AWR6843AOPEVM: Imposible to flash

Could you try connecting to this COM port using some serial terminal once?

And check this FAQ page

https://e2e.ti.com/support/sensors-group/sensors/f/sensors-forum/856044/faq-mmwave-sensor--uniflash-related-queries

Hello Jitendra,

I use docklight and send 0xFFFF ,0x0000 0x0101 and the board sends me the same thing  

about the FAQ

Q1:

I checked the COM port settings, power, restarted Uniflash 5 times, tried it on 3 different computers and I have the latest version of Uniflash.

Q2: I tried Uniflash with Chrome and I have the same problem, it freezes when it tries to connect to COM port 14 and the sensor starts to heat up.

Q3: I tried flashing the out of box demo and the vital signs demo at the same time, and I have the same problem.

Q4 : The link is broken

Q5 : I tried to do a full erase, same problem.

Q6 : I haven't built my own flasher yet.

Q7: I followed all the steps and generated the package for the standalone command line. I ran  dslite-Cortex_R4_0.bat after edited the command line

and dpinst_64_eng.exe and got this message.

Hello

Before we debug the uniflash protocol. 

Would it be possible for you to make sure you have  right mode for the device set on the board.

Thank you,

Vaibhav

Hello Vaibhav,

I checked 3 times yesterday, and 3 more times today.

I'm in flashing mode

Best regard.

P.Congré

Hello Paul,

There are a few more debug steps to try to confirm whether the device is working. The list below is not exhaustive but can help isolate where the issue might be. Can you please let us know if you are using the IC Boost EVM as well, or just using the AOP board in standalone mode?

• Setup EVM and ICBOOST (if using) for flash mode
  • https://dev.ti.com/tirex/explore/content/mmwave_industrial_toolbox_4_7_0/labs/common/docs/hardware_setup/hw_setup_mmwaveicboost_mode_flashing.html
  • https://dev.ti.com/tirex/explore/content/mmwave_industrial_toolbox_4_7_0/labs/common/docs/hardware_setup/hw_setup_isk_ods_modular_mode_flashing.html
  • Make sure you are selecting the correct device. IWR6843 can be used. There are profiles for the EVM boards as well that will work. If using the IC Boost EVM, still select the IRW6843 device.
• Powercycle the devices in this exact order
  • Disconnect USB and power cable
  • Connect the barrel jack power
  • Connect the USB cable for UART communication
  • Press nReset to reset the device
• Check device manager to ensure COM ports are both detected
  • 2 ports should be displayed
  • Neither should have errors or other messages
  • Use the application/User/Enhanced port for Uniflash programming
• Verify that the most up to date SiLabs or XDS drivers are used.
  • For Silabs (used for standalone mode), update via the device manager
  • For XDS (used with the IC Boost EVM), the easiest way is to use CCS debug mode. It will automatically check for updates when launching debug mode. The device manager should also work for updates
• Check to see if flashpythonsubprocess.exe is running and kill it if it is.
  • Open task manager
  • Check the processes for flashpythonsubprocess.exe. If it is running, end the task, and restart uniflash.
• If you have a IC Boost EVM
  • Switch which method you are using to flash.
    • Try flashing with the IC Boost EVM. This will use the XDS drivers on the IC Boost EVM
    • Try flashing in standalone mode. This will use the SiLabs drivers on the IWR6843 EVM
  • Is the power supply rated for sufficient current supply? The recommendation is 5V, 3A.
• Try uniflash online version
  • Sometimes company firewall can restrict the flashing ability of offline uniflash. Sometimes you can get around this with the online tool
  • https://dev.ti.com/uniflash/#!/
• Try the command line version of uniflash.
  • Use the offline tool to create a command line setup for flashing the device.
  • See the user's guide for info on making a command line setup.
    • http://software-dl.ti.com/ccs/esd/uniflash/docs/v5_0/quick_start_guide/uniflash_quick_start_guide.html
• Try a different PC
  • Sometimes there are permissions issues or driver issues that are difficult to identify on a single machine
  • If possible, try a PC with different permissions or security settings.
• If you have a second IWR6843 or other mmWave EVM, try flashing that board
  • If this works, see if there are any differences in the drivers or setup between the two boards. If the second board works it may indicate a HW issue with the first.
• If none of these work, please answer the following questions
  • Has the flashing ever worked?
    • If so was there anything that happened since the last time flashing worked?
      • ESD or HW issue with the board
      • Windows update or anything on the PC?
    • If not and none of the above fixes worked, it may be a HW issue.

Regards,

Jackson

Hello Jackson,

I followed your steps:

• I do not have the ICBOOST.
• I am in flash mode and try to use the pre-built IWR6843, AWR6843 and AWR6843AOP and uniflash crashes again when it tries to communicate with the COM port.
  Power up
• Connecting the USB UART and USB power seems dangerous to me but I followed your instructions.
  I used uniflash to generate the .bat again and it crashes again

• I use the latest version for Silabs

• I killed flashpythonsubprocess.exe, restarted uniflash, tried to flash again and it crashes again when it does not communicate with the COM port.

• I tried with uniflash online and it crashes too

• I tried with 2 different computers and it doesn't budge.

• I have the AWR6843SIK card and uniflash works perfectly.  
  I think it's a hardware problem with the AWR6843AOPEVM.

i think is an HW problem with the AWR6843AOPEVM. how can we solve this problem ?

Best regard.

P.Congré

Hello Jackson,

The problem seems to come from the HW, do you have a solution for that?

Best regard.

P.Congré

Hello,

Based on all the tests you have done, and that you have the ISK board working fine, it does seem to be a HW issue. This could be with the IWR chip itself, or the SiLabs UART bridge, or some power device on the board. The easiest way to debug would be to connect JTAG to the device and read some registers, but this is only possible with the ICBOOST EVM. I suggest you order the IC BOOST, which will also be useful for code modification debugging, or order a new IWR6843AOP module. Can you confirm if this device was ever working or if it never worked even out of the box?

Regards,

Jackson

Hello Jackson,

The AWR6843AOPEVM has never worked even out of the box, so I am asking if it is possible to get a refund or send me another one.

The ICEBOOST EVM is out of budget for the project.

Best regard.

P.Congré

Hello Jackson,

Thank you for your response, but support is not responding at this time.

best regard.

P.Congré

Hello,

They should respond soon, but can sometimes take a day or two. Please let me know again if they do not.

Hello Jackson,

I haven't heard from customer support yet.

Best regard.

P.Congré

Hi Paul,

Sorry to hear that, I will try to look into it. But do you have a support ticket #? Can you try calling the number and asking them about the ticket number? Or try the chat function?

Thanks,

Jackson

Hello Jackson,

I have contacted both US and French customer service but have not had a response for the replacement.

Best regard.

P.Congré

Please send me a message with the case number from customer service (I assume one is created with the ticket) and I can follow up. Sorry there has been no response.

Did you call the number? And they just didn't answer?