PICO v2 : technical documentation : synchronization with external camera

John,

Hello. Thank you for your interest in the PICO v2 Development Kit.

You can see a brochure and spec on this website:  http://search.digikey.com/scripts/dksearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=913-1000-ND

As for Pico v2 documentation, we are targeting to have the (1) TI Kit User Guide and (2) TI Structured Light Application Note available on http://www.ti.com by Jan 5.

The special video cable  which came with the Pico v1 Kit should not be used with the Pico v2 kit. The Pico v2 kit requires a standard HDMI to mini-HDMI type C cable.

Best wishes for the holiday and a happy new year.

Pascal

John Spalding said:

 We have recently purchased a new PICO V2 development kit.

We are looking for technical documentation that describes how to use it.
- there is a 14-pin connector
- there is a 25-pin connector
As far as we know, all the PICO documents refer to the original PICO (V1).

We have been told that the new PICO V2 supports
- synchronization with an external camera.
This would enable us to integrate exactly one frame of PICO video
and that would enable use in precision structured light applications.
- I2C interface, but not through the hdmi-C (non-standard) connector.
- run the PICO directly with PC video.
- possibly some new commands / capabilities.
Does TI have any how/to documentation covering the new capabilities?

The old PICO (V1) came with a special video cable that allowed connection
to the Beagle Board which supplied the I2C.  Can that cable be utilized with
DVI-D video and no I2C (as from a PC), or is its use dangerous to a PICO (V2)?

 

 

Pascal,

It is great to hear about the jan-5 date for the new user guide and app note.

We'd also be interested in knowing if release dates are scheduled for
the schematics of the kit boards and for the chip set specifications.
This info was provided for the PICO (V1).

Thanks,
John Spalding

John,

We do hope to have the schematics and specs for the Pico (V2) Kit up on the DigiKey website by Jan 5, or soon thereafter.

Have a good holiday and a happy new year.

Pascal

Pascal,

I'm just writing to request that you send a message when the new documentation is available.
I've checked the DigiKey website and all that is there is the older (V1) stuff.

We're interested in
- schematics
- the promised structured light app note.
- kit user guide.
- methods for synchronizing with external cameras.
- new pin-out and connector for I2C commands.

Thanks, happy new years,

John Spalding

John,

I waited a couple of days to see if the new documents would be posted on the DK website. I see the new brochure and spec for V2, but I don't see the other documents, yet. I will keep an eye out for when these are available, and will drop you a line to let you know.

Thank you for your interest.

Pascal

Pascal,

Are the documents still coming?
We're getting to about 2 weeks off schedule of promised delivery on Jan-5.

We are especially interested in AUXSYNC0-4 outputs from PICO V2.
- we think these outputs may specify a timing relationship to the PICO projector
light output, enabling us to sync to camera integration.
- is this true?

Another point of interest is a method of operating with the LEDs disconnected.
- this was documented on PICO V1.
- is it available in PICO V2?

Thanks,

John Spalding

John,

I had hoped that the documents would be there at the time which I mentioned. I apologize that they are not there yet. You will be contacted (look at your "friends" request) and we'll do our best to answer your questions.

Pascal

Hi Pascal,

I am developing a test apparatus for an optical sensor, and the pico projector looks promising for this application.  However, we would need to be operating at around 200Hz, so we would be exclusively operating it in a structured Light Application.  Please contact me as well when the documentation is available, because the link in the Users guide for Structured Light Applications (DLPA021) does not currently exist, and this document will help us decide whether we use your product, or choose an alternative technology best suited for our needs.

Thank you,

Frank Regan

Pascal,

I am also interested in document DLPA021. Please let me know as soon as it is available.

Thanks in advance,

Pedro

Pedro,

Will do. I am expecting it soon.

Pascal

To all of those who have been waiting for more documents on the PICO V2 Kit, there is some good news. The schematics and Gerbers of the main board, the DMD-B, and the DVI-B are now available on the Digi-Key web site. Here is the link:

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Cat=2621524&k=pico%20kit

Pascal

Finally, I can get "Structured Light Application Notes" (dlpa021.pdf) from

http://focus.ti.com/general/docs/lit/getliterature.tsp?literatureNumber=dlpa021&fileType=pdf

I'm interested in controlling dlp pico via i2c from PC.
However, i2cset command (http://www.lm-sensors.org/wiki/I2CTools) on my linux box can't work well.
(can't write on address 0x36)

Current setup is below.

Linux PC --> Nvidia Graphics Card --> DVI/HDMI Converter --> DLP Pico v2

i2cdump shows results below

% sudo i2cdump 1 0x50
No size specified (using byte-data access)
WARNING! This program can confuse your I2C bus, cause data loss and worse!
I will probe file /dev/i2c-1, address 0x50, mode byte
Continue? [Y/n] 
     0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  a  b  c  d  e  f    0123456789abcdef
00: 00 ff ff ff ff ff ff 00 65 eb 01 80 00 00 00 00    ........e???....
10: 00 13 01 03 80 70 40 78 0a ee 95 a3 54 4c 99 26    .????p@x????TL?&
20: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff    ................
30: 3f ff fb 43 4f 3d ed 6f f8 ff f6 fa 7f ff fc f8    ?.?CO=?o?.???.??
40: 33 36 ce 8e 29 21 00 5c 00 08 00 30 00 00 26 30    36??)!.\.?.0..&0
50: 18 88 36 00 c4 8e 25 80 10 18 00 00 00 10 00 3b    ??6.??%???...?.;
60: ff ff ff ff ff bf ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff fc    .....?.........?
70: 01 59 4f c9 60 50 69 63 6f 1a 4a 6e 1a 0a 05 91    ?YO?`Pico?Jn????
80: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff    ................
90: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff    ................
a0: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff    ................
b0: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff    ................
c0: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff    ................
d0: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff    ................
e0: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff    ................
f0: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff    ................

Takashi,

I would like to recommend a few things to look into.

1. Please check the HDMI cable that you are using to connect to your PC. Please make sure that this is the HDMI cable that came in the Version 2 development kit. The V2 cable is different than the cable from the version 1 kit. If the V1 cable is used with the V2 kit, this could cause some strange behaviors in the kit, and possibly cause damage to your kit.

2. Please check the commands that you are sending, and ensure that it follows the I2C protocol. An example can be seen below:
36 04 00 00 00 01
Where the address is x36, sub address is x04, and the data is x000001.

WYA,

Thank you for reply.

> 1. Please check the HDMI cable that you are using to connect to your PC.

I'm using v2 cable.

> 2. Please check the commands that you are sending, and ensure that it follows the I2C protocol.

The command I use to send via i2c is like this,

% sudo i2cset 1 0x36 0x04 0x00000001
No size specified (using byte-data access)
WARNING! This program can confuse your I2C bus, cause data loss and worse!
I will write to device file /dev/i2c-1, chip address 0x36, data address
0x04, data 0x01, mode byte.
Continue? [Y/n] 
Error: Write failed
% 

Could you show me samples which can run on beagle board or linux PC?

, or should I wire auxiliary port on external connector?

Takashi,

I would recommend that you connect the Pico to a BeagleBoard and start from there to begin communicating to the Pico. You can do this by following the instructions below:

1. Connect Pico2.0 to the Beagle board using the HDMI cable
2. Connect the 10-pin end of serial cable to Beagle board with Pin 1 on top (connector DB9 Male to 10 Pin Header) (see image)
3. Connect the serial end (DB9) of the cable to the serial input of the PC
4. Plug in the configured SD card (Configuration instructions on http://beagleboard.org/pico)
5. Plug in power to Pico2.0
6. Connect the Beagle board to PC using USB cable

I would also like to recommend that you go to the BeagleBoard site (http://beagleboard.org/) to get more information on how to use the BeagleBoard. Here is an example of what the command looks like when sending to the Pico:

- From Tera Term use bus3-i2c at a prompt:

  root@beagleboard:~#bus3-i2c 0x1b wb4 0x04 0x00000001

  0x04: Is the command to change input source

  0x00000001: Is the value that set the input source to test patterns

I have a Pico V2 and a BeagleBoard rev C4 that I would like to use for structured lighting. I have followed your instructions for connecting the Pico to the BeagleBoard but have not had success. Do you know if this SD configuration works with the C4 BeagleBoard? I was going to order a preconfigured SD card from Special Computing, but they did not think it would work with the rev C4 BeagleBoard. Any suggestions?

Hi

Have you considered going through the steps to configure an SD card, using the instructions are on http://beagleboard.org/pico?

Hello,

Yes, I followed those instructions (several times), but the BeagleBoard hangs when I try to boot with it. The instructions mention you can purchase a  preconfigured SD card from Special Computing; however, they do not sell them for the Rev4 Beagle Board which is what I have. They do have a version that will work with the Rev3 BeagleBoard, but they do not think it will work with the Rev4 BB. At this point I am not sure if the instructions at http://beagleboard.org/pico just will not work for a Rev4 BB, or if I have done something wrong in configuring the SD card. Do you know if this should work with the RevC4 BB?

Hi Eric,

I believe you are executing the instructions properly and that they are compatible with the earlier version of the BeagleBoard. Is it possible to use a PC as a source to implement/verify your structure light application?

tsolo,

I expect that it could be done on a PC (I prefer to implement it on a PC), but the answer I received when I asked that question before on this forum was to use a BeagleBoard.

There are only two things I need to be able to do for my structured light application. First, I need to be able to send commands to the the Pico via I2C. Second, I need to be able to embed the image data inside a VGA signal. It sounds pretty simple, but I'm not sure how to do this. If you have any suggestions (BeagleBoard, PC, or any other methed), please let me know.

Thanks

Hi Eric,

Actually the first part is easier through the beagleboard (using TeraTerm) and the second part should be done on a PC (when using a version 2 Pico). In the case where you are using a PC, the I2C signals are available on the HDMI connector and on the Auxiliary connector (see the Pico V2 documents), but they need to be driven from the PC in order to send commands to the Pico.

Best regards,

Hello  tsolo,

Are you suggesting a hybrid system where the BeagleBoard is connected to the Pico through the I2C on the aux connector at the same time the PC is connected to the Pico through the HDMI connector? With that setup would you first set the mode of the Pico using the BeagleBoard, then send the video via the PC?

Thanks

Eric,

The I2C signals on the aux connector (as an alternative to I2C on the HDMI connector) can be used to set the mode of the Pico while or before you are sending content to the Pico through the PC, but you need something between the I2C signals and your PC for example an I2C to USB converter and a way to send commands.

Thanks

TI,

I am getting ready to travel down the same path as those from earlier posts.  I have a Pico v2 development kit and need to configure it through the I2C connection before sending video from my PC.  My I2C programming equipment comes with a 10 pin ribbon cable.  I need some information on how to access the SCL and SDA lines from the Pico's auxilary connector and get it connected to my 10 pin ribbon cable.  Does TI or anyone else make a breakout or converter cable for connecting from the 24 pin aux. connector (J113) to a standard 10 pin I2C programming connector?  If not what are the details of a mating connector.  Because of the connector size, I am guessing some special tooling may be requied to fabricate a cable.  Am I missing an easy way to do this?

Pete

Hi Pete,

You should be able to get the flat flex cables to mate with J113 from Digi-Key.

Part No. Digi-Key WM10219-ND, Molex 21020-0259

The cable your specified gets me part of the way there.  I still need to get from the flat flex cable to a female 10 pin (2 x 5 - 0.100 mil spacing) ribbon cable connector (which is what my I2C programming device brings out).  Or, as an alternative if you can specify an I2C programming unit that connects to the Pico V2. 

I am very cuious how every one else connects to the Pico for programming? - as this seems like a very fundmental procedure that must be commonly used.

Thanks.

Pete

The connector that mates to the flex cables is the small connector like the one on the Pico board (J113). You would need a small board to route from that small connector to a header/leads/posts.

Thanks.

The pitch on the flex cable leads are so small that the only connectors I am able to find terminate to surface mount pads.  Are you telling me that I have to create a small surface mount board just to access the leads on the Pico auxilary port?  I am confused as to why this seems to be so difficult.  Am I the first person on the planet to do this?  Is there not something readily available? With off the shelf components?  How are TI engineers doing this?

Just thought I post a pic of the setup I'm currently using which may help others. I have a USB-I2C interface (lower left) from Dimax which connects to my laptop. I have a prototyping SMT board (upper left) from Schmartboard with a soldered FFC connector. The FFC cable is then routed to the DLP Pico (which is uncased).

Best regards,
Matthew Leone

Mr. mleone, have you controlled pico on/off using flex cable? I close pin POWERONZ to ground and Pico turn on but after splash screen it turn off. I need to turn on/off using electrical signal is it possible?

Thanks, Gio

Giovanni,

The Pico Kit v2 will show a splash screen for 10 seconds after power-on. After that time, the screen will go dark, unless there is a correct video signal (640x480@60Hz) on the HDMI, or an internal pattern is commanded via i2c. If the green LED on the top of the Pico Kit stays illuminated, the kit power is on.

Best regards,

Pascal

I connect pico on 2°video of my pc, the right signal (640x480@60Hz) is ok. If i use button pico show splasch screen and then my desktop color, if i use POWERONZ i see splashscreen for 10 sec. then dark and green led off. Where am I doing wrong?

Best regards,

Giovanni

Giovanni,

The PWRONZ should work exactly like the switch on the Pico kit. How are you pulling the PWRONZ line low? Have you looked at the signal  with a scope to see that you aren't introducing noise on the line? After the kit starts to initalize, any further pull down of the PWRONZ line will turn the Pico kit off. The PWRONZ line is pulled up to STDBY_PWR by a 10K resistor.

Regards,

Pascal

Pascal,

I put PWRONZ line low (0Volt) using MS05-1A87-75D, when connection is open I have 2.5 Volt, with 400mV noise.

When Pico is OFF I close PWRONZ for 1000ms then Pico turn on, it made splashscreen (during initialization i cannot read pico registry) then Pico turn off. 

If I turn on Pico with button Pico running good, if I close PWRONZ for 1000ms then Pico turn off for (1000ms) then Pico turn on itself.

I've two pico kit2 and both working as described above

Regards,
Giovanni 

Giovanni Tebaldi said:

Pascal,

 

I put PWRONZ line low (0Volt) using MS05-1A87-75D, when connection is open I have 2.5 Volt, with 400mV noise.

When Pico is OFF I close PWRONZ for 1000ms then Pico turn on, it made splashscreen (during initialization i cannot read pico registry) then Pico turn off. 

If I turn on Pico with button Pico running good, if I close PWRONZ for 1000ms then Pico turn off for (1000ms) then Pico turn on itself.

I've two pico kit2 and both working as described above

 

Regards,
Giovanni 

Mine is behaving in a similar manner. I am connecting pin 14 (PWRONZ) and pin 1 (Ground) with a tactile switch in order to emulate the push button on the projector. I can turn it on and off successfully but it is very inconsistent. At times the projector will turn itself on or restart randomly after a successful boot. The projector behaves normally when I use the push button on the projector. 

-Steve

Steve,

This behavior may be due to bounce in the push-button switch. You could try putting a small capacitor (100 pF or so) across the switch terminals. Also, how long are the leads to the switch? Are the ground and PWRONZ lines both routed together, and clear of any potential noise sources (transformers, etc.)? The pull-up resistor on the PWRONZ is 10k, which mean that the line could be subject to induced noise, but this is not really high impedance.

Also, try connecting to ground an the AUX port on pin 13, 18, and 24 - as well as on pin 1. Make sure you have a good connection to both ground and PWRONZ pins.

The PWRONZ should not require a pull down as long as 1000ms. It should operate identically to the built-in push button.

Please consider these things, and let me know if you continue to have difficulties.

Best regards,

Pascal

Pascal,

The 100pF solution worked for me. 

Thanks,

Steve

Steve,

Great! Thanks for letting me know.

Pascal