MCT8329EVM: MCT8329AEVM MSP430 I2C not working even though GUI detects UART

Hi Justin,

Thanks for reaching out, could you please look at this e2e FAQ for the firmware and let me know if the one here works?

There are no specific connections needed, one suggestion is to click on "Find Address" under "Start Guided Tuning" page to ensure I2C communication is working okay.

Regards,
Sachin S

Hi,

I’ve tested the firmware you mentioned in the E2E thread, specifically the one named:

MCxEVM_MSP430FR2355_Firmware.out – which is said to work with the old GUI Composer GUI.

Unfortunately, this firmware still doesn’t work with my setup.

After further testing, I can confirm that Motor Studio only supports MCF series devices (like MCF8316A), and does not support MCT series (such as MCT8329A). I tried multiple combinations, but none of the firmware versions available on the TI website are working.

At this point, the only software that can successfully connect to my MCT8329AEVM is the legacy tool: MCT8329A_GUI_1.1.3.

The problem is, I can’t find the correct MSP430 firmware that matches this GUI version. I've already tried all the firmware packages listed on the product page and in E2E threads, including both .out and .txt files—none of them work with GUI 1.1.3.

Could you please provide the exact firmware version or .txt file that was originally bundled with MCT8329A_GUI_1.1.3?

Thanks in advance.

Justin

WPC Systems Ltd.

Hi Justin,

Could you try the "Find Address" in the "Start Guided Tuning" page. Sometimes the MSP has to be triggered to find the address through the GUI.

Regards,
Sachin S

Hi Sachin,

Thank you for your reply. I had previously tried using the "Find I2C Address" function, but based on what I observed on the oscilloscope, the MSP430 did not send out any I2C signals, and of course the indicator of I2C target address change from software default value 0x60 to 0x00.

My main concern now is whether the MCT8329A firmware downloaded from TI’s website via the MCT8329EVM page is actually correct. After downloading and unzipping the file, there is a binary file (*.TXT) named MCF8317FEVM_MSP430FR2355_Firmware.txt, and also another one compiled using CCS without modifying the source code: MCx8315EVM_MSP430FR2355_Firmware.txt.

When I load either of these onto the MSP430 via MCT8329A, the result is the same — no I2C signals are sent to the MCT8329A chip. However, the GUI software is able to connect to the MSP430 through the FT232 and shows "connected (recommended baud rate: 9600 bps)."

Is it possible that the MSP430 performs some kind of check before initiating I2C communication with the MCT8329A chip?

Thanks,

Justin

WPC Systems Ltd.

Hi Justin,

The firmware from the ti.com site should work as is, as I have personally not faced any issues with it.

Let me check again if I am able to burn the code and retry.

Regards,

Sachin S

Hi Just,

Is this problem resolved?

Thanks and Best regards

Venkatadri S

Hi Venkatadri S,

Thanks again for your support.

After trying all available firmware files from TI’s official site (including both .out and .txt files), I still have not been able to get the MSP430FR2355 on the MCT8329AEVM to initiate any I2C communication with the MCT8329A chip. While the GUI v1.1.3 does successfully connect over UART, there is no I2C activity observed on an oscilloscope, and no response from the MCT device.

At this point, it appears that the firmware files currently provided online may not be compatible with the legacy GUI v1.1.3 or the MCT8329AEVM hardware itself — most notably, several of the available firmware files are for MCF-series devices, not MCT.

To move forward with evaluation, could you please provide the exact firmware (.txt or .out) that was factory preloaded on the MCT8329AEVM, and that is compatible with GUI version 1.1.3?

This will help ensure that we are using the correct firmware version originally designed for this EVM and GUI setup.

Thanks again for your help.

Best regards,
Justin Wu
WPC Systems Ltd.

Hi Justin,

This is strange, the FW uploaded is compatible with the board.

I can verify this in our lab and confirm.

Thanks and Best regards

Venkatadri S