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Original question:

PGA450Q1EVM: RS232 communication interface

PGA450Q1EVM: RS232 communication interface

user5005795
Prodigy 40 points
Part Number: PGA450Q1EVM
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: TIDA-00151, , PGA450-Q1

Hi there,

I am working with the PGA450Q1EVM REV-C (including TI GER-A board and Murata transducer). I got familiar with the GUI and I am able to get range profiles from it. In order to test live feedback and set up a driver for the board, I am now trying to interface with the EVM using UART (RS232). However, I do not get any answer back from the PGA450 when sending command 0 (or any command for that matter).

I am following instructions from PGA450Q1EVM-S User's Guide and TIDA-00151 UART Demo Instructional (Rev. B).

Here are the steps I follow:

0) Connections:
    a) Connect EVM board to 12V power supply
    b) Connect USB cable from laptop to TI GER-A board (the TI GER board is connected to the EVM from the communication PCB)
    c) Connect UART-to-USB cable from laptop to RS232 port on the EVM board

1) Program DEVRAM to use UART demo firmware
    I follow the steps from section 2.2.1 (step 1 to 10) with Q1_TIDA-00151_Rev2_7_DEVRAM-UART.hex from TIDA-00151 UART & LIN Demo Firmware for PGA450-Q1 v2.4 (Rev. D) (note that the link says v2.4 but the .hex inside is rev 2.7)
    The output reads DEVRAM Verification Successful
    I do not disconnect power or any other cables. However I switch back micro controller to ACTIVE in the ESFR tab (is this step missing from the guide?).

At this point I assume that the PGA450 will respond to UART commands.

2) Sending/Receiving commands through UART
    a) Using Hercules Setup Utility, I send command 0 (0x00, 0x55, 0x00, 0x00) as in the related question post. My EEPROM 0x1F address reads 00 so since my sensor address is 0 I send (0x00, 0x55, 0x00, 0x00) as opposed to (0x00, 0x55, 0x01, 0x00)
    b) There is no output back from the EVM board... I tried with other sensor addresses as well. I also notice that the modem lines CD and RI are not green as in the posts from the related question.

3) Check UART communication through GUI
    a) I also tried checking UART through the GUI but I am confused about step 4 (p.7) since I have the EVM and not EVM-S. Instead I assume connections are already done and do not touch the hardware.
    b) Other steps go well but when I type in the command, hit Tx and then Rx, the Rx queue reads exactly the Tx sent...

Any feedback or ideas on how to solve 2 and 3?

PS: I checked the cable by shorting Txd and Rxd and confirmed that I read back what was sent (using Hercules Setup Utility) as expected.

  • 0
    TI__Mastermind 27920 points
    Hi user5005795,
    All of your steps are correct, except that you are missing one step during setup:

    When using the full scale PGA450Q1EVM hardware's RS-232 circuit, you must either:
    • supply a separate 5V supply to the 5V test point next the VPWR-IN plug (if you want to detach the TIGER board after DEVRAM programming the PGA450-Q1)
    OR
    • if you can keep the TIGER board attached as you evaluate the UART-USB communicaiton, you can enable the 5V rail on the TIGER board by opening the TIGER window from the PGA450Q1EVM GUI, and clicking the "5.0V/3.3V POWER = 1" button on the GPIO tab. This approach does not require an additional external supply.

    Without either of these steps, the RS232 circuitry is not powered, which explains why you are not seeing any response. We can add this step to the user's guide for future reference. However, thanks for your efforts in thoroughly attempting to solve this yourself first!
  • 0 in reply to Akeem Whitehead
    Prodigy 40 points

    Thank you so much for the prompt reply. This indeed solved my issue, I am able to get replies back from the board through UART now. I must have missed this in the documentation.