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IWR6843AOPEVM: Hardware trigger from IMU

Morten Nissov
Intellectual 380 points
Part Number: IWR6843AOPEVM
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: IWR6843, IWR6843AOP

I was curious if it was possible to hardware trigger this device with a square wave coming from something like an external IMU? I'd like to use this radar in connection with other sensors, e.g. camera, for localization; so this kind of uniformed triggering through an external signal would be extremely convenient.

I've looked through the documentation associated with this sensor on https://www.ti.com/tool/IWR6843AOPEVM#tech-docs and as far as I can see none of the pdf contain anything regarding a hardware trigger. Is this a possibility?

  • 0
    TI__Genius 17265 points

    Hi,

    Could you take a look at the following E2E thread, and let me know if you have any further questions?

    https://e2e.ti.com/support/sensors-group/sensors/f/sensors-forum/1036662/iwr6843isk-hardware-trigger-for-iwr6843isk-no-mmwaveicboost/3834270#3834270

    Best Regards,
    Alec

  • 0 in reply to Alec May
    Intellectual 380 points

    Seems pretty straightforward, I have some follow-up questions:

    • Are there specific requirements regarding the sync_in signal properties forthe iwr6843AOPEVM board?
    • Where is the sync_in pin on the board? The link refers to the ball location, is this accessible on the EVM as well?
    • Furthermore, in the link someone replies:

    We support external hardware trigger for each frame start.    You can find some guide at SDK Doxygen documentation:
    file:///C:/ti/mmwave_sdk_03_05_00_04/packages/ti/control/mmwavelink/docs/doxygen/html/group___sensor.html#gaf1e5cbc25891714db321da3bfa0d2014


    This link refers to some IWR16xx and AWR16xx sensors, is there a corresponding source for the iwr6843aopevm?

  • 0 in reply to Morten Nissov
    TI__Genius 17265 points

    Hi,

    sync_in should behave the same on iwr6843aop as on the traditional iwr6843. For how to locate the sync in signal, I would recommend you look at the datasheet and schematic so that you can also ensure any applicable jumpers or switches are properly set. In the linked doc, I did not see any specific mentions of 16xx sensors in the sections referring to sync_in, so it should all be applicable to IWR6843AOP unless stated otherwise.

    Best Regards,
    Alec

  • 0 in reply to Alec May
    Intellectual 380 points

    Looking at the linked doc again I realize you're right, so that confirms the SYNC_IN characteristics, I guess it's limited to the sensor frequency i.e. max 30Hz.


    I figure the AR_SYNC_IN pin is the one I'm interested in?


    Furthermore, how do I enable the HW trigger mode? Looking through the previously mentioned doxy it looks like the trigger mode is set by `rlSetFrameConfig`. I figure this is customized in the `.cfg` file according to the parameters passed with the `frameCfg` command. The mmwave SDK has the following to say regarding the arguments


    It seems to say that only software triggering is supported? Am I understanding this correctly? I assume if I want to trigger the sensor with a square pulse from an external device, e.g. IMU, this would be a "hardware trigger". Please correct me if I'm wrong.

  • 0 in reply to Morten Nissov
    TI__Genius 17265 points

    Hi,

    Yes, that pin should be correct. I looked at the SDK a bit more, and I believe the config for hardware-triggered mode should work, I think it says only the one is supported since the signal is not exposed easily on  the boards. Please go ahead and try it out and let me know if you face further issues.

    Best Regards,
    Alec

  • 0 in reply to Alec May
    Intellectual 380 points

    Okay I'll give it a try, there will be some delay however since we'll need to source a cable.

    Edit: Would you know the make/model of the 60 pin connector? The documentation refers to it as "samtec", but I'd like to be sure I can find the matching male connector.

    Edit 2: Found it to be Samtec QSH-030-01-L-D-A from the BOM