[FAQ] MMWCAS-RF-EVM: Cascade Board related Queries

Ishita Kochar

Part Number: MMWCAS-RF-EVM
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: AWR2243

Google Search: Before asking a question, try to look for some other threads related to the issue you are facing. We encourage you to use your search engine as follows: "site e2e.ti.com <Your query>"

Here is an example : "site e2e.ti.com Issues in SPI connect"

Cascade training material: https://training.ti.com/build-cascaded-radar-using-tis-mmwave-sensors

Some other reference documents:

mmWave studio cascade user guide: http://software-dl.ti.com/ra-processors/esd/MMWAVE-STUDIO/latest/exports/mmwave_studio_cascade_user_guide.pdf

Before posting any query, refer to section 13 of the above user guide for trouble shooting options.

1. How can data be captured from command line?

Please check out the mmWave Studio User Guide, section 22 "Controlling mmWaveStudio from Matlab". The mmWave Studio GUI can launch a local client port to listen for server commands. We specifically document this for the matlab controlling mmwave studio case, but this could be extendable to other tools/language.

Please refer to the below linked threads if you want to explore the possibility of capturing data and configuring the device without mmWave Studio :

(+) TIDEP-01012: Config/Data Capture without mmWave Studio - Sensors forum - Sensors - TI E2E support forums

(+) MMWCAS-RF-EVM: Harvest and Parse Capture Data Periodically - Sensors forum - Sensors - TI E2E support forums

(+) MMWCAS-DSP-EVM: Is there a way to control the DSP EVM without the mmWave Studio? - Sensors forum - Sensors - TI E2E support forums

2. TDA card is not able to capture data

a) No data file in SSD even after successful capture :

Refer to section 13 of mmwave_studio_cascade_user guide.

Other thread for reference: https://e2e.ti.com/support/sensors/f/1023/t/871563

3. Not able to connect to TDA2XX from mmWaveStudio over the network.

Before asking a question, please try out the troubleshooting steps mentioned in section 13 of mmwave_studio_cascade_user guide.
Sometimes, the WiFi connection also poses a problem for the capture card. Try disconnecting from the WiFi and connect only the ethernet cable.
Users can also refer to the following thread for reference : https://e2e.ti.com/support/sensors/f/1023/p/917791/3391777

4. Not able to connect mmWave Sensor over SPI (via SPI Connect button)

Refer to section 13 of mmwave_studio_cascade_user guide for trouble shooting

5. Can the 4-chip cascade board be used as a 2-chip board? If yes, what are the steps that need to be followed?

The user can select/unselect the number of devices to be used in mmwave studio. Click on “Setup TDAxx Capture Card” button in the left toolbar, and choose the number of devices you wish to enable.

In addition to this, if the user wants to reuse the example scripts provided with studio package, remember to edit them accordingly (as per device usage).

6. Can the raw data be parsed out of the mmWave Studio by the user separately?

There are standalone MATLAB examples provided with the mmwave Studio package to help the user get started. They include the parsing functionality outside of mmwave studio including the files describing the data and the metadata formats.

Please refer to the following thread for raw data format in cascade : (+) MMWCAS-DSP-EVM: What is data format of master/slave .bin files from Linux Cascade Radar board? - Sensors forum - Sensors - TI E2E support forums

7. Can the user set any of the four AWRx2xx chip as Master or single chip for testing? If yes, what is the process?

Users can refer to the following thread: https://e2e.ti.com/support/sensors/f/1023/t/895738

8. Some care abouts if the user is using custom design board:

a) The 20 GHz (FMCW) RF LO is generated by the master chip and distributed to the slaves and the master. The relevant signals/pins are referred to as FM_CW_SYNCx/CLKx. Hence, in addition to the connection in slaves, FMCW_SYNCOUT needs to be connected back to FMSW_SYNCIN line of same master device to achieve synchronization.

b) The frame timing synchronization is controlled by either the master chip, in the case of software message based frame trigger, or by the host processor, in the case of hardware based frame trigger. Please note that in this mode, user needs to have DIG_SYNCOUT of master routed on PCB and connected to both slave and back to Master DIG_SYNCIN. This DIG_SYNCIN triggers the frame clock and if this is not done or has jitter, there could be a failure.

9. How to access the TDA2xx directory when WinSCP is not working?

If you're not able to use WinSCP for some reason, you could do the same thing using a serial term application i.e Teraterm. Navigate to the same directory using the below command

"cd /<directory>" after logging in with "root" as the user name and open the concerned script in the vi editor to make the required edits.

10. What is there are no files in the SSD directory even after successfully capturing data from the Cascade EVM?

Please refer to the below thread for some debug steps on this issue: https://e2e.ti.com/support/sensors/f/1023/t/871563

11. How to proceed next if TDA ARM fails due to "Create Application Response Timeout" error in mmWave Studio?

This error generally comes when the width and Height is configured "0" for all or some of the devices.

This can be due to the following reasons:

1. There might be some wrong configuration set from your part, kindly check that.

2. Sometimes, if the TDA2xx firmware is not correctly flashed, it leads to this error. Kindly refer to the mmWave studio user guide for steps on this.

3. It might be possible that the SSD is already full. Format the SSD once and try again.

4. Sometimes SSD not being present or not being detected is also a possibility. Again, follow the steps mentioned in the user guide to make sure SSD is detected properly.

4. Ensure the TDA2xx board is properly connected to the RF board. A loose connection can also lead to this.

5. Please make sure you've enabled atleast one RX for the master Device (This is a requirement for studio).

6. This can happen if you're configuring less number of devices than what was enabled in setting up TDAxx capture card.

12. How to proceed further if the following error is received :"CAPTURE_RESPONSE_NETWORK_ERROR Async event recieved! Connection error! Please reboot the TDA board".

This usually comes when the TDA2xx capture card is out of network. Try to ping the TDA card from your PC and vice versa to ensure it is connected to the network. If not, please follow the user guide to establish connection.

13.Radar SDK 3.7 and Radar SDK 3.8 does not work with AWR2243 Cascade Imaging Kit

Please see