Programming InstaSpin BLDC GUI project to custom F28035 + DRV8332 board

Hi Jeffery,

A few questions. Are you using code composer studio to flash the code on to the F28035 control card? If you are using code composer, did you set up your target configuration to XDS USB100v2? When you connect your computer and control card via usb cable does LD4 turn on? And when you power the entire board does LD3 turn on and LD1 flash red?

Sincerely,

John

I am using CCSv5.3.

We spun a custom board based off of the controlCard schematic, but to answer your question: Yes, it is being programmed using CCS with the configuration set up to USB100v2.  The differences between the controlCard and our board is that it doesnt have a JTAG emulator built in.  It has the 20 pin JTAG connector and we are using a blackhawk XDS USB100v2 emulator to program it.

-J

The Crosshairs based GUIs use a serial port, and the firmware has to have their serial kernal included. Also, when the GUI .exe is created you have to include the map file.  So the .exe we provide is locked to the variables being in a specific location.  If you try to make your own .out to run on the MCU, if any of the variables used by the GUI have move memory locations the GUI will NOT work.

So, are you using the .out as is, or building your own?

If building your own are you keeping the exact same variable names and keeping them in the same memory location?  And compiling in the Crosshairs serial kernal?

This GUI isn't really meant to be somethign for customers to re-use as is. It was used to build a GUI for demo purposes and marketing for Crosshairs (so you would contact them if you wanted to build GUIs of your own).

Since then TI has started including their GUI Composer tool inside of CCSv5.  This allows you to create your own GUI, attach to the variable NAMES (not the location), and create executables or just use as an graphical instrument in CCS. This is what we are doing with InstaSPIN-FOC & InstaSPIN-MOTION through the MotorWare software.

I was building the project from scratch, only changing the programming method in the project itself from the XDS USB100v1 to XDS USB100v2.  I just tried to connect using the provided "InstaSPIN_BLDC_GUI_F2803x_DRV8312.out" file and connect using the "InstaSPIN-BLDC_GUI_DRV83xx_v104.exe" but it came up with the same error:

"VCP auto-connectio is enabled for this interface but no ports are available"

I do realize its not meant for something to be used in these circumstances, but figuring that it was 95% the same we figured it might work and help us identify some characteristics of the motor/board that would simplify the development process.  If we could get the source code for the InstaSPIN-Motion package I'm sure we could modify it to work with our current setup.  But since it's only delivered as a standalone executable, it doesn't lend itself to tailoring.

-J

The GUIs aren't going to help you much in this case.

I would use the Expressions View, or if you really want something graphical create some widgets and attach them to your variables using GUI Composer. It's pretty straightforward, though you need to be careful of types.

OK, it sounds like you don't think that there is much we can do to make the kernel run with the GUI outside of the Dev kit environment. 

We were able to gather some useful constants using the Instaspin GUI in the past, but I guess we'll have to try and duplicate it using the GUI builder.

-J

IF you are able to build your .out with the variables in the same location and the Crosshairs kernel included, it will work.  If you aren't, you should skit it and use the Expressions or GUI Composer if you want a visual instrument.

BTW - we do give you the source for the InstaSPIN-MOTION GUI. You can open the webapp in CCS GUI Composer.  What we don't give you is the CCS project that is used to build the .out....so you can't quickly re-create or customize your own .out

We're probalby going to release in October a new GUI (with source) that works with any MotorWare project. It uses all of the common gMotorVars variables (unlike today's GUI which used an older version of variable structure).  This GUI won't have as much capability initially (like the graphs and various motions), but it's something that you can use for development and customize easier based on any MotorWare project.

I didn't catch that the first time you mentioned it.  What is the Crosshairs kernel?

-J

the commross_28x_c_full.lib and associtated commross .c / .h files.

if you aren't able to keep the variables in the same memory location you would have to "re-compile" the GUI .exe, and for that you need a license from Crosshairs.

It's a good product, but GUI Composer is FREE. It also gives you better performance with JTAG (and there will be UART version soon).

OK, we'll give the GUI Composer a try with the InstaSPIN as a base.  

Thanks for your help.

to help with that, attached is a GUI Composer version of the Stellaris LM4F InstaSPIN-BLDC.

What this will allow you to do is import this webapp into GUI composer so you have all the graphical components / layout.

You will have to use your own .out and update all of the variable names to correspond with the variables in the controlSUITE project.