Master SPI Mode Clock Generation

For Master SPI mode operation, only internal clock generation is supported. This is identical to the USART Synchronous Master mode, and the baud rate or BAUD setting is calculated using the same equations (see Table 1).

There are four combinations of the SPI clock (SCK) phase and polarity with respect to the serial data, and these are determined by the Clock Phase bit (UCPHA) in the Control C register (USARTn.CTRLC) and the Inverted I/O Enable bit (INVEN) in the Pin n Control register of the port peripheral (PORTx.PINnCTRL). The data transfer timing diagrams are shown in Figure 1.

Data bits are shifted out and latched in on opposite edges of the XCK signal, ensuring sufficient time for data signals to stabilize. The settings are summarized in the table below. Changing the setting of any of these bits during transmission will corrupt both the receiver and transmitter.

Table 1. Functionality of INVEN in PORTx.PINnCTRL and UCPHA in USARTn.CTRLC
SPI Mode INVEN UCPHA Leading Edge Trailing Edge
0 0 0 Rising, sample Falling, setup
1 0 1 Rising, setup Falling, sample
2 1 0 Falling, sample Rising, setup
3 1 1 Falling, setup Rising, sample

The leading edge is the first clock edge of a clock cycle. The trailing edge is the last clock edge of a clock cycle.

Figure 1. UCPHA and INVEN Data Transfer Timing Diagrams