MSP432P401R microcontroller. It contains everything needed to start developing on the MSP432 Low-
Power + Performance ARM®32-bit Cortex®-M4F microcontroller (MCU), including on-board emulation for
programming, debugging, and energy measurements. The MSP432P401R device supports low-power
applications requiring increased CPU speed, memory, analog, and 32-bit performance.
LaunchPad, BoosterPack, Code Composer Studio, EnergyTrace, SimpleLink, E2E are trademarks of Texas Instruments.
ARM, Cortex are registered trademarks of ARM Ltd.
IAR Embedded Workbench is a trademark of IAR Systems.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SLAU597A–March 2015–Revised July 2015MSP432P401R LaunchPad™ Development Kit (MSP‑EXP432P401R)
The MSP‑EXP432P401R LaunchPad is an easy-to-use evaluation module (EVM) for the MSP432P401R
microcontroller. It contains everything needed to start developing on the MSP432 Low-Power +
Performance ARM 32-bit Cortex-M4F microcontroller (MCU), including on-board emulation for
programming, debugging, and energy measurements. The MSP432P401R device supports low-power
applications that require increased CPU speed, memory, analog, and 32-bit performance.
Rapid prototyping is simplified by access to the 40-pin headers and a wide variety of BoosterPack™ plugin modules that enable technologies such as wireless connectivity, graphical displays, environmental
sensing, and many more. Free software development tools are also available such as TI's Eclipse-based
Code Composer Studio™ (CCS) IDE, IAR Embedded Workbench™ IDE, and Keil µVision IDE. Code
Composer (CCS) supports EnergyTrace™ technology when paired with the MSP432P401R LaunchPad.
More information about the LaunchPad, the supported BoosterPacks, and the available resources can be
found at TI's LaunchPad portal. To get started quickly, and find available resources in MSPWare, visit the
TI Cloud Development Environment.
1.2Key Features
•Low-power ARM Cortex-M4F MSP432P401R
•40-pin LaunchPad standard that leverages the BoosterPack ecosystem
•XDS110-ET, an open-source onboard debugger featuring EnergyTrace+ technology and application
UART
•Two buttons and two LEDs for user interaction
•Backchannel UART through USB to PC
Getting Started
1.3What's Included
1.3.1Kit Contents
•One MSP‑EXP432P401R LaunchPad Evaluation Kit
•One Micro USB cable
•One Quick Start Guide
1.3.2Software Examples (Section 3)
•Out-of-Box Software Example
•CC3100BOOST MQTT-Twitter LED Control Example
•BOOSTXL-K350QVG-S1 Graphics Library Example
•430BOOST-SHARP96 Graphics Library Example
1.4First Steps: Out-of-Box Experience
An easy way to get familiar with the EVM is by using its preprogrammed out-of-box code. It demonstrates
some key features of the LaunchPad from a user level, showing how to use the pushbutton switches
together with onboard LEDs and basic serial communication with a computer.
A more detailed explanation of the out-of-box demo can be found in Section 3.
SLAU597A–March 2015–Revised July 2015MSP432P401R LaunchPad™ Development Kit (MSP‑EXP432P401R)
It is now time to start exploring more features of the EVM!
www.ti.com/beginMSP432launchpad
To get started, you will need an integrated development environment (IDE) to explore and start editing the
code examples. Refer to Section 4 for more information on IDEs and where to download them.
The out-of-box source code and more code examples can be downloaded from the MSP-EXP432P401R
tool folder. Find what code examples are available and more details about each example in Section 3. All
code is licensed under BSD, and TI encourages reuse and modifications to fit specific needs.
www.ti.com
4
MSP432P401R LaunchPad™ Development Kit (MSP‑EXP432P401R)SLAU597A–March 2015–Revised July 2015
To keep development easy and cost effective, TI's LaunchPad evaluation kits integrate an onboard
emulator, which eliminates the need for expensive programmers. The MSP‑EXP432P401R has the
XDS110-ET emulator, which is a simple low-cost debugger that supports nearly all TI ARM device
derivatives.
Hardware
The XDS110-ET hardware can be found in the schematics in Section 6 and in the MSP‑EXP432P401R
Hardware Design Files.
2.3.1XDS110-ET Isolation Block
The isolation block is comprised of switch S101 and the accompanying jumpers next the switch.
The isolation block allows the user to connect or disconnect signals that cross from the XDS110-ET
domain into the MSP432P401R target domain. This crossing is shown by the dotted line across the
LaunchPad. No other signals cross this domain, so the XDS110-ET can be decoupled from the
MSP432P401R target side. This includes XDS110-ET Serial Wire Debug signals, application UART
signals, and 3.3-V and 5-V power.
Table 1 lists the signals that are controlled at the isolation block.
SignalIsolation Type
5VJumper5-V power rail, VBUS from USB
3V3Jumper3.3-V power rail, derived from VBUS by an LDO in the XDS110-ET domain
RTS >>Jumper*this to indicate whether it is ready to receive data from the host PC. The arrows
CTS <<Jumper*the emulator) uses this to indicate whether it is ready to receive data. The arrows
The XDS110-ET provides a "backchannel" UART-over-USB connection with the host, which can be very
useful during debugging and for easy communication with a PC. The provided UART supports hardware
flow control (RTS and CTS); although by default these signals are not connected to the target.
8
MSP432P401R LaunchPad™ Development Kit (MSP‑EXP432P401R)SLAU597A–March 2015–Revised July 2015
The backchannel UART allows communication with the USB host that is not part of the target application's
main functionality. This is very useful during development, and also provides a communication channel to
the PC host side. This can be used to create GUIs and other programs on the PC that communicate with
the LaunchPad.
The pathway of the backchannel UART is shown in Figure 7. The backchannel UART eUSCI_A0 is
independent of the UART on the 40-pin BoosterPack connector eUSCI_A2.
On the host side, a virtual COM port for the application backchannel UART is generated when the
LaunchPad enumerates on the host. You can use any PC application that interfaces with COM ports,
including terminal applications like Hyperterminal or Docklight, to open this port and communicate with the
target application. You need to identify the COM port for the backchannel. On Windows PCs, Device
Manager can assist.
Hardware
Figure 7. Application Backchannel UART in Device Manager
The backchannel UART is the XDS110 Class Application/User UART port. In this case, Figure 7 shows
COM156, but this port can vary from one host PC to the next. After you identify the correct COM port,
configure it in your host application according to its documentation. You can then open the port and begin
communication to it from the host.
The XDS110-ET has a configurable baud rate; therefore, it is important that the PC application configures
the baud rate to be the same as what is configured on the eUSCI_A0 backchannel UART.
SLAU597A–March 2015–Revised July 2015MSP432P401R LaunchPad™ Development Kit (MSP‑EXP432P401R)
The XDS110-ET also supports hardware flow control, if desired. Hardware flow control (CTS and RTS
handshaking) allows the target MSP432P401R and the emulator to tell each other to wait before sending
more data. At low baud rates and with simple target applications, flow control may not be necessary.
Applications with higher baud rates and more interrupts to service have a higher likelihood that the will not
be able to read the eUSCI_A0 buffer in time, before the next byte arrives. If this happens, the eUSCI_A0
will report an overrun error.
2.3.3Using an External Debugger Instead of the Onboard XDS110-ET
Many users have a specific debugger that they prefer to use, and may want to bypass the XDS110-ET to
program the target MCU. This is enabled by switch S101 and connector J102. Using an external debugger
is simple, and full JTAG access is provided through J102.
1. Switch S101 to the external debug position (to the right)
2. Plug any ARM debugger into J102
(a) J102 follows the ARM Cortex Debug Connector standard outlined here
(b) Note that J102 is not keyed, ensure proper orientation of the debug cable, pin 1 of J102 is on the
bottom right side
3. Plug USB power into the LaunchPad, or power it externally
(a) Ensure that the jumper across 3V3 is connected if using USB power
(b) External debuggers do not provide power, the VCC pin is a power sense pin
(c) More details on powering the LaunchPad can be found in Section 2.4
www.ti.com
2.3.4Using the XDS110-ET Emulator With a Different Target
The XDS110-ET emulator on the LaunchPad can interface to most ARM derivative devices, not just the
on-board MSP432P401R target device.
This is not a common use case, but for users who want this functionality, there is a way to enable it.
Connector J103 was added to expose all the necessary programming and power signals. J103 is a 50 mil
spaced 7-pin header. By default it is not populated, so the user will have to populate a connector or
directly solder in wires.
When using the XDS110-ET with a different target, the jumpers in the isolation block should be removed,
and switch S101 moved to the external debug position. This will disconnect the XDS110-ET from the
MSP432P401R target and enable debug of an external device. Because only the SWD signals are
exposed, the user needs to set the debugger settings to SWD (without SWO) in the IDE. See the IDE
specific MSP432 user's guides for more details on this setting.
To debug other external devices, there are many options in the ARM debugging ecosystem including the
XDS100v2/3 and XDS200 from Texas Instruments. There are many other options including IAR I-jet, Keil
ULINK, and Segger J-Link.
2.3.5EnergyTrace+ Technology
EnergyTrace™ technology is an energy-based code analysis tool that measures and displays the
application's energy profile and helps to optimize it for ultra-low power consumption.
MSP432 devices with built-in EnergyTrace+[CPU State] (or in short EnergyTrace+) technology allow realtime monitoring of internal device states while user program code executes.
EnergyTrace+ technology is supported on the LaunchPad MSP432P401R device + XDS110-ET debugger.
EnergyTrace technology is available as part of TI's Code Composer Studio IDE. During application debug,
additional windows are available for EnergyTrace technology.
Starting a debug session will now open EnergyTrace technology windows. These windows show energy,
power, profile, and states to give the user a full view of the energy profile of their application.
www.ti.com
Figure 9. EnergyTrace Windows
This data allows the user to see exactly where and how energy is consumed in their application.
Optimizations for energy can be quickly made for the lowest power application possible.
On the LaunchPad, EnergyTrace technology measures the current that enters the target side of the
LaunchPad. This includes all BoosterPacks plugged in, and anything else connected to the 3V3 power
rail. For more information about powering the LaunchPad, see Section 2.4.
For more information about EnergyTrace technology, see http://www.ti.com/tool/energytrace.
For more details and questions about setting up and using EnergyTrace technology with the
MSP432P401R, see the Code Composer Studio 6 User's Guide for MSP432.
12
MSP432P401R LaunchPad™ Development Kit (MSP‑EXP432P401R)SLAU597A–March 2015–Revised July 2015
The board was designed to accommodate various powering methods, including through the on-board
XDS110-ET and from an external source or BoosterPack.
Hardware
Figure 10. MSP‑‑EXP432P401R Power Block Diagram
2.4.1XDS110-ET USB Power
The most common power-supply scenario is from USB through the XDS110-ET debugger. This provides
5-V power from the USB and also regulates this power rail to 3.3 V for XDS110-ET operation and 3.3 V to
the target side of the LaunchPad. Power from the XDS110-ET is controlled by the isolation block 3V3
jumper, ensure this jumper is connected for power to be provided to the target MCU side.
Under normal operation, the LDO on the XDS110-ET can supply up to 500 mA of current to the target side
including any BoosterPacks plugged in. However, when debugging and using the EnergyTrace technology
tool, this current is limited to 75 mA total. Be aware of this current limitation when using EnergyTrace
technology.
2.4.2BoosterPack and External Power Supply
Header J6 is present on the board to supply external power directly. It is important to comply with the
device voltage operation specifications when supplying external power. The MSP432P401R has an
operating range of 1.62 V to 3.7 V. More information can be found in the MSP432P401xx Mixed-Signal
Microcontroller data sheet .
SLAU597A–March 2015–Revised July 2015MSP432P401R LaunchPad™ Development Kit (MSP‑EXP432P401R)