IWR6843ISK-ODS: FMCW MMwave sensor: IWR6843ISK-ODS + DCA

Hello Jonathan,

Can you format the flash contents once and try again.

Regards,

Ishita

Hi Ishita,

Good day. I have checked with our customer for an update. 

1."format using the uniflash" is done. But still have the same issue. "It is stuck in downloading MSS FM to the device". Note that the BSS version is available. So, it is loaded correctly.

2. Our customer have checked this post: (https://e2e.ti.com/support/sensors/f/sensors-forum/993689/awr1843boost-problem-in-loading-bss-and-mss-firmware-into-awr1843boost-with-mmwave-studio ) it summarize all solutions provided by TI to address their issue. they have tested all except using an extra power adapter which they already ordered, and now they are waiting for it to be delivered). I hope it works. 

According to the customer, the big difference is that in all mentioned posts, the users failed to load BSS FW ( since the version is not registered correctly). However, it is not the case for them, as show in the screenshot. 

If you have anything to comment for what's the root cause of this error, we will be glad to know. 

Regards,

Jonathan

Hello Jonathon,

Thankyou for the information.

Yes, this looks strange. If the BSS firmware is downloading, MSS should too.

Is the SOP mode set correctly? It should be SOP 2. And was the flash properly erased? Like did they get a message prompt saying it was successful? If not, they can try erasing the content of SFLASH prior to using mmWave studio

Would it be possible to perform this experiment on a different machine/PC also?

Regards,

Ishita

Hi Ishita,

Thank you for the response. Here is the update from our customer. 

Mainly the issue is not solved yet. 
4 different things are mentioned and referred to in the thread (e2e.ti.com/.../awr1843boost-problem-in-loading-bss-and-mss-firmware-into-awr1843boost-with-mmwave-studio):

1. Format using uniflash (done)
2. Double check the jumpers and switches (done)
3. Pushing the nReset button 2-3 times after clearing the flash (done)
4. Using an adapter for DCA (have not tried (ordered))

Although they are trying all mentioned changes, it may be different case. Because, they have successfully loaded the BSS FW, and its version is correctly registered just like shown in the screenshot.

They have two options remaining:(they need sometime to update on this)

1. Power adapter
2. Trying on a different PC

They also want to mention that in last trial, they received two errors while trying to start the MMWAVE studio (photos are attached).
Can this be representative of a hidden problem resulting in this issue? (note that they managed to pass these steps once in their first experience with the boards, and they saw the post processing window and results) 

Thank you and regards,

Jonathan

Hello Jonathan,

Thanks for the update and Yes I completely understand their concern. We too haven't seen this issue before. Like I said, if the BSS Firmware is downloading properly, I believe the connections should be proper and hence loading MSS should also not be a problem. Currently, apart from the pending two items, I'm not able to think of any possible workaround. 

Let me know their observations when they try those and then we can further think on that and I will escalate this further to the team if needed.

Now regarding your mmWave Studio issue, do you mean they were able to download both the firmwares succesfully at some point in the past and its only now they have seen this issue?

The errors they're getting is something that one gets if the installation was not proper. Can you ask the customer to uninstall and install studio once again. If that doesn't help, please delete the RSTD folder and try opening studio again. (RSTD Folder can be found in the following directory: ../Appdata/Roaming/RSTD)

Maybe this issue is Studio related and not hardware board.

Regards,

Ishita

Hi Ishita,

Thank you for your response. Here is the update from our customer.

Yes, they successfully downloaded both firmware at some point in the past and even worked with the post-processing window once in their first trial. After the first trial, they ran into this issue.

They are going to try those two workarounds and give us feedback soon.

As for the startup error, they studied some threads about that problem and tried the mentioned process (clearing the RSTD and installing the MMWAVE studio again) multiple times a while ago. However, it did not fix the issue. They also try to fix this issue based on the past threads on TI forums. Let them know if you have any feedback on that too.

Regards,

Jonathan

Hello Jonathon,

Thanks for your feedback. We will look forward to hear from the customer.

Jonathan Navor said:

As for the startup error, they studied some threads about that problem and tried the mentioned process (clearing the RSTD and installing the MMWAVE studio again) multiple times a while ago. However, it did not fix the issue. They also try to fix this issue based on the past threads on TI forums. Let them know if you have any feedback on that too.

On the above issue, please ask them to uninstall and install mmWave Studio once again.

Regards,

Ishita

Hi Ishita, 

We have an update from our customer. 

I am reposting the detailed response to have a clearer information: 

I tried all proposed solutions again and again.
We received an extra adapter for the DCA board and used it. However, it did not help to solve the issue as well.

To solve the startup error, I reinstalled the mmwave studio and cleared the RSTD folder.
Surprisingly, now I passed the connection section without being stuck in the MSS FW download.
The startup error is still there, although the original issue is solved.

Considering all these, I think the original problem (getting stuck in the MSS FW download) is a software issue. So, I think it would be a good idea to pass this issue to the respective team.
I could not solve the startup error yet, although I did the reinstallation and clearing the RSTD folder multiple times. I appreciate any comments on that. 

I am happy anyway that the original problem is solved. Thanks a lot for your support on that.

Best regards,

Jonathan

Hello Jonathan,

Sorry I'm a little confused here. Let me summarize some points from your reply and you can confirm if I understood right : 

1. They are able to now download the MSS Firmware successfully and it is not stuck as they said earlier.

2. There is an issue with mmWave Studio and they're getting the "file format not valid" error as stated in the previous replies.

Now my doubt here is that if there mmWave studio itself is not starting up, how are they able to download the BSS/MSS firmware?

Let me know if I'm missing something here.

Regards,

Ishita

Hi Ishita,

Sorry for the delayed response. Our customer have replied just now. 

First of all they are sorry for replying too late.

Second, they are sorry if there is any misunderstanding in their message.

As mentioned, they tried all possible ways. Finally, uninstalling and installing the mmwave studio again helped.
So they can now work with the mmwave studio, and they managed to connect the radar (no MSS download issue anymore).

However, as for startup errors which they shared a couple of screenshots(attached before), they still see them and still occurs, although the mmwave studio works apparently.

They already tried all mentioned possible solutions provided by your experts (reinstalling the mmwave studio and clearing the RSTD), but it did not help or solve the errors. So, the last question would be, " Is it ok to face these startup errors while our mmwave studio opens and works? Or, will these be a bigger problem sooner or later?"

Thank you for your support. 

Best regards,

Jonathan

Hello Jonathan,

I have not seen this happen before although, but if mmWave Studio is working properly and they're able to use the tool to interact with the device, I think that's okay and there should be no problem. 

For cross verification, I can check with the studio team also and get back by tomorrow. 

Regards,

Ishita