This guide details the use of the TDC7201-ZAX-EVM Evaluation Module (referred to as TDC7201EVM for
the remainder of this document). The TDC7201EVM is an evaluation module that allows users to evaluate
the operation and performance of the TDC7201 Time-to-Digital Converter. One example application that
requires accurate time-to-digital conversion is LIDAR.
The TDC7201EVM connects to the MSP430 LaunchPad evaluation kit for capturing data, and it connects
to a user-friendly Graphic User Interface (GUI) to modify the registers and display the data.
This section describes software installation, firmware upgrade, and how to update USB Driver.
4.1Installing the TDC720xEVM GUI
1. Download the TDC720xEVM Software GUI zip file to your desktop. This should be located in
http://www.ti.com/tool/tdc7201-zax-evm.
2. Unzip the file.
3. Run the setup.exe file.
4. Follow the instructions to install the GUI.
5. Once done, you should be able to see the installation in default installation folder; for example,
C:\Program Files (x86)\Texas Instruments\TDC720xEVM.
4.2MSP430 Firmware Upgrade (This is only needed for a new Launchpad.)
1. Open the TDC720xEVM GUI.
2. Click on the Debug tab.
3. Click on Update Firmware.
4. Click Next to proceed on the first prompt; read and accept the license agreement, and click Next to
continue.
5. Choose Select Firmware, and then click Browse.
a. Go to the folder where you downloaded the TDC720xEVM GUI. The default install folder is
b. Find the Firmware folder. It is located within the default installation folder, C:\Program Files
(x86)\Texas Instruments\TDC720xEVM\Firmware
c. Select the TDC720xEVM firmware text file.
6. On the MSP430 LaunchPad board, press the BSL button (S5) and connect the MSP430 LaunchPad to your PC using a USB cable. If detected, the text displayed on the Firmware Upgrade tool
changes from No device connected to Found 1 device. See Figure 2.
7. On the MSP430 USB Firmware Upgrade GUI, click Upgrade Firmware.
This section describes how to properly set up the connections on the EVM
5.1TDC7201EVM Connections
1. If you haven’t done so, connect the USB cable from the MSP430 Launch Pad to your PC.
2. If you haven't done so, connect the TDC7201EVM to the MSP430 Launch Pad via J1 and J2 as
shown in Figure 6.
3. Setting the Dual Channel Function Generator:
i.Set channel 1 of the dual function generator to the following (see Figure 5):
i.Pulse 1-Cycle
ii. Burst mode
iii. Freq = 40 kHz
iv. Delay = 0 s
v. Amplitude = 3.3 Vpp
vi. Offset = 1.65 V
vii. Duty = 20%
viii. Burst Trigger Source = External
ii. Set channel 2 of the dual function generator to the following (see Figure 5):
i.Pulse 1-Cycle
ii. Burst mode
iii. Freq = 40 kHz
iv. Delay = 19 µs --> this is the time-of-flight (TOF)
v. Amplitude = 3.3 Vpp
vi. Offset = 1.65 V
vii. Duty = 20%
viii. Burst Trigger Source = External
a. Connect Pin 1 to Pin 2 – power VCC via MSP430 (recommended)
b. Open Pin 1 and Pin 2 – no connection to VCC via MSP430; need to apply external power
2. JP2: Jumper for CLOCK source
a. Connect Pin 1 to Pin 2 – power VCC via MSP430 (recommended)
b. Open Pin 1 and Pin 2 – no connection to VCC via MSP430; need to apply external power
6GUI and Operation
1. If you haven’t done so, open the TDC720xEVM GUI. The EVM GUI software can be run by clicking on
Start, then clicking All Programs, Texas Instruments, and TDC720xEVM and selecting
TDC720xEVM.
2. Click on the TDC720x tab and make sure TDC1 is selected with the register configuration in Figure 8:
•TOFn [second] = time-of-flight measurement from the START to the nth STOP
•normLSB [sec] = normalized LSB value from calibration
•TIME1 = time 1 measurement given by the TDC7201 register address 0x10
•TIME
and 0x1A
•CLOCK_COUNTn = nth clock count values in register addresses 0x11, 0x13, 0x15, 0x17, and 0x19
•CLOCKperiod [sec] = external CLOCK period
•offset [sec]= constant measurement offset
•CALIBRATION1 [count] = TDC count for first calibration cycle, located in register address 0x1B
•CALIBRATION2 [count] = TDC count for second calibration cycle, located in register address 0x1C
•CALIBRATION2_PERIODS = calibration count bits, located in register address 0x01(1)
= (n+1) time measurement given by the TDC7201 register addresses 0x12, 0x14, 0x16, 0x18,
n+1
5. START_EXT2/STOP_EXT2 Testing
a. Modification to Input Signal Connections:
1. Disconnect USB-to-SMA cable connection to START_EXT1 (J5). Instead, reconnect channel 1
of the dual function generator to TDC7201EVM’s START_EXT2 connector (J8).
2. Disconnect USB-to-SMA cable connection to STOP_EXT1 (J4). Instead, reconnect channel 2
of the dual function generator to TDC7201EVM’s STOP_EXT2 connector (J7). See Figure 4.
b. Now repeat steps 1 through 4 from Section 6 with the following modification to step 2: Click on the
TDC720x tab and make sure the TDC7201: Select TDCx field is as shown in Figure 11.
NOTE: Page numbers for previous revisions may differ from page numbers in the current version.
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