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DLP3010: firmware, pattern data and flash adresses

Joerg Friemel
Prodigy 30 points
Part Number: DLP3010
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: DLPC350, DLPC3478, DLP4500, ,

Hello, I am currently developing a DLP System with the DLP 3010 /DLPC3478/ DLPA 3000 Chipset. I have already couple of years ago developed a system based on the DLP4500/DLPC350 chipset so at least I believe to have some basic understanding.

The new system should work in Light Control modus. I pretty much referred to the reference design with the W25Q32JV flash and an external SPI connection. The plan is to write the flash with an external SPI interface. I managed to configure and download the firmware for the DLPC3478 / DLP 3010 LC configuration.

I have the following questions now:

1) What exactly is the difference between the DLP3010 and the DLP3010 LC? I believe the LC stands for light control  but I have compared both datasheets and can not identify the real difference. Also the LC type is not available in the webshop since long time now, so i wonder if it would also work with the normal DLP3010 since the light control feature seems to "happen" in the DLPC3478 anyhow?

2) I have the firmware at hand and I am basically ready to write it into the flash via my external SPI bus. The only thing: I have no clue at what adress to put it in the flash, what byte order and so on. I can not find any documentation on that.

3) The same is true for the pattern data. What format, where to put them in the flash? Looking at the EVM GUI, I have the vague idea that pattern can be generated with the EVM GUI and the firmware file I have is than modiefied/updated by the EVM GUI. After that I write the modified file (including the pattern data) into the flash. Is that the way? (Still, than remains question 2)

Thanks a lot for your help!

Best regards Joerg

  • 0
    TI__Expert 5755 points

    Hello Joerg,

    You are correct the LC does stand for Light Control. Unfortunately however the DLP3010LC is needed to work with the DLPC3478. At the time of this post, they are currently in stock on Mouser (link).

    Are you able to connect your board and communicate with it via the GUI? If so the GUI has an option to upload firmware. If this is not possible you can follow this guide (link) which details how to flash the device with an SOIC clip. The EVM GUI also makes it easy to upload pattern data if possible.

    Best,

    Maximus

  • 0 in reply to Maximus Rusi
    Prodigy 30 points

    Hi Maximus, thanks for the reply.

    Good to know, that I need the LC version.

    I can not connect to my board with the GUI since I am not using the EVM interface and I don't want to ;-). As far as I understood the tech doc of the EVM the communication between the GUI and the EVM goes via a Cypress USB interface to a TI microcontroller that serves the SPI Bus. I don't want to replicate this setup in my own design for various reasons.

    There is certainly a bunch of commands that can be send from the GUI to the EVM to make it work. Amongst them commands to load the firmware into the flash.

    #1: I don't know these commands and can't find any documentation (except sample code for the MSP430 from which I could analyse these commands maybe)

    #2: There is a reasonable likelyhood that the command set used by the GUI is in conflict with our standard command set for controlling our 3D scanners. I don't want to change our standard command set established over years just to please the GUI interface...

    These are the reasons why I don't want to use the GUI for interfacing with my own hardware.

    Another reason: I have already engineered a SPI Flasher board that has 1 flash memory onboard that should hold the image file. The DLP driver boards for series production are connected to the SPI Bus of the flasher board and than with one button pressed the content of the image flash is transferred to target flash. No need for a GUI, no need for a PC. Just a stupid connect, press button, wait for green light. :-)

    To get there all I need is the information

    a) where to put the firmware image in the flash. Simple question: byte #1 in the fw image at adress 0x00000 of the flash, byte #2 at adress 0x00001 and so on?

    b) how to deal with pattern data. I have the idea that the GUI (also running without an EVM) offers the possiblity to load an fw image file, to define pattern data and than save everything together in a new img file. I just saw some buttons in the GUI letting me guess, it could work this way but I haven't found the time to play this through.
    If you can confirm, that this is a way to get hold of a fw image including pattern data and if a) is answered I will be happy.

    Thank you so much

    Jörg

  • 0 in reply to Joerg Friemel
    TI__Expert 5755 points

    Hi Jörg,

    • The software programmers guide details the commands used to update flash (link) under 3.7 Flash Update Commands.
    • The flash .image should start at address 0 in flash memory. I would suggest starting with flashing your .image file and getting the device to boot.
    •  You can create a pattern .bin file through the Light Control -> Internal Pattern menus then add it to your firmware .image using the Firmware->Edit Firmware menus and then flash the .image created or by using the flash update commands described in the DLPC3478 Software Programmers Guide (link) to update the pattern data. 

    Best,

    Maximus

  • 0 in reply to Maximus Rusi
    Prodigy 30 points

    Thank You :-)

    Best Jörg