MMA9550L and MMA9551L Sensor Toolboxes User s Guide

Transcription

1 Freescale Semiconductor Document Number: MMA955xLSTUG User s Guide Rev. 0, 05/2012 MMA9550L and MMA9551L Sensor Toolboxes User s Guide 1 Introduction The MMA955xL devices are 3-axis accelerometers from Freescale s Xtrinsic family of intelligent, motion-sensing platforms. They incorporate dedicated accelerometer MEMS transducers, signal conditioning, data conversion, and a 32-bit, programmable microcontroller. The KITMMA9550LEVM and KITMMA9551LEVM evaluation kits for the MMA955xL devices demonstrates the common accelerometer user cases and provides access to device-specific features. You can quickly configure the device to evaluate its capability for your use case. There are two versions of the kit: one with a MMA9550L device and the other with a MMA9551L device. This user s guide enables you to set up the evaluation kit hardware, understand the graphical user interface, access the accelerometer, configure typical accelerometer scenarios, and interact with the MMA955xL s built-in firmware. Contents 1 Introduction Kit contents System requirements Hardware Daughter board Base development board Assembling the kit Sensor-toolbox software Installing the sensor-toolbox software Starting the sensor-toolbox software Using the sensor-toolbox software XYZ Output application Orientation Detection application Slave Port Mailbox Access application Tilt Detection application First-In/First-Out (FIFO) application High-g/Low-g Detection application Customer Flash Programmer utility Appendix A FAQ Appendix B Top-Layer Silk Screen Appendix C Related Documentation Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. All rights reserved.

2 1.1 Kit contents The KITMMA9550LEVM and KITMMA9551LEVM cases include: The MMA955xL base board The MMA9550L or MMA9551L daughter board that attaches to the MMA955xL base board A USB cable MMA9550L or MMA9551L daughter board MMA955xL base board 1.2 System requirements Figure 1. Kit s daughter and base boards The KITMMA9550LEVM and KITMMA9551LEVM kits require the following: Windows XP operating system with Service Pack 3 or later version Microsoft.NET Framework 3.5 The framework software can be downloaded from the Microsoft website. Freescale s free, sensor toolbox software For more information on the software, see Sensor-toolbox software on page 8. 2 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

3 2 Hardware The KITMMA9550LEVM and KITMMA9551LEVM kits enable a PC to communicate with the MMA955xL device over a USB cable. This section tells how to set up the evaluation kit s hardware. The sensor-toolbox software provides a user interface for the PC to send commands through the USB cable to the base development board, where the PC s signals are converted to the I 2 C/SPI protocol for communicating with the MMA955xL device on the daughter board. The device sends back data that the toolbox software displays on the PC. USB I 2 C/SPI User s PC MMA955xL base board Daughter board Figure 2. Kit s signal path Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 3

4 2.1 Daughter board The daughter board hosts the MMA9550L or MMA9551L device. The base board supports all of the devices in the MMA955xL family. MMA9550L or MMA9551L device Interface connectors Figure 3. Daughter board The daughter board pinout is illustrated in the following figure. J1 1.8V Power Supply J11 J10 J2 GND BGKD/MS/RGPIO9 RGPIO8/PDB_B RESETB N/C SCL0/RGPIO0/SCLK RGPIO7/AN1/TPMCH1 GND RGPIO8/AN0/TPMCH0 SDA0/RGPIO1/SDI RGPIO5/PDB_A/INT_O RGPIO2/SCL1/SDO GND RGPIO3/SDA1/SSB RGPIO4/INT Figure 4. Daughter-board pinout 4 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

5 2.2 Base development board Daughter-board connector Serial communication link (USB) 1.8V power jumper 3.3V power jumper Daughter-board reset button BDM programming header Ground test pin Power LED USB (power and data) Power switch Figure 5. Base development board The base development board components are listed, with component names and brief descriptions, in the following table. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 5

6 Table 1. Base development board component list Component D1 D2 D3 J1 USB J6 J8 J9 J10 J11 J13 J14 J15 PWR D3 PWR SW1 SW3 TP1 Description LED indicating data is being transferred via USB to the development board LED indicating that the development board is receiving data via the USB cable LED indicating signal power is being supplied by the USB connection USB supply power and communication USB signal connection BDM connector to program the MMA9550L or MMA9551L 1.8V jumper to daughter board 3.3V jumper to daughter board Daughter board connector Jumper for connecting the MMA9550L or MMA9551L device s analog signal AN0 and the base board Jumper for connecting the MMA9550L or MMA9551L analog signal AN1 and the base board Jumper for enabling the BDM to reset the MMA9550L or MMA9551L device Power LED Base development board power switch Daughter-board reset button Ground test pin Other components on the base development board are reserved for use by the factory. The base development board top silk screen is provided in this document s appendix. 6 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

7 2.3 Assembling the kit To assemble the KITMMA9550LEVM or KITMMA9551LEVM kit: 1. Remove the boards and USB cable from package. 2. Plug the daughter board s pins into the socket on the base development board, ensuring that the arrow on the top, left edge of the daughter board is aligned with the arrow on the development board. 3. Set the jumpers by doing the following: a) Insert jumpers and connect the two pins on J9, J10, J13, and J14. b) Remove all other jumpers. The jumpers now should appear as shown in the following image. Figure 6. Jumper connections The hardware assembly will be completed in Step 5 of the software-installation procedure that follows. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 7

8 3 Sensor-toolbox software This section explains how to download, install, and configure the sensor toolbox evaluation software. 3.1 Installing the sensor-toolbox software Perform the following procedure to install the software. Near the end of this process, you will be asked if you want to install the Future Technology Devices International (FTDI), serial-to-usb driver included with the sensor toolbox software. These drivers enable the communication over the USB cable. If you have been previously used Freescale's sensor toolbox software, these drivers already are installed on your PC. 1. To begin the download of the sensor toolbox software, click the following link: The webpage, shown below, appears. 2. Click the Download Software button. The Sensor Toolbox Installer license agreement page appears. 3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, shown below, and click the I Accept button. 8 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

9 4. Save the software s installation executable file (SensorToolboxInstaller.exe) to your PC. 5. Complete the hardware assembly by doing the following: a) Plug one end of the USB cable into the base development board and the other end into your PC. b) Turn on the development board with its power switch, shown in Figure 5 on page 5. The LED D3 light should turn on. 6. Locate the software toolkit s installation file on your PC downloaded in Step 4 and double-click on the downloaded file SensorToolboxInstaller.exe to start the installer. The Security Warning dialog box, shown below, appears. 7. Click the Run button and proceed through the setup wizard s series of dialog boxes. During the process, you will be asked if you want a Sensor Toolbox icon added to your Start menu and Desktop. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 9

10 8. When the Ready to Install dialog box, shown below, appears, review the installation configuration and click the Install button. A dialog box appears with a progress bar that displays the status of the software installation and a final dialog box, shown below, appears. 9. Do any of the following and click the Finish button: To install the serial-to-usb communications driver, enable the Install FTDI Driver checkbox To launch the toolbox software upon completion of the setup, leave the Run Sensor Toolbox checkbox enabled 10 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

11 If you chose to install the FTDI driver, a command-line window, shown below, briefly appears. The application is now ready for use. 3.2 Starting the sensor-toolbox software 1. Do either of the following: Double-click the application s Desktop icon Select Start > Programs > Sensor Toolbox > Sensor Toolbox The sensor toolbox s hardware-detection dialog box, shown below, appears. If the MMA955xL base board board is connected properly, the software will detect the MMA9550L or MMA9551L device and display the main menu, shown below, with confirmation in the menu s status line and data populated in the Version Info field. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 11

12 Version Info Status-line notification NOTE If you call Freescale customer support, you will be asked to provide the information displayed in the Version Info field. Table 2. Version Info fields Field name Dev ID ROM version Firmware version Firmware Minor version Field description Device identification number Hardware version of the device Version number of Freescale platform firmware Version number of development-board driver 2. To start an application, click its button in the Application Selection menu group. 3. To exit the sensor-toolbox application, do the following: a) If you have an application window open, close it by clicking the close button in the top, right corner The software s main menu shown in Step 1 redisplays. b) Click the Close Program button. 12 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

13 4 Using the sensor-toolbox software The sensor toolbox software provides the utilities and demonstrations shown in the following table: Table 3. Sensor-toolbox applications Button name Available for device MMA9550L MMA9551L Description XYZ Output X X 4.1 XYZ Output application As show in the following figure, this application s menu has two tabs: View and configure device settings for the Analog Front End (AFE) module View waveform output of the AFE scope Orientation Detection X Detects the device orientation, as if it were a mobile phone. Slave Port Mailbox Access X X Access and configures the Mailbox registers. Tilt Detection X Detects the device s tilt, relative to each of its axes. FIFO (1) X X Configures the devices First In, First Out (FIFO) data structure. High-g/Low-g Detection X Performs motion and drop detection. Customer Flash Programmer X (Advanced users only.) Programs the device with custom firmware. 1. This application currently is not recommended for use. Configure AFE: Configures and shows the settings of the AFE module View Waveform: Displays data in the trace window Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 13

14 4.1.1 XYZ Output: Configure AFE menu Clicking the main menu s XYZ Output button and the Configure AFE tab displays the following menu. Table 4 on page 15 describes the menu s elements. Figure 7. XYZ Output: Configure AFE menu 14 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

15 Table 4. XYZ Output: Configure AFE menu Screen frame Element Description Configure Fast AFE Output Configure Low-Pass AFE Filter Configure AFE High-Pass Filter Configure User Offset Sample Rate Drop-down list box. The rate at which the device acquires data. Default value: 488 Hz. Drop-down list box. The number of bits to be read from the device. A higher Resolution number of bits produces more precise values, but requires more time and power. Default value: 16 bit. g-range Drop-down list box. The range over which the device is acquiring data. Default value: 8g. Enable AFE FIFO Entry Checkbox. Enables the AFE to send data to the onboard FIFO memory. Wakeup Button. Wakes the device from Sleep mode. Default Button. Changes the Sample Rate, Resolution, and g-range setting to their default values, as determined by the Freescale factory. Configure Button. Sends the fields values, set in the user interface, to the device. Configure Device Settings Display. Shows the current settings for: Sample Rate g-range Resolution The low-pass filter eliminates high-frequency (fast) events, such as shakes and taps. Drop-down list box. Sets the value of k, the constant used to calculate the Cutoff Frequency actual cutoff frequency of the MMA955xL platform's Low-Pass Filter. Default value: Hz Configure Device Settings (1) Display. Shows the current settings for: Sample Rate Cutoff Frequency The high-pass filter eliminates low-frequency (slow) events, such as the constant force of gravity. Drop-down list box. Sets the value of k, the constant used to calculate the Cutoff Frequency actual cutoff frequency of the MMA955xL platform's high-pass filter. Default value: 9.15 Hz Configure Device Settings (1) X Axis Offset (8g) Y Axis Offset (8g) Z Axis Offset (8g) Read Offset Configure Configure Device Settings Display. Shows the current settings for: Sample Rate Cutoff Frequency Text boxes. Enables the user to add an offset to the data acquired by the accelerometers. Button. Reads the current offset from the relevant registers on the MMA955xL platform. Button. Configures the MMA955xL platform with the values in the X, Y, and Z Axis Offset text boxes. Display. Shows the current settings for: X-Axis Correction: Y-Axis Correction: Z-Axis Correction: 1. For information on the cutoff frequency for each value of k, see the MMA955xL Intelligent, Motion-Sensing Platform Software Reference Manual (MMA955xLSWRM), accessible from Section Appendix C, Related Documentation, on page 45. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 15

16 4.1.2 XYZ Output: View Waveform menu To see real-time data from the platform, select the View Waveform menu tab, shown in the following figure. The curves in the graph screen show data from the onboard accelerometer that indicates that the MMA955xL platform is sitting flat on the table. The menu s fields and buttons are described in Table 5 on page 17. Figure 8. XYZ Output: View Waveform menu 16 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

17 Table 5. XYZ Output: View Waveform menu Screen frame Element Description Select Waveform Source Display Options Source Log X-Axis Y-Axis Z-Axis g s Counts Drop-down list box. Selects the data sources that can be used for the graph. Options include: Stage 0: Shows the data acquired by the accelerometer after it has been passed through the Stage 0 filter (1). This data is normalized for an 8g range (2). Stage 1: Shows the data acquired by the accelerometer after it has been passed through the Stage 1 filter (1). This data is normalized for an 8g range (2). Abs Data: Displays the absolute value of the data acquired by the accelerometer. g-mode Data: Shows the data with the given g-range (2). LPF: Shows the data acquired by the accelerometer after it has been passed through the device's Low-Pass Filter. HPF: Shows the data acquired by the accelerometer after it has been passed through the device's High-Pass Filter. Checkboxes. Enable/disable the display of graph data acquired from their respective accelerometers. If a box is checked, the data from its axis will be displayed on the graph. Toggled buttons. g s: Sets the graph to use g's for the y-axis of the graph Counts: Sets the graph to use counts for the y-axis of the graph. Counts are the raw data taken from the accelerometer. For information on counts-to-g's conversion, see the MMA955xL Intelligent, Motion-Sensing Hardware Reference Manual (MMA955xLHWRM), accessible from Section Appendix C, Related Documentation, on page 45. Display. Shows the current settings for: Current Output g s: Displays the X, Y, Z axes values in g. Counts: Displays the X, Y, Z axes values in counts. (Graph) Graph. 1. For more info on these filters, see Section 7.1 of the MMA955xL Intelligent, Motion-Sensing Platform Software Reference Manual (MMA955xLSWRM), accessible from Section Appendix C, Related Documentation, on page For information on how this data is manipulated, see Section , Data normalization. 3. For information on how this data is manipulated, see Section , Data logging. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 17

18 Button and text box. Specifies the hard-drive location where the log file should be saved. Destination Clicking the Destination button displays a Save As dialog box that can be used to navigate to the desire location. Alternately, the path can be typed in the text box. Button. Starts the logging process. Clicking the button a second time ends the Log Data logging. The button is green while logging is being performed. Button. Pause / Unpause Pause: Suspends the data-acquisition process and changes the button name to Unpause. (Bottom pane) (3) Unpause: Resumes data acquisition where it was paused. Button. Start: Starts the display of accelerometer data in the menu s graph. (If the Logging Log Data button has been depressed and a log-destination specified) Starts the graph display and the logging of Start / Stop accelerometer data. Stop: Stops the streaming of accelerometer data to the graph and clears the display. To leave the data displayed, use the Pause/Unpause button. (If data-logging has been enabled) Starts and clears the graph display and stops the data-logging. 1. For more info on these filters, see Section 7.1 of the MMA955xL Intelligent, Motion-Sensing Platform Software Reference Manual (MMA955xLSWRM), accessible from Section Appendix C, Related Documentation, on page For information on how this data is manipulated, see Section , Data normalization. 3. For information on how this data is manipulated, see Section , Data logging Data normalization The data from the Stage 0 and Stage1 filters is normalized to an 8g range. This means that a reading of 1g will always be the same number of counts, regardless of the g-range setting. If the g-range is set to 2g, however, the number of counts will not exceed the number for a reading of 2g. If a 1g reading gives a count value of 400, the Stage 0 and Stage 1 registers will always read 400 counts for 1g, regardless of the g-range setting. If the g-range is set to 2g, the registers will never read more than 800 counts. In contrast to the Stage 0 and Stage 1 settings, the Abs output will use the full range of count values for each setting. With this data, the maximum-count value (about 30,000) corresponds to the current g range Data logging Table 5. XYZ Output: View Waveform menu (Continued) Screen frame Element Description The bottom panel of the View Waveform menu provides functionality for logging the accelerometer s data in a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file. This file is a list of the X, Y, and Z-axis count values, separated by commas. CSV files can be opened with spreadsheet or a text-editor applications. 18 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

19 4.2 Orientation Detection application Users can experiment with different configurations setting up different sample rates, trigger levels, and trigger events and running the detection process to discover the best variable combination for their applications. NOTE This application is available only for daughter boards with the MMA9551L device. Clicking the main menu s Orientation Detection button and displays the demonstration s menu, shown in the following figure. Table 6 on page 20 describes the menu s elements. Figure 9. Orientation Detection: Configuration menu Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 19

20 Table 6. Orientation Detection: Configuration menu Screen frame Element Description Enable Function Configure Orientation Detection (1) Start / Stop Enable Portrait Landscape Enable Back Front Enable FIFO Entry Debounce Mode (Clear) Checkbox. Enables Portrait/Landscape detection. With this option enabled, the device detects when it is on its side or pointed up and down. It does not detect whether the device is on its back or its front. Checkbox. Enables Back/Front detection. With this option enabled, the device detects when it is on its back or front. It does not detect when the device is on its side or pointed up. Checkbox. Sends the application s event triggers to the Event FIFO. Checkbox. Toggles the debounce mode of the application. Enabled: Puts the device in clear debounce mode. The debounce count resets each time an event fails to reach the debounce count. Cleared: Puts the device in decrement mode. The debounce count is decreased each time an event fails to reach the debounce count. The device s orientation corresponds to the arrow in the top, left corner of the daughter board. See Figure 3 on page 4. Text box. Sets the angle at which the device changes from landscape to Landscape Trip Angle portrait orientation. Enter the angle using decimal values. Default: 20. Text box. Sets the angle at which the device changes from portrait to Portrait Trip Angle landscape orientation. Enter the angle using decimal values. Default: 60. Text box. Sets the range of Z-axis angles that the device considers as facing Back/Front Trip Angle front and back. Enter the angle using decimal values. Text box. Sets the Z-axis angle at which the device ignores changes in orientation because the specified value is considered to be in the flat Z-Axis Lockout Angle orientation. Enter the angle using decimal values. Default: 35. Text box. Sets the number of samples that the device must maintain, when the Debounce Count orientation is changed, before an interrupt is triggered. Default: Nine samples. Default Button. Changes the settings to their default values. Button. Applies the settings that have been configured. Configure Changes in the user interface will not be applied to the device until this button is clicked. Button. Start: Starts the orientation-detection application and changes the button name to Stop. Stop: Stops the orientation-detection application and changes the button name to Start. To change settings, the application must be stopped. Current Position (2) Current Position Text display. Reports the enabled orientation values and whether a lockout condition has been detected. (Graphic display) Image display. Shows the device s orientation. 1. For more trip angle setting options, see the MMA955xL Intelligent, Motion-Sensing Hardware Reference Manual (MMA955xLHWRM), accessible from Section Appendix C, Related Documentation, on page 45, and Section 4.2.1, Running the Orientation Detection application. 2. For an example of the running display, see Section 4.2.1, Running the Orientation Detection application. 20 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

21 Table 6. Orientation Detection: Configuration menu (Continued) Screen frame Element Description Text display. Shows the configured values for: Current Device Settings Sample Rate g Range Text display. Shows the values configured for: Current Settings Landscape Trip Angle Orientation Portrait Trip Angle Back/Front Trip Angle Z-Axis Lockout Angle Debounce Count 1. For more trip angle setting options, see the MMA955xL Intelligent, Motion-Sensing Hardware Reference Manual (MMA955xLHWRM), accessible from Section Appendix C, Related Documentation, on page 45, and Section 4.2.1, Running the Orientation Detection application. 2. For an example of the running display, see Section 4.2.1, Running the Orientation Detection application Running the Orientation Detection application The following figure shows the Orientation Detection menu after the application has been started. Figure 10. Orientation Detection: Application running The top, left corner of the menu gives a graphical representation of the device that corresponds to the arrow on the daughter card. (See Figure 3 on page 4.) Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 21

22 The axes are shown in the following figure. Positive Z axis Positive Y axis Positive X axis Figure 11. Orientation Detection: Positive axes 22 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

23 4.3 Slave Port Mailbox Access application The Slave Port Mailbox Access application allows the user to interact with the MMA955xL platform's mailbox interface. There are byte mailboxes, arranged consecutively which can be accessed through the I 2 C or the SPI bus. The interface enables monitoring and configuration of all device settings and outputs that are available to the user. The data in the mailbox is flushed when the device is powered down. The following figure shows the application s menu. Table 7 shows the two configurations for the mailbox interface and which portion of the application s menu is used to configure each mode. Legacy-mode settings Normal-mode settings Figure 12. Slave Port Mailbox Access: Menu Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 23

24 4.3.1 Normal mode Table 7. Slave Port Mailbox Access: Configurations Mode Menu group Description Normal (1) Comm Protocol Transaction Enables normal access to all 32 mailboxes. Legacy (2) Quick MB Access Reserves the highest 11 mailboxes (numbers 20-31) as quick-read registers. Data is automatically written, each sample frame, to the quick-read mailboxes and can be read directly from the device without requiring a command. 1. For details, see Normal mode on page For details, see Legacy mode on page 26. The Mailbox application is primarily designed to communicate with the device in Normal mode. In this mode, commands are made up of four bytes. Commands written to the MMA955xL platform are sent in the format shown in the following table. Mailboxes are filled with data, depending on the target application. All commands start with the APP_ID, the command, the destination offset, and the number of data bytes to write. All commands must be written in a single, I 2 C/SPI transaction starting at Mailbox 0, but the response can be read from any subset of the mailbox registers. Table 8. Mailbox commands formats Offset x00 Application ID (APP_ID) 0x01 0 Command Byte offset (upper 4 bits) 0x02 0x03 Byte offset (lower 8 bits) Requested number of bytes to read/write 0x04 Write data 0 0x05 Write data 1 0x06 Write data 2. Write data n The mailbox interface makes assembling a command much easier. The interface provides fields that allow the user to determine the bytes that will form each mailbox command without needing to be extremely familiar with the device. The Comm Protocol Transaction frame contains all of these options, which are given in Table Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

25 Table 9. Slave Port Mailbox Access: Comm protocol transaction frame options Screen frame Field or Option Description Comm Protocol Transaction Select FBID (Hex) (1) Funct ID (1) Bytes to Read Register Offset Bytes to Write The following is an example of a simple Normal-mode command, for reading the device-version information. 1. Set the FBID (or APP_ID) field to Set the offset to Set the Bytes to Read/Write field to 0C. 4. Click the Read Status button. Drop-down list. Shows the most commonly accessed registers. Selecting a register automatically populates the appropriate APP_ID (application identifier/functional block) number in the Funct ID field. Text box. Field for entering the APP_ID (or functional-block ID) of the mailbox to be read or written. The APP_ID numbers are given in the MMA955xL Intelligent, Motion-Sensing Platform Software Reference Manual. Text box. Field for entering the number of bytes (in hexadecimal) to be read from the device. Values greater than 32 (0x20) will wrap around to the first mailbox again. Text box. Field for entering the desired register offset for specifying the starting byte to be read or written, within a given mailbox. This enables you to only read the desired byte(s) in a mailbox without having to find them among other data every time a read is performed. This avoids undesired changes to other registers, when writing to a mailbox. Text box. Field for entering the values you want to write to the register(s) specified in other fields. 1. For more information, see the MMA955xL Intelligent, Motion-Sensing Platform Software Reference Manual (MMA955xLSWRM), accessible from Section Appendix C, Related Documentation, on page 45. Example 1. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 25

26 4.3.2 Legacy mode To change the device from Normal mode to Legacy mode, the following command must be sent: 1. Set the FBID (or APP_ID) field to Set the offset field to Set the Bytes to Read field to Set the Bytes to Write field to Click the Write Config button. Configuring what is written to the Legacy-mode registers is done via the MBOX APP_ID (or function block identifier). This section of registers reserves a pair of bytes for each mailbox. These registers enable the user to set the FBID (APP_ID) and the bit, within that FBID, that will be written to each mailbox, when the device is in Legacy mode. For a list of the registers assigned to each mailbox, see the MMA955xL Intelligent, Motion-Sensing Platform Software Reference Manual (MMA955xLSWRM), accessible from Section Appendix C, Related Documentation, on page 45. The Quick MB Access section of the Mailbox application enables communication with the Quick-Read mailboxes. The following table lists the options available. Table 10. Slave Port Mailbox Access: Quick-read access options Screen frame Field or Option Description Quick MB Access Starting Mailbox Address No. of Bytes to Read Bytes to Write MB Read MB Write Text box. Field for specifying the first mailbox to be read (in hexadecimal). Text box. Field for specifying the number of bytes to be read (in hexadecimal). Text box. Field for specifying the number of bytes to write (in hexadecimal). One byte can be written per mailbox. Button. Reads the Legacy-mode mailboxes and displays the data in the Log frame s text box. Button. Writes the contents of the Quick MB Access frame s Bytes to Write text box to the relevant registers. 1. For more information, see the MMA955xL Intelligent, Motion-Sensing Platform Software Reference Manual (MMA955xLSWRM), accessible from Section Appendix C, Related Documentation, on page Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

27 4.3.3 Advanced functionality: Configuring a device via a mailbox Mailboxes enable users to read an MMA955xL platform s raw data or device status information. Users also can use mailboxes to configure the platform by sending it commands bypassing the basic programming in the CodeWarrior, integrated-development environment (IDE). The application menus in this section provide read and write access to the mailboxes and control of the I 2 C addresses. The Quick MB Access frame s Bytes to Write text box can feed in raw data strings per the previously mentioned mailbox protocol, if the entire command is known. The Comm Protocol Transaction frame serves the same purpose by breaking down elements, allowing commands to be constructed piece-by-piece. The MMA955xL platform has a Scheduler application that integrates Freescale-firmware and user applications so that they run together. This is done by assigning a unique application ID (APP_ID or functional block ID/FBID) to each application. Each application has configuration and status registers that users can access with read or write commands. Users can select the bytes to access and specify the starting point of read or write. The read and write data is in the hexadecimal format. Example: Waking the platform from Sleep mode MMA955xL devices come out of Reset in the Sleep mode and must be wakened by the Analog Front End (AFE) or other hardware interrupts. Users can use the mailbox function to wake the device. Example Launch the sensor-toolbox software and click the main menu s Slave Port Mailbox Access button. The application s window, shown below, appears. Write Config button Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 27

28 2. Enter the following content in the appropriate fields: Field Value (1) Func ID 12 No. of Bytes to Read 01 Register Offset 6 Bytes to Write All values are in hexadecimal. 3. Click the Write Config button. The data is written to the MMA955xL device and the device returns data that is displayed in the Log frame s text box. 28 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

29 Example: Setting up the AFE application The Analog Front End (AFE) module picks up accelerometer signals and converts them according to resolution, multiplier, and g-mode configurations. This example sets up the AFE module to process a shock event. A shock is a quick movement with high g range. To acquire a shock s signal, the AFE must be configured to sample signals within an 8g range and at a 488-Hz sample rate and convert the signals to 16-bit data. To make ensure accuracy, this example sets up an extra data filter that will divide the data output rate by four and send the output data as the average of every four samples. This example also configures the AFE to run in low-power mode, use zero-conversion offset, and apply no high- or low-frequency filters. Example 3. With the Slave Port Mailbox Access menu displayed, enter the following table s content in the appropriate fields and click the Write Config button. Field Value Select FBID AFE (This auto-populates the Func ID field with the value 06.) No. of Bytes to Read 0A (The hexadecimal value for 10 bytes.) Register Offset 0 Bytes to Write The menu appears as shown in the following figure. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 29

30 4.4 Tilt Detection application Tilt detection imitates the case in which users tilt a board around. It senses the angle between the YZ and XZ planes of the device with the fixed reference to gravity. These readings are represented in the gauge meters in the bottom of the application s menu, displayed by clicking the Tilt Detection button on the toolbox s main menu. NOTE This application is available only for daughter boards with the MMA9551L device. The application s menu is shown in the following figure. Table 11 on page 31 describes the menu elements. Figure 13. Tilt Detection menu The application uses the 3-axis accelerometer data after it has been sent through a low-pass filter with a user-configurable cutoff frequency. The filtered output data is used to determine the quadrant and the tilt angle. 30 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

31 The application has a four-bit in register for configuring a delta-angle threshold. A delta-angle flag is set whenever the difference between the device s current and last-calculated angles is bigger than the configured threshold. The low-pass filter, cutoff-angle calculation is given in the following equation. CF = Cutoff frequency in Hz K = Register configuration value SR = Sample rate in Hz Range of valid values for K: 0 7. Low-pass filter, cutoff-angle calculation Eqn. 1 Table 11. Tilt application menu Screen frame Field or Option Description Configure Device Current Settings FIFO Entry Enable XZ Title Detection Enable YZ Title Detection Configure Tilt Detection Default Title Output Tilt Sensing Filter (1) Tilt Threshold Configure Current Settings XZ Plane Output YZ Plane Output Start/Stop Display. Shows the current settings for: Sample Rate g-range Checkbox. Sends events from this application to the Event FIFO. Checkbox. Enables tilt detection in the X/Z axis. Checkbox. Enables tilt detection in the Y/Z axis. Dropdown list box. Routes the accelerometer data through a high-pass filter before using it. Slider. Sets how much the current tilt reading must change before a change is reported. Tilt changes that are smaller than this value will not change the tilt reading. Button. Resets the settings to their default values. Button. Applies the settings made in the menu. If this button is not clicked after settings are changed, they will not be implemented. Display. Shows the current settings for: XZ detection, enabled/disabled YZ detection, enabled/disabled Tilt threshold angle Title sensing filter Gauge and text box. Display the current tilt in the X/Z axis, if the Enable XZ Tilt Detection checkbox is enabled. Gauge and text box. Display the current tilt in the X/Z axis, if the Enable YZ Tilt Detection checkbox is enabled. Button. Starts and stops the application. 1. For more information, see the MMA955xL Intelligent, Motion-Sensing Platform Software Reference Manual (MMA955xLSWRM), accessible from Section Appendix C, Related Documentation, on page 45. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 31

32 4.5 First-In/First-Out (FIFO) application MMA955xL devices can allocate a portion of their memory as a First-In/First-Out data (FIFO) structure or Event FIFO. This application enables users to configure a Data or Event FIFO. The Data FIFO stores samples from the accelerometers, for later use. The Event FIFO stores events generated by the device. Events that occur, while others are taking place, are pushed onto the FIFO for processing after the current event has been processed. NOTE The sensor toolbox s FIFO application is still in early development and considered unstable. The module and this section were retained to show the capabilities of the MMA955xL devices functional FIFO application. Use this sensor-toolbox application at your own risk. After the FIFO button is clicked from the toolbox s main menu, the FIFO application s appearance varies according to whether a Data or Event FIFO is being configured. Data FIFO: Menu displayed in Figure 14 on page 33 Menu described in Table 12 on page 33 Event FIFO: Menu displayed in Figure 15 on page 35 Menu described in Table 13 on page 36 NOTE The Event-FIFO function is available only for the MMA9551L platform. 32 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

33 Figure 14. FIFO application: Data-FIFO menu Table 12. FIFO application: Data-FIFO menu description Screen frame Field or Option Description FIFO Options FIFO Type Byte Count Watermark FIFO Size Dropdown list. Contains the following options: Data FIFO: Stores data from the device s accelerometers (MMA9551L only) Event Queue FIFO (1) : Holds events that have been detected by device applications. This allows the device to hold events, for later processing, when another event is using the CPU. Text box. Sets the FIFO watermark, which must be smaller than the FIFO size. When the number of samples in the FIFO is greater than this value, the FIFO Flags menu group s Watermark LED is illuminated. Text box. Configures the size of the FIFO (in hexadecimal). Values must be between 01 (decimal, 1) and 20 (decimal, 32). Button. Implements the settings enabled in this frame. Button. Resets the FIFO, clearing out all data. Configure Reset FIFO 1. This option s menu is displayed in Figure 15 on page 35. The menu is described in Table 13 on page 36. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 33

34 Current FIFO Parser FIFO Event Log Event Entries FIFO Flags FIFO Output Table 12. FIFO application: Data-FIFO menu description (Continued) Screen frame Field or Option Description Configure Parser (Log window) Clear PL FIFO Entry Tilt FIFO Entry High-g and Low-g FIFO Entry Configure Empty Watermark Overflow Line Count Number of entries to Read Read Entries Read All Button. Configures the parser that reads data from the FIFO. This button must be clicked for data to be read from the FIFO. Text box. When the Read Entries or Read All buttons are clicked, displays the read data. Button. Clears the text displayed in the FIFO Event Log text box. Checkbox. Enables transmission of events from the FIFO to the Portrait/Landscape application. Checkbox. Enables transmission of events from the FIFO to the Tilt application. Checkbox. Enables transmission of events from the FIFO to the High-g/Low-g application. Button. Implements the settings enabled in this frame. Simulated LED. Indicates when the FIFO contains no samples. Simulated LED. illuminates when the number of samples exceed the value set in the Byte Count Watermark text box. Simulated LED. Indicates the FIFO has exceeded its configured capacity and begun to push out its oldest data, with the receipt of each new sample. Display. Displays the number of samples currently in the FIFO. Text box. Sets the number of samples to be read from the FIFO and displayed in the FIFO Event Log window. Leaving this field set at zero and clicking the Read Entries button will produce the error Number of entries to read is greater than the number of samples current contained in the FIFO. Button. Reads the number of samples set in the Number of Samples to Read text box and displays them in the FIFO Event Log window. Button. Reads all the data currently contained in the Data FIFO and displays it in the FIFO Event Log window. 1. This option s menu is displayed in Figure 15 on page 35. The menu is described in Table 13 on page Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

35 Figure 15. FIFO application: Event-FIFO menu Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 35

36 Table 13. FIFO application: Event-FIFO menu description Screen frame Field or Option Description FIFO Options Current FIFO Parser FIFO Event Log Event Entries (1) FIFO Flags FIFO Type Byte Count Watermark FIFO Size FIFO Timeout FIFO Enable Configure Reset FIFO Auto-Route FIFO Events to Apps Manually Parse FIFO Configure Parser (Log window) Clear PL FIFO Entry Tilt FIFO Entry High-g and Low-g FIFO Entry Configure Empty Watermark Overflow Timeout Dropdown list. Contains the following options: Data FIFO (1) : Stores data from the device s accelerometers (MMA9551L only) Event Queue FIFO (2) : Holds events that have been detected by device applications. This allows the device to hold events, for later processing, when another event is using the CPU. Text box. Sets the FIFO watermark, which must be smaller than the FIFO size. When the number of samples in the FIFO is greater than this value, the FIFO Flags menu group s Watermark LED is illuminated. Text box. Configures the size of the FIFO (in hexadecimal). Values must be between 01 (decimal, 1) and 20 (decimal, 32). (MMA9551L only) Text box. Sets the FIFO timeout. Events that have been waiting longer than this timeout are discarded, rather than being processed. This eliminates the processing of old, no-longer-useful data. Checkbox. Enables the Event FIFO. If this is not enabled, the FIFO will not function. Button. Implements the settings enabled in this frame. Button. Resets the FIFO, clearing out all data. Option button. Automatically sends the events stored in the FIFO to the active application. Option button. Allows the user to manually parse the data from the Event FIFO. Because this function has limited capabilities, it is recommended that you use the preceding function, Auto-Route FIFO Events to Apps. Button. Configures the parser that reads data from the FIFO. This button must be clicked for data to be read from the FIFO. Text box. When the Read Entries or Read All buttons are clicked, displays the read data. Button. Clears the text displayed in the FIFO Event Log text box. Checkbox. Enables transmission of events from the FIFO to the Portrait/Landscape application. Checkbox. Enables transmission of events from the FIFO to the Tilt application. Checkbox. Enables transmission of events from the FIFO to the High-g/Low-g application. Button. Implements the settings enabled in this frame. Simulated LED. Indicates when the FIFO contains no samples. Simulated LED. illuminates when the number of samples exceed the value set in the Byte Count Watermark text box. Simulated LED. Indicates the FIFO has exceeded its configured capacity and begun to push out its oldest data, with the receipt of each new sample. Simulated LED. Indicates that an event has been stored in the FIFO longer than the time set by the FIFO Timeout textbox and that the event has been discarded. 1. This option s menu is displayed in Figure 14 on page 33. The menu is described in Table 12 on page If you enable the Event Queue FIFO, you must enable the relevant Event Entries checkbox for the application to receive the events. Not enabling an Event Entries checkbox will send events data to the FIFO, rather than the desired application. 36 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

37 FIFO Output Table 13. FIFO application: Event-FIFO menu description (Continued) Screen frame Field or Option Description Line Count Number of entries to Read Read Entries Read All Display. Displays the number of samples currently in the FIFO. Text box. Sets the number of samples to be read from the FIFO and displayed in the FIFO Event Log window. Leaving this field set at zero and clicking the Read Entries button will produce the error Number of entries to read is greater than the number of samples current contained in the FIFO. Button. Reads the number of samples set in the Number of Samples to Read text box and displays them in the FIFO Event Log window. Button. Reads all the data currently contained in the Data FIFO and displays it in the FIFO Event Log window. 1. This option s menu is displayed in Figure 14 on page 33. The menu is described in Table 12 on page If you enable the Event Queue FIFO, you must enable the relevant Event Entries checkbox for the application to receive the events. Not enabling an Event Entries checkbox will send events data to the FIFO, rather than the desired application. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 37

38 4.6 High-g/Low-g Detection application The High-g/Low-g Detection application detects motions using accelerometer sensor data. It tests each axis reading each value and determining if that value is above the high-g threshold or below the low-g threshold. When either of these events occur, the appropriate flag is set and the threshold s simulated LED illuminated in the application menu. NOTE This application is available only for daughter boards with the MMA9551L device. The flags can be configured to reflect the axes actual values or AND and OR logic operations on the axes. The debounce value can be configured to decrease the sensors susceptibility to noise. Clicking the main menu s High-g/Low-g Detection button and displays the menu shown in Figure 16 on page 38. The menu s appearance when the application is running is shown in Figure 17 on page 39. The menu elements are described in Table 14 on page 39. Figure 16. High-g/Low-g Detection: Unconfigured menu 38 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

39 Figure 17. High-g/Low-g Detection: Menu during operation Table 14. High-g/Low-g Detection menu description Screen frame Menu Group or Field Configure Device Current Settings Field or Option Sample Rate g-range Enable FIFO Event Description Display. Shows the current sample rate of the device. Display. Shows the current g-range of the device. Checkbox. Sends events from this application to the onboard FIFO. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 39

40 Table 14. High-g/Low-g Detection menu description (Continued) Screen frame Configure Device for High-g/Low-g Detection Menu Group or Field High g Low g Threshold High Debounce High Threshold Low Debounce Low Default Configure Field or Option Motion (OR) Freefall (AND) Enable X High Detection Enable Y High Detection Enable Z High Detection Decrements High-g Debounce Motion (OR) Freefall (AND) Enable X Low Detection Enable Y Low Detection Enable Z Low Detection Decrements Low-g Debounce Description Option button. Causes any selected High-g, checkbox options to be run through a logical OR. If any of the checked events occur, the Motion FreeFall (MFF) event is triggered. Option button. Causes any selected, High-g checkbox options to be run through a logical AND. An MFF event will be triggered only if all of the checked events occur. Checkbox. Enables high-g detection of along the X axis. Checkbox. Enables high-g detection of along the Y axis. Checkbox. Enables high-g detection of along the Z axis. Checkbox. Causes the Debounce timer to be decremented each time a high-g event fails to reach the debounce time. Option button. Causes any selected Low-g, checkbox options to be run through a logical OR. If any of the checked events occur, the Motion FreeFall (MFF) event is triggered. Option button. Causes any selected, Low-g checkbox options to be run through a logical AND. An MFF event will be triggered only if all of the checked events occur. Checkbox. Enables low-g detection of along the X axis. Checkbox. Enables low-g detection of along the Y axis. Checkbox. Enables low-g detection of along the Z axis. Checkbox. Causes the Debounce timer to be decremented each time a low-g event fails to reach the debounce time. Slider. Sets the g-force that the device must experience for the High-g MFF event to be triggered. Slider. Sets the amount of time that the threshold-high conditions must be in place for the High-g MFF event to be triggered. Events existing for less that this time will not trigger an interrupt. Slider. Sets the g-force that the device must experience for the Low-g MFF event to be triggered. Slider. Sets the amount of time that the threshold-low conditions must be in place for the Low-g MFF event to be triggered. Events existing for less that this time will not trigger an interrupt. Button. Changes the menu s settings to their default values. Button. Applies the settings made in the menu. If this button is not clicked after settings are changed, they will not be applied 40 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

41 Table 14. High-g/Low-g Detection menu description (Continued) Screen frame High-g/Low-g Detection High-g/Low-g Scope Menu Group or Field (Display) Event Scope Samples Sample Size Pause Scope Start / Stop Field or Option Displays the data being collected by the device. Graph. Displays the data for each detected event. Description Text box. Sets the number of samples in a sample frame. The desired number will be averaged before being passed further into the MFF-detection process. Button. Implements the sample-frame configuration entered into the Samples textbox. Button. Pauses the scope holding the current data in place until the scope is resumed. Upon resumption, the display of new samples returns to the point where it was paused without displaying any samples taken while the scope was paused. Button. Start: Starts the display of data in the Event Scope graph and on the sliders. Button changes to Stop. Stop: Stops the display of data in the Event Scope graph and on the sliders. Button changes to Start. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 41

42 4.7 Customer Flash Programmer utility The Customer Flash Programmer utility allows users to program the device with custom firmware for their applications. Reprogramming the device will prevent it from being used with the sensor-toolbox software, so this utility is recommended only for advanced users. Clicking the main menu s Customer Flash Programmer button and displays the menu shown in the following figure. The menu s elements are described in Table 4 on page 15. Figure 18. Customer Flash Programmer menu Table 15. Customer Flash Programmer application: Menu description Screen frame Field or Option Description Flash Programming Transcript Status Erase Flash Button. Erases the current device firmware. Button. Programs the device with the S19 file provided by the user. Program Flash Note: You must have an S19 file to complete this step. No S19 files are provided in the sensor-toolbox software. Log window. Displays the status of the current flash-memory operation. Progress bar. Indicates the status of the current flash operation. 42 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

43 Appendix A FAQ Q: Why is my evaluation kit not turned on? A: Double-check the USB cable connection to the PC and ensure that the development board power is turned on. Restart the sensor toolbox software. If the kit does not turn on, reinstall the sensor toolbox software ensuring that the FTDI driver is installed. For installation details, see Installing the sensor-toolbox software on page 8. Q: When I try to connect the evaluation software, I get an error stating that communications failed. What should I do? A: Close the evaluation software. Examine whether the kit is assembled as specified in Assembling the kit on page 7. Turn off the power, using the development board s sw1 switch. Reapply power to the evaluation kit and restart the toolbox software. To locate the sw1 switch, see Figure 5 on page 5. Q: I tried to reinstall the evaluation software, but a message window popped up, saying the software is already installed. What do I need to do? A: Uninstall the software using the Add/Remove Programs utility in Control Panel or the toolbox software s built-in uninstaller. Run the installation file again. Q: I tried to start the sensor-toolbox software, but the software s main menu status line reports it is looking for the correct COM. A: Turn off the MMA955xL base board base development board and turn it back on. This resets the kit so that the hardware is recognized. To locate the sw1 switch, see Figure 5 on page 5. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 43

44 Appendix B Top-Layer Silk Screen Figure B-1. Base development board 44 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.