SLAU723A October 2017 – October 2018 MSP432E401Y , MSP432E411Y
The timer in each PWM generator runs in one of two modes: Count-Down mode or Count-Up/Down mode. In Count-Down mode, the timer counts from the load value to zero, goes back to the load value, and continues counting down. In Count-Up/Down mode, the timer counts from zero up to the load value, back down to zero, back up to the load value, and so on. Generally, Count-Down mode is used for generating left- or right-aligned PWM signals, while the Count-Up/Down mode is used for generating center-aligned PWM signals.
The timers output three signals that are used in the PWM generation process: the direction signal (this is always Low in Count-Down mode, but alternates between Low and High in Count-Up/Down mode), a single-clock-cycle-width High pulse when the counter is zero, and a single-clock-cycle-width High pulse when the counter is equal to the load value. Note that in Count-Down mode, the zero pulse is immediately followed by the load pulse. In the figures in this chapter, these signals are labelled dir, zero, and load.