Texas Instruments TDC7201-ZAX-EVM User manual

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TDC7201-ZAX-EVM
User's Guide
SNAU198A–May 2016–Revised May 2016
TDC7201-ZAX-EVM
This guide details the use of the TDC7201-ZAX-EVM Evaluation Module (referred to as TDC7201EVM for
the remainder of this document). The TDC7201EVM is an evaluation module that allows users to evaluate
the operation and performance of the TDC7201 Time-to-Digital Converter. One example application that
requires accurate time-to-digital conversion is LIDAR.
The TDC7201EVM connects to the MSP430 LaunchPad evaluation kit for capturing data, and it connects
to a user-friendly Graphic User Interface (GUI) to modify the registers and display the data.
Contents
1 General Description ......................................................................................................... 1
2 Equipment List ............................................................................................................... 3
3 Quick Start.................................................................................................................... 3
4 Software Installation......................................................................................................... 4
5 Hardware Configuration..................................................................................................... 7
6 GUI and Operation......................................................................................................... 10
7 Board Layout................................................................................................................ 14
8 TDC7201EVM Schematic................................................................................................. 17
9 Bill of Materials ............................................................................................................. 19
Trademarks
1 General Description
1.1 TDC7201EVM Key Features
1. Evaluate TDC7201 Time-to-Digital Converter
2. Connects with MSP430 Launch Pad (MSP-EXP430F5529LP)
3. User-friendly TDC720xEVM GUI interface
4. Connection for START1, START2, STOP1, and STOP2 inputs
5. Powered by MSP430 LaunchPad (no external power needed)

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1.2 TDC7201EVM
Figure 1. TDC7201EVM Evaluation Board

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2 Equipment List
1. TDC7201EVM
2. TDC720xEVM GUI (http://www.ti.com/tool/tdc7201-zax-evm)
3. MSP430 launchpad (http://www.ti.com/tool/msp-exp430f5529lp)
4. Micro-USB cable
5. Dual function generator (for example: Tektronix AFG3102 1GS/s, 100MHz)
6. PC with Windows XP or Windows 7
7. 4 BNC-to-SMA cables
3 Quick Start
1. Download and Install TDC720xEVM (GUI) Software. See Section 4 for more information.
2. Connect the USB cable from the MSP430 LaunchPad to the PC.
3. Connect the TDC7201EVM to the MSP430 LaunchPad via J1 and J2.
4. Connect START1 and STOP1 pulses to the TDC7201EVM via J5 and J4. See Section 5 for more
information.
5. Launch the GUI. See Section 6 for more information.
6. On the GRAPH tab, press the START GRAPH button.

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4 Software Installation
This section describes software installation, firmware upgrade, and how to update USB Driver.
4.1 Installing the TDC720xEVM GUI
1. Download the TDC720xEVM Software GUI zip file to your desktop. This should be located in
http://www.ti.com/tool/tdc7201-zax-evm.
2. Unzip the file.
3. Run the setup.exe file.
4. Follow the instructions to install the GUI.
5. Once done, you should be able to see the installation in default installation folder; for example,
C:\Program Files (x86)\Texas Instruments\TDC720xEVM.
4.2 MSP430 Firmware Upgrade (This is only needed for a new Launchpad.)
1. Open the TDC720xEVM GUI.
2. Click on the Debug tab.
3. Click on Update Firmware.
4. Click Next to proceed on the first prompt; read and accept the license agreement, and click Next to
continue.
5. Choose Select Firmware, and then click Browse.
a. Go to the folder where you downloaded the TDC720xEVM GUI. The default install folder is
C:\Program Files (x86)\Texas Instruments\TDC720xEVM
b. Find the Firmware folder. It is located within the default installation folder, C:\Program Files
(x86)\Texas Instruments\TDC720xEVM\Firmware
c. Select the TDC720xEVM firmware text file.
6. On the MSP430 LaunchPad board, press the BSL button (S5) and connect the MSP430 Launch
Pad to your PC using a USB cable. If detected, the text displayed on the Firmware Upgrade tool
changes from No device connected to Found 1 device. See Figure 2.
7. On the MSP430 USB Firmware Upgrade GUI, click Upgrade Firmware.
8. Click Close when done.
Figure 2. Upgrading MSP430 Firmware

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4.3 Checking Connection
1. If you haven’t done so, connect the USB cable from the MSP430 Launch Pad to your PC.
2. If you haven’t done so, connect the TDC7201EVM to the MSP430 Launch Pad via J1 and J2 as shown
in Figure 6.
3. Open the computer’s Device Manager . To do this, right-click My Computer, click Properties, and
select Device Manager.
4. Scroll down to Ports (COM & LPT) and check TDC7200EVM (COMx) connection as shown in
Figure 3.
Figure 3. Device Manager

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4.4 Opening the GUI
1. If you haven’t done so, connect the USB cable from the MSP430 Launch Pad to your PC.
2. If you haven’t done so, connect the TDC7201EVM to the MSP430 Launch Pad via J1 and J2 as shown
in Figure 6.
3. Run the TDC720xEVM GUI from the Start Menu. By default, it is located in Programs\Texas
Instruments\TDC720xEVM.
4. GUI should automatically connect and show the screen depicted in Figure 4.
Figure 4. TDC720xEVM GUI

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5 Hardware Configuration
This section describes how to properly set up the connections on the EVM
5.1 TDC7201EVM Connections
1. If you haven’t done so, connect the USB cable from the MSP430 Launch Pad to your PC.
2. If you haven't done so, connect the TDC7201EVM to the MSP430 Launch Pad via J1 and J2 as
shown in Figure 6.
3. Setting the Dual Channel Function Generator:
i. Set channel 1 of the dual function generator to the following (see Figure 5):
i. Pulse 1-Cycle
ii. Burst mode
iii. Freq = 40 kHz
iv. Delay = 0 s
v. Amplitude = 3.3 Vpp
vi. Offset = 1.65 V
vii. Duty = 20%
viii. Burst Trigger Source = External
ii. Set channel 2 of the dual function generator to the following (see Figure 5):
i. Pulse 1-Cycle
ii. Burst mode
iii. Freq = 40 kHz
iv. Delay = 19 µs --> this is the time-of-flight (TOF)
v. Amplitude = 3.3 Vpp
vi. Offset = 1.65 V
vii. Duty = 20%
viii. Burst Trigger Source = External
Figure 5. START and STOP Signals Scope Shot

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4. Connecting the Input Signal:
a. Using a USB-to-SMA cable, connect channel 1 of the dual function generator to TDC7201EVM’s
START1_EXT connector (J5).
b. Using a USB-to-SMA cable, connect channel 2 of the dual function generator to TDC7201EVM’s
STOP1_EXT connector (J4). See Figure 6.
5. Connecting the Trigger Input:
a. Connect DTG_TRIG (TP9) to the TRIGG input of the dual function generator. DTG_TRIG is
generated by the MCU whenever a new measurement is started by the TDC7201. See Figure 6
and Figure 7.
Figure 6. TDC7201EVM Connection Setup

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Figure 7. Tektronix AFG3102 Connections

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5.2 Jumpers
The following shows the jumper connection:
1. JP1: Jumper for VCC power
a. Connect Pin 1 to Pin 2 – power VCC via MSP430 (recommended)
b. Open Pin 1 and Pin 2 – no connection to VCC via MSP430; need to apply external power
2. JP2: Jumper for CLOCK source
a. Connect Pin 1 to Pin 2 – power VCC via MSP430 (recommended)
b. Open Pin 1 and Pin 2 – no connection to VCC via MSP430; need to apply external power
6 GUI and Operation
1. If you haven’t done so, open the TDC720xEVM GUI. The EVM GUI software can be run by clicking on
Start, then clicking All Programs, Texas Instruments, and TDC720xEVM and selecting
TDC720xEVM.
2. Click on the TDC720x tab and make sure TDC1 is selected with the register configuration in Figure 8:
Figure 8. Recommended TDC7201:TDC1 Register Configuration

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3. Click on the Graph tab, then click on START GRAPH. You should be able to read 19 µs (assuming
you follow the instructions as specified in Section 5.1).
Figure 9. Graphing
4. Calculating Time-of-Flight:
a. In the GUI, click on the TOF_ONE_SHOT tab.
b. You should be able to see similar measurement results register values as shown in Figure 10
(assuming you follow the instructions as specified in Section 5.1).
Figure 10. Measurement Results
c. To calculate the time-of-flight, use the Measurement Mode 2 Time-of-Flight calculation as shown in
Equation 1. For more information, refer to the TDC7201 data sheet (SNAS686).
d. Use the values reported in the Measurement Result Registers (Figure 10) to validate the time-of-
flight as approximately 19 µs (assuming you follow the instructions as specified in Section 5.1).

11
CALIBRATION2 CALIBRATION1 (4354 2179)
calCount 2175
(CALIBRATION2_PERIODS) 1 (2) 1
(CLOCKperiod) (1/ 8MHz)
normLSB 57.4ps
(calCount) 2175
TOF1 normLSB(TIME1 TIME2) (CLOCK_COUNT1)(CLOCKperiod)
TOF1 (5.74 10
 
 
 
 )(1688 1667) (152)(1/ 8MHz)
TOF1 19.001us
 
n n n 1
n n 1 n
TOF (TIME1)(normLSB) offset (CLOCK_COUNT )(CLOCKperiod) (TIME )(normLSB) offset
TOF normLSB(TIME1 TIME ) (CLOCK_COUNT )(CLOCKperiod)
(CLOCKperiod)
normLSB (calCount)
CALIBRATION2 CA
calCount


   
ª º ª º
¬ ¼ ¬ ¼
 

LIBRATION1
(CALIBRATION2_PERIODS) 1
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where
• TOFn [second] = time-of-flight measurement from the START to the nth STOP
• normLSB [sec] = normalized LSB value from calibration
• TIME1 = time 1 measurement given by the TDC7201 register address 0x10
• TIMEn+1 = (n+1) time measurement given by the TDC7201 register addresses 0x12, 0x14, 0x16, 0x18,
and 0x1A
• CLOCK_COUNTn = nth clock count values in register addresses 0x11, 0x13, 0x15, 0x17, and 0x19
• CLOCKperiod [sec] = external CLOCK period
• offset [sec]= constant measurement offset
• CALIBRATION1 [count] = TDC count for first calibration cycle, located in register address 0x1B
• CALIBRATION2 [count] = TDC count for second calibration cycle, located in register address 0x1C
• CALIBRATION2_PERIODS = calibration count bits, located in register address 0x01 (1)
(2)
5. START_EXT2/STOP_EXT2 Testing
a. Modification to Input Signal Connections:
1. Disconnect USB-to-SMA cable connection to START_EXT1 (J5). Instead, reconnect channel 1
of the dual function generator to TDC7201EVM’s START_EXT2 connector (J8).
2. Disconnect USB-to-SMA cable connection to STOP_EXT1 (J4). Instead, reconnect channel 2
of the dual function generator to TDC7201EVM’s STOP_EXT2 connector (J7). See Figure 4.
b. Now repeat steps 1 through 4 from Section 6 with the following modification to step 2: Click on the
TDC720x tab and make sure the TDC7201: Select TDCx field is as shown in Figure 11.

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Figure 11. Recommended TDC7201:TDC2 Register Configuration

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7 Board Layout
NOTE: The board layout is not to scale. Figure 12 thru Figure 15 are intended to show how the board is
laid out; it is not intended to be used for manufacturing.
Figure 12. TDC7201EVM Top Layer

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Figure 13. TDC7201EVM Bottom Layer

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Figure 14. TDC7201EVM Ground Plane

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Figure 15. TDC7201EVM Power Plane
8 TDC7201EVM Schematic
The TDC7201EVM Schematic is shown in Figure 16.

START_EXT1
STOP_EXT1
GND
GND
TRIG1
OSC_ENABLE
VCC
GND
GND
VCC
SH-JP1
GND GND
INT1
DOUT1
DIN
CS1
SCLK
GND
TRIG1
CS1
ENABLE1
1
TP1
1
TP2
1
2 3 4 5
J6
142-0701-801
1
2 3 4 5
J4
142-0701-801
1
2 3 4 5
J5
142-0701-801
OSC_ENABLE
10µF
C1
1µF
C4
GND
0.01µF
C5
8MHz
VDD 4
OE/STANDBY 1 GND
2
OUT
3
Y1
VCC
GND
GND
GND
GND
1
TP7
1
TP8
1
2 3 4 5
J7
142-0701-801
1
2 3 4 5
J8
142-0701-801
0.1µF
C6
0.01µF
C7
1µF
C8
1
TP6
VCC
VCC
CS2
INT2
START_EXT2
STOP_EXT2
INT2
CS2
TRIG2
1
TP9
DTG_TRIG
MSP_START
1
2 3 4 5
J3
0
R11
0
R12
GND
SH-JP3
DTG_TRIG
MSP_START
GND
1
2 3 4 5
TP10
GND
1
3
56
4
2
7
910
8
12 11
14 13
16 15
18 17
20 19
J2
PPPC102LFBN-RC
1
2
JP1
ICC
1
2
JP3
ICC
TP4 TP5
1
3
56
4
2
7
910
8
12 11
14 13
16 15
18 17
20 19
J1
PPPC102LFBN-RC
GND
INT1
VCC
10.0k
R5
0
R10
10.0k
R6
49.9
R1
49.9
R2
49.9
R8
49.9
R9
49.9
R13
1
TP3 0
R3
TRIG2
VREG1
VREG2
VDD2VDD1
VDD1
VDD2
ENABLE1
CLOCK_TDC_CAL
SCLK
DIN
START_EXT1
STOP_EXT1
START_EXT2
STOP_EXT2
0.1µF
C2
0.01µF
C3
GND
0
R7 SCLK
OSC_OUT
CLOCK_TDC_CAL
0
R18
EXT_CLOCK
0
R17
0
R16
0
R4
0
R15
0
R14
DIN
DOUT2
DOUT1
DOUT2
NOTE: 1. Add via on each SPI pins and label
2. Take all SPI bus and digital pins to Bottom Layer
3. START1, START2, STOP1, STOP2 must be symmetic and equal
from device's pin
4. Add J3 vertical narrow SMA between START1 and START2
5. Distance J3 must be the same for START1 and START2
GND
TP13
GND
TP14
CLOCK C1
CSB1 B5
CSB2 E5
DIN D5
DOUT1 C5
DOUT2 E3
ENABLE A3
GND1
B2
GND2
E2
INTB1
B3
INTB2
D3
SCLK A5
START1 A1
START2 D1
STOP1 B1
STOP2 E1
TRIGG1
A2
TRIGG2
D2
VDD1 B4
VDD2 C4
VREG1
A4
VREG2
E4
NC
C2
NC
C3
NC
D4
U1
TDC7201ZAXR
GND
GND
SV601269
A
PCB Number:
PCB Rev:
Assembly Note
ZZ1
Short SH-JP1 and SH-JP3 on JP1 pin 1-2 and JP3 pin 1-2
FID2FID1 FID3
LOGO
PCB
FCC disclaimer
FID5FID4 FID6
LOGO
PCB
Logo1
LOGO
PCB
Logo2
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TDC7201EVM Schematic www.ti.com
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Figure 16. TDC7201EVM Schematic

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9 Bill of Materials
Table 1. TDC7201EVM Bill of Materials
Designator Qty Value Description Package
Reference Part Number Manufacturer
C1 1 10uF CAP, CERM, 10 µF, 6.3 V, +/- 20%,
X5R, 0603 0603 C0603C106M9P ACTU Kemet
C2, C6 2 0.1uF CAP, CERM, 0.1 µF, 16 V, +/- 5%,
X7R, 0603 0603 0603YC104JAT2 AAVX
C3, C5, C7 3 0.01uF CAP, CERM, 0.01 µF, 100 V, +/- 5%,
X7R, 0603 0603 06031C103JAT2 AAVX
C4, C8 2 1uF CAP, CERM, 1 µF, 16 V, +/- 10%,
X7R, 0603 0603 EMK107B7105K A-T Taiyo Yuden
J1, J2 2 Receptacle, 100mil, 10x2, Gold, TH 10x2 Receptacle PPPC102LFBN-
RC Sullins Connector
Solutions
J3 1 Connector, TH, SMA SMA 142-0701-201 Emerson
Network Power
J4, J5, J6, J7, J8 5 Connector, End launch SMA, 50
ohm, SMT End Launch SMA 142-0701-801 Johnson
JP1, JP3 2 Header, 100mil, 2x1, Gold, TH 2x1 Header TSW-102-07-G-
SSamtec
R1, R2, R8, R9,
R13 5 49.9 RES, 49.9, 1%, 0.1 W, 0603 0603 CRCW060349R 9FKEA Vishay-Dale
R3, R4, R10,
R16, R18 5 0 RES, 0, 5%, 0.1 W, 0603 0603 CRCW06030000 Z0EA Vishay-Dale
R5, R6 2 10.0k RES, 10.0 k, 1%, 0.1 W, 0603 0603 CRCW060310K
0FKEA Vishay-Dale
SH-JP1, SH-JP3 2 1x2 Shunt, 100mil, Gold plated, Black Shunt 969102-0000-DA 3M
TP4, TP5, TP13,
TP14 4 Black Test Point, Multipurpose, Black, TH Black Multipurpose
Testpoint
5011 Keystone
TP9 1 Header, 100mil, 1pos, Gold, TH Testpoint TSW-101-07-G-
SSamtec
U1 1 Time-to-Digital Converter for Time-
of-FlightApplications in LIDAR,
Magnetostrictive andFlowMeters,
ZAX0025A
ZAX0025A TDC7201ZAXR Texas
Instruments
Y1 1 OSC, 8MHz, 15pF, SMD OSC,
3.2x.85x5mm ASFLMB- 8.000MHZ-LY-T Abracon Corporation
FID1, FID2,
FID3, FID4,
FID5, FID6
0 Fiducial mark. There is nothing to
buy or mount. N/A N/A N/A
R7, R11, R12,
R14, R15, R17 0 0 RES, 0, 5%, 0.1 W, 0603 0603 CRCW06030000 Z0EA Vishay-Dale
TP1, TP2, TP3,
TP6, TP7, TP8 0 Header, 100mil, 1pos, Gold, TH Testpoint TSW-101-07-G- SSamtec
TP10 0 Connector, TH, SMA SMA 142-0701-201 Emerson
Network Power

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