RoadTest: MAX31889EVSYS# Temperature Sensor Eval Board
Author: mstroehle
Creation date:
Evaluation Type: Development Boards & Tools
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?: SD Card Logging Feature did not work, After connecting a battery I have bricked the device.
Detailed Review:
From Unboxing to Value on the display in 5min
I have installed the MAX31889EVKitSetupV125.exe which I've downloaded from maximintegrated.com without any errors.
After installation I've connected the MAX32630FTHR with the "Hat" "MAX31889 EVKIT A". Although the manual said "Do not start the application bevore connecting the device" I did and it worked very well.
There was no configuration neeeded. The Temperature value appears at the screen. This was a very easy exercise.
From "On the fly SD Card Inserting" to "No way to get it worked properly"
I expected that the SD Logging Feature will work the same intuitive way as displaying the Value.
I inserted a SD Card and there was no change at the Statustext: "no SD Card inserted"
Clicking a few times on the "check status" Button does not change anything
So I tried to close the GUI, resetting the device and rebooting the computer in a desperate fashion.
I did'nt find any information about the SD Card so I tried to format it to different FAT Formats.
Again no successs. I decided to use different SD Cards. All of them didn't work.
Maybe the SD Card Holder is a very strange one and I have to insert the SD Card upside down? The Status message changed to ready.
But this was just an misinterpretation because the Function of the SD Card Feature is just Random.
I checked the SD Card Slot again and I can now be sure that the correct orientation is the orientation which I inserted at the beginning. It's typical for all SD-Card holder that the Pin Area directs to the PCB.
Finally it worked for a few minutes: The led is blinking red. Bevore it was blinking orange approx. 3 to 5 times.
So I tested it while it was connected and powered by USB and I expexted to collect about 30 values
After using the GUI function "saving to file" I opened the CSV just the time and no temperature values were logged
Directly after repeating the procedure it worked and time and temperature data were display.
This Feature is a litte bit mysterious and another run with a new SD Card (32GB Samsung EVO) was indicated.
Again random and not absolute not repeatable errors occured.
I decided to order a battery with the right connector and postpone the test of the logging function.
Calibration at room temperature
Outside the climate chamber I've calibrated the sensor at approx. 25°C with an expended measurement uncertainty of 0,79°C.
| T(REF) / °C | T(DUT) / °C | ΔT / °C | U / °C | remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24,7 | 25,83 | 1,13 | 0,79 | outside the chamber, compared on the desk in a climated room. |
The reference thermometer was calibrated at an accredited calibration lab. (Traceable to SI) in September 2020.
Of course this is just an indicator of a single point calibration and not an eligible way to calibrate these kind of sensors.
Unfortunately this was the only date I've collected. The reason you can read below.
The end of the evaluation board
Meanwhile the climate chamber temperature and humidity reached a steady state.
Perfect time for another try to check the Logging function. I have planned to use the logging function to calibrate the Sensor because I the temperature steps are high enough to easy compare the temperature values of the DUT and reference.
After connecting to the battery to the boar all LED's stay dark. Did I forget a jumper? Like in a rush I disconnected the battery and read through the Documents quickly. But there was no critical step I missed. I expected that the brand new battery is dead and
power by USB will light up the beautyful LED's again. Unfortunately not. It looks like the device is dead.
Result
Unfortunately I was not able to perform a full calibration of the sensor. I wanted to test the hardware at the full specified temperature range. But it never went into the chamber. The GUI Software was really easy and inuitive. Thats what I am expection when I am ordering a Devkit. This worked very good. I have no clue why the SD Card is not working but I am not the only Roadtester who had these kind of problems.
