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IWR6843ISK: Using IWR6843ISK as a Standalone Sensor & RS232 TX/RX for UART Communication

Abhithlal C
Prodigy 55 points
Part Number: IWR6843ISK
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: MMWAVEICBOOST, , IWR6843, MAX3232

Tool/software:

Hello,

I am currently working with the IWR6843ISK (PROC073 REV B) and MMWAVEICBOOST ( PROC074B-001). My goal is to make the IWR6843ISK function independently as a standalone radar sensor—without requiring the MMWAVEICBOOST. My ultimate goal is to connect the radar sensor to another MCU (STM32WL55JC1) to receive the radar data, parse it, and generate a trigger event based on detection conditions.

Current Setup:

  • I have been using the XDS110 USB interface to configure and monitor the radar output.
  • When connected via USB, I see two virtual COM ports:
    1. XDS110 Class Application/User UART → Used for sending configuration (.cfg) commands.
    2. XDS110 Class Auxiliary Data Port → Used for receiving radar output data.
  • The radar configuration and visualization are done via mmWave Visualizer.

Questions:

  1. Can I use the IWR6843ISK as a standalone radar sensor without the MMWAVEICBOOST?

    • If so, do I need an external flash or additional hardware for boot and operation?
    • Would another version of IWR6843 be more suitable for standalone use?
    • My goal is to connect the radar sensor with the another MCU to get the sensor data and parse it and create a trigger.

  2. Using RS232 TX/RX on LP/BP instead of XDS110:

    • The 40-Pin LP/BP connector has RS232 TX (J5.5) and RS232 RX (J5.7).
    • If I connect these to a microcontroller (e.g., STM32WL55JC1) via MAX3232 (RS232 to TTL converter):
      • How do I send the configuration commands?
      • Will I receive the same radar output data that appears on the XDS110 Auxiliary Data Port?

  3. Do I need to get both UART ports (XDS110 Auxiliary Data Port and Configuration Port)?

    • If yes, how can I achieve this using the RS232 TX/RX on the LP/BP connector?
    • Can I handle both configuration and radar data via the RS232 TX/RX pins?
    • If not, what alternative methods exist to configure the sensor and get the sensor data?

Any guidance on configuring and receiving radar data through RS232 instead of XDS110 would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

  • 0
    TI__Mastermind 21001 points

    Hi,

    Abhithlal C said:

    Can I use the IWR6843ISK as a standalone radar sensor without the MMWAVEICBOOST?

    • If so, do I need an external flash or additional hardware for boot and operation?
    • Would another version of IWR6843 be more suitable for standalone use?

    The ISK EVM already includes an external flash. ISK EVMs Rev C and later can be used in "Standalone mode" but it's not exactly the same as what you mean, in that case standalone mode just means it can connect to the PC via USB which is obviously not what you are trying to do. The only way this would be possible with the host being an external MCU would be by making modifications to the ISK evm to wire in power, gnd, uart tx/rx from the host. I would not recommend this as there may not be any good spots to access the required signals so the soldering may be quite difficult. This is why the ICBOOST board is is recommended for what you are trying to do, the BP/LP connectors on the back allow for easy access to the required signals.

    Some EVMs (IWR1843BOOST, IWRL6432BOOST) already include the BP/LP connectors and the UART can be routed there instead of the USB connector (typical use). These may suit your needs.

    Abhithlal C said:

    Do I need to get both UART ports (XDS110 Auxiliary Data Port and Configuration Port)?

    • If yes, how can I achieve this using the RS232 TX/RX on the LP/BP connector?
    • Can I handle both configuration and radar data via the RS232 TX/RX pins?
    • If not, what alternative methods exist to configure the sensor and get the sensor data?

    By default all of the 6843 demos use both the data and configuration ports. Technically it should be possible to modify this to only use the config port (RS232 TX/RX) for both config and data output but changes would be required in the SW. Please see this thread: https://e2e.ti.com/support/sensors-group/sensors/f/sensors-forum/1259798/iwr6843aop-using-one-uart-for-both-config-and-data 

    Best regards,

    Josh 

  • 0 in reply to Josh Dye
    Prodigy 55 points

    Hi Josh,

    Sorry for the delayed response.

    We initially tried to order the REV C IWR6843ISK, but it was out of stock at the time. For now, we are proceeding with IWR6843ISK for testing.

    I have a few clarifications regarding the RS232 TX/RX pins:

    • Does the IWR6843ISK output true RS232 signals directly from the chip, or is it outputting UART signals that are later converted to RS232?
    • I have already configured the DIP switch settings to enable the 40-pin LP/BP connector.
    • I connected the RS232 TX/RX to an STM32WL55, successfully sent the radar configuration, and received data.

    Now, I need to customize the example project to use the same UART for both configuration and data transmission. Based on the forum thread you shared, I understand that firmware modifications are required for this. Could you provide guidance on:

    1. The specific changes needed in the example project to achieve this?
    2. Whether I need to disable the XDS110 USB UART completely, or if it can still be used for debugging while routing configuration and data through RS232 TX/RX?

    Appreciate your insights!

    Best regards,
    Abhithlal C

  • 0 in reply to Abhithlal C
    TI__Mastermind 21001 points

    Hi Abhithlal, 

    I believe you should just need to change the change the uart instance passed to the transmit output function. Search in mss_main.c for MmwDemo_transmitProcessedOutput and you should see the loggingUartHandle is given as an argument. You will want to change that to commandUartHandle. Depending on what data outputs are enabled you may also need to try to increase the baud rate for the command/config uart since that is slower than the data uart by default so it may not be able to support all of the data output at a slower rate.

    Abhithlal C said:
    1. Whether I need to disable the XDS110 USB UART completely, or if it can still be used for debugging while routing configuration and data through RS232 TX/RX?

    No the XDS and the LP/BP signals are muxed on the ICBOOST so you will not be able to use them at the same time. 

    Regards,

    Josh