Having problems with CC Debugger

If the LED on the CC Debugger stays off, it is not a good sign. It could perhaps be that either the CC Debugger's firmware has gotten corrupted somehow, or the CC Debugger has been ESD zapped/damaged somehow.

If you have another CC Debugger, or a SmartRF04EB or SmartRF05EB development board, you may try to reprogram the CC Debugger (it contains a CC2511 USB controller inside). The CC Debugger User Guide (see http://focus.ti.com/docs/toolsw/folders/print/cc-debugger.html ) contains a section on how to open and "unbrick" a broken CC Debugger. To open the plastic housing, squeeze in gently on the two long sides near one end, and pull apart -- the plastic is only clipped together, 2 clips on each long side.

But before you go ahead with that you should probably check if there's anything else broken, e.g. the voltage regulator. This can be quickly checked by using a voltmeter to measure if pin 9 (VDD) on the CC Debugger cable connector outputs 3.3 V, as it should, when connected to USB with power. Otherwise, it could indicate that the voltage regulator that converts 5 V USB bus supply down to 3.3 V used by CC Debugger logic is broken. You can measure this by checking the voltage difference between pin 1 (GND) and pin 9 (VDD) on the target connector.

The first thing that i checked was the regulator, but he is okay, because the input is 5V and the output is 3,3V. When i plug in the CC debugger into the computer he don't appear in drivers or USB or the sound that i connect something in USB...

My biggest afraid is if it was the CC2511 that was damaged, how can i test? Other possibility that i thought was the SN74AVC4T245, the level converter, but i don't think that he affects the system that way, by the schematic that i saw on datasheet

And what you mean when you said ESD zapped

Okay, it's good that the regulator is working.

By "ESD zapped" I meant that any of the ICs inside could perhaps have been damaged by electrostatic discharge. However, this was just a wild speculation since I don't know anything about your working environment you are using the CC Debugger in, nor the hardware setup you use. By "normal" use this shouldn't occur though.

It could be that the software residing in the USB controller (CC2511) has gotten corrupted somehow (I don't know exactly what you were doing before the problem occured). Normally it contains a USB bootloader + an application firmware. If you check chapter 8 in the CC Debugger User's Guide, it is described how you may attempt to put the CC Debugger into the "forced boot recovery mode" (i.e. boot into the bootloader), and re-download the application firmware over USB using SmartRF Flash Programmer.

If this is unsuccessful, you may check chapter 8.2 about resurrecting a dead CC Debugger (i.e. reprogram it from scratch, first with bootloader and then application firmware). However, to do this, you will need an additional CC Debugger/SmartRF04EB/SmartRF05EB to use as a programming device. If you do have such a programming device, this should always work -- unless the chip has been damaged somehow.

rui Duarte said:

My biggest afraid is if it was the CC2511 that was damaged, how can i test? Other possibility that i thought was the SN74AVC4T245, the level converter, but i don't think that he affects the system that way, by the schematic that i saw on datasheet

Yes, you say that the CC Debugger does not report on the USB bus when you connect it to the PC -- which indicates there is a problem with the CC2511 USB controller, and not the level converters. If only the level converters were broken, it should still show up as a USB device.

I was testing the adc of CC2430 and i was doing step by step, when he stopped responding. I have already shor-circuit the pin P1.6 to ground, but the light don't blink

the problem was the software that has corrupted. I re-downloaded the application firmware using another CC-Debugger and now everything was okay. Thank you so much =)

Regards

R.D.

I accidentally connected the debugger incorrectly to a few CC1110 SOCs so that GND was touching VDD and VDD was touching GND.  When I had the VCC and GND reversed, the LED did not light up at all - not green or red or flashing. When I connected VCC and GND properly (as well as reset, DC and DD of course), the debugger shows a red light most of the time.  Occasionally I will see the green LED flicker for a millisecond or so before turning red again if I work at connecting and reconnecting VCC.

When I reversed GND and VCC, could this potentially have fried the SOC preventing any future successful connection with the debugger?

Hi,

Yes, grounding VDD could potentially cause damage to the components, onboard the CC1110 SoC or the CC Debugger.

Have you measured the signals (Reset, DD, DC) between the CC Debugger and the CC1110?

Br,
TIABO 

Could it also be that it's the CC Debugger that has gotten upset, and the CC1110 is still fine?
Do you have another CC1110/chip that you can test the CC Debugger with, to see if the problem is related to the CC Debugger?

If the problem seems to be with the CC Debugger, e.g. if its software has been corrupted somehow, I think I would have tried to re-program it with its firmware by using the "forced boot recovery mode" procedure described the CC Debugger user guide (section 8.3).

When you do it, just make sure you select the correct .hex file in SmartRF Flash Programmer when you re-program it.

I appreciate the thoughts!  The CC Debugger works without issues with other SOCs so the debugger is fine.  I have not tried measuring the signals with a scope so if I decide to research the issue further I'll try doing that.  For now, I am satisfied to hear that the components may have been damaged on the SOC and will make some replacements.