Beginner Help with TI Microcontroller

[tolsen5468]

Hey guys,
Just got my hands on a MSP430F2012 PDIP microcontroller, just the bare chip and I'm really not sure where to start with the thing. I have lots of experience with arduino based stuff (so the easy stuff) but now that I got this I really don't know where to start besides feeding it power. I guess the big question here is how do I program this thing? I assume you would need some sort of usb to serial or parallel converter/programmer and a C compiler to code but I'm at a loss here, I don't even know where to start so any help is appreciated!
 

[Stonent]

You might want to pick up a MSP430 launchpad and you can use Energia or CCS with it.

Not sure quite how to program a MSP430 directly.

[JoeN]

Personally I like making my own boards by hand so that I prove to myself that I know what I am doing.  Generally, I make it using one of the general designs of a development board or breakout board that the manufacturer makes or at least some competent third party but I mash it up with whatever I want on it.  I made a MSP430 board and got it to work no problem.  I used TI's actual debugger, the old version - http://www.ti.com/tool/MSP-FET430UIF.  The new version is http://www.ti.com/tool/msp-fet.  There are cheaper clones on eBay:  www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=MSP-FET.  The IDE is free with some limitations:  http://www.ti.com/tool/CCSTUDIO-MSP430

Device:  MSP430F5638   Yes, I know it is being woefully underutilized just scrolling a message.

[Fred27]

For the MSP430F2012 then the original Launchpad (G2) is the way to go. Cheap and designed exactly for the task. A couple more versions of the MSP430 with it too. Free IDEs are CCS or if you're used to Arduino then Energia.

[AndreasF]

I recommend the Launchpad too. Even if you want to make your own boards, it has the programmer/debugger on board, which you can use with external chips as well (though there might be some restrictions).

Other than that, there is pretty decent documentation and examples, especially for the Lauchpad series, but one thing you will definitely have to do is "Read The Manual". Beside the device-specific datasheet, the really important document is the "Family User Guide".

[dannyf]

I don't even know where to start so any help is appreciated!

You can start from ti's website. A programmer is needed -> you may be able to get a launchpad instead, as it is substantially cheaper than a dedicated programmer.

A few compiler / IDE: their is ti's own CCS; IAR makes a wonderful compiler for those chips too. And there is a gcc port and many supported IDEs (like CB).

[tolsen5468]

I'd like to thank all of you for the speedy replies! I was looking at the launchpads before and I wasn't really sure how they worked. I kind of thought that with the launchpad's you had to keep the chip in the board to be able to use it almost making it kind of like an arduino type thing and what I was really looking for was something to program the chip and then removing and soldering the chip to a perf board to make my projects and if someone could confirm that is what the launchpad will do for me that would be awesome.
-Thank you all again!

[Monkeh]

The MSP430G2 Launchpad allows you to remove compatible chips from the DIP socket at will and place them into circuits. Both the MSP430 Launchpads allow you to disconnect the programmer from the onboard target and wire it to an external MSP430 (of virtually any model) for programming and debugging.

[Monkeh]

I believe the bulk of the current offerings are SBW capable. They lack a search parameter for that, however. F5/F6, G2, most F2s afaik.

[Fred27]

You should also check out 43oh.com for a very helpful community.

[katzohki]

To be honest, I'd like to learn more about programming for production myself. Without an easy tool to program MCUs in production, the Launchpad is really just a neat toy.

[suicidaleggroll]

To be honest, I'd like to learn more about programming for production myself. Without an easy tool to program MCUs in production, the Launchpad is really just a neat toy.

What do you have in mind?  Some vendors will pre-program the MSP430s for you before shipment, would not that satisfy a production run?

The "production" runs I do myself are typically pretty small (~100 units), so it's perfectly reasonable to plug in a 3-wire bus from the launchpad to a header on the board and program it in-circuit.  It takes maybe 10 seconds per board, so you can knock a reasonably-sized production run out pretty quickly.

[katzohki]

To be honest, I'd like to learn more about programming for production myself. Without an easy tool to program MCUs in production, the Launchpad is really just a neat toy.

What do you have in mind?  Some vendors will pre-program the MSP430s for you before shipment, would not that satisfy a production run?

The "production" runs I do myself are typically pretty small (~100 units), so it's perfectly reasonable to plug in a 3-wire bus from the launchpad to a header on the board and program it in-circuit.  It takes maybe 10 seconds per board, so you can knock a reasonably-sized production run out pretty quickly.

Yeah, that would work well, but sometimes we would make changes to firmware or I would want to change setting bits on board so that would require some sort of in circuit programming.

[suicidaleggroll]

You can use the launchpad as an in-circuit programmer.  Pull off the jumpers and wire up Ground, Test, and Reset from the programming side of the launchpad to a 3-pin header on your board connected to the same three pins on your uC.  Done.  All of the same programmability and debugging as you get with a DIP uC plugged into the launchpad itself.

I think I did a little blinky test on the launchpad when I first got it, and since then it's just been used as an in-circuit programmer for surface mount parts on my own boards.  I've programmed everything up to and including the MSP430G2955 in-circuit using the launchpad and just those 3 wires, including breakpoints, stepping through code line by line, dumping out registers, etc.

[katzohki]

Yeah, that will do. Feels weird because I'm used to Microchip and they promote their programmers (ICD, ICE, PICkit etc) really well.