The AWR1443 BoosterPack™ is an easy-to-use evaluation board for the single-chip AWR1443 mmWave
sensing device from TI, with direct connectivity to the TI MCU LaunchPad™ ecosystem. The evaluation
board contains everything needed to start developing on a low-power ARM®-R4F controller. The
evaluation board includes onboard emulation for programming and debugging, onboard buttons, and
LEDs, for quick integration of a simple user interface. The standard 20-pin BoosterPack headers make the
evaluation board compatible with a wide variety of TI MCU LaunchPads and enables easy prototyping.
The AWR1243 BoosterPack is an evaluation board for the AWR1243 mmWave high-performance front
end. The evaluation platform enables raw capture of ADC data from the front end and evaluation of RF
performance.
1.2Key Features
•40-pin LaunchPad standard that leverages the LaunchPad ecosystem
•XDS110-based JTAG emulation with serial port, for onboard QSPI flash programming (for AWR1443)
•Backchannel UART through USB to PC, for logging purposes
•Onboard antenna
•60-pin high density (HD) connector, for raw ADC data over CSI, or the high-speed debug interface
•Onboard CAN transceiver (for AWR1443)
•One button and two LEDs, for user interaction
•5-V power jack, to power the board
Getting Started
1.3What is Included
1.3.1Kit Contents
•AWR1443BOOST or AWR1243BOOST
•Mounting brackets, screws, and nuts, to allow placing the PCB vertical
•Micro USB cable to connect to the PC
NOTE: Not included: 5 V, >2.5-A supply brick with 2.1-mm barrel jack (center positive). TI
recommends using an external power supply that complies with applicable regional safety
standards such as UL, CSA, VDE, CCC, PSE, and so on. The cable length of the power cord
must be < 3 m.
1.3.2mmWave Proximity Demo
TI provides sample demo codes to easily get started with the AWR1443 evaluation module and
experience the functionality of the AWR1443 mmWave sensor. For details on getting started with these
demos, see the mmWave SDK User Guide.
(1)
BoosterPack, LaunchPad are trademarks of Texas Instruments.
(2)
ARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited.
(3)
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
2.2Connecting BoosterPack™ to LaunchPad™ or MMWAVE-DEVPACK
This BoosterPack can be stacked on top of the Launchpad, or the MMWAVE-DEVPACK, using the two
20-pin connectors. The connectors do not have a key to prevent the misalignment of the pins or reverse
connection. Therefore, ensure reverse mounting does not take place. On the AWR1443 BoosterPack, we
have provided 3V3 marking near pin 1 (see Figure 4). This same marking is provided on compatible
LaunchPads which must aligned before powering up the boards.
Figure 4. 3V3 and 5-V Mark on the LaunchPad™ (White Triangle)
The BoosterPack is powered by the 5-V power jack (>2.5-A current limit). As soon as the power is
provided, the NRST and 5-V LEDs glow, indicating that the board is powered up (see Figure 5).
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Figure 5. Power Connector
NOTE: After the 5-V power supply is provided to the EVM, TI recommends pressing the NRST
switch (SW2) once to ensure a reliable boot up state.
2.4Connectors
2.4.120-Pin BoosterPack™ Connectors
The BoosterPack has the standard LaunchPad connectors (J5 and J6) which enable the BoosterPack to
be directly connected to all TI MCU LaunchPads (see Table 1). While connecting the BoosterPack to other
LaunchPads, ensure the pin 1 orientation is correct by matching the 3V3 and 5-V signal marking on the
boards (see Figure 6).
Figure 6. 20-Pin BoosterPack™ Connectors (J5 and J6)
•PGOOD – This signal indicates the state of the onboard VIO supply for the AWR device coming from
the onboard PMIC. A high on the PGOOD signal (3.3 V) indicates that the supply is stable. Because
the IOs are not failsafe, the MCU must ensure that it does not drive any IO signals to the AWR device
before this IO supply is stable. Otherwise, there could be leakage current into the IOs.
•PMIC Enable – This signal goes onboard PMIC enable. The MCU can use this signal to completely
shut down the PMIC and AWR device to save power. The power up of the PMIC takes approximately 5
ms once the Enable signal is released.
NOTE: To enable this feature, the R102 resister must be populated on the EVM.
•ANA1/2/3/4 – These are inputs to the GPADCs (general purpose ADC) available on the AWR1443
device.
The 60-pin HD connector provides high speed data over CSI or the HS_DEBUG interface, and controls
signals (SPI, UART, I2C, NRST, NERR, and SOPs) and JTAG debug signals (see Table 3). This
connector can be connected to the MMWAVE-DEVPACK board and interface with the TSW1400 (see
43NC44DEBUG/CSI_CLKP
45NC46DEBUG/CSI_CLKM
47NC48GND
49NC50DEBUG/CSI_1P
51I2C_SDA52DEBUG/CSI_1M
53I2C_SCL54GND
55RS232RX (Rx into AWR
device)
57RS232TX (Tx from AWR
device)
59nRESET60GND
PGOOD – This signal indicates that the state of the onboard VIO supply for the AWR device coming from
the onboard PMIC. A high on the PGOOD signal (3.3 V) indicates the supply is stable. Because the I/Os
are not failsafe, the MCU must ensure that it does not drive any I/O signals to the AWR device before this
I/O supply is stable, to avoid leakage current into the I/Os.
2.4.3CAN Interface Connector (for AWR1443)
The J3 connector provides the CAN_L and CAN_H signals (see Figure 8) from the onboard CAN
transceiver (SN65HVDA540). These signals can be directly wired to the CAN bus.
Because the digital CAN signals (TX and RX) are muxed with the SPI interface signals on the AWR
device, one of the two paths must be selected. This is done by placing the switch S2 on the "CAN"
position.
Connectivity is provided using the micro USB connector over the onboard XDS110 (TM4C1294NCPDT)
emulator. This connection provides the following interfaces to the PC:
•JTAG for CCS connectivity
•UART1 for flashing the onboard serial flash, downloading FW using RADAR studio, and getting
application data sent over the UART
•MSS logger UART, which can be used to get MSS code logs on the PC
When the USB is connected to the PC the device manager recognizes the following COM ports, as shown
in Figure 9:
•XDS110 Class Application/User UART → the UART1 port
•XDS110 Class Auxiliary Data port → the MSS logger port
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Figure 9. XDS110 Ports
If Windows®is unable to recognize the COM ports previously shown, install the emupack available here
2.5.1Erasing Onboard Serial Flash
Before loading the code to the serial flash or connecting the board to RADAR Studio, TI recommends
completely erasing the onboard serial flash. The instructions to erase the onboard serial flash are in the
mmWave SDK User Guide.
2.5.2Connection With MMWAVE-DEVPACK
Mmwave SDK demos and released labs do not require the DevPack to be used with the BoosterPack.
Users may be required to use the DevPack along with the BoosterPack for the following use cases:
•Connecting to RADAR studio. This tool provides capability to configure the mmWave front end from
the PC. This tool is available in the DFP package.
•Capturing high-speed LVDS data using the TSW1400 platform from TI. This device allows the user to
capture raw ADC data over the high-speed debug interface and post process it in the PC. The RADAR
Studio tool provides an interface to the TSW1400 platform as well, so that the front end configurations
and data capture can be done using a single interface. Details on this board can be found at
http://www.ti.com/tool/tsw1400evm
For details on these use cases, see the mmWave-DevPack User Guide.
2.5.3Connecting the BoosterPack to the DCA1000
The BoosterPack can be connected to the DCA1000 FPGA platform for LVDS streaming over Ethernet.
For detailed information on how to capture LVDS data using the DCA1000, see the following resources:
The BoosterPack includes onboard etched antennas for the four receivers and three transmitters, which
enables tracking multiple objects with their distance and angle information. This antenna design enables
estimation of both azimuth and elevation angles, which enables object detection in a 3-D plane (see
Figure 10).
The antenna peak gain is > 10.5 dBi across the frequency band of 76 to 81 GHz. The radiation pattern of
the antenna in the horizontal plan (H-plane) and elevation plan (E-plane) is as shown in Figure 11 and
The AWR1443 and AWR1243 devices can be set to operate in three different modes, based on the state
of the SOP (sense on power) lines (see Figure 13). These lines are only sensed during boot up of the
AWR device. The state of the device is described by Table 4.
A closed jumper refers to a 1 and an open jumper refers to a 0 state of the SOP signal going to the AWR
device.
Table 5 and Table 6 list the push button and LED uses, respectively.
ReferenceUseCommentsImage
SW2RESET
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Table 5. Push Buttons
This button is used to reset the
radar device. This signal is also
brought out on the 20-pin
connector and 60-pin HD
connector, so that an external
processor can control the AWR
device.
The onboard XDS110 can also
use this reset.
SW1GPIO_1
When this button is pushed,
the GPIO_1 is pulled to Vcc.
Table 6. LEDs
ReferenceColorUseCommentsImage
DS2Red5-V supply indication
DS4YellownRESET
DS1RedNERR_OUT
This LED indicates the
presence of the 5-V supply.
This LED is used to indicate
the state of nRESET pin. If
this LED is on, the device is
out of reset. This LED glows
only after the 5-V supply is
provided.
This LED turns on if there is
any hardware error in the
AWR device.
The SPI and CAN interface are muxed on the same lines on the AWR1243BOOST. Based on the
configuration, the user can select if the pins P5 and R8 must be connected to the 20-pin/HD connectors to
provide the SPI interface OR the on board CAN PHY (U3). This selection is done by setting the S1 switch.
Figure 15. S1 Switch to Select Between SPI or CAN Interface
3Design Files and Software Tools
For Rev A boards:
•AWR1243BOOST Schematics, Assembly, and BOM Details
•AWR1243BOOST Design Database and Layout Details
•AWR1443BOOST Schematics, Assembly and BOM Details
•AWR1443BOOST Design Database and Layout Details
For Rev B boards:
•AWR1243BOOST Schematics, Assembly, and BOM Details
•AWR1443BOOST Schematics, Assembly and BOM Details
•AWR1x43BOOST Design Database and Layout Details
Design Files and Software Tools
3.1Software, Development Tools, and Example Codes for AWR1443
To enable quick development of an end application on the R4F core in the AWR1443, TI provides a
software development kit (SDK) which includes demo codes, software drivers, an emulation package for
debug, and so on. The SDK is available at mmwave-sdk.
3.1.1LDO Bypass Requirement
The AWR1243BOOST and AWR1443BOOST use a 1.0-V supply on the RF1 and RF2 power rails. To
support the third transmitter, the VOUT_PA output is connected to the RF2 power rail. For best
performance and to prevent damage to the device, select the 'RF LDO Bypass Enable' and 'PA LDO I/P
Disable' options in the Static Configuration when using mmWave Studio. Additionally, the LDO bypass can
be configured using the AWR_RF_LDO_BYPASS_SB API. To enable the RF LDO Bypass and PA LDO
I/P Disable through the API, issue an ar1.RfLdoBypassConfig(0x3) command.
Added switch control to move between SPI and CAN interface
Enabled, by default, the 5-V supply from the 60-pin HD connector
Enabled, by default, the SYNC_IN signal connection to the J6 connector
B
Serial flash part number updated to MX25V1635FZNQ
Added series resistors on I2C lines
Removed the series diode on the NRST signal
Enabled, by default, the LDO bypass option
5Mechanical Mounting of PCB
The field of view of the radar sensor is orthogonal to the PCB. The L-brackets provided with the AWR1443
and AWR1243 EVM kit, along with the screws and nuts help in the vertical mounting of the EVM.
Figure 17 shows how the L-brackets can be assembled.
The immersion silver finish of the PCB provides a better high-frequency performance but is also prone to
oxidation in an open environment. This oxidation causes the surface around the antenna region to
blacken. To avoid this effect, store the PCB in an ESD cover and keep it at controlled room temperature
with low humidity conditions. All ESD precautions must be taken while using and handling the EVM.
7Regulatory Information
The AWR1443 and AWR1243 evaluation modules (AWR1443BOOST and AWR1243BOOST) are in
compliance with Directive 2014/53/EU. The full text of TI's EU Declaration of Conformity is available here.
The compliance has been verified in the operating bands 76 – 77 GHz and 77 – 81 GHz. Should the user
choose to configure the EVM to operate outside the test conditions, it should be operated inside a
protected or controlled environment, such as a shielded chamber. This evaluation board is intended only
for development, and is not for use in an end product or part of an end product. Developers and
integrators that incorporate the chipset in any end products are responsible for obtaining applicable
regulatory approvals for such an end product.
The European RF exposure radiation limit is fulfilled if a minimum distance of 5 cm between the users
body and the radio transmitter is respected.
NOTE: The EUT has been tested in the 76 – 77 GHz band (2 Tx at a time) at a maximum peak
power of 26 dBm EIRP, and in the 77 – 81 GHz band (1 Tx at a time) with maximum peak
power of 21 dBm EIRP across the temperature range of –20ºC to 60ºC.
NOTE: Page numbers for previous revisions may differ from page numbers in the current version.
Changes from A Revision (May 2017) to B Revision ...................................................................................................... Page
•Updated EVM Front View image. ....................................................................................................... 6
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