Out Of Box Demo User Guide
Table of Contents
Overview of MMWAVE SDK Out Of Box Demo
This is the mmWave SDK out-of-box demo project for the TI mmWave EVM’s. Run this Out-Of-Box Demo to view processed TI mmWave sensor data in configurable plots using the web-based mmWave Demo Visualizer.
Currently Visualizer support is not provided for AWR2544 EVM. Use any serial terminal application like TeraTerm and connect to Application User COM port and send the configuration.
EVM Compatibility
This demo supports most current mmWave EVM’s available currently. Below are the currently supported devices
| Device | Supported EVM’s |
|---|---|
| xWR6843AOP | xWR6843AOPEVM |
| xWR6843 | xWR6843ISK, xWR6843ISK-ODS, and xWR6843LEVM For the IWR6843LEVM, follow docs and configuration for the IWR6843ISK. The setup is the same. |
| AWR294x | AWR2944EVM |
| AWR2544 | AWR2544EVM |
| xWR6443 | xWR6443 Devices and xWR6843 EVM’s for usage without the onboard DSP |
| xWR1843 | xWR1843BOOST |
| xWR1642 | xWR1642BOOST |
| xWR1443 | xWR1443BOOST |
Quickstart xWR68xx, xWR64xx, xWR18xx, xWR16xx and xWR14xx devices
Requirements
| Tool | Version | Download Link |
|---|---|---|
| Uniflash | Latest | Downlad Uniflash Access Uniflash through the Cloud |
| Silicon Labs CP210x USB to UART Bridge VCP Drivers (only required in standalone mode) | Latest | Latest SiLabs Driver |
| TI Radar Toolbox | Latest | Radar toolbox should be downloaded to access binaries and source code. Download Instructions in the readme file. |
1. Configure the EVM for Flashing Mode
Follow the steps in the EVM Setup Guide for your specific EVM.
2. Flash the EVM using Uniflash
Flash the appropriate binary from the prebuilt binaries folder using UniFlash. Follow the instructions for using UniFlash Prebuilt binaries can be found in the following directory: <RADAR_TOOLBOX_INSTALL_DIR>\source\ti\examples\Out_Of_Box_Demo\prebuilt_binaries\
3. Configure the EVM for Functional Mode
Follow the steps in the EVM Setup Guide for your specific EVM.
4. Open the mmWave Demo Visualizer
In google chrome, open the mmWave Demo Visualizer If prompted, follow the on-screen instructions for installing TI Cloud Agent
The mmWave Industrial visualizer is also compatible with the Out Of Box Demo. It is a python gui which can be used locally. It can be found under <RADAR_TOOLBOX_INSTALL_DIR>\tools\visualizers\Industrial_Visualizer\mmWave_Industrial_Visualizer.exe
NOTE: For AWR2544, refer to Data Collection and Visualization - AWR2544 section of mmwave_mcuplus_sdk_user_guide.pdf located at
mmwave_mcuplus_sdk_<ver>/docs
5. Connect the Visualizer to the Device
In the GUI menu, select Options → Serial Port
- In the serial port window, enter the appropriate port in each of the drop down menus based on your port numbers from Uniflash section
- Click on Configure to connect the GUI to the EVM. The GUI Status bar should show Conected:
6. Running the Demo
- On the Configure Tab, select the appropriate mmWave SDK and the xWR68XX device from the Platform dropdown menu
- Use the available sliders to create the desired configuration.
- You can also use the presets available in the Desirable Configuration drop-down list.
- Additional details about the configuration parameters can be found in the mmWave Demo Visualizer User Guide
- Select the desired plots under Plot Selection (e.g. Scatter Plot, Range Azimuth Plot)
- When ready to send the configuration, click on Send Config To mmWave Device
- Click on the Plots tab to view the plots that were selected to be shown
- Move a highly reflective object in front of the EVM and see how the demo responds.
- You can use the Real Time Tuning controls shown below to adjust CFAR thresholds, Modify Field of View and enable or disable Peak grouping in real time.
Developer’s Guide
Build the Firmware from Source Code
1. Software Requirements
| Tool | Version | Download Link |
|---|---|---|
| TI mmWave SDK | 3.6.0.0-LTS (xWR6843, xWR6443, xWR1843, and xWR1642) 4.4.1.2 (AWR294x) 4.5.0.02(AWR2544) 2.1.x.x (xWR1443) | mmWave SDK 3.6 mmWave SDK 4.4 mmWave SDK 4.5 Previous Versions |
| Code Composer Studio | Latest | Code Composer Studio |
| Silicon Labs CP210x USB to UART Bridge VCP Drivers (only required in standalone mode) | Latest | Latest SiLabs Driver |
2. Import Project
The mmWave SDK Out-of-box demo CCS Project is available on TI Resource Explorer under mmWave Sensors → Radar Toolbox. You can import the project in your CCS workspace using TI Resource Explorer in CCS or by importing the projectspec from a local copy of the toolbox. Both methods of importing projects are defined below. To get started, open CCS and set up your workspace as desired.
Importing via TI Resource Explorer in CCS
- In the top toolbar, navigate to View → Resource Explorer
- In the Resource Explorer side panel (not the main panel with “Welcome to..”), navigate to Software → mmWave Sensors → Radar Toolbox - <ver> → Example Projects →
- Select the Out Of Box Demo, and then choose the appropriate project for your specific device or EVM
- Click on the project, which should open the project in the right main panel, and then click on the Import to IDE button
.
Importing via CCS Import Projectspecs
- In the top toolbar, navigate to Project → Import CCS Projects…
- With the Select search-directory option enabled, click Browse…, navigate to the Out_Of_Box_Demo folder at
<RADAR_TOOLBOX_INSTALL_DIR>\source\ti\examples\Out_Of_Box_Demo\and then click OK.
- Under Discovered projects, select the appropriate project for your device or EVM then click Finish.
📝 NOTE
Project Workspace
When importing projects to a workspace, a copy is created in the workspace. It is important to note that the copy in user’s workspace is the one that gets built and all modifications will only be implemented for the workspace copy. The original project downloaded in the Radar Toolbox is not modified.
3. Build the Project
Build DSS Project
If the applicable demo for your device utilizes the DSP, then it will contain two projects, a DSS project as well as an MSS project, and the DSS project must be built before the MSS project.
With the DSS project selected in Project Explorer, right click on the project and select Rebuild Project. Selecting Rebuild instead of Build ensures that the project is always re-compiled. This is especially important in case the previous build failed with errors.
Ensure that the DSS project builds without errors, which will be shown in the console window.
Build MSS Project
Select the MSS project in Project Explorer, right click on the project and select Rebuild Project.
Build the Project
If there is only one project in Project Explorer, right click on the project name and select Rebuild Project.
🛑 Before Continuing!
Build Fails with Errors
If the build fails with errors, please ensure that all the prerequisites are installed as mentioned in the previous steps.
4. Execute the Project
There are two ways to execute the compiled code on the EVM:
- Deployment mode: In this mode, the EVM boots autonomously from flash and starts running the bin image
- Using Uniflash, flash the .bin file from the MSS project (typically in the Debug folder, but the folder name will depend on the project’s configuration)
- The procedure to flash the EVM is the same as detailed in the Flash the EVM section.
- Debug mode: This mode is is used for downloading and running the executable (.xer4f and .xe674) from CCS. This mode enables JTAG connection with CCS while project is running; useful during development and debugging.
CCS Debug Mode
Follow the instructions for Using CCS Debug for Development
Output from mmWave Demo Visualizer and Output using DCA1000EVM
The mmWave Demo Visualizer is used to visualize processed output data from the mmWave radar device. This processed output data can be saved in binary form to a .DAT file. Additionally, raw ADC data can be saved for offline processing using the DCA1000 EVM. To learn more about the structure of this output data please refer to the following resources:
📝 NOTE
Output Data versus Raw ADC Data
Output data refers to point cloud data (x,y,z,v). Raw ADC data refers to digitally sampled sensor data.
- Output Data Structure Information:
<MMWAVE_SDK3_INSTALL_DIR>\packages\ti\demo\xwr68xx\mmw\docs\doxygen\html\index.html- How to use the DCA100EVM for raw data capture:
<MMWAVE_SDK3_INSTALL_DIR>\docs\mmwave_sdk_user_guide.pdf
Section 3.3.2 mmWave Demo with LVDS-Based Instrumentation- Parsing Script Information for mmWave Demo Visualizer
<MMWAVE_SDK3_INSTALL_DIR>\docs\mmwave_sdk_user_guide.pdf
Section 3.3.1 mmWave Demo - Advanced GUI Options- Parsing Script Location for mmWave Demo Visualizer and DCA100EVM for raw data capture:
<MMWAVE_SDK3_INSTALL_DIR>\packages\ti\demo\parser_scripts
Need More Help?
- Additional resources in the documentation of the mmWave SDK (note hyperlinks will only work if the mmWave SDK has been installed on PC):
- Search for your issue or post a new question on the mmWave E2E forum