controller socket for MSP430 gang programmer

Hi,

I think I confused with my lengthy question. Let me simplify it with another question.

Lets sayI have the MSP430 gang programmer, this programmer has 8 JTAG ports to program 8 MCUs at the same time. Now the target board that I see in TI website is for only single 20-28 pin MCU (http://www.ti.com/tool/msp-fet430u28)  (Actually we are planning to go with MSP430G2403 MCU in production.)

Now following are my doubts,

1. The link http://www.ti.com/tool/msp-fet430u28 says it includes both  ZIF socket target board and USB debugging interface (MSP-FET430UIF) used to program and debug the MSP430 , but I need only the  ZIF socket target board  as I am already having one gang programmer with me, Can I get only  ZIF socket target board from TI? if so how to order it (I mean specifying TI that I dont need the MSP-FET430UIF)  ?

2. My second doubt is  Do I have to go for 8 individual ZIF socket target boards  or is there any standard boards available for the MSP430 gang programmer which contains 8 ZIF socket target board on the same board?

Please clarify my these two doubts as it will be critical in future once our product is ready.

Thanks a lot in advance

Hi Katie Enderle,

Thank you very much for the information.

Katie Enderle said:

the correct kit that you will want is the MSP-TS430PW28A 

yes we will go with MSP-TSP430PW28A.

Katie Enderle said:

Spin your own board for programming with 8 sockets

I am sorry, Can u pls explain what u suggest me to do actually.

Katie Enderle said:

8 JTAG headers (we do not provide one of these

The 8 JTAG cables are supplied with the MSP gang programmer (MSP-GANG430) according to the TI.

I have one more doubt, If we buy 8 individual  MSP-TSP430PW28A, and connect them to MSP-GANG430 with individual JTAG cables, do I need to do anything extra for the power supply or the JTAG cable sufficiently supplies the power?

Hi,

One more thing I missed out, The MSP-GANG430 does not come with the 9-15V power supply.

Please tell me how to get 9-15V (300mA) power supply for the MSP-GANG430, I mean what is the part number.

Hi,

What I meant by spinning a board with 8 sockets, I mean that you could design and have manufactured a PCB that essentially has 8 ZIF sockets on it - you could make a PCB that would be like having 8 of the MSP-TS430PW28A's all on the same board.

chethu gowda said:

The 8 JTAG cables are supplied with the MSP gang programmer (MSP-GANG430) according to the TI.

Yes, 8 JTAG cables come with the GANG programmer. One end of each JTAG cable will plug into the GANG, but the other end of each JTAG cable will plug into one of the target boards which you are trying to program. The MSP-TS430PW28A has one of these JTAG headers on the board (see pic below, outlined in green), but what I'm saying is that if you have enough room on the PCB you are using for your end product, you can place one of these connectors with the components shown in figure 2-1 of the Hardware Tool's User's Guide on each of your boards and do in-circuit programming with the GANG.

Basically it depends on if you want to program the MSP430 before or after it is soldered onto your final application's board. The tradeoff is having to buy/spin boards with sockets to be able to program parts before they are soldered on your final board vs. the space it takes to add this JTAG header connector and components to your board to be able to do in-circuit programming after the device has been soldered down. One additional benefit of having JTAG headers on your final board is that while prototyping it is easy to re-program your board (unless you've blown the fuse of course), but the JTAG header may not make sense if you are short on board space.

So it is up to whatever method makes the most sense for your particular application. Using the MSP-TS430PW28A may be the option you want to go with, I'm just trying to let you know all of the possibilities.

Regards,

Katie

I also wanted to mention that I highly recommend ordering the MSP-GANG instead of the MSP-GANG430 if you have not already, since the MSP-GANG is the newer version which will continue to receive updates and support going forward. It also has many improvements over the MSP-GANG430, including faster programming.

chethu gowda said:

One more thing I missed out, The MSP-GANG430 does not come with the 9-15V power supply.

Please tell me how to get 9-15V (300mA) power supply for the MSP-GANG430, I mean what is the part number.

If you use the MSP-GANG, you only need the external supply if the GANG is not connected via USB port or if total current consumption of your programmed target devices exceeds 0.3A. If either of these conditions are true, then the specs for the kind of external power supplies you can use are listed in section 1.3 of the MSP-GANG user's guide, unter the Note on #3 (you'll have to find and purchase a power supply that meets these specs):

External Power Supply

If an external power supply is used then it must provide a voltage between 6 V and 10 V dc and must be capable of providing a minimum current of 800 mA. The center post of the power supply connector on the MSP Gang Programmer is the positive-voltage terminal. The programmer indicates the status of the power supply connection by using system LEDs and the LCD back light.

Hi katie enderle,

Thank you very much for your explaination,

katie enderle said:

you could make a PCB that would be like having 8 of the MSP-TS430PW28A's all on the same board.

Yes, I am planning for the same.

Hi Katie Enderle,

chethu gowda said:

I highly recommend ordering the MSP-GANG instead of the MSP-GANG430

Yes we are still in the stage of final design and we are yet to order it. We will definitely think about your suggestion.

chethu gowda said:

newer version which will continue to receive updates and support going forward

You mean TI will not support MSP-GANG430 in future?

Hi Katie Enderle,

 Katie Enderle:

I highly recommend ordering the MSP-GANG instead of the MSP-GANG430

Yes we are still in the stage of final design and we are yet to order it. We will definitely think about your suggestion.

 Katie Enderle:

newer version which will continue to receive updates and support going forward

You mean TI will not support MSP-GANG430 in future?

If you see the note on the product page for the MSP-GANG430 it says:

"Once new version (MSP-GANG) is available, the original kit will not get periodic device support updates. Device support updates will happen on a case by case basis. If you have questions, please work with your local sales representative."

This means that the MSP-GANG430 won't keep being updated to support new MSP430 devices as they come out in the future, though it supports already released parts now. This is why it is better to get the MSP-GANG (which is replacing the MSP-GANG430) - this new programmer will receive periodic software updates to support all new devices as they come out in the foreseeable future, so if in a year or two you decide to do a design with a brand new part, if you already have the MSP-GANG you won't have to get a new programmer to support that device.

Regards,

Katie

Hi Katie enderle,

Yes thats right. Thanks a lot for ur kind suggestion.