RoadTest: MSP-EXP430FR5739
Author: Jorge_Garcia
Creation date:
Evaluation Type: Independent Products
Did you receive all parts the manufacturer stated would be included in the package?: True
What other parts do you consider comparable to this product?:
What were the biggest problems encountered?:
Detailed Review:
For starters I'm familiar with the Launchpad from TI so from that background it wasn't very difficult to use Code Composer Studio. I consider it a pretty decent IDE although I like MPLAB X better as far as feel. Looking over the code for the demo application I was happy to see it was well commented overall, I've heard comments about scant comments in the application code which make it difficult to figure out was going on.
The unboxing image shows what comes in the box, you get the experimenter's board, a USB cable, a clock crystal as well as some headers. I really enjoyed the simple two page guide, it clearly details the modes of operation for the board and how to switch between them and how the various features work. I was able to go through the entire demo app quickly and easily.
The quality of the board is impeccable as should be expected from TI, excellent job. The LEDs picture is very poor, but it gives an idea of the brightness of the LEDs by showing how much the camera dimmed the surroundings to capture the LEDs. They are nice and bright, not irritatingly bright but easy to use. I like them granted I may not be the best judge on this, since I like the super bright LEDs on the MBED.
The DemoApp image gives a nice view of the PC application that interfaces with the board. In modes 1 and 2 it worked great but it gave problems on modes 3 and 4, the app wouldn't mirror what the LEDs were doing on the board as I tilted it and heated it(Modes 3 and 4 respectively). TI has lately been using JAVA and Processing(based on JAVA) to make these PC apps, I'm not a big fan of these interfaces I find them a little slow and unresponsive at times, however I shouldn't knock it since I don't have any suggestions on alternatives.
Overall, I really like this board and I think FRAM is an excellent technology. I have no doubt that in a few years most if not all MSP430 parts will be using FRAM, it's superior to flash in almost every aspect performance wise, however it's likely that it may not be easy to manufacture I haven't really looked into it. I would definitely recommend it to others and I feel it's ideal for data logging applications.
Best Regards,
Jorge Garcia
