR only)
▪Sensor cable (1 meter with 2 mm pins)
▪4 croc clips (EmStat4M LR) or 5 croc clips (EmStat4M HR)
▪2x SPE connector
▪Mini screwdriver
▪Dummy Cell

PAGE | 3
▪USB drive with PSTrace software for Windows and documentation
▪Quick Start document
▪Card with an overview of the development board
▪Card with an overview of the EmStat4M module
The following software tools are recommended:
▪PSTrace - software for Windows for use with EmStat4M
▪Tera Term - open-source terminal for direct serial communication
▪Notepad++ - free and simple source code editor to replace the default Windows
Notepad
▪Visual Studio Code - free and open-source Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
for use with our SDK’s for .NET
The following schematic represent the main connections found on the Development Board.
Figure 1 - Top level schematics of the Development Board

PAGE | 4

PAGE | 5
Table 1 - CON1 Arduino MKR Socket (left row)
Pin
Arduino MKR Zero
Dev. Board
Dev. Board Function
1
AREF / AIN / PA03
NC
-
2
DAC0 / A0 / D15
NC
-
3
A1 / D16
NC
-
4
A2 / D17
NC
-
5
A3 / ~D18
NC
-
6
A4 / ~D19
NC
-
7
A5 / D20
NC
-
8
A6 / D21
NC
-
9
~D0
NC
-
10
~D1
NC
-
11
~D2
MKR_Trig
Connected to EmStat4M D4
12
~D3
NC
-
13
~D4
NC
-
14
~D5
NC
-
Table 2 - CON2 Arduino MKR Socket (right row)
Pin
Arduino MKR Zero
Dev. Board
Dev. Board Function
1
+5V
+5V_MKR_OUT
-
2
VIN
+5V_MKR_IN
-
3
+3V3
NC
-
4
GND
GND
Ground
5
RESET
NC
-
6
D14 / Tx
MKR_TX0
Connected to EmStat4M (ES4M) RX via SW6
7
D13 / Rx
MKR_RX0
Connected to EmStat4M (ES4M) TX via SW6
8
~D12 / SCL
NC
-
9
D11 / SDA
NC
-
10
D10 / CIPO
NC
-
11
D9 / SCK
NC
-
12
~D8 / COPI
NC
-
13
~D7
NC
-
14
~D6
NC
-
Table 3 - CON3 Digital I/Os
Pin
To EmStat4M
Function
Pin
To EmStat4M
Function
1
-
+5V out
11
CON2-1
TX
2
CON3-3
I2C SDA
12
CON1-1
D3
3
CON3-10
+3.3V out
13
CON3-1
CTS
4
CON3-4
I2C SCL
14
CON1-7
D4
5
-
GND
15
CON3-2
RTS
6
CON1-4
D0
16
CON2-5
D5
7
CON3-8
~SHDN (Shutdown)
17
CON2-8
~DL (Download)
8
CON1-3
D1
18
CON3-9
D6
9
CON2-2
RX
19
CON2-7
~RST (Reset)
10
CON1-2
D2
20
-
GND
For more detailed information on the EmStat4M pinout, please refer to the EmStat4M datasheet.

PAGE | 6
Table 4 - CON5 Potentiostat Screw Terminals
Pin
To EmStat4M
Function
1
GND
Ground
2
CON1-8
Sense (Working Sense Electrode)
3
CON1-12
CE (Counter Electrode)
4
CON1-10
WE (Working Electrode)
5
CON1-11
RE (Reference Electrode)
Table 5 - CON7 Analog I/Os
Pin
To EmStat4M
Function
Comments
1
CON2-3
E out
To potentiostat Voltage Follower
2
-
GND
3
CON2-4
I Out
To potentiostat Current Follower
4
-
GND
5
CON3-7
E Set
To input an external potential to control
the ES4 potentiostat voltage set point.
Can be used for IR compensation. Input
impedance = 4.99k
6
CON2-9
(via IC5B)
ADC in
Unipolar ADC input: 0-3V, 16 bits
7
CON3-11
ES +VPST
Positive rail voltage output: ~+7.2V (LR) /
~+9.75V (HR) , max. 20mA
8
CON2-10
(via IC5A)
DAC out
Unipolar DAC output: 0-3V, 12 bits
9
CON3-12
ES -VPST
Positive rail voltage output: ~-7.0V (LR) /
~-9.75V (HR) , max. 20mA
10
-
GND

PAGE | 7
You can either connect the PC directly using the USB-C port on the EmStat4M module or you
can use the micro-USB connection of the development board.
The micro-USB port on the development board is meant for programming the BT module,
charging, or testing the UART lines to the EmStat4M.
When using the USB-C port on the EmStat4M module, the communication on the PC side is
handled by the Windows CDC drivers. The micro-USB port works using an FTDI chip for USB
to serial communication. With both USB ports a connection can be made via a serial virtual COM
port to use a terminal program like Tera Term for example.
The following table shows the implications for connecting either to the micro-USB of the
development board or the USB-C cable of the EmStat4M module.
Table 6 - Differences between USB ports
Micro-USB cable to development
board
USB-C cable directly to EmStat4M
▪Speed
230.000 baud (default) allowing for
+/- 700 datapoints/second
Full-speed USB allowing for
+/- 2500 datapoints/second
▪Connecting to
PSTrace
Shows as “ES4Dev”
Enable SW7 3+4 (Rx and Tx) leave
SW7 1+2 OFF1
Shows as “EmStat4 LR”
or “EmStat4 HR”
SW7 setting is ignored
▪Drivers
Works standard in Windows 7 to 11
without installation of special drivers
Works out-of-the box in Windows 10,
requires EmStat drivers to be installed
(via PSTrace) in Windows 7
▪Other functions
Allows for direct communication
between PC and the Laird BT900
Bluetooth module
SW7: ALL OFF
SW4: ALL ON
Allows for automatic firmware updating
of the EmStat4M module in PSTrace
1
Flow control will be added with a software update. Until then, leave SW7 1+2 OFF.

PAGE | 8
To communicate to the EmStat4M via the USB port make sure all switches (1-4) of SW7
(ES_to_USB) are set to ON and for SW4 (BT_to_USB) and SW5 (BT_to_ES) all switches are set
to OFF.
The Laird BT900 Bluetooth module comes programmed for use in either Bluetooth 5.0 (BLE) or
in Serial Port Profile (SPP, Classic Bluetooth) mode.
See for more detailed information the Documents section of the Laird BT900 module.
To allow for Bluetooth communication with the EmStat4M module, make sure to set all switches
on SW4, SW6 and SW7 OFF and all dipswitches on SW5 ON.
Set SW2 to BT_PWR_ON (up) and SW3 to AUTO (down):
Figure 2 - Dip switch settings for allowing a Bluetooth connection to the EmStat4M module

PAGE | 9
When connecting via Bluetooth using SPP, a serial COM port for Bluetooth communications will
become available on the host side (e.g. Windows) when connecting to the Bluetooth device.
The Bluetooth name has the format “PS-xxxx” where xxxx is the last digits of the Bluetooth MAC
address. (This MAC address can be found on the sticker of the Bluetooth module between the
QR code and “CE” logo):
Figure 3 - The MAC address of the Bluetooth module
In PSTrace the Bluetooth device appears after clicking the Bluetooth icon in the upper left
corner:
Figure 4 - The Bluetooth device appears here after clicking the blue Bluetooth icon
The first time PSTrace connects with a new Bluetooth device Windows show a pop-up message
in the right bottom corner of the screen.