85
ATmega8515(L)
2512K–AVR–01/10
Modes of Operation
The mode of operation, i.e., the behavior of the Timer/Counter and the output compare
pins, is defined by the combination of the Waveform Generation mode (WGM01:0) and
Compare Output mode (COM01:0) bits. The Compare Output mode bits do not affect
the counting sequence, while the Waveform Generation mode bits do. The COM01:0
bits control whether the PWM output generated should be inverted or not (inverted or
non-inverted PWM). For non-PWM modes the COM01:0 bits control whether the output
Normal Mode
The simplest mode of operation is the Normal mode (WGM01:0 = 0). In this mode the
counting direction is always up (incrementing), and no counter clear is performed. The
counter simply overruns when it passes its maximum 8-bit value (TOP = 0xFF) and then
restarts from the bottom (0x00). In normal operation the Timer/Counter Overflow Flag
(TOV0) will be set in the same timer clock cycle as the TCNT0 becomes zero. The
TOV0 Flag in this case behaves like a ninth bit, except that it is only set, not cleared.
However, combined with the timer overflow interrupt that automatically clears the TOV0
Flag, the timer resolution can be increased by software. There are no special cases to
consider in the Normal mode, a new counter value can be written anytime.
The output compare unit can be used to generate interrupts at some given time. Using
the output compare to generate waveforms in Normal mode is not recommended, since
this will occupy too much of the CPU time.
Clear Timer on Compare
Match (CTC) Mode
In Clear Timer on Compare or CTC mode (WGM01:0 = 2), the OCR0 Register is used to
manipulate the counter resolution. In CTC mode the counter is cleared to zero when the
counter value (TCNT0) matches the OCR0. The OCR0 defines the top value for the
counter, hence also its resolution. This mode allows greater control of the Compare
Match output frequency. It also simplifies the operation of counting external events.
The timing diagram for the CTC mode is shown in
Figure 38. The counter value
(TCNT0) increases until a Compare Match occurs between TCNT0 and OCR0, and then
counter (TCNT0) is cleared.
Figure 38. CTC Mode, Timing Diagram
An interrupt can be generated each time the counter value reaches the TOP value by
using the OCF0 Flag. If the interrupt is enabled, the interrupt handler routine can be
used for updating the TOP value. However, changing TOP to a value close to BOTTOM
TCNTn
OCn
(Toggle)
OCn Interrupt Flag Set
1
4
Period
2
3
(COMn1:0 = 1)