SparkFun Forums 

Where electronics enthusiasts find answers.

Discussions on how to get your MSP JTAG programmer up and running.
By mbibee
#82334
Has anyone successfully used the TI MSP-FETU430IF usb programmer with the olimex msp430-1121stk2 board?

I just got this board in the mail but have been disappointed that CCE tells me the device is not found when I try to program it. With the FET tool attached and probing the chip vcc pin with a multimeter I only see .7V on the pin so the chip isn't getting powered.

On the olimex schematic pin2 of the jtag header is supposed to be supplying vcc. Probing with the multi-meter I don't see a short between the chip vcc pin and pin 2 of the jtag header. Pin4 of the jtag header is marked "vcc out" however there is zero impedance between this pin and the vcc pin of the chip so it looks like the chip and vcc domain is powered on pin 4 of the jtag header.

For the TI FET this is "vcc in" and is used to sense the local supply so that it adjusts programmer logic levels accordingly. So it's not going to be supplying power to the chip.

It looks to me like the only way to use this board with the TI usb programmer is to supply 3V externally with either a battery or a power supply.

One though I had was to short pin 2 and 4 together on the board. The TI manual on the FET tool says not to do this. I can't see what harm it would do but I don't want to risk a $100 programmer.

Has anyone else dealt with this? If you buy the jtag programmer from olimex I'm assuming you don't have this problem?

Thanks
Matt
By mbibee
#82396
A quick update on this. I picked up a 3V coin li-ion battery on my way home and put it into the olimex board. I now get a valid 3V supply on the chip VCC.

On pin4 of the ti jtag programmer I measure 3V going into the programmer. Oddly enough I don't measre a voltage coming out of the programmer (pin 2).

I'm using TI code composer essentials (CCE). Now when I go to program the board I get an error message

"Error connecting to the target:
No MSP430 device was found on USB FET 1"

Anyone have any ideas why this would be? The olimex board uses TI's jtag layout. It seems like this should just work?

Thanks
Matt
By mbibee
#82540
All right I was doing something really dumb. I copied an old "hello world" program just to see the olimex board do something and I forgot to change the device variant in the TI build settings to an 1121A. The TI FET works just fine with the Olimex board.

If anyone from Olimex is watching this thread it would still be nice to power this board directly from the FET rather than use a battery...

Thanks
Matt