MCF8316C-Q1: MCF8316C Target Board Not Recognized by MotorStudio

Ho Conor,

Can you check if device is in sleep mode?

FW version is correct?

Try changing the POT direction value and retest.

Thanks and Best Regards

Venkatadri S

Hi Venkatadri,

Venkatadri Shantaram84961 said:

Can you check if device is in sleep mode?

I am concerned that the MCF8316C may enter sleep mode immediately after startup or under certain conditions, which would prevent I2C communication from starting. Since I cannot connect to the GUI, should I check whether I2C communication is enabled by toggling the RESET pin from LOW to HIGH to restart the device? Could you please provide specific instructions on how to check and handle this situation?

Venkatadri Shantaram84961 said:

FW version is correct?

The latest MCXEVM-MSP430FR2355-MOTORSTUDIO-FW version we are using is v0.0.9, which is written to the MSP430 on the EVM. Our MotorStudio version is also v0.1.22. Could you confirm whether these versions are sufficient for proper operation with the MCF8316C?

Since we have previously confirmed normal operation with the MCF8316A using this setup, we are concerned that updates to the firmware, including possible changes to the I2C slave address, may be required to support the MCF8316C.

Venkatadri Shantaram84961 said:

Try changing the POT direction value and retest.

As I mentioned, MotorStudio is currently unavailable. Could you please explain in detail how to adjust and verify the POT settings without using MotorStudio, and what steps we should take in this situation? 

Since there are differences in specifications and register maps between MCF8316A and MCF8316C, if the current GUI (MotorStudio) or firmware for the MCF8316A cannot properly recognize and control the MCF8316C, we would appreciate it if you could provide compatible software and firmware for the MCF8316C as soon as possible.

Thanks,

Conor

Hello Conor,

Thanks for the details, I will look at this e2e from here. I will respond to this by tomorrow.

Regards,

Sachin S

Hi Sachin,

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Conor

Hi Conor,

Device enters sleep only if speed pin is low, hence I asked for changing the POT direction. When you power up measure the dc bus current, if it less than 4mA then change the POT potion to other direction and check if the DC bus current changes back to 25mA+ and then test I2C.

 The FW version v0.0.9 is appropriate for Motor studio.

Use the voltage probe and measure signal on the Speed Pin to ensure level is high.

Thanks and Best Regards

Venkatadri S

Hi Venkatadri, 

OK, I will check if the speed pin is set to LOW and if I can change the POT direction and connect it to the GUI, and I will let you know the results later.

Thanks,

Conor

Thank you, I will wait for the update.

Thanks and Best Regards

Venkatadri S

Hi Venkatadri,

1. Confirmation of SPEED pin setting:
Following advice from you, we pulled up the SPEED pin to High level to confirm behavior. Specifically, we changed the SPEED pin, which was originally pulled down with 10 kΩ, to be pulled up to AVDD with 4.7 kΩ.
However, there was no change in behavior.

2. Confirmation of bus current upon power-up:

3. Voltage status on MCF8316C board:

• AVDD = 3.36 V
• FB_BK = 0.8 V (Note: 5.28 V on MCF8316A board)
• DVDD = 0 V (Note: 1.8 V on MCF8316A board)

4. Observations and phenomena:

• Upon the very first power-up of the MCF8316C board after assembly, it was possible to connect to MotorStudio.
• During this first power-up, both FB_BK and DVDD showed correct voltage output.
• However, after loading the MCF8316A configuration file using MotorStudio, FB_BK and DVDD stopped outputting.
• We suspected that loading the configuration might be the cause, but even just reading registers caused the same issue, where FB_BK and DVDD stopped.
• When comparing the GD_CONFIG2 register related to the buck converter between MCF8316A and MCF8316C, we noticed differences in the bit configuration (e.g., BUCK_DIS bit exists in MCF8316A but not in MCF8316C).
  
• In MotorStudio, even though BUCK_DIS does not exist in MCF8316C, it is not grayed out and seems writable. Therefore, we suspect that writing into RESERVED areas may be causing the issue.
  

5. Our question:
Once FB_BK and DVDD stop outputting in MCF8316C due to such a situation (possibly caused by invalid register writes), is there any way to forcefully recover DVDD output?
For example:

• Temporarily supply FB_BK directly from AVDD by removing L1 to enable DVDD generation.
• Any other recommended method to temporarily recover DVDD and resume I2C communication to correct register settings.

We suspect that incorrect settings around the buck converter are causing this behavior, but we would appreciate any advice on how to recover from this state and restore communication.

Thanks,

Conor

Hi Conor,

I will verify and get back to you.

Thanks and Best Regards

Venkatadri S

Hi Venkatadri,

Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Conor

Hi Venkatadri,

Do you have any update?

Thanks,

Conor

Hi Conor,

Sorry for delaying, we will look into this tomorrow.

Thanks and Best Regards

Venkatadri S

Hi Conor,

Apologies for the delayed response here. The device should wake up to default register settings on every power up unless the EEPROM is written. Is it possible to replace the MCF8316C unit and verify?

Conor said:

Once FB_BK and DVDD stop outputting in MCF8316C due to such a situation (possibly caused by invalid register writes), is there any way to forcefully recover DVDD output?
For example:

• Temporarily supply FB_BK directly from AVDD by removing L1 to enable DVDD generation.
• Any other recommended method to temporarily recover DVDD and resume I2C communication to correct register settings.

We suspect that incorrect settings around the buck converter are causing this behavior, but we would appreciate any advice on how to recover from this state and restore communication.

Thanks and regards,

Sachin S

Hi Sachin,

Sachin S said:

The device should wake up to default register settings on every power up unless the EEPROM is written. Is it possible to replace the MCF8316C unit and verify?

Did you read my inquiry from 3/14 correctly?

• When I power on the MCF8316C board for the first time, I can connect it to MotorStudio.
• After configuring the registers via MotorStudio, the FB_BK and DVDD outputs stop.
• Based on this behavior, even if I replace the IC, the same issue is likely to occur when I load the same settings in MotorStudio. Therefore, replacing the IC does not seem to be a fundamental solution.

Is it possible that MotorStudio is unintentionally modifying the RESERVED area of the MCF8316C (such as BUCK_DIS) each time? I would like to discuss how to establish communication between the MCF8316C mounted on a custom board and MotorStudio, as I believe replacing the IC will not fundamentally resolve the issue.

Please let me know if I have misunderstood anything or if there are any additional points that need to be addressed or checked.

Thanks,

Conor

Hi Conor, 

Sorry I overlooked this point. Are we trying to load MCF8316A file into MCF8316C? If yes, it is not recommended to do so as the register maps of the two devices are slightly different. 

Conor said:

However, after loading the MCF8316A configuration file using MotorStudio, FB_BK and DVDD stopped outputting.

Could you share your .json file?

Thanks and regards,

Sachin S 

Hi Sachin, 

We currently have three custom boards with the MCF8316C. Two of them are unable to connect to MotorStudio and one is untested.

The first time a board is connected to MotorStudio, the message "Connection successful" is displayed. Even after power cycling, the board is still detected.
However, after simply reading the shadow memory in MotorStudio (not writing to EEPROM, just reading), the board is no longer recognized. At this point, AVDD is still output, but FB_BK and DVDD are not.

When this problem occurs, the board cannot be reconnected to MotorStudio, even after a power cycle. Since I still have an untested board, I can use it for further testing if needed.

The JSON file used for writing was based on the MCF8316A configuration.
JSON file information.zip
To rule out possible issues, we manually created a new JSON file using the recommended defaults from the datasheet and tried writing it again, but the problem persisted.

In addition, we are considering replacing the MCF8316C with the MCF8316D in the future, but we need to continue the evaluation in the short term. Therefore, we would appreciate your assistance in resolving this issue. Also since a similar issue may occur with the MCF8316D, we would also like to take proactive measures to prevent future problems.

We look forward to your insights.

Conor

Hi Conor, 

Thanks for the details. Looks like there's nothing really wrong you are doing here. Would you be able to share your custom board schematics? I want to review the buck sections and other pins on how they are assigned.

Thanks and regards,

Sachin S

Hi Sachin, 

Thanks for checking.
Please request a private message so I can provide the circuit diagram.

Thanks,

Conor

Sure Conor, sent you a message

Hi Sachin, 

We have provided you with the information via private message and look forward to receiving your updates.

Thanks,

Conor

Thanks, I will close this forum.