Other Parts Discussed in Thread: MSP-EXP430FR4133, BOOSTXL-BATPAKMKII
We have discovered an issue on some MSP-EXP430FR4133 LaunchPad where the male pins on the J1, J2, and J3 headers (the BoosterPack headers) were clipped off during manufacturing. This prevents the user from stacking BoosterPacks on top of the LaunchPad. However, BoosterPacks that have male BoosterPack pins (i.e. BOOSTXL-BATPAKMKII) can still be attached to the female headers on the underside of the MSP-EXP430FR4133. Also, the rest of the functionality of the MSP-EXP430FR4133 LaunchPad is unaffected (the MSP430FR4133 itself, the LCD display, switches and LEDs). We are currently out of stock of MSP-EXP430FR4133 LaunchPads while we work to get our inventory fixed but we expect to have inventory again late in July.
You can idenfity the affected boards by checking to see if the headers have the long male pins similar to other LaunchPads (see the images below for an example of a normal MSP-EXP430FR4133 and an affected MSP-EXP430FR4133. You can also check for impacted LaunchPads by looking at the Inventory label on the box. Each box has a datecode, which is a four digit number preceded by “(D)”. The affected MSP-EXP430FR4133 LaunchPads have datecodes of 1732 and 1745.
Normal MSP-EXP430FR4133 LaunchPad with correct headers installed:
Affected MSP-EXP430FR4133 LaunchPad with headers cut short:
Example Datecode (circled in green):
If you have an affected LaunchPad with the short headers, you have a couple of options:
- Keep it! If you don’t need BoosterPack compatibility, there is nothing else wrong with the LaunchPad, and it may meet your requirements as is.
- Reach out to who you bought your LaunchPad from. If you bought directly from the TI store, we will be happy to exchange your MSP-EXP430FR4133 with a correct version once we have inventory. Please keep in mind that it will take a couple of weeks for us to get corrected inventory back in stock, so your patience here is appreciated
- Fix it yourself! Recommended part numbers for J1 and J2 are Samtec SSQ-110-03-F-S and the part number for J3 is Samtec SSQ-102-03-F-S. If you have the tools and experience to desolder the original headers on the board and replace them with the correct headers, feel free to do so.
Stay tuned to this post. We will provide an update when inventory comes back in stock and can also directly address any questions you may have.
