MSP430F2619S-HT: Losing communication capability with MSP430F2619SPM at low temperatures

Hi Renan,

Can you clarify which communication interface is being used and how the device is being clocked? Is the communication conducted directly with the device or is there another chip involved?

BR,
Leo

Hi Leonardo,

Thank you for your response. I got this details from our customer.

Which communication interface is being used: We communicate via an I2C Bus.

How the device is being clocked: We use the internal system clock configured to run at 1 Mhz, and we also have a 32KHz crystal to clock internal timer peripherals in the uC during awake and sleep modes.

Is the communication conducted directly with the device or is there another chip involved: We are communicating directly with the MSP430F2619SPM via I2C.

Looking forward to your inputs.

Regards,
Renan

Hi Renan,

Can you provide some scope captures showing what happens over the I2C lines when the communication fails?  Some crystals aren't rated to operate at the colder temperatures - so you might also check to ensure that the chip has a valid clock signal when the communication failure occurs.

BR,
Leo

Hello Leo,

I'm Andrew Henricksen with Northrop Grumman.

I can't provide scope pictures during that phase of testing. I have checked the specs on our crystal oscillator and it is rated for lower temperatures than we test at.

I'm more interested in information on the extent of functional testing performed on these chips after manufacturing. Are the MSP430F2619SPM chips tested through establishing communication at extreme temperatures?

Thank you,

Andrew Henricksen

Hi Andrew,

We guarantee our parts to operate over their specified operating temperatures. I'm checking with our folks internally to determine exactly how functional/temperature testing is conducted. Do you see this issue across multiple parts/platforms - or was this found to occur on one platform/part?  

BR,
Leo

Hello Leo,

We're currently only seeing this issue on one of our types of cards, but we've seen it multiple times, and it's intermittent at that.

We're investigating multiple potential causes of the failure, and are trying to rule out the possibility that it may be an issue with the part itself. We want to know if the part is functionally tested via I2C communication at extreme cold temperatures, and if you have seen any recent failures in this testing.

Thanks,

Andrew Henricksen

Hi Andrew,

I have confirmed with our fab that we probe test these devices at -40C.

BR,

Leo