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IWR1843BOOST: Question about DCA1000 PCAP File Format and ADC Data Order in MIMO Mode

Jiyun Kim
Prodigy 20 points
Part Number: IWR1843BOOST
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: DCA1000EVM

Tool/software:

Hello,

I am currently using TI’s mmWave sensor IWR1843BOOST along with the DCA1000EVM to capture raw ADC data, which is being stored in PCAP format via Ethernet. I am in the process of parsing and analyzing the data using custom tools in Python, and I would like to confirm the exact order and structure of ADC samples in the PCAP file, especially in MIMO mode.

I am reshaping the raw ADC data for the following purposes:

  • Range-Doppler Map generation

  • Range-Azimuth Map (AoA estimation using MIMO virtual array)

  • Radar Cross Section (RCS) Mapping per angle/range bin

Accurate reshaping depends on the correct interpretation of Tx/Rx and chirp ordering in the raw PCAP data. If the ordering is incorrect, the azimuth and Doppler information becomes unreliable or severely distorted.

If TI provides reference material, example code, or parsing utilities for this specific use case, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you very much!

Best regards,
Ji-yun Kim

  • +1
    TI__Mastermind 23947 points

    Hello Ji-yun Kim,

    There is the E2E DCA1000 FAQ Page that is a good starting page for information and links to all things DCA1000.

    https://e2e.ti.com/support/sensors-group/sensors/f/sensors-forum/1441304/faq-dca1000evm-support-tools-debugging-and-more

    The format of the raw data can be found within the DCA1000 User Guide's "Interpreting Raw Data" section found within the Radar Toolbox on the TI Developer Zone.

    https://dev.ti.com/tirex/explore/node?node=A__AVl5P18f2fFBRR1XxS0VfQ__radar_toolbox__1AslXXD__LATEST

    Best Regards,

    Pedrhom

  • 0 in reply to Pedrhom Nafisi
    Prodigy 20 points

    Hello again,

    Thank you for your previous response and the helpful documentation references.

    I have a follow-up question regarding the correct reshaping format of raw ADC data obtained from DCA1000EVM when used with the IWR1843BOOST in MIMO mode.

    Note: The raw ADC data has already been converted to complex values (I + jQ) and is stored as a 1D NumPy array of complex64 values in Python.

     --> The total data length is exactly 160,000 complex samples.

     System Setup:

    • 2 Tx and 4 Rx

    • 16 chirps per frame

    • 125 ADC samples per chirp

    • 10 total frames

    • Complex I/Q data (already parsed and converted from PCAP)

     My Question:

    I would like to confirm whether the following reshape format is valid:

    reshape[Number_of_frame][Number_of_chirp * Number_of_TX][Number_of_RX][Number_of_samples]

    In my case, this means reshaping the 1D complex array into:

    [10][32][4][125]

    This reshape produces consistent results for Range-Doppler processing. However, I would like to verify:

    1. Does the PCAP data reflect the Tx antenna firing sequence (e.g., Tx0 → Tx1 → Tx0...) in chirp order?

    2. Is this reshape format valid for MIMO mode, or is there any required reordering before forming the virtual antenna array for AoA estimation?

    3. Is there any official guidance confirming that this chirp-by-chirp sequence aligns with the Tx antenna schedule?

    Clarifying this will help ensure that our AoA and RCS mapping are based on a correctly interpreted chirp and antenna layout.

    Thank you again for your support!

    Best regards,
    Ji-yun Kim