MSP430F5172 LaunchPad XL

[bluehash 1,581]

If there is enough interest, I can spin the gerbers and delete Schmartboard's proprietary board outline and logo if people want to roll their own.

That would be great.. if it does hurt their TOS. Do you have a name for this board. It would be best to split it in it's own topic so as to not hijack spirilis' post.

[spirilis 1,265]

I see I am not the only one to experience the 'joys' of the UCS. :thumbup: Good clean coding style.

 

I am going to attempt to port my wiznet DHCP client to your board.  My code is too bloated to fit on the original MSP430 Launchpad.  However, if I can get it working, people could use Rob's ethernet boosterpack with your board and have automatic IP address assignment via DHCP.  I think that would be useful.  I can post the code to a simple telnet server or webserver with DHCP support.

 

Do you know if it is possible to have the pins sticking out on both side with your board like they do with the C2000 Launchpad?  Or a female header on the bottom like the Stellaris Launchpad?  How do they solder that I wonder..? (I don't have one in front of me right now...)

That would be pretty cool.  My board comes with no LP headers, so you have to buy/supply your own, and the Stellaris LP uses Stackable headers -- see this: http://store.43oh.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=63_59&product_id=50

 

You'd have to buy 4 of those to populate one of the F5172 boards.

The C2K uses a different beast, I saw something like it on Mouser one time but I think the Stacking Female header like the Stellaris LP is far more useful (you can stack normal boosterpacks off the bottom too!)

 

I also got one of RobG's boosterpacks so I'm excited!

[spirilis 1,265]

PS- MSPDebug support for this, I aluded to this in a post on the 1st page of this thread, but it's working with a patch Daniel Beer suggested in mspdebug 0.21:

Ok, let me know what you find. In the meantime, there's a quick hack
that should probably get your chip working anyway. Take the latest git
version of mspdebug, and look for the function do_identify() in
drivers/fet_core.c:

    static int do_identify(struct fet_device *dev, const char *force_id)
    {
            if (is_new_olimex(dev))
                    return identify_olimex(dev, force_id);
    ...

If you comment out the first if statement, so that the function always
invokes identify_olimex(), then it will use the more comprehensive
Olimex database even with TI debuggers. The Olimex database contains
support for the F5172. I haven't tested this though, so let me know if
it works.

 

It does indeed work, and I guess the next release will have this enabled by default.  But for now I had to compile my own mspdebug.  It doesn't seem to affect the TILIB driver (libmsp430.so / msp430.dll in windows) when using the MSP-FET430UIF.

[Nytblade 24]

That would be pretty cool.  My board comes with no LP headers, so you have to buy/supply your own, and the Stellaris LP uses Stackable headers -- see this: http://store.43oh.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=63_59&product_id=50

 

You'd have to buy 4 of those to populate one of the F5172 boards.

The C2K uses a different beast, I saw something like it on Mouser one time but I think the Stacking Female header like the Stellaris LP is far more useful (you can stack normal boosterpacks off the bottom too!)

 

I also got one of RobG's boosterpacks so I'm excited!

 

Okay I'll buy those things when your board appears in the store.  Those headers have been suggested to me before, but it took until now before I actually understood what they were.  I was under the impression that you stack them on top of the launchpad (like some sort of standoff) -- now I think I understand that you use them to go through the launchpad.  On the TI Launchpad 1.5 I'd have to desolder the males to use them.

 

One bad thing about the C2000 design is that if you set the board on a conductive surface by accident it could have some unintended consequences... (I think)

 

Did you actually get the UIF working on MacOS using MSPDebug???  I didn't get the UIF/MSPDebug combo working with my unix machine let alone Mac (I didn't put a lot of effort into it - I mainly use Windows).  I just assumed it wasn't supported.  I have only used the Launchpad with MSPDebug.

 

(I am using an unlimited code size registered version of CCS on Windows - that is why I am unfamiliar with what you are doing with MSPDebug)

[spirilis 1,265]

Okay I'll buy those things when your board appears in the store.  Those headers have been suggested to me before, but it took until now before I actually understood what they were.  I was under the impression that you stack them on top of the launchpad (like some sort of standoff) -- now I think I understand that you use them to go through the launchpad.  On the TI Launchpad 1.5 I'd have to desolder the males to use them.

 

One bad thing about the C2000 design is that if you set the board on a conductive surface by accident it could have some unintended consequences... (I think)

 

Did you actually get the UIF working on MacOS using MSPDebug???  I didn't get the UIF/MSPDebug combo working with my unix machine let alone Mac (I didn't put a lot of effort into it - I mainly use Windows).  I just assumed it wasn't supported.  I have only used the Launchpad with MSPDebug.

 

(I am using an unlimited code size registered version of CCS on Windows - that is why I am unfamiliar with what you are doing with MSPDebug)

I had the UIF working with mspdebug in a Linux VM on my Mac at one point, but the most recent attempt (I think I upgraded VirtualBox since before) failed, so I ended up having to use a windows machine.  What a pain in the ass that is.  TI's MSP430 library is such a huge convoluted piece of crap!

 

CCS on Windows with a FET430UIF should work pretty well.

[Nytblade 24]

Is this board going to be in the store soon?  I'm not in a hurry - just wondering...

[spirilis 1,265]

Shipping seems to be going very slow, as bluehash hasn't received them yet...

[bluehash 1,581]

Shipping seems to be going very slow, as bluehash hasn't received them yet...

Yes... looks like something is wrong. I got Rob's package that he mailed in 2 days back.

[spirilis 1,265]

Alright well, I'm not going to dwell on the shipping issue any longer, my big mistake here was that I didn't get tracking or insurance on the shipment so if it's lost, it's lost.  Terrible turn of events but I'm moving on, lesson learned.

 

Beginning of next month I'm going to get an order of 20 boards for the next revision--will be cheaper, uses FT230X and TPS78233 which has less output (only 150mA) but much cheaper, and just get the ball rolling for a new batch.  Going to try Elecrow for the PCBs since they're cheaper with the free color.

[bluehash 1,581]

Alright well, I'm not going to dwell on the shipping issue any longer, my big mistake here was that I didn't get tracking or insurance on the shipment so if it's lost, it's lost.  Terrible turn of events but I'm moving on, lesson learned.

 

Beginning of next month I'm going to get an order of 20 boards for the next revision--will be cheaper, uses FT230X and TPS78233 which has less output (only 150mA) but much cheaper, and just get the ball rolling for a new batch.  Going to try Elecrow for the PCBs since they're cheaper with the free color.

 

Spirilis.. I can help you cover some of the costs. What all was in it?

[Nytblade 24]

Spirilis had an extra board from the original batch he sent me to try out.  Here is a video review of it I made and an explanation of how to program it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHjFCnXXAoQ

[spirilis 1,265]

Thanks for the video review Nytblade!

 

2nd edition F5172 LaunchPad boards are finally on their way from Elecrow-

 

I do love how Elecrow sends images of the front & back & final package (with address markings and all).  Very nice touch to the PCB ordering experience.

[spirilis 1,265]

Looks like the Elecrow order arrived today... will post an update after I get home.

[cyberman_ff 3]

Hmmm the TUSB3410 can be added the only difficulty is adding a msp430F1612 to the board with the correct firmware to put the FET on board.

I believe TI has software to both program the TUSB4310 EEPROM and program the msp430F1612 (via a BSL) so it might be possible to actually add the FET to the board.

 

Thought I would mention this, as many a person has theroughly KILLED their TUSB4310 (due to the LDO being shorted from the board and causing a glitch response to 3.640V ahem).

 

Anyhow I would suggest powering the board with a seperate LDO than the FET devices and using a 3.3V regulator for those. This will prevent some "idiot" when they short VDD to ground from blowing the LDO or killing the TUSB3410.  You will want to use the same old translator, and possibly use a current limiting switch for power to the processor as well. (things I wish that TI did to make it more robust).

 

That's all I can think of anyhow

 

CYb

[spirilis 1,265]

Thanks for the info!  Not sure I care to put myself through designing in the TUSB and F1612 along with its EEPROM lol.... but this is a good caveat to keep in mind.  The F5172 LP can be powered separately by removing the LP_PWR jumper and appropriating a second USB cable to it (bonus is you can SBW debug the program while receiving/sending UART data via the FTDI that way)

 

But on the subject of current limiting switch, do you have any parts in mind for that?