The BOOST-IR BoosterPack™ Plug-in Module can be plugged into a LaunchPad™ Development Kit for
simple integration of infrared (IR) transceiver functionality. LaunchPad developers can use this
BoosterPack to start developing remote control applications using the on-board keypad, IR LED
transmitter, and IR receiver + demodulator.
Infrared modulation can be simplified by using on-chip IR Modulation Logic, which can be found on select
MSP430 ultra-low-power microcontrollers within the MSP430FRxx MCU series.
Explore IR communication using the MSP430FR4xx and MSP430FR2xx microcontrollers
TI Designs are also available to help accelerate development using IR transceiver capabilities. These
designs contain documentation, design files, and test data to minimize design overhead.
Download a full reference design leveraging the MSP-EXP430FR4133 LaunchPad and BOOST-IR
BoosterPack
Figure 1. BOOST-IR BoosterPack
BoosterPack, LaunchPad, MSP430, Code Composer Studio, E2E are trademarks of Texas Instruments.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SLAU598A–December 2014–Revised July 2015BOOST-IR Infrared (IR) BoosterPack™ Plug-in Module
The BOOST-IR BoosterPack™ Plug-in Module can be plugged into a LaunchPad™ Development Kit for
simple integration of infrared (IR) transceiver functionality. LaunchPad developers can use this
BoosterPack to start developing remote control applications using the on-board keypad, IR LED
transmitter, and IR receiver + demodulator.
Infrared modulation can be simplified by using on-chip IR Modulation Logic, which can be found on select
MSP430 ultra-low-power microcontrollers within the MSP430FRxx MCU series.
Explore IR communication using the MSP430FR4xx and MSP430FR2xx microcontrollers
TI Designs are also available to help accelerate development using IR transceiver capabilities. These
designs contain documentation, design files, and test data to minimize design overhead.
Download a full reference design leveraging the MSP-EXP430FR4133 LaunchPad and BOOST-IR
BoosterPack
1.2Key Features
•IR LED transmitter
•IR receiver and demodulator
•4x4 membrane keypad
•20-pin BoosterPack standard for use with any LaunchPad
•Compatibility with different IR signal-generation methods
Getting Started
1.3What’s Included
1.3.1Kit Contents
•1 x BOOST-IR BoosterPack Plug-in module
•1 x Quick Start Guide
1.3.2Software Examples
•MSP-EXP430FR4133 LaunchPad and BOOST-IR demos (see Section 3)
– IR Emitter and Receiver
– IR Learning Mode
1.4Next Steps: Looking Into the Provided Code
After the EVM features have been explored, the fun can begin. It’s time to open an integrated
development environment (IDE) and start looking at the code examples. Section 3 describes the example
projects available to make it easy to understand the provided software.
SLAU598A–December 2014–Revised July 2015BOOST-IR Infrared (IR) BoosterPack™ Plug-in Module
The IR BoosterPack adheres to the 20-pin LaunchPad and BoosterPack pinout standard (see Figure 3).
This standard was created to aid compatibility between LaunchPad and BoosterPack tools across the TI
ecosystem.
The 20-pin standard is compatible with the 40-pin standard that is used by other LaunchPad kits like the
MSP-EXP430F5529LP. This allows for 20-pin BoosterPacks to be used with 40-pin LaunchPads.
The BOOST-IR intentionally does not use the I2C and SPI pins to allow other BoosterPacks that use these
pins to be stacked together with the IR BoosterPack. This BoosterPack does not have both male and
female headers to support stacking on top. This is because the keypad is too large, and in most
applications this keypad would be on the top. To stack other BoosterPacks along with BOOST-IR, use
them lower in the "stack" with BOOST-IR on top.
More information about compatibility can also be found at http://www.ti.com/launchpad.
Hardware
Figure 3. BoosterPack Pinout
SLAU598A–December 2014–Revised July 2015BOOST-IR Infrared (IR) BoosterPack™ Plug-in Module
The membrane keypad is a 4x4 matrix keypad, controlled by 4 Keypad Out pins (columns), and 4 Keypad
In pins (rows). Without any buttons pressed, the columns and rows are not connected to each other.
When a button is pressed, it connects its corresponding column pin with its corresponding row pin.
To detect any key presses, the connection of the row pin to the column pin must be detected. This is
accomplished by configuring the Keypad Out pins as outputs, and Keypad In pins as inputs. The Keypad
Out pins are toggled high one at a time, while the Keypad In pins are read for any changes. This allows
the exact key to be determined in the 4x4 matrix.
As an example, refer to the Figure 4 keypad layout. If the bottom left button is pressed, the Keypad Out 4
pin is now connected to the Keypad In 1 pin. The host MCU starts reading the keypad matrix by toggling
Keypad Out 1 high (while keeping all other Keypad Out pins low), and reads all Keypad In pins low. This
is because Keypad Out 1 is still not connected to any Keypad In pins by a button press. The host MCU
then toggles Keypad Out 2 high, and reads all Keypad In pins still low. Eventually, the MCU toggles
Keypad Out 4 high, and reads that Keypad In 1 has now transitioned to high. Recall that the bottom left
button connects Keypad Out 4 with Keypad In 1, forcing the input row to read high. The MCU maps out
this connection and knows that the bottom left button was pushed, because that is the intersection point of
Keypad Out 4 and Keypad In 1. The MCU can now perform the action that corresponds to the key press.
It may seem like a key press can be missed with this procedure, but it is happening many times per
second, allowing for any key press to be detected. It is possible for keys to go undetected due to key
"ghosting" in a matrix keypad, but that is outside the scope of this brief overview. This only occurs when
multiple buttons are pressed at the same time, and there are ghost key detection algorithms to prevent
any misinterpretations.
NOTE:The Keypad Out 2 (J1.3) pin is connected to the UART receive pin on the BoosterPack
standard. On most 20-pin LaunchPads (MSP-EXP430G2, MSP-EXP430FR5969, MSPEXP430FR4133), the Keypad Out 2 pin is also connected to the LaunchPad backchannel
UART pin. For proper operation of the Keypad, disconnect the UART RX jumper on the
LaunchPad isolation block.
6
BOOST-IR Infrared (IR) BoosterPack™ Plug-in ModuleSLAU598A–December 2014–Revised July 2015
Figure 5 shows the schematic of the IR transmit circuit.
Hardware
Figure 5. IR Transmit Circuit
2.1.3.1IR Transmit Overview
To transmit an IR signal, an infrared (IR) LED is toggled to blink the LED. Using IR protocols, messages
can be read such as commands from remote controls. More information on IR protocol can be found in
Infrared Remote Control Implementation With MSP430FR4xx (SLAA644) and also in Section 3.1.1.
Because the IR LED requires high currents to transmit longer distances, this LED is not controlled directly
with a general purpose IO pin from the MCU. Instead a switching circuit that allows current to flow directly
from the main power source is used. See Section 2.2 for more information on power and Section 6 for the
schematics.
2.1.3.2Setting IR Transmit Power
To set the current of the IR LED, resistor R2 (47 Ω) is used. This resistor can be adjusted to change the
IR LED transmit power. Decreasing R2 increases the power through the IR LED, which increases the
range of the remote.
NOTE:Increasing the IR transmit power may draw more current than supported from the
LaunchPad. Check the specific LaunchPad user’s guide to make sure that enough power
can be provided, or use external power (see Section 2.2.2).
2.1.3.3IR Transmit Selection
IR transmit can be controlled by two different pins, selectable by jumper J4 (see Figure 2).
Setting the J4 jumper to the left side selects the hardware IR module (J1.4), which is only featured on
some LaunchPads, such as the MSP-EXP430FR4133. The hardware IR module simplifies the software
needed for IR transmission, because the hardware handles the protocol.
NOTE:When using the hardware IR module (J1.4), this pin is connected to the UART transmit pin
on the BoosterPack standard. On some LaunchPads, such as the MSP-EXP430FR4133, the
hardware IR module pin is also connected to the LaunchPad backchannel UART pin. For
proper operation of the hardware IR module, it is recommended to disconnect the UART TX
jumper on the LaunchPad isolation block.
SLAU598A–December 2014–Revised July 2015BOOST-IR Infrared (IR) BoosterPack™ Plug-in Module
Setting jumper J4 to the right selects PWM control (J2.19), which can be used on any LaunchPad. The
PWM method requires additional software to control the PWM pin according to the IR protocol.
2.1.4IR Receive
Figure 6 shows the schematic of the IR receive circuit.
The IR receive module receives and demodulates the incoming signal. The default IR receiver supports IR
transmission at 38 kHz. This is the most commonly used IR frequency for use in remote controls. If
another frequency is needed, the IR receive module can be replaced with a drop-in replacement that
supports another frequency (see Table 1). More information on IR protocol can be found in InfraredRemote Control Implementation With MSP430FR4xx (SLAA644) and also in Section 3.1.1.2.
www.ti.com
Figure 6. IR Receive Circuit
The IR receive module is very sensitive and receives almost all of the IR transmissions from its own IR
LED. This is mostly unavoidable without physically altering the BoosterPack. Make sure that your firmware
compensates for receiving its own transmissions by ignoring them or verifying that the proper output was
sent.
2.2Power
The board was designed to be powered either by the attached LaunchPad or by an external source
through the external power connector.
2.2.1LaunchPad Power
This is the default power configuration for the BOOST-IR. In this configuration, power is provided through
the 3V3 (J1.1) pin on the BoosterPack headers. The 3V3 pin powers everything on the IR BoosterPack,
including IR transmit and receive.
There are a few reasons why you may want to provide external power, including higher IR transmit power,
changing to a different voltage, or using a battery to go "wireless." To provide external power, use the
following procedure.
1. Disconnect BOOST-IR power from the LaunchPad power source
(a) Option 1: Remove the 3V3 jumper on the LaunchPad isolation block
In this case, the MCU is also powered by the external source; make sure that the voltage is within
the MCU device voltage operation specification.
(b) Option 2: Remove R1 on the BOOST-IR to completely disconnect LaunchPad and BoosterPack
power
(i) In this case, the LaunchPad must provide power to its own MCU.
(ii) If the LaunchPad and BoosterPack have different operating voltages, IR communication may
not function properly.
2. Connect the external power supply.
After these steps are complete, you should be able to operate the IR BoosterPack with an external
voltage.
2.3Design Files
2.3.1Hardware
Schematics can be found in Section 6. All design files including schematics, layout, bill of materials
(BOM), Gerber files, and documentation are available in a zip folder (SLAR104).
Hardware
2.3.2Software
All design files including TI-TXT object-code firmware images, software example projects, and
documentation are available in the LaunchPad specific software folders. To see which LaunchPads
feature BOOST-IR examples, refer to the "What’s Included" section on the BOOST-IR tool folder.
2.3.3Quick Start Guide
The BOOST-IR Quick Start Guide is SLAU614.
2.4Hardware Change Log
PCB RevisionDescription
Rev 1.0Initial Release
Table 2. Hardware Change Log
SLAU598A–December 2014–Revised July 2015BOOST-IR Infrared (IR) BoosterPack™ Plug-in Module