1. Introduction
This article demonstrates how to get started with the Vehicle Lighting Control for Daylight and Hazard Signals application using the FRDM-A-S32K312 or FRDM-A-S32K344 evaluation board and Application Code Hub (ACH).
The example showcases a simplified automotive lighting system where various vehicle lights—such as headlights, hazards, turn indicators, and brake lights—are controlled based on user input conditions, while providing real-time visual feedback through LEDs.
This demo highlights how embedded peripherals can be used to implement automotive body control features on the S32K3 platform.
FRDM-A-S32K344FRDM-A-S32K344
2.1 Software Required
2.2 Hardware Required
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- FRDM-A-S32K344 board/FRDM-A-S32K312 board
- Personal computer
- USB Type-C cable (power + debug)
- FRDM-K64 Click Shield
- Analog Key Click module
- 4x4 RGB Click module
3. System Architecture
The application implements a simplified automotive lighting control workflow, demonstrating how user inputs, embedded processing, and lighting outputs interact in real time.
The RGB Click has the following LED mapping:
The system operates as follows:
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The user interacts with the Analog Key Click module, where each button (T1–T6) generates a distinct analog signal corresponding to a specific lighting function.
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The ADC peripheral continuously samples the analog input and converts it into digital values.
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The application decodes the input and identifies which button has been pressed.
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Based on the detected input, the system executes the associated lighting function:
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T1 – Low Beam Headlights
- Activates LEDs 13, 14 in warm white
- Used for standard night driving illumination
- Turning OFF low beam automatically disables high beam
- Must be ON before high beam can be activated
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T2 – High Beam Headlights
- Activates LEDs 8, 9, 10, 11 in cool white
- Provides enhanced long-range visibility
- Can only be enabled if low beam is already ON
- Remains active during turn signal blinking
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T3 – Left Turn Signal
- Controls LEDs 0, 12 in blinking amber
- Generates continuous left indicator signal
- Operates independently of other lighting functions
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T4 – Right Turn Signal
- Controls LEDs 3, 15 in blinking amber
- Generates continuous right indicator signal
- Operates independently of other lighting functions
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T5 – Brake Lights
- Activates LEDs 1, 2, 5, 6 in red
- Simulates braking condition
- Fully independent of other systems
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T6 – Hazard Lights
- Activates LEDs 0, 3, 12, 15 in blinking amber
- Synchronizes left and right turn signals (all blink together)
- High beam state is preserved and restored between blinking cycles
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The application processes logic constraints (e.g., dependency between low beam and high beam).
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The FlexIO peripheral updates the output signals accordingly to drive the LEDs.
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The 4x4 RGB Click LEDs provide real-time visual feedback of the current lighting state.
This workflow models a simplified automotive Body Control Module (BCM) behavior, showing how multiple lighting functions, dependencies, and independent subsystems are coordinated within a real-time embedded system.
4. Open a Demo from ACH (Application Code Hub)
- Open S32 Design Studio 3.6.5, select Import Project from Application Code Hub
- This will open a new Window:
- Click on Search window and enter "Lighting"
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- Select the desired project for your FRDM board.
- Click on GitHub link — this will trigger S32 Design Studio IDE to automatically retrieve project attributes, then click Next>.
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Select main branch and then click Next>.
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Select your local path for the repo in Destination->Directory window. The S32 Design Studio IDE will clone the repo into this path, click Next>.
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Select Import existing Eclipse projects then click Next>.
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Select the project in this repo (only one project in this repo) then click Finish.
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In Project Explorer, right-click the project and select Update Code and Build Project:
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This will generate the configuration (Pins, Clocks, Peripherals), update the source code and build the project using the active configuration (e.g.
Debug_FLASH). Make sure the build completes successfully and the*.elffile is generated without errors. -
Go to Debug and select Debug Configurations. There will be a debug configuration for this project:
- Select the desired debug configuration and click on Debug.
- Now the perspective will change to the Debug Perspective. Use the controls to control the program flow.
5. Results
FRDM-A-S32K312FRDM-A-S32K312
FRDM-A-S32K344FRDM-A-S32K3446. Educational value
This course can be used as:
- Eat-Sleep-Code-Repeat University laboratory material
- Automotive embedded systems training
- S32K3 hands-on workshop content
- Introduction to automotive safety-related software
- Application Code Hub learning path
Students gain practical experience with ADC acquisition, signal processing, real-time decision making, and peripheral control using real automotive hardware.
Conclusion
This demo demonstrates how a complete vehicle lighting control system can be prototyped on the NXP S32K3 platform using FRDM-A-S32K312or FRDM-A-S32K344 board. By combining analog input acquisition, real-time processing, and multi-channel LED control, the example provides a practical introduction to automotive lighting system design.
Through the implementation of multiple lighting functions—such as low beam, high beam, turn signals, brake lights, and hazard lights, including their dependencies and constraints—the application illustrates how real-world Body Control Module (BCM) logic can be modeled in an embedded environment.
Developers can use this example to understand how user inputs, peripheral drivers (ADC, FlexIO), and application-level logic interact to control complex lighting behaviors, offering a solid foundation for building scalable and safety-aware automotive applications on modern microcontrollers.
References