Texas Instruments TAS6421-Q1 EVM User manual

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User's Guide
SLOU415–April 2019
TAS6421-Q1 Evaluation Module
This manual describes the operations of the TAS6421-Q1. The TAS6421-Q1 is a stand-alone EVM. The
PurePath™ Control Console 3 GUI (PPC3) is used to initialize and operate the EVM. The main topics of
this document are:
• Hardware implementation and descriptions
• Software implementation and descriptions
• TAS6421-Q1 EVM operations (hardware and software)
Required equipment and accessories:
1. TAS6421-Q1 EVM
2. USB A male to micro B male cable
3. Power Supply Unit (PSU) up to 26.4 V, > 6 A capable, if J12 is removed and 12 V is provided.
If J12 is in, limit the input voltage to 18 V.
4. 1 resistive load or speaker load
5. 2 pair of wires stripped both ends
6. 2-mm slotted screwdriver
7. Optical audio source (optional)
8. Optical SPDIF cable (optional)
9. Desktop or laptop PC with Microsoft®Windows®7 or Windows®10 operating system
Contents
1 Hardware Overview.......................................................................................................... 2
2 Hardware Overview.......................................................................................................... 3
3 Software Overview........................................................................................................... 3
4 Board Layouts, Bill of Materials, and Schematic....................................................................... 20
List of Tables
1 TAS6421-Q1 EVM Bill of Materials ...................................................................................... 26
Trademarks
PurePath is a trademark of Texas Instruments.
Microsoft, Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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1 Hardware Overview
1.1 TAS6421-Q1E1 Evaluation Module Description
The TAS6421-Q1 EVM is a stand-alone EVM. It has single power supply input, USB control via PurePath
Control Console 3 (PPC3) and two digital (I2S) audio input options. See the EVM block diagram in
Figure 1.
Figure 1. TAS6421-Q1 EVM

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2 Hardware Overview
2.1 TAS6421-Q1 Evaluation Module Functions
• The EVM only needs single supply to operate
• The VBAT can be separated for PVDD operation higher than 18 V
• Two audio sources can be selected readily
1. If USB is selected, Windows Media Player can be used to stream audio.
2. If optical is selected, an optical source such as DVD player can be used to stream audio.
3. If external digital audio source such as those from Audio Precision, jumpers can be removed and
I2S signals can be inserted at the jumper headers..
• There are four switches
1. SPDIF power switch turns on and off optical to I2S converter.
2. Standby switch puts the device on or out of standby.
3. Mute switch stops or starts PWM modulation.
4. The XMOS USB controller can be enabled or disabled. Used for EMC testing.
• USB connection also uses as a controller via I2C. The Pure Path Console 3 is the User Interface
sending I2C commands to the device. PPC3 is discussed in a later section.
3 Software Overview
3.1 PurePath™ Console 3 (PPC3) Access and Description
The PPC3 is a server-based tool. Access can be requested on
http://www.ti.com/tool/PUREPATHCONSOLE.
Once approval is given, go to www.ti.com/mysecuresoftware to download the software. After login, the
user will see this web page with a similar list of software products available for download.

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Figure 2. PPC3 Download Window

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Run the installation program. Also download the PPC3 User Manual (SLOU408) for further instructions.
The following window is displayed when first running PPC3.
Figure 3. PPC3 Window
When the window in Figure 3 is displayed, click on “sign in” to see TAS6421 EVM application. All of the
apps shown below may not be displayed for the user.

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Click on TAS6421 App box to download TAS6421 application. Installation window pops up, then click
“Install”.
TAS6421 EVM box appears in “Installed EVM Apps” section, see Figure 4. Click on TAS6421 box to
launch TAS6421 App.
Figure 4. Available Apps Window

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3.2 PurePath™ Console 3 – TAS6421-Q1 EVM Home Window
When the TAS6421 EVM PPC3 is launched, the Home Window is shown. If the EVM is powered on and
the USB is connected to the PC, the Home Window displays “Connect” box in the bottom right hand
corner. If the EVM is not powered on or the USB is not connected, only “TAS6421-Q1 EVM – Offline” is
displayed. There are three windows available with the TAS6421-Q1 EVM PPC3: Home Window, Register
Map Window and Device Monitor and Control Window.
Figure 5. TAS6421-Q1 EVM Home Window

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3.3 PurePath™ Console 3 – TAS6421-Q1 EVM Register Map Window
When click on Register Map Box on the Home Window, the Register Map Window is displayed. The
Register Map indicates the current setting of all the registers in TAS6421-Q1.
Figure 6. TAS6421-Q1 EVM Register Map Window

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3.4 PurePath™ Console 3 – TAS6421-Q1 EVM Monitor and Control Window
When click on Device Monitor and Control Box on the Home Window, the Device Monitor and Control
Window is displayed. The Register Map indicates the current setting of all the registers in TAS6421-Q1.
Figure 7. TAS6421-Q1 EVM Device Monitor and Control Window

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3.5 TAS6421-Q1 EVM Start Up
This section describes the TAS6421-Q1 start-up procedure. Have the equipment and accessories listed
on the first page of this document available.
3.5.1 TAS6421-Q1 EVM Setup
Hardware and software connections:
• Desk top or laptop PC running Windows 7. Open PPC3 GUI.
• Connect 14.4 VDC PSU to TAS6421-Q1 EVM
• Connect speaker or resistive load to TAS6421-Q1 EVM
• Connect USB micro cable from PC to the EVM
• Set the switches (SPDIF, STANDBY, MUTE, XMOS Enable) to up positions
• Turn on the PSU
• Audio source: This can be a DVD player with optical SPDIF cable or Windows Media Player from PC
• At this point, 3.3 V LED, USB-LOCK LED and SPDIF-LOCK LED (if optical SPDIF is used) are on.
• If the SPDIF LED is not on, the default I2S input is the USB audio source.
• On the PPC3 window, launch TAS6421-Q1 EVM application
• The audio can be streamed now to the speakers. Go to the GUI and click on “Device Monitor &
Control” box. Click on play button located on the top right of the window.
• The following sections describe in detail the register settings of TAS6421-Q1.
Figure 8. TAS6421-Q1 EVM Connections