Programming the DEV.BO and External Targets with a LaunchPad

Many readers have been asking me how to program the DEV.BO with the LaunchPad. Likewise, many of you are also wondering how to program the newer MSP430 microcontrollers with the LaunchPad, such as the MSP430F55xx series.

Since this seems to have sparked quite a bit of confusion, I want to make this post complete and thorough. There are two ways to program an MSP430: the first is using four-wire JTAG, the second is using two-wire JTAG. The LaunchPad can only use the two-wire JTAG method, which is also known as Spy-Bi-Wire (SBW). For the rest of this post, I will be referring to the two-wire JTAG as SBW and four-wire JTAG as just JTAG.

I want to make sure this is clear before I continue; JTAG and SBW are two separate methods for programming an MSP430. The LaunchPad can program MSP430s using SBW, not JTAG. That being said, not all MSP430s can be programmed using SBW, some of the older MSP430s can only be programmed using JTAG. TI has a document, SLAU157, which shows which chips support either just JTAG or both JTAG and SBW.

Now that we know JTAG and SBW are different methods of programming newer MSP430s, how do we use the LaunchPad to program all these cool devices? Spy-Bi-Wire needs two wires to program an MSP430: RST and TEST. The image below shows where you can find these two pins on the Launchpad.

The programming pins on the LaunchPad

The RST pin is shown by a yellow square, TEST is shown by a green square, and all of the GND pins are shown by blue squares. What about power? Well, you can either use the LaunchPad to power the DEV.BO (or your target MSP430 that supports SBW) or use an external power source. Regardless of how you power the target, you will need to also connect the LaunchPad's GND pin to the target. This is because you need a common reference for the data pins (RST and TEST); so technically you actually need a minimum of three wires to program an MSP430.

DEV.BO programming header

For this post we will use the LaunchPad to not only program the DEV.BO, but to also power it during programming. The image above shows which signals make up the programming header on the DEV.BO. There is a reason that I designed the programming header pins in that order. They are the same order as the LaunchPad; this is very important. What about the GND pin on the LaunchPad? Though there is no GND pin on the programming header, the LaunchPad does have a few GND pins available on board. Depending on what you have to connect the boards together, determines which GND you should choose.

The programming connection on the LaunchPad's side

The image above shows how I connect the DEV.BOs header to the LaunchPad. That nice six pin rainbow connector is available here at SparkFun and it works great for this task. Notice how I am using female connectors on this LaunchPad which makes it easy for me to connect GND to the rainbow connector using just a short breadboard wire. If you don't have access to this nice rainbow ribbon cable, you can use any method to connect these pins together.

Hopefully that should clear up any confusion on how to program the DEV.BO. Using this method, you can also program any other MSP430 that supports SBW; just connect up the necessary pins and you can program away.

I have two last things I want to mention. The RXD and TXD pins are not needed for programming but I included them on the DEV.BO in case they are ever needed for a project. The second thing is that you need to make sure the correct chip is selected in CCS or whatever IDE you use when programming the MSP430, otherwise it probably won't work.

I hope this clears up any confusion on how to program external MSP430s, including the DEV.BO, using the LaunchPad. Please leave a comment if you have any questions about this post. Don't forget to check out the DEV.BO, which is available in my online store.

Comment away!

Bluetooth Breakout and Free Shipping

I would like add yet another product to my online store, NJC's Bluetooth breakout board. I would also like to announce that there is now free shipping on all orders within the contiguous United States for items on my online store.

This board is based off of the RN-42 module which is very easy to use and add to your current projects. A few weeks ago I actually wrote a post on how to add Bluetooth to your MSP430 project that mentioned this breakout board. The circuit board is a modified design of SparkFun's Bluetooth breakout board which adds status LEDs and all the passive components needed to make this board "plug and play" right into your project while keeping all the important yet non-essential pins available. The module is also small enough that it can be added to existing projects with ease.

Populated Bluetooth breakout board

You have two options when buying this board, either completely assembled or as a bare PCB. The completely assembled board is a good option for those of you who don't want to fuss with surface mount components, and want a guaranteed working board. The bare PCB is a great option for those of you who have no problem soldering surface mount components and who want to add Bluetooth to their project while spending as little as possible.

Top of the PCB with each pin labeled

The picture above shows the pinout of the board, which should make it very easy for you to incorporate into your project. You just need to connect the RX, TX, 3.3V, and GND to your project, and you are ready to go. The full schematic of the board can be downloaded below.

Interested? Pick one up at my online store!

Please let me know if you have any questions!


Documentation
RN-42 Datasheet
RN-42 User Manual
NJC Bluetooth Breakout Schematic

Introducing the MAVRK

What is the MAVRK? MAVRK stands for Module and Versatile Reference Kit. It is a new hardware platform developed by Texas Instruments which will allow you to evaluate almost any configuration of Texas Instruments' products. I have been given the opportunity to evaluate this kit before it is released and will be generating content for the community. This post will introduce you to the MAVRK and give a brief explanation of what the kit is.

While I am still not sure who Texas Instruments is targeting with this board , I think that professionals, students, and hobbyists all will be able to find some interesting uses for this system.

MAVRK with two modules installed.

This is a picture of the MAVRK board with two modules installed. I think it's pretty cool looking!

Instead of trying to explain exactly what the MAVRK is, I will give you a scenario in which you would want to use the MAVRK. Imagine you want to build a quadcopter that can be monitored and/or controlled wirelessly from a nearby computer. Instead of taking lots of time and money building prototype after prototype till you get the design right, you can use the MAVRK. First you would need a motor module, a wireless module (say Wi-Fi for example), an MSP430 module, and a few analog or digital input modules. All of these things TI apparently plans on offering at quite low prices.

You would plug everything in to the motherboard, hook any accelerometers you have to the input modules, hook a few test motors up to the motor module, and start programming away. The MAVRK programming tool chain is supposed to make the integration of these modules easy and quick. If all goes to plan, you should have a working model within days, not weeks. Now all that is left is to take the MAVRK setup, and turn your working design into a custom PCB; this step should also be easy considering the MAVRK and all the modules are open source, including the hardware.

I will be started a separate blog about the MAVRK system which will go into more detail about the kit and how to get started with the kit. Stay tuned! Let's see what this baby can do!