{"id":14523,"date":"2020-01-29T10:58:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T15:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/embedded-lab.com\/blog\/?p=14523"},"modified":"2023-09-06T02:50:08","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T06:50:08","slug":"tinkering-ti-msp430f5529","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/embedded-lab.com\/blog\/tinkering-ti-msp430f5529\/","title":{"rendered":"Tinkering TI MSP430F5529"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In my past tutorials on MSP430s<\/a>, I demonstrated how to get started with MSP430 general purpose microcontrollers from Texas Instruments (TI)<\/em><\/strong>. Those tutorials covered most aspects of low and mid-end MSP430G2xxx series microcontrollers. For those tutorials, TI\u2019s official software suite \u2013 Code Composer Studio (CCS)<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 an Eclipse-based IDE and GRACE<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 a graphical peripheral initialization and configuration tool similar to STM32CubeMX were used. To me, those low and mid-end TIs chips are cool and offer best resources one can expect at affordable prices and small physical form-factors. I also briefly discussed about advanced MSP430 microcontrollers and the software resources needed to use them effectively. Given these factors, now it is high time that we start exploring an advanced 16-bit TI MSP430 microcontroller using a combination of past experiences and advanced tools. MSP430F5529 is such a robust high-end device and luckily it also comes with an affordable Launchpad board dedicated for it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First of all, MSP430F5529 is a monster microcontroller because it offers large memory spaces\u2013 128kB of flash and 8kB of RAM. Secondly, it is a 16-bit RISC microcontroller that host several advanced features like USB, DMA, 12-bit SAR ADC, analogue comparator, a real time clock (RTC), several sophisticated timers with multiple capture-compare I\/O channels, etc. There is an on-chip hardware multiplier apart from several bidirectional general-purpose digital input-output (DIO\/GPIO) pins, multipurpose communication peripherals (USCIs) and a highly complex clock and power system that can be tweaked to optimize the speed-power performances. The MSP430F5529LP microcontroller featured on-board MSP430F5529 Launchpad is a low power energy-efficient variant of MSP430F5529 and hence the LP<\/em> designation at the end of the part naming. It can run at low voltage levels like 1.8V. In short, it is a hobbyist wildest dream come true. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MSP-EXP430F5529LP Launchpad Board<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The MSP-EXP430F5529LP Launchpad board is just like other Launchpad boards, having similar form-factor and layout. Unlike the previously seen MSP-EXP430G2 Launchpads, its header pins are brought out using dual-sided male- female rail-connectors. These allow us to stack BoosterPacks<\/em><\/strong> on both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shown above and below are the pin maps of this Launchpad board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first pin map is useful for Energia<\/em><\/strong> users and the second one is useful for CCS users. I use a combination of both. Like other Launchpad boards, this Launchpad comes with a separable MSP-FET USB programmer and debugger interface. Since MSP430F5529 micro has USB hardware embedded in it, the on-board micro USB port can act as a physical USB port when developing USB-based hardware. The micro USB port isn\u2019t, however, directly connected with the chip. Instead of that, the same USB port is connected to the on-board FET programmer and the MSP430F5529 chip via an on-board USB hub. The micro USB port also provides power to the board. The on-board MSP430 chip is powered by 3.3V LDO regulator. This LDO is not meant for driving large loads. There are sufficient power rail pins to hook-up low-power external devices like sensors, LCDs, etc without the need of power rail extenders.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MSP430F5529 is not a low pin count micro and it has a sophisticated clock system that can be feed with both internal and external clock sources. Thus, unlike MSP430G2xxx Launchpads, this Launchpad comes with two external crystals \u2013 a 4MHz and a 32.768kHz crystal that are physically connected with GPIO pins. There are two user buttons and two LEDs also. Additionally, there are dedicated buttons for USB bootstrap loader and hardware reset. There are few jumpers that can be for measurements, debugging, programming, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shown below is the schematic of MSP430F5529LP Launchpad board:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TI MSP430Ware Driver Library and Other Stuffs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like with other advanced microcontrollers from TI,\nthere is no GRACE-like support that can be found for MSP430F5529 and similar\ndevices. In fact, GRACE only supports few low-end and mid-end MSP430\nmicrocontrollers and for some reason TI stopped updating this great tool since\n2013. One probably reason may be the difficulty in developing a GUI-based\napplication that can be used across all computer platforms (Windows, Linux, Mac\nOS, etc) while maintaining support for all ever-growing families of MSP430\ndevices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of upgrading GRACE, TI invested on something called MSP430Ware Driver Library<\/em><\/strong> or simply Driverlib<\/em><\/strong>. Driverlib replaces traditional register-level coding with a set of dedicated hardware libraries that reduces learning and implementation curves. These libraries consist of functions, variables and constants that have meaningful names. A sample code is shown below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timer_A_outputPWMParam outputPWMParam = {0}; \noutputPWMParam.clockSource = TIMER_A_CLOCKSOURCE_SMCLK; outputPWMParam.clockSourceDivider = TIMER_A_CLOCKSOURCE_DIVIDER_2; outputPWMParam.timerPeriod = 20000; \noutputPWMParam.compareRegister = TIMER_A_CAPTURECOMPARE_REGISTER_1; outputPWMParam.compareOutputMode = TIMER_A_OUTPUTMODE_RESET_SET; outputPWMParam.dutyCycle = 0; \nTimer_A_outputPWM(TIMER_A2_BASE, &outputPWMParam);<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Note that there is no register-level coding involved\nand that\u2019s the beauty. Here all the settings of a timer in PWM mode are being\nset. Each parameter is named with a meaningful name instead of some meaningless\nmagic numbers and coding jargon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Initially, I was doubtful and hesitant about using\nDriverlib because it hides away all the good-old register-level coding and at\nthe same time it lacks good documentations. Comparing Driverlib documentation\nwith the documentation of other manufacturers like STMicroelectronics or\nMicrochip, I would say that Driverlib documentation is somewhat incomplete,\nclumsy and difficult to perceive. Adding to this is the fact that TI while\ndeveloping and updating Driverlib made some changes to some function and\ndefinition names. This creates further confusion unless you are using the right\nversion of documentation alongside the right Driverlib version. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s one example. Both are correct and the compiler won\u2019t throw any unexpected error but the first one is seen in older documentations while the second is used more often now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Timer_A_startCounter(__MSP430_BASEADDRESS_T0A5__, TIMER_A_CONTINUOUS_MODE);\n\nor\n\nTimer_A_startCounter(TIMER_A0_BASE, TIMER_A_CONTINUOUS_MODE);<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Issues like this one discussed above may not always\nbe that simple and when it comes to older codes\/examples, thing may become very\nugly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another disadvantage that comes along with stuffs\nlike Driverlib is resource management. Indeed, Driverlib reduces coding efforts\na lot but at the expense of valuable and limited memory resources. Performance\nis also a bit compromised as execution speed is reduced due to additional\nhidden coding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite these facts, I decided to go along with\nDriverlib because like other coders I didn\u2019t want to spend time going through register-by-registers.\nIn present day\u2019s embedded system arena, people like the easy, effective and\nquick paths. It happened to me that after few trials I was able to master\nDriverlib and could also pinpoint issues with documentation and even practically\nget rid of the issues. As of this moment, I am enjoying it a lot and this whole\ntutorial is based on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use Resource Explorer<\/em><\/strong> of Code Composer\nStudio (CCS) IDE or visit the following link:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nhttp:\/\/www.ti.com\/tool\/MSPWARE\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
to get access to MSP430Ware. MSP430Ware contains lot\nexample codes, libraries and other stuffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rest of the software suite and hardware tools\nwill be same as the ones used before. Grace support is unavailable and so it\nwon\u2019t be used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Please also download MSP430F5529 documentations<\/a> and Launchpad board resources<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Digital Input-Output – DIO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Digital Input-Output (DIO) a.k.a<\/em>\nGeneral-Purpose Input-Output (GPIO) coding is the basic and simplest\nrequirement for any microcontroller. This is one area where a microcontroller\n(MCU) differs from a microprocessor (MPU). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
MSP430F5529LP Launchpad comes with 40-pin dual-in-line headers. Of these 40 pins, 35 pin headers are connected to DIO pins. There seven DIO ports but they are not evenly divided, i.e. not all ports are 8-bit wide as one would typically expect. Most of the DIOs have more than one functionality, i.e. timer, ADC, communication, etc. DIO pins can be individually programmed as either inputs or outputs. There are independent input-output data registers. In input mode, DIOs can be pulled up or pulled down using internal pull resistors just like other MSP430s. To take care of Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) issues, output drive strength can be altered in output mode, adding incredible robustness. Additionally, pins can operate at high frequency (25MHz) conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Note in the diagram above that ports are grouped as PA<\/em><\/strong>,\nPB<\/em><\/strong>,\nPC<\/em><\/strong>\nand PD<\/em><\/strong>.\nPorts are usually 8-bit wide but after adjacently grouping them as such, they\nbecome 16-bit wide. PA port pins additionally have interrupt capability unlike\nother ports. PA port consists of P1 and P2, PB port consists of P3 and P4 and\nso forth. Port grouping is helpful when we need to drive parallel port\ninterfaces like TFT displays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is advised not to exceed output drive current or input voltage ranges\/polarity. Best practices are to avoid driving loads directly via output pins and using buffer ICs or isolation for input pins. We must check that whether we are not overloading the microcontroller pins any how because this may have undesired consequences. Try to keep MCU\u2019s total current consumption as low as possible. Any device is more stable at low power and optimum temperature conditions than otherwise. Remember MSP430s are low-power device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Code Example<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#include \"driverlib.h\"\n\nvoid GPIO_init(void);\n\nvoid main(void)\n{\n    WDT_A_hold(WDT_A_BASE);\n\n    GPIO_init();\n\n    while(1)\n    {\n        if(GPIO_getInputPinValue(GPIO_PORT_P1,\n                                 GPIO_PIN1) == 0)\n        {\n            GPIO_setOutputHighOnPin(GPIO_PORT_P4,\n                                    GPIO_PIN7);\n\n            GPIO_setOutputLowOnPin(GPIO_PORT_P1,\n                                   GPIO_PIN0);\n        }\n\n        if(GPIO_getInputPinValue(GPIO_PORT_P2,\n                                 GPIO_PIN1) == 0)\n        {\n            GPIO_setOutputHighOnPin(GPIO_PORT_P1,\n                                    GPIO_PIN0);\n\n            GPIO_setOutputLowOnPin(GPIO_PORT_P4,\n                                   GPIO_PIN7);\n        }\n    };\n}\n\nvoid GPIO_init(void)\n{\n    GPIO_setAsInputPinWithPullUpResistor(GPIO_PORT_P1,\n                                         GPIO_PIN1);\n\n    GPIO_setAsInputPinWithPullUpResistor(GPIO_PORT_P2,\n                                         GPIO_PIN1);\n\n    GPIO_setAsOutputPin(GPIO_PORT_P1,\n                        GPIO_PIN0);\n\n    GPIO_setDriveStrength(GPIO_PORT_P1,\n                          GPIO_PIN0,\n                          GPIO_FULL_OUTPUT_DRIVE_STRENGTH);\n\n    GPIO_setAsOutputPin(GPIO_PORT_P4,\n                        GPIO_PIN7);\n\n    GPIO_setDriveStrength(GPIO_PORT_P4,\n                          GPIO_PIN7,\n                          GPIO_FULL_OUTPUT_DRIVE_STRENGTH);\n}<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Hardware Setup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Explanation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The demo here alternatively turns on\/off the pair of on-board LEDs with on-board button presses. Since this is the first example, I did not configure clocks and so the default clock settings are used. There is nothing dependent on timing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inputs are configured as inputs with internal pull-up resistor. This is so because the on-board buttons are directly connected the GPIO pins without any pull resistor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
GPIO_setAsInputPinWithPullUpResistor(GPIO_PORT_P1, GPIO_PIN1);<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Outputs are configured full output drive output pins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
GPIO_setAsOutputPin(GPIO_PORT_P4, GPIO_PIN7); GPIO_setDriveStrength(GPIO_PORT_P4, GPIO_PIN7, GPIO_FULL_OUTPUT_DRIVE_STRENGTH);<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
In the main loop, the LED pins are toggle alternatively with button presses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
if(GPIO_getInputPinValue(GPIO_PORT_P1, GPIO_PIN1) == 0)\n{\n    GPIO_setOutputHighOnPin(GPIO_PORT_P4, GPIO_PIN7);\n\n    GPIO_setOutputLowOnPin(GPIO_PORT_P1, GPIO_PIN0);\n}\n\nif(GPIO_getInputPinValue(GPIO_PORT_P2, GPIO_PIN1) == 0)\n{\n    GPIO_setOutputHighOnPin(GPIO_PORT_P1, GPIO_PIN0);\n\n    GPIO_setOutputLowOnPin(GPIO_PORT_P4, GPIO_PIN7);\n}<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Demo<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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