Q1. When using nowFlash (3.42) or flash470 and trying to load the MCU using the xds100v2 or an external emulator, SDConfEx is complaining about a power issue and will not load the part.
A1. This is likely because your JTAG clock needs to be reconfigured to support the isolated paths on the controlCARD. The LS31 (and RM48) Rev D controlCARDs include isolators to help protect the host PC from an over-power incident. The Isolators limit the speed of the JTAG to 3MHz. In nowFlash, find the files board_tixds100v2_v3_cortex_rxx.dat or board_tixds560_v3_cortex_rxx.dat, etc., that apply to your emulator. Modify “tclk_frequency=9.0MHz” to “tclk_frequency=3.0MHz”. After that, nowFlash will work. For the 510USB, modify sdopt.cfg.
Q2. It appears that the power supply included in the kit is not strong enough to handle fast accelerations and decelerations.
A2. Yes, this is true. Deceleration is mostly affected in our experience but there could be some variations from kit to kit. There is a notification about this also in the quickstart guide. You can put a own higher current power supply (and motor for that matter with IS-BLDC) and see much better performance. The DRV8301 can handle up to a 60A, 60V supply. The supply selected for the kit was a standard, reasonably priced 24V supply and it's 2.5A rating is enough to evaluate the motor and our algorithms, we believe. Also, you may notice that the other DRV8301 Kits don’t include motors or power supplies but the Hercules kits do!
Q3. Resetting the MCU causes the GUI to disconnect from the MCU. Restarting the GUI takes a long time. This is very annoying,
A3. I agree. The reconnect time is well known issue with GUI composer as it forces a reflash every time. A mechanism to recognize that the to-be flashed code is already loaded onto the MCU has already been crafted/proposed to the software team that handles the loader code and will be fixed on future releases.
