What is it?

• Small form factor alternative to the much larger TI Launchpad for WIFI prototype applications

Why did you make it?

• Needed a powerful/scalable platform for various SmartHome projects. TI SimpleLink WiFi module solution was ideal but no small form factor boards were available from the vendor.

KEY FEATURES

• Based on the TI CC3220MODASM WIFI module (with PCB antenna)
• All application level pins on 0.1" pitch connectors
• Lean solution with no excess circuitry
• Development and debugging as you would with a TI Launchpad

OVERVIEW

• All the processing power of TI’s dual core architecture (and with integrated WIFI antenna) but in a small form factor.
• This small maker friendly board breaks out all application level pins on a 0.1” pitch with no excess circuitry.
• (in the following generic documentation CC32XX will denote both CC3220 and CC3235 devices)

WHAT SHIPS

• As each customer’s requirements will be different the unit ships in a baseline format with all SMD parts on board but without any of the through hole connectors or jumpers. Manufacturer and distributor part numbers for all these are listed below in the BOM.

Note on Connector Assembly - Non power-plane signals will be straightforward to assemble however power pads (GND/VCC) on the connectors will connect to internal power planes to provide improved signal integrity throughout the board. Connecting to large copper areas of course can present problems when hand soldering. When it's not for example possible to pre-heat the board then turn up the temperature on your soldering iron (330C+) to make a good joint.

RECOMMENDED DEVELOPMENT ROUTE

• Simplest (and most affordable) route for development is to make use of the XDS110 debug probe circuitry already on board a TI CC32xx Launchpad (LP). With this setup you can develop as one would if just using a LP alone. There are two parts to achieving this:
• a) JTAG: connecting a 10-pin ribbon cable between the boards
• b) Serial link: 3 flying leads for TX, RX and RST signals. The serial link will also allow simple programming of the serial FLASH within the CC32xx module for stand-alone functionality.

First thing's first

• First of all get everything going with just the Launchpad itself such that you can run any of the demo programs bundled with the SDK using CCS (Code Composer Studio) and also be able to program the serial FLASH using the UNIFLASH application program. Note any of the CC32XX Launchpads can be used as the development environment as they all have the same XDS110 debug probe circuitry and pinouts.

Next connect the Launchpad to the 32XXMAK board

• Connect the Launchpad to the 32XXMAK board as shown below:

a) The jumpers on the LP can be set such that the XDS110 debug probe circuitry and serial link (which also allows FLASH programming) are connected to the 32xxMAK board instead of to the CC32xx device on the LP. Remove the following links on the Launchpad jumper block to isolate the LP CC32xx device:

• RX, TX (serial link)
• RST (N_RST)
• TMS, TCK, TDI, TDO (JTAG signals)

b) For the JP1 jumpers on the 32xxMAK board:

• place a link in the SOP1 position as shown. SOP is ‘Sense on Power-up’ and these 3 SOP pins are sampled on power-up to determine various boot operating modes. The ‘010’ configuration will allow both serial FLASH programming using UNIFLASH and also normal program execution when not.
• Place a link on the GPIO_2 position (enables a path for the TX serial link signal)

c) Use (short) wire links to connect all other signals as shown. Put in several GND connections to improve signal integrity. Note that the TX, RX and RST signals going to connector J5 can also be found on the 14-way SIL connectors J1&J2. This may make the wiring easier.

• N_RST : J5 pin 2 <=> J2 N_RST
• RX : J5 pin 3 <=> J1 GPIO_01
• TX : J5 pin 4 <=> J1 *GPIO_02 when jumper inserted

d) The 10K pull-up resistor on the RX signal to the 32xxMAK board is important and is a ‘must-have’ (it effectively enables UNIFLASH operation)

e) Connect the 10-way JTAG XDS ribbon cable between the 2 boards.

f) Power up the boards (via LP USB connector), run CCS and start developing ! I would recommend using ‘httpget’ or ‘button_led’ examples for a simple start.

g) Next try programming one of the examples into the 32xxMAK serial FLASH. You can then run the board on its own.

Finally one tip I would give (though it is entirely up to the developer) is to avoid using GPIO1 or GPIO2 in your application, but just leave them dedicated to the serial link which I’ve found most helpful while debugging.

Programming the Serial FLASH directly

• The serial FLASH may be programmed directly via connector J4. Note N_RST should be held low during the entire programming operation.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

• Support is limited to issues pertaining to the 32xxMAK board where I will endeavour to get you working with your development environment. For CC32xx specific issues please use the TI E2E support platform.

DOCUMENTATION

For the links below:

• Documentation = DATASHEET
• Design Files = SCHEMATIC
• BOM = CONNECTOR SOURCING