Getting Started With xWRL6844

Table of Contents

The xWRL6844 enables low-power 60GHz mmWave radar designs for automotive, industrial, and robotics applications. On this page you will find links to all the resources you need to get started evaluating this new low-power radar solution.

Check out our tech article for details on how our xWRL6844 low-power 60GHz radar devices can enable next-generation sensing.

About the xWRL6844

The xWRL6844 features a 57-64GHz FMCW transceiver with 4 receive channels and 4 transmit channels. The device also features an integrated ARM R5F Core, Hardware Security Module (HSM), TI C66x DSP and a TI Radar Hardware Accelerator for FFT, Log Magnitude, and CFAR operations. This devices features low-power modes. For more info, explore the resources below.

Resource Link
Datasheet and Samples IWRL6844 Product Page
AWRL6844 Product Page
Evaluation Boards IWRL6844EVM Product Page
AWRL6844EVM Product Page
Evaluation Software SDK for xWRL6844
Radar Toolbox application-specific demos
Evaluate Radar Parameters Sensing Estimator
Learn about Radar Radar Academy


Getting Started With xWRL6844

xWRL6844 Quickstart Guide

For details on the xWRL6844 evaluation module, please take a look at the user’s guide linked below.

User’s Guide for xWRL6844 Evaluation Modules

1. Install Software

To get started, you’ll need to install the latest version of the mmWave low-power SDK and the EVM drivers.

Tool Version Download Link
TI mmWave SDK 6.0.3.x (xWRL6844) Download MMWAVE-L-SDK 6.0.3.x
XDS110 Drivers Latest Bundled with Code Composer Studio (CCS)

2. Setup Demo Hardware / Software

  1. Connect your EVM to the XDS micro USB port. You do not need to connect to the barrel jack.

  2. Navigate to the MMWAVE-L-SDK download location and run the Low Power Radar Visualizer. The visualizer will be located in <MMWAVE_SDK6_INSTALL_DIR>\tools\visualizer\visualizer.exe

3. Flash Application Binary

  1. Open the “Flash” tab in the visualizer, and select the COM Port of the EVM. It should be automatically detected. If not, look for the “XDS110 Class Application/User UART” COM port in your Device Manager, and select this port in the GUI.

    📝 NOTE
    If you don’t see the correct COM ports in the Device Manager, you need to install the XDS 110 drivers listed in the Install Software section above.

  2. Finally, select the xWRL6844 in the drop down. It should be automatically detected.

  3. Place the device into Flashing Mode by setting the switches as shown in the visualizer.

  4. Then, toggle the reset button (circled in green) to latch in the mode.

  5. Finally, press “Switch Settings Confirmed”

    📝 NOTE
    For more help on device setup, follow the steps in the EVM Setup Guide for your specific EVM.

  6. Select the desired device binary. Options are:

    • Range-Doppler Image
    • Custom Image - e.g., demo_in_cabin_sensing_6844_system.release.appimage

    📝 NOTE
    If you already have a application image you’d like to use, select “UPLOAD” and upload it to the visualizer. Additional demo binaries can be found in <MMWAVE_SDK6_INSTALL_DIR>\examples\mmw_demo\mmwave_demo\prebuilt_binaries, or in the prebuilt_binaries folder of any Radar Toolbox demo. Be sure to use the <BINARY_NAME>.release.appimage rather than the <BINARY_NAME>.debug.appimage.

  7. Select the “FLASH” button. Upon a successful flash, you see the following appear on the bottom of the flashing page:

4. Send Chirp Configuration

Move to the “Configuration Dashboard” tab in the visualizer. A pop up will appear which instructs switching the device into functional mode.

  1. Place the device into Functional Mode by setting the switches as shown in the visualizer. For more help on device setup, follow the steps in the EVM Setup Guide for your specific EVM.

  2. Then, toggle the reset button (circled in green) to latch in the mode.

  3. In the “Configuration Dashboard” tab, first confirm the COM port and baud rate are correct. Then, under “Configuration Selection”, select the configuration that most closely fits your application. The options are:

    • profile_3T4R_tdm.cfg
    • profile_4T4R_tdm.cfg


    📝 NOTE
    If you already have a configuration you’d like to use, select “Load Config from PC” and upload it to the visualizer. Additional chirp configurations can be found in <MMWAVE_SDK6_INSTALL_DIR>\examples\demo\mmwave_demo\profiles, or in the chirp_configs folder of any Radar Toolbox demo.

  4. Finally, select “Send Selected Config”.


You will see the configuration’s commands being sent in the “Device Configuration Input” tab.

5. View Plots

Once commands are sent, the Visualizer will open the “Plots” tab and display real-time visualizations of radar data.

Application-Specific Demos (Radar Toolbox)

While the SDK visualizer is useful for general device evaluation, the Radar Toolbox is where in-depth, application-specific demos are found. To run Radar Toolbox demos, you’ll need to download the toolbox itself and Uniflash. For a more in-depth introduction to Uniflash, see the Uniflash with mmWave Guide.

Tool Version Download Link
Radar Toolbox Latest Download Radar Toolbox
UniFlash Latest Download UniFlash
Name Description
Seat Belt Reminder (SBR) Demo
Demonstrates 2-row seat belt reminder (SBR) for moving vehicle
Child Presence Detection (CPD) Demo
Demonstrates vehicle 2-row child/life presence detection (CPD)
In-Cabin Intruder Detection Demo
Demonstrates an intruder detection system for a 2-row vehicle that is capable of continuously monitoring the interior and mitigates false alarms due to factors like vehicle shaking

More Resources

For more information on getting started with software evaluation, see the Software Getting Started Guide.

Estimate Range and Power of the xWRL6844

The Sensing Estimator tool can be used to estimate the range and resolution of a provided configuration. Navigate to the ‘Advanced Chirp Design and Timing’ tab and paste your configuration to get started.

Optimize Range and Power of the xWRL6844

Device Chirp Configurations can be tuned to optimize the device’s range, power consumption, resolution, and sensitivity. Information on optimizing these parameters are found in our Tuning Guides. More-in-depth tuning guides for specific processing chains are found in <MMWAVE_SDK6_INSTALL_DIR>\docs.

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