The Kit
(" The upper blue roll is the substitute for the thermal tape.
The role on the side is the 3M EM25TP-0050 EMI Absorber.
The big box is the Analog Devices MAX30208EVSYS# Evaluation Kit
The Little black box is the Analog Devices MAXREFDES117# Reference Design Board")
This is the kit, I received it on 23rd but from them I spend time configuring them and in this forum I will show I come up with.
And By the way great thanks to Element14 for the swag :)
Configuring
1) Analog Devices MAX30208EVSYS# Evaluation Kit:
This is the kit:
Firstly I tested it with the pre-flashed MAX32630FTHR MCU board, it was surprisingly easy put the MCU in the bottom of the board in J2 and J1, then put the flex ribbon in the J9. If you haven`t altered any caps to switch mode then it will work fine, and If you have messed them a bit. make sure.
Caps are put as in the image
Then go to https://www.analog.com/en/resources/evaluation-hardware-and-software/evaluation-boards-kits/max30208evsys.html#eb-overview and scroll down to bottom and download the the tool.
And open, there is no need to install extra diver. And you will start seeing real time temperature readings Unfortunately the MCU get damaged(while I was testing it with the battery the battery socket had the opposite pins, and there was no diode to protect the internals, I tried my best to find the real damage but nothing was seeming to work, and I decide to leave that for know and else use the Arduino UNO Q as the controller only. 
)
Using it with our own platform
I was not able to find the frimware that come preinstalled in the MCU after spending the whole evening also.
But with the I had taken a screenshot of the registered address so I was able to reconstruct the sketch.
Else if your are using my code you do not need this to configure it.
Wire as shown(using J10):
GPIO1/3 -> EMPTY
SDA/GPIO2 -> To your MCU`s SDA
SCL/GPIO1 ->To your MCU`s SDA
VDD/DQ -> 3.3v
GND -> GND
This is how I implement the addresses.
// --- MAX30208 Register Definitions ---
#define MAX30208_I2C_ADDR 0x50 // Default address you will get this if you run a i2c scan
#define REG_STATUS 0x00 // Status register
#define REG_FIFO_DATA 0x08 // FIFO temperature data register
#define REG_TEMP_SETUP 0x14 // Temperature setup register (CONVERT_T)
#define REG_PART_ID 0xFF // Part ID register (Expected value: 0x30)
Reading the data
float readTemperature() {
// 1. Trigger single-shot conversion (write CONVERT_T bit in reg 0x14)
Wire.beginTransmission(MAX30208_I2C_ADDR);
Wire.write(REG_TEMP_SETUP);
Wire.write(0xC1);
if (Wire.endTransmission() != 0) {
return -999.0f; // Communication error
}
// 2. Wait for conversion completion (~15ms typical according to MAX30208 datasheet)
delay(20);
// 3. Pointer setup to read 2 bytes from FIFO_DATA register (0x08)
Wire.beginTransmission(MAX30208_I2C_ADDR);
Wire.write(REG_FIFO_DATA);
if (Wire.endTransmission(false) != 0) {
return -999.0f;
}
// 4. Request 2 bytes (MSB and LSB)
Wire.requestFrom((uint8_t)MAX30208_I2C_ADDR, (uint8_t)2);
if (Wire.available() == 2) {
uint8_t msb = Wire.read();
uint8_t lsb = Wire.read();
// Reconstruct signed 16-bit 2's complement integer
int16_t rawTemp = (int16_t)((msb << 8) | lsb);
// Convert LSB to °C (0.005°C scale factor)
return rawTemp * 0.005f;
}
return -999.0f;
}
1. Start Measurement: Tells the MAX30208 sensor to take a temperature reading.
2. Wait: Pauses for 20 ms to let the sensor process.
3. Point to Data: Asks the sensor to open its data register (0x08).
4. Read & Calculate: Reads 2 bytes, combines them into a number, and multiplies by 0.005 to get the temperature in °C.
5. Error Check: Returns -999.0 if any step fails
Results:
Temperature: 31.585 °C | 88.853 °F
Temperature: 31.645 °C | 88.961 °F
Temperature: 31.690 °C | 89.042 °F
Temperature: 31.750 °C | 89.150 °F
Temperature: 31.820 °C | 89.276 °F
Temperature: 31.875 °C | 89.375 °F
Temperature: 31.920 °C | 89.456 °F
Temperature: 31.925 °C | 89.465 °F
Temperature: 31.815 °C | 89.267 °F
Temperature: 31.680 °C | 89.024 °F
Temperature: 31.510 °C | 88.718 °F
Temperature: 31.325 °C | 88.385 °F
Temperature: 31.105 °C | 87.989 °F
Temperature: 30.920 °C | 87.656 °F
Temperature: 30.760 °C | 87.368 °F
Temperature: 30.610 °C | 87.098 °F
Temperature: 30.475 °C | 86.855 °F
Temperature: 30.350 °C | 86.630 °F
Temperature: 30.230 °C | 86.414 °F
Temperature: 30.135 °C | 86.243 °F
Temperature: 30.050 °C | 86.090 °F
Temperature: 29.955 °C | 85.919 °F
Temperature: 29.890 °C | 85.802 °F
Temperature: 29.830 °C | 85.694 °F
Temperature: 29.765 °C | 85.577 °F
Temperature: 29.710 °C | 85.478 °F
Temperature: 29.660 °C | 85.388 °F
Temperature: 29.610 °C | 85.298 °F
Temperature: 29.565 °C | 85.217 °F
Temperature: 29.505 °C | 85.109 °F
Temperature: 29.475 °C | 85.055 °F
Temperature: 29.425 °C | 84.965 °F
Temperature: 29.415 °C | 84.947 °F
Temperature: 29.380 °C | 84.884 °F
Temperature: 29.350 °C | 84.830 °F
Temperature: 29.310 °C | 84.758 °F
Temperature: 29.295 °C | 84.731 °F
Temperature: 29.280 °C | 84.704 °F
Temperature: 29.270 °C | 84.686 °F
Temperature: 29.230 °C | 84.614 °F
Temperature: 29.215 °C | 84.587 °F
Temperature: 29.195 °C | 84.551 °F
Temperature: 29.175 °C | 84.515 °F
Temperature: 29.170 °C | 84.506 °F
Temperature: 29.160 °C | 84.488 °F
Temperature: 29.150 °C | 84.470 °F
Temperature: 29.180 °C | 84.524 °F
Finally all the pieces come together and reading started coming (this is the final version of the code that I am showing, I had tried many times and this is the 31st version )
Plotting data in Celsius, it was very smooth with no unexpected noise. In Fahrenheit
I have tested it on the Esp32 for now but the final version will be with the Arduino UNO Q. And you can checkout https://www.analog.com/media/en/technical-documentation/data-sheets/max30208-ev-sys.pdf for more details.
In the next post I will configure the MM wave radar sensor, MAXREFDES117#, and the E- ink display. Firstly I had decided to finish it in this post only, but I wasted a lot of time resolving the issue with the MAX32630FTHR MCU board, but I still was not able to resolve it. Do you faced the same issue with the MAX32630FTHR MCU board, your help will matter a lot.
And at last there is the question, Am I allowed to not use the MAX32630FTHR MCU board or I had to buy new one in order to qualify, because I had damaged it.
Thank you for giving your time reading it!
