MSP430 USB-FET programming doesn't work

Hallo Joerg,

I have the same HW+SW and everything works ok. First when i tried to upload the olimex 1232 board, i got the same error. I forgot to connect the usb programmer at the pc.

Ok, i think thats not your problem. Did you initialize the options dialog in the IAR ? In the "General options" box you have to choose "msp430F1232". In the "Debugger box" you have to choose "FET Debugger". In the "Fet Debugger" box you have to choose "TI USB FET".

Maybe the USB box is not installed correctly by the microschrott SW.

MIKE

Hello Mike,

All three are ok.

Yes, that would something that could have gone wrong. Although the laptop did recognize it right away as the correct device the second I plugged it in. Two red flashes on red, then green, just as it has to be. Also, I'd assume the IAR software should issue a message if it can't see the USB box. But since it doesn't mention at all what is wrong except for the generic failure message, who knows.

Regards, Joerg

Hallo Joerg,

Maybe something is broken during testing the download procedure with the cable to the olimex board plugged the wrong direction. The USB FET puts every unused pin of the 14pin connector to GND !!! (what a bad idea !). This could cause a damage on the FET as well as on the MSP because of negative voltage on some pins.

I hope this hasn't happened to your HW, but it is possible, isn't it ?.

MIKE

Hello Mike,

Oh boy, I hope not. If they stuck to the convention that pin 1 is where the arrow points down it should be rigged up correctly.

Tomorrow I'll chase it with the logic analyzer. Now we are barbequeing pork filets and sausages. In cold weather, gusting winds and driving rain. But with a glass of Merlot in hand that ain't so bad.

Regards, Joerg

That was the right idea to open my 2000 FETZER Cabernet Sauvignon from California

My mother took the bottle from US to Germany on her last trip. It's very tasty, and helps to solder lots of 0.5mm fine pitch corrections on a TQ144 CPLD.

MIKE

Hello Mike,

Fetzer is often at the higher end in terms of price, but it is certainly worth it. There are a lot of local wineries just down the road from us where we stock up when our cellar runs low. Other good wines you sometimes find in Europe are the ones from the Barossa Valley in Australia. Really good stuff.

BTW, tonight we'll barbeque again. This time a nice big tri-tip steak, some onions and maybe potatoes. Sometimes we cook the whole meal in that trusty old Weber charcoal grill, including vegetables and gravy. This is why power outages leave us pretty much unfazed.

Regards, Joerg

Hello All,

Well, now it worketh. A TI engineer asked me to re-install the same driver again. This was install number four. Lo and behold, that did it. Looks like the USB driver must be installed several times until it "sticks".

TI has a great customer service. When email debugging didn't work they called me the very same day.

Regards, Joerg