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DAC38J82: FIFO Read Empty Alarm Flag and No DAC Output

Part Number: DAC38J82

Hello, I am using a LMK 04828 along with a DAC38J82.  An FPGA is transmitting ADC samples to the DAC and the LMK is providing all clocks.  A few things about my board: Dclkout0_1 is for the Dac reference (1.2 GHz) and sysref, respectively. Dclkout6_7 is the FPGA serial tx reference (150 MHz)--no sysref. My line rate is 6 Gbps. The lmk and adc are working, but the dac has no output.  The dac is receiving output as verified by both chipscope interally and a scope externally.  The Dac pll and serdes pll are locking. The dac gives only one error flag: Fifo read empty.  I have searched this forum and have learned that this can be from a mismatch in serdes line rates.  My rates, as far as I can tell, match however; the fpga transmitter line rate was verified by o-scope.  I cannot verify the DAC line rate, but I used the formula in the datasheet. Also, the dac sync does not respond to sysref pulses. In the following figures, the ending numbers in the names correspond to register addresses.  Registers are programmed in ascending order; lmk first, dac is reset, dac registers programmed, jesd core is reset, then sysref pulse is triggered.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you for your time.

My LMK Settings (register 101 is at the top of the far right panel):

Dac Settings:

  • Hi Kyle,

    Could you send your attachments again, there seems to be a problem with your previous attachments.

    One thing you can do to test if the DAC is functioning properly is to use only the NCO to produce an output. This will let you know if there are any problems with your configuration. I am attaching a PowerPoint that goes over the process for setting this up.

    8103.DAC38J84 100MHz NCO Test.pptx

    Regards,

    David

  • Hello, David

    I have attached my LMK and DAC settings. I will begin attempting to verify the DAC output with the NCO.

    Lmk regs:

    Dac Regs:

     .  

    Thank you

  • NCO was verified. 

    Kyle

  • Hi Kyle,

    I will take a look at your registers and see if there are any problems with your configuration.

    While I do that, I have another test you can perform that will tell us if your DAC is receiving SYSREF correctly. I am attaching a PowerPoint that will go over what is required. 

    1057.DAC38J84 NCO SYSREF Test.pptx

    Regards,

    David 

  • Hey David, I was unable to produce a spectral plot matching yours.  A few notes: 

    - I have retained my original quickstart settings, and I will post them at the end of this email.  I have done this because this project was passed to me from another engineer who is no longer available, and I am trying to avoid, if possible, various changes rippling through the FPGA's firmware and the register settings that were left to me; these settings were said to be working for our specs at one point. Regarding SYSREF, If your K is 20, my sysref should match yours as our F is the same; the GUI suggested the same sysref divide-(160), but I am unaware of how retaining my settings will change the slide values you sent me.

     - Were the settings on the LMK slide adjusted for my setup? My clkout0_1 is my dac clock/sysref and clkout6_7 is my FPGA serial tx reference (no sysref).

    - Do you have a picture of the time domain representation of your NCO synchronized to SYSREF? My time domain resembles a 100 MHz sawtooth with a 2-300 MHz ripple riding it. My frequency domain representation does not look like yours.  My frequency domain units are dBV, but my plot shape should match  as the relationship between dBV and dBm is linear, correct?

    - My DAC has been left in dual DAC mode. 

    My Settings:

    Thanks, David

  • Hi Kyle,

    I was attempting to use your register settings and found that there was one register setting that prevented the outputs for my EVM. The SERDES_REF clock needs to be 4 in order for me to get an output and you are setting it to 2, this is register 0x3B and the value I am writing to it is 0x1800. This should fix the problem you are having.

    Regards,

    David Chaparro

  • David,

    Unfortunately, this change did not fix the problem - still no output.  I am not sure if I am receiving SYSREF correctly; was my description above in line with what you would expect?

    Thanks

  • Hi Kyle,

    The results from your NCO sysref test tell us there is some problem in your setup. Your results should match the results shown in the power point. Would you be able to share your frequency domain capture?

    Are you using a DAC38J82EVM or your own board? If you are using your own board would you be able to share your schematic? This could speed up the process of finding the issue in your set up.

    Regards,

    David

  • I am using a custom board. I can share my spectrum capture and some pieces of my schematic.  Do you have an email that I can send them to?  

    Thanks

  • Kyle,

    You can send them to my email: d-chaparro@ti.com

    Regards,

    David Chaparro