DS90UB929-Q1EVM: Board not being recognized by ALP

Hello Hamza,

Based on the information tab that comes up for your first EVM, it seems ALP is not recognizing the board correctly (Serializer). What shows up is the 925, when I am assuming you are expecting the 929 and the partner 928 information. 

1. One thing you may verify is which board is selected from the "Devices" tab on the left and ensure the 929 profile is selected when interfacing with the hardware. 

- Sometimes if the incorrect hardware profile is selected at the time of interface, it will try to read for the other device's profile and registers when a different hardware is present.

2. All registers populating 0 from the registers tab indicates that there are unsuccessful reads from the I2C network between your host PC and the board, one suggestion we have for this is to change the method of interface (for example, if you are using a mini-USB directly to the USB port from the device to the host PC, you can try using a USB2ANY module to connect directly to the SCL, SDA, and GND of the 929. If this module is not available, try step 1. first). 

- This could be a result of difficulty in the I2C connection between the port and the microcontroller.

3. If the local device connected has information populated in ALP but is unable to populate information for the partner device (greyed-out and default values), this could be a result of an unstable LOCK/PCLK between the two devices, either due to the channel specifications not being met in the cable link or another unexpected issue preventing the forward channel/back channel communication between SER and DES. 

- The partner information, PCLK, and registers / remote registers will populate if the connection is established and secure.

Best,

Miguel

Hello Miguel, 

Thanks for the in-depth reply!

1. So far I have attempted to restart the ALP Tool and select the DS90UB929 board after but I am still unsuccessful with any readings.

2. I have tried to attach to those GPIO pins as well and am using an external microcontroller to send and receive I2C commands but I am unsuccessful in establishing a connection to read/write those commands

3. The cable that I am using to connect to the deserializer works as expected on my other EVM sample, it connects instantly and I am able to run read/write I2C commands. However, for this EVM the connection never establishes.

Thank you!

Hi Hamza,

Hamza Kidwai said:

3. The cable that I am using to connect to the deserializer works as expected on my other EVM sample, it connects instantly and I am able to run read/write I2C commands. However, for this EVM the connection never establishes.

If both boards are the same, I suggest performing a continuity test for the pins you are using from the chip pins to the header pins, specifically SCL and SDA. 

The DS90Ux929-Q1EVM User's Guide will help identify which pins need to be tested: DS90Ux929-Q1EVM User's Guide (ti.com) (Page 36)

It sounds like there is a disconnect between the pin and the microprocessor on the board. Can you verify that the board with the issue includes the MSP430F5529IPN chip to connect to the SCL/SDA pins?

Best,

Miguel

Hello, I will perform the continuity test and report back in a little. I do want to confirm that the board I have does indeed have the M430F5529IPN chip. I have it setup in the default mode (based on the manual).

Hi Hamza,

Sounds good! Thank you, I will wait for your response.

Best,

Miguel

Hello Miguel,

Sorry for the delay, the continuity test worked and there didn't seem to by any discrepancies in the chip to pins connection. I am now experiencing another issue where I lose the SER/DES link and i2c communication after ~3 hours. After this, I am not able to send any commands and the registers show 0's for all the values. 

Thank you, 

Hamza

Hi Hamza,

It seems there might be an issue with the channel link that may be connected to the issue with ALP showing incorrect information. Do you mind sharing the cabling used for this application? Specifically, the type and length.

Hamza Kidwai said:

I have tried to attach to those GPIO pins as well and am using an external microcontroller to send and receive I2C commands but I am unsuccessful in establishing a connection to read/write those commands

Can you share the setup you have for the external controller to the MSP430 SCL and SDA pins?

Would you also be able to confirm that you are attempting to connect to the 928 EVM?

Best,

Miguel

Hamza,

Additionally, can you capture the top markings/images of both EVMs, the working and non-working one?

Thanks,

Miguel