DCA1000 mmWave Studio xWR1xxx xWR6843

Table of Contents

Overview

This guide only listed the specific steps that unique to the following modules

when connecting with DCA1000 for raw data capture through mmwave studio. The common steps are documented inside dca1000_mmwave_studio_user_guide. These common steps include software requirement, hardware requirements and software setup.

Hardware Setup: xWR1xxxBOOST EVMs

This section applies to the following EVMs:

This section will cover how to set up a xWR1xxxBOOST EVM for Raw Data Collection via DCA1000. Unlike the other devices in this guide, the debugging hardware is built into these EVMs, and as a result, an MMWAVEICBOOST is not necessary.

Switch and Wiring Setup with xWR1xxxBOOST and DCA1000

Make sure your device’s SOP mode is in “Development” mode, which is where SOP0 and SOP1 are ON and SOP2 is OFF with regards to the mmWave sensor. Also check the switches on the DCA1000 itself and make sure it matches the ones seen below.

Connect one USB cord directly from the USB port of your computer to the xWR1xxxBOOST. Connect the second USB cord from the USB port of your computer to the RADAR_FTDI of the DCA1000. Unlike other EVM setups in this guide, the barrel jack connection must be connected directly to the mmWave sensor EVM. If you are running into issues involving errors or performance, a second barrel jack connection can be connected to the DCA1000 directly to properly reach that 5V 3A power recommendation.

Lastly, make sure the switch shown here is set to SPI mode. If the switch is set to CAN mode then mmWaveStudio will be unable to connect to the DCA1000.

Hardware Setup: ISK and ISK-ODS Evaluation Modules

This section applies to the following boards:

ISK and ISK-ODS Standalone Mode

This section describes setting up the hardware for an ISK style EVM WITHOUT an MMWAVEICBOOST EVM.

⚠️ WARNING - COMPATIBILITY CHECK
Using the EVM Hardware Combinations and Compatibility table , verify your revision of EVM can collect raw data from the DCA1000 WITHOUT requiring a MMWAVEICBOOST board.

Additional Hardware Requirements for Standalone ISK Style

Switch and Wiring Setup with Antenna Module and DCA1000

To use the RevD EVM directly with DCA1000, the switches (in the yellow circle) need to be set as shown below. On the RevD board, power is supplied via USB connector. (For 3TX and other high power use case that exceeding the limit of the USB power input, TP12 & TP13 can be used to power the antenna board)


Flip the large DCA1000 switch if none of the LEDs on it light up.

ISK and ISK-ODS With MMWAVEICBOOST Attached

This section describes setting up the hardware for an ISK style EVM attached to an MMWAVEICBOOST EVM. More information can be found in the MMWAVEICBOOST users guide at: https://www.ti.com/lit/pdf/swru546

Additional Hardware Requirements for ISK + Carrier

ISK + Carrier and DCA1000 Setup

Configure MMWAVEICBOOST

If the MMWAVEICBOOST has not been used previously, then change the switches on the boards to the following states. On newer EVM’s (Only ISK Rev C or later and ISK-ODS Rev B or later have switches on the EVM itself) that have not been previously used in conjunction with the carrier board, set the switches according to the following image:

Wiring Setup with ISK and DCA1000

Flip the large DCA1000 switch if none of the LEDs on it light up.

Hardware Setup: AOP EVM’s

This section applies to the following boards:

AOP Standalone Mode

This section applies to setting an AOP EVM for Raw Data Collection via DCA1000 when used WITHOUT an MMWAVEICBOOST.

Additional Hardware Requirements for Standalone AOP

Switch and Wiring Setup with AOP RevG and DCA1000 This step only applies when using the xWR6843AOP RevG antenna module without an MMWAVEICBOOST, any other revision must have a MMWAVEICBOOST. To use xWR6843AOP RevG EVM directly with DCA1000, the switches (highlighted with blue squares) need to be set as shown. Note that on xWR6843AOP RevG board, power is supplied via USB connector. Flip the large DCA1000 switch if none of the LEDs on it light up.

AOP With MMWAVEICBOOST Attached

This section describes setting up the hardware for an AOP EVM when attached to an MMWAVEICBOOST. Please note the switch orientation as well as the amount of connected cables

Hardware Requirements for AOP + Carrier

Configure AOP Switches

Configure MMWAVEICBOOST Switches

Wiring Setup

Flip the large DCA1000 switch if none of the LEDs on it light up.

Running mmWaveStudio

By this point, all hardware and software setup must be completed successfully.

1. Before Starting

  1. Ensure your hardware is properly connected and everything is powered on.
  2. To start the GUI, click on the Desktop shortcut for mmWaveStudio or open the file called mmWaveStudio.exe, located within <MMWAVE_STUDIO2_INSTALL_DIR>\mmWaveStudio\RunTime folder.

✅ NOTE - Connecting Hardware
For your first time running mmWaveStudio, your hardware must already be connected or the program will not open correctly.

The Connection window should show up with FTDI Connectivity highlighted in green. If in red, install the FTDI drivers (see section FTDI and XDS driver installation within Software Setup).

2. Connecting to the Sensor

  1. Under “Reset Control” click Set button.
  2. Under “RS232 Operations” Select the COM port listed in device manager as Application/User port number, Baud rate 115200. Click ‘Connect’. The RS232 Connectivity should turn to ‘Disconnect’. The Device status should show based on the radar device used.

✅ NOTE - ONLY AOP
The portion below is only applicable to an AOP device.
When using an AOP device, the device name is not automatically detected after hitting reset and disconnect under RS232 connection. The user has to click the “Operation Frequency” and “Device Variant” radio buttons manually in the specific order shown below. Any deviance from the suggested order can cause unwanted errors

3. Loading Firmware

  1. “Files” load the appropriate BSS (radarss.bin) , then MSS firmware (masterss.bin) from the <MMWAVE_STUDIO2_INSTALL_DIR>\rf_eval_firmware folder. The binary is based on the device variant being used (1243/1443/1642/6843)
  2. The silicon PG version (ES1.0, ES2.0, ES3.0) being supported by the firmware is listed in the mmWaveStudio release notes. The firmware for an older PG version can be found in the older versions of mmWaveStudio.
  3. Under “SPI Operations” Click “SPI Connect(5)” then “RF Power-up(6)”
  4. Once the firmware is loaded, the firmware and patch versions are displayed.

4. Sensor Configuration

StaticConfig tab:

  1. Select the desired TX and RX channels that you would want to use. In ADC Config, select desired ADC configuration and click Set button
  2. If board is provided 1V RF supply Enable the RF LDO Bypass, if its 1.3V leave it unchecked. Click the Advanced Configuration Set button.
  3. LP mode select “Regular ADC” mode
  4. Click the “RF Init Done” button.

DataConfig tab:

  1. Select the data path config “ADC_ONLY” and click Set button.
  2. Select the clock rate and click Set button.
  3. Select the LVDS lanes and click Set button.

SensorConfig tab:

  1. Select the required Profile configuration. These define the FMCW chirp profile.
  2. Select the chirp configuration.
  3. Select the frame configuration.
  4. Select the “Dump File” path name.
  5. For more details on selecting the values for profile , chirp and frame configuration refer to the app note Programming Chirp Parameters in TI Radar Devices

5. Connecting to DCA1000

  1. Select “DCA1000” and click on “SetUp DCA1000”
  2. Click on “Connect, Reset and Configure”. This would establish the Ethernet connection and display the FPGA versions. Verify that the FPGA version is correct.
  3. Note that in case the connection fails make sure the static IP is set as shown in the software setup section, that the Ethernet cable is plugged in correctly, that WIFI is disabled, and that ports 4096 and 4098 are accessible in the PC used, i.e. there is no firewall blocking the ports.

6. Starting Data Capture

  1. Click on “DCA1000 ARM” and then “Trigger Frame”. At this point the radar starts sending out ADC data and DCA1000 starts capturing it.
  2. Once the capture is complete, click on “Post Proc”.
  3. At this point the .bin file specified in the “Dump File” dialog box is created and the captured data is processed.
  4. The post processing utility displays the FFT, time domain and other analyses plots. Please refer to the mmWaveStudio user guide for details. (The source code of this post processing utility is not available. But a data parsing script is provided with the mmWaveStudio release package located at: <MMWAVE_STUDIO2_INSTALL_DIR>\mmWaveStudio\MatlabExamples\singlechip_raw_data_reader_example)

Below are some of the Post Proc plots available:

Interpreting Raw Data

Data File Structure:

Configuration :

Notation :

✅ NOTE - Packet Drops
Since the data is captured using a UDP protocol over Ethernet interface, there could be occasional packets drops. The data from the dropped packets is filled with zeros in the file and can be ignored for analyses.

Data File Example: