The LDC10xx Evaluation Module is designed to provide an example LC tank and coil structure application
which interfaces to a host computer. The module can be used independently of the GUI by the on-board
embedded LED, which demonstrates threshold detection.
Chapter 1
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LDC1000/LDC1041/LDC1051 Evaluation Module
Figure 1-1. Evaluation Module
The EVM includes an example PCB sensor which is a 2 layer, 23 turn, 14mm diameter inductor with a
100pF 1% NP0 capacitor connected in parallel to form an LC tank.
The EVM is perforated at two locations to provide the option to interface to various system configurations.
The first perforation, between the coil and the LDC10xx, can be used to snap off the PCB coil and connect
a custom coil. The second perforation is between the LDC10xx and the MSP430, and provides the option
to connect the LDC10xx and the sensor to a different system or to use multiple sensors in one system for
prototyping.
Figure 1-2. LDC1000+Sensor
When the evaluation module first powers up from the USB port, it will flash a series of green and red LED
lights to indicate self-test. When the self-test is finished, the green LED indicates the status of the
LDC10xx INTB pin. When the INTB pin is asserted, the green LED is lit. By default, INTB is configured
for threshold detection.
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LDC1000/LDC1041/LDC1051 Evaluation ModuleSNAU150A–September 2013–Revised March 2014
The LDC10xx Evaluation Module (EVM) enables the user to test out analog and digital capabilities of the
LDC10xx Inductance-to-Digital Converter. The EVM is a USB device used with a host computer and
accessed using the Inductive Sensing Graphical User Interface (GUI) software, which is documented in
Chapter 3.
To quickly get started on the LDC10xx GUI, follow the steps below to load and configure a device:
2.1.1 Evaluation Module
Set Up Requirements:
1. The LDC10xx GUI and drivers must be installed on the host.
2. Available USB port on host computer.
Loading and Running:
1. Plug the EVM into the host computer. The host computer should automatically detect the device as a
LDC10xxEVM.
2. Launch the GUI. It should automatically detect the presence of the EVM, read all the configuration
registers, and begin streaming data.
Chapter 2
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Figure 2-1. Streaming Section
SNAU150A–September 2013–Revised March 2014Quick Start Guide LDC10xx Evaluation Module
If the EVM is disconnected from the host at any time, simply reconnect the device and the GUI will
automatically discover and re-establish the streaming abilities with the device.
Configuring the Device Manually
1. The GUI puts the device in streaming mode by default. Click on "Stop" in the streaming section to stop
continuous LDC10xx conversion.
2. Click on the Configuration icon in the main window toolbar.
www.ti.com
Figure 2-2. Stop Streaming
Figure 2-3. Configuration Icon
3. Select the parameter to change. When entering the comparator thresholds, press ENTER to confirm
the change. Changes are applied immediately.
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Quick Start Guide LDC10xx Evaluation ModuleSNAU150A–September 2013–Revised March 2014
4. After the configuration file is loaded, current values are written once to all supported registers. To
restore defaults defined in the configuration file, click on Restore Defaults to write all current registers
with the new configuration file defaults.
www.ti.com
Figure 2-7. Restore Defaults
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Quick Start Guide LDC10xx Evaluation ModuleSNAU150A–September 2013–Revised March 2014
The inductive sensing GUI provides graphical configuration and streaming support for the LDC10xx. The
GUI package includes drivers for use with the LDC10xx Evaluation Modules (EVM). The EVM
provides a device abstraction layer for the GUI to communicate with the LDC10xx through SPI, and
includes other extended functionality.
3.2Host Platform Requirements
The Inductive Sensing GUI supports:
•32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7
•32-bit and 64-bit Windows XP
The host machine is required for device configuration and data streaming. Below are the steps which are
necessary to prepare the EVM for the GUI:
•The GUI must be installed on the host.
•The EVM driver must be installed on the host.
•The EVM must be connected to a full speed USB port (USB 1.0 or above).
Chapter 3
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Inductive Sensing GUI User Guide
3.3EVM Information
For the TI LDC10xx EVM:
•The EVM allows the GUI to:
– Configuring register data through SPI (CSB, SCLK, SDO, SDI)
– Stream register data through SPI
– Stream register data through SPI
– Detect interrupts through SPI
3.4Icon Toolbar
The icon toolbar contains various icons which navigate between sections and perform various functions.
NameDescriptionIcon
Connection InformationIndicates whether an EVM is connected to
Figure 3-1. Icon Toolbar
the PC, and if so, provides details of the
connected EVM
• EVM is connected
• EVM is disconnected
SNAU150A–September 2013–Revised March 2014Inductive Sensing GUI User Guide