1 System Description

As Figure 2-1 and Figure 2-2 illustrate, the TIDA-010197 reference design is comprised of numerous subsystems including:

• An MCU for system control and data processing
• An analog front end (AFE) for signal conditioning for voltage, current, temperature measurements
• Three analog outputs for sensor excitation, biasing networks, temperature sensing
• System power management and sequencing

The ability to monitor voltage, current, and temperature has multiple value propositions, and is critical for maintaining reliable system operation in many applications. From a system health perspective, the ability to have accurate voltage, current, and temperature data for a board is an effective and relatively simple approach to get a relative metric on the health of a board. Changes in current, voltage, and temperature over time could indicate failure, or potential for failure, of some components. Another use case is operation with sensitive components such as many power amplifiers or thermoelectric coolers. The MCU monitors the current, voltage, or temperature (or all of these) of the power amplifier or thermoelectric cooler and triggers a recalibration if there is a deviation over a preset threshold at which a calibration was performed.

There are two variations of the signal chain. Details on the differences are found in the systems overview (Section 2.1).

1. External ADC variation
   • Includes an external 12-bit SAR ADC, ADC128S102QML-SP, that offers a higher accuracy and higher speeds with a full scale range (FSR) of 5 V
2. Integrated ADC variation
   • Utilizes the 12-bit SAR ADC integrated in the MSP430FR5969-SP for a more compact design with an FSR of 2.5 V

To power the TIDA-010197 reference design, there are two methods. The first method provides 5 V and 12 V from an external power supply. The other option supplies a single 5-V rail and utilizes the unregulated boost with LDO.