Hardware Setup for MMWAVEICBOOST and antenna module
In this walk-through of the MMWAVEICBOOST and antenna module setup, you will see how to:
- Configure and mount the antenna module
- Set the MMWAVEICBOOST MUX controls for standalone operation
- Set jumpers to default configurations
- Connect USB and power
- Set SOP for flashing and functional mode
- Power cycle
Resources
Hello, and welcome to the Hardware Setup of the Millimeter Wave IC Boost and Antenna Module for Flashing and Functional Mode. We will first cover flashing mode before moving on to functional mode. This guide is intended for users with a Millimeter Wave IC Boost Carrier Board and Antenna Module Board. This video guide will walk through setting up the boards into flashing and functional modes.
In order to set up flashing mode, the following steps will be taken. Please follow along closely and feel free to pause the video at anytime to check with the images and diagrams. The necessary hardware for this setup are a Millimeter Wave IC Boost carrier board and an antenna module board, either the IWR6843ISK, IWR6843ISKODS, or IWR6843AOPEVM. In addition, a micro USB cable is needed, along with a 5 volt, 3 amp power supply with a 2.1 millimeter center positive barrel jack.
To use the IWR6843AOPEVM as an antenna module in conjunction with the IC Boost carrier card, the switches on the AOPEVM need to be set as shown in this image in order to route signals from the carrier card through the 60-pin header. For the switches labeled Not Applicable, I usually set them to Off for convenience. Be sure to configure the switches on both the front and back of the AOPEVM. Pause the video and ensure that all switches are correctly set.
To use the IWR6843ISK or IWR6843ISKODS an antenna module in conjunction with the IC Boost carrier card, the switches on the EVM need to be set as shown in this image in order to route signals from the carrier card through the 60-pin header. For the switches labeled Not Applicable, I usually set them to Off for convenience. Pause the video and ensure that all switches are correctly set.
The next step in setting up the hardware for flashing mode involves mounting the antenna module to the Millimeter Wave IC Boost carrier board through the use of the 60-pin HD connector. This step applies for all antenna modules. If mounted correctly, your antenna module and IC Boost connection will look like one of the three following images.
With your desired antenna module mounted to the board, the S1 switch combination on the Millimeter Wave IC Boost carrier board must be set to the exact specification pictured below. Any switches designated as Not Applicable can be set to Off for convenience. Pause the video and ensure that all switches are correctly set.
Next, check that the jumpers indicated in the images are set to their default configurations. Pause the video and ensure that the jumpers are set correctly with each image. Next, connect the micro USB cable to the carrier board at the connector shown in the image, and to the PC. Please note that the micro USB is connected to the lower XDS110 USB port and not the FTDI USB port higher up on the board.
Connect the 5 volt, 3 amp power supply to a power source and to the carrier board. Multiple LEDs on the carrier board should turn on. In order to enable flashing mode on the carrier board, SOP jumpers 2 through 0 need to be set to 1 0 1, or on off on. Pause the video and check with the image to be sure that the SOP jumpers are configured correctly.
To ensure that the correct SOP mode is latched once power has been applied, power cycle the device by pressing and releasing the NRST switch identified in this image. The yellow DS1 LED below the switch should toggle off and on when the switch is depressed then released. The LED will toggle regardless of the SOP state, as the reset is needed to refresh the SOP state. It is important to note that after any SOP mode jumpers are changed, the NRST switch should always be toggled to ensure a reliable bootup state. The device is ready for flashing.
Now that the device is in flashing mode, it can be flashed. In order to flash the device, make sure that the EVM is already set up for flashing mode, in addition to having a PC running Windows 7 or 10 with the UniFlash tool downloaded and installed. The UniFlash tool can be installed on the TI Resource Explorer.
First, the COM port numbers must be obtained. With the EVM powered and connected to the PC via micro USB, open up the Device Manager. Notice that the EVM exports two virtual COM ports as indicated in the port section of the Device Manager. Make note of the correct COM port number for each of the two ports for use later. The actual COM port numbers for your specific device may be different than the ports indicated in the image.
In the reference image, COM ports are color coded according to their functionality. Use the below table as a guide to the port naming and function in the Device Manager. If the COM ports do not appear as above, driver installation is required. Please install the appropriate driver on the TI Resource Explorer, restart your PC, and try again.
The second step in flashing the device is to load the binary image file using UniFlash. First, open the UniFlash tool using the Windows Start menu on your PC. Once UniFlash is open, go to the New Configuration section and locate and select IWR6843. Click Start to proceed when the selected device and connection match the image.
Next, click the Settings and Utilities tab. Under Setup, fill the COM port text box with the port number corresponding to the CFG port noted earlier. For example, according to the previous Device Manager screen image, COM 1 should be replaced with COM19. Following filling in the COM port, click the Program tab.
For Meta Image 1, click on Browse and locate the binary image file to be flashed onto the device. After clicking OK, the name and size of the selected binary file should appear, while leaving Meta Image 2 through 4 blank. Note that the binary file to flash and its location is specified in the user's guide of each lab. After doing this, power cycle the device by pressing and releasing the NRST switch, as shown in the images.
Lastly, after the binary image file has been selected, the Load Image button is enabled. Click the Load Image button to flash the device. If flashing is successful, the UniFlash console will indicate Success, Program Load completed successfully.
If there is an error while flashing, please pause the video and read through these common causes of flashing failure in order to correct the failure. Need more help? Consult the UniFlash Quick Start Guide or search for your issue or post a new question on the Millimeter Wave E2E forum.
Once the device has been flashed, it can now be setup for functional mode. In order to set up functional mode, the following steps will be taken. Please follow along closely, and feel free to pause the video at any point to check with the images and diagrams. Note that steps 1 through 4 may be skipped if the hardware setup has not changed since flashing mode.
The necessary hardware for the setup are the same as for the flashing mode setup-- a Millimeter Wave IC Boost carrier board and an antenna module board; either the IWR6843ISK, IWR6843ISKODS, or IWR6843AOPEVM. In addition, a micro USB cable is needed, along with a 5 volt, 3 amp power supply with a 2.1 millimeter center positive barrel jack.
To use the IWR6843AOPEVM as an antenna module in conjunction with the IC Boost carrier card, the switches on the AOPEVM need to be set as shown in this image in order to route signals from the carrier card through the 60-pin header. For switches labeled Not Applicable, I usually set them to Off for convenience. Be sure to configure the switches on both the front and back of the AOPEVM. Pause the video and ensure that all switches are correctly set.
To use the IWR6843ISK or IWR6843ISKODS as an antenna module in conjunction with the IC Boost carrier card, the switches on the EVM need to be set as shown in this image in order to route signals from the carrier card through the 60-pin header. For the switches labeled Not Applicable, I usually set them to Off for convenience. Pause the video and ensure that all switches are correctly set.
The next step in setting up the hardware for functional mode involves mounting the antenna module to the Millimeter Wave IC Boost carrier board through the 60-pin HD connector. This step applies for all antenna modules. If mounted correctly, your antenna module and IC Boost connection will look like one of the three following images.
With the antenna module mounted to the board, the S1 switch combination on the Millimeter Wave IC Boost carrier board must be set to the exact specification pictured below. Pause the video and ensure that all the switches are correctly set. Next, check that the jumpers indicated in the images are set to their default configurations. Pause the video and ensure that the jumpers are set correctly with each image.
Next, connect the micro USB cable to the carrier board at the connector shown in the image and to the PC. Please note that the micro USB cable is connected to the lower XDS110 USB port, and not the FTDI USB port higher up on the board. Connect the 5 volt, 3 amp power supply to a power source and to the carrier board. Multiple LEDs on the carrier board should turn on, as shown in the image.
Set the SOP jumpers 2 through 0 to 0 0 1, or off of on. Pause the video and check with the image to be sure that the SOP jumpers are configured correctly. To ensure that the correct SOP mode is latched once power has been applied, power cycle the device by pressing and releasing the NRST switch identified in the image. The yellow DS1 LED below the switch should toggle off and on when the switch is depressed then released.
The LED will toggle regardless of the SOP state, as the reset is needed to refresh the SOP state. It is important to note that after any SOP mode jumpers are changed, the NRST switch should always be toggled to ensure a reliable bootup state. The device is now in functional mode.
Need more help? Consult the Millimeter Wave IC Boost and Antenna Module User's Guide or search for your issue or post a new question on the Millimeter Wave E2E forum.
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