SLAU292G November 2009 – July 2015
To identify the PCB version, remove the enclosure from the wrist housing and check the PCB color around the pressure sensor or the area around the JTAG connector P1.
"Loct" on the 7-segment LCD stands for "Lock" and indicates that the keylock is active. By holding # and DOWN for three seconds simultaneously unlocks or locks the buttons. The LCDs shows "oPEn" when the keylock is disabled.
If buttons are pushed slowly (that is, held down too long), button pushes are ignored.
Especially in PPT mode it is important to avoid bouncing of the buttons. Therefore, an artificial delay on the receiver side is implemented. Button pushes are translated into keystrokes or mouse clicks only if there is at least 0.5 seconds between two of them.
Yes, it is 30-m waterproof. This indicates that it resists splashes and rain. However, it cannot be used while taking a shower, swimming, diving, surfing, snorkeling or any other water sports. Set the Chronos module before exposing it to excessive water. Pressing the buttons in water or heavy rainstorms may cause water to enter the Chronos module.
A temperature offset is stored in Flash, which is calibrated at production. If the offset is erased or is incorrect, it can be changed to an appropriate level; see Section 3.2.1.3 for details.
The altitude is determined from barometric pressure. Therefore, the altimeter needs to be recalibrated as the pressure changes with the weather. See Section 3.2.1.4 for details on how to calibrate the altimeter. Moreover, the altitude is a function of the temperature in addition to the barometric pressure. Therefore, the Chronos module needs to have ambient temperature, wearing it on the arm or close to the body may cause inaccurate measurements.
The altimeter algorithm is implemented according to an application report from VTI. It is not optimized for ultra-low current consumption. For enhanced battery life, the altimeter stops operation after one hour. It can be reactivated by pushing the UP button.
All pins of the CC430 were used for the LCD, buttons, or sensors.
The access point is designed to be production ready and as small as possible. Therefore, no debug connector is added. However, it may be programmed by attaching a TI low-power wireless debug interface to the corresponding pads on the bottom of the PCB or by using TI's CC1111EMK868-915.
IAR KickStart currently has a 16KB code size limitation, and the project being compiled is larger than 16KB (0x4000 = 16384). Select the limited project version in the Workspace pulldown menu of the IDE or use a full license version IAR Embedded Workbench. A 30-day evaluation version of IAR is available from http://supp.iar.com/Download/SW/?item=EW430-EVAL.
Code Composer Studio v5.5 Core Edition is limited to 16KB of code size, and the project being compiled is larger than 16KB. Select the limited project version in the Build Property Configuration pulldown menu of the IDE or use the Platinum Edition of CCS. A 30-day evaluation version is available from http://tiexpressdsp.com/index.php/Category:Code_Composer_Studio_v5
In free field, distances of up to 100 m (328 ft) have been measured. The range in other conditions, especially within buildings, is difficult to predict and also depends on the protocol stack that is used.
The buttons of the eZ430-Chronos module housing are held by small C-clips. If the metal strips for the buttons of the Chronos module bent and stuck at the wrist housing buttons, they could have removed the C-clip. Open the wrist housing, locate the C-clip, and reassemble the button.
Each eZ430-Chronos kit has a sticker on the box that includes the part number and frequency. The 915-MHz and 868-MHz wrist modules are the same for both frequencies from a hardware perspective. The USB access points are slightly different. The 868-MHz version has a 0-Ω resistor next to the antenna, and the 915-MHz version does not. The 433-MHz wrist modules and access points (with blue antenna and larger than the 915-MHz and 868-MHz versions) are different from a hardware and software perspective and cannot be used for other frequencies.
The eZ430-Chronos software on the PC contains source code projects as well as flash images, which may be used to restore the original software state of the wrist module. The .txt files are located in C:\Program Files\Texas Instruments\eZ430-Chronos\Recovery. To program the .txt flash images tool such as the Flash Pro Lite software from Elprotronic (www.elprotronic.com) can be used. Ensure that the information memory block D is not erased, as it contains calibration data and the ID of the Chronos module.
If information memory block D was erased, default values for the calibration data and ID are used. See function read_calibration_values() in main.c for details.
Each eZ430-Chronos kit has a unique ID stored in information memory block D. If this block was erased, the ID is equal on all Chronos modules. See FAQ item 17 about restoring the ID value.
Yes, our partner BM innovations (http://www.bm-innovations.com) provides all components of the eZ430-Chronos kit in volume as well as a range of other products.
The current software release used SimpliciTI 1.1.1.
In case of an error during the wireless update, the Chronos module does not go back to the previous software version as its Flash memory was deleted. To reduce current consumption, the Chronos module is put in low-power mode (LPM4) and the LCD is turned off. As the wireless update software is still active, the update procedure can be started again despite the fact that the LCD remains blank. This can be done, by selecting a flash image (.txt file) on the wireless update tabs of the eZ430-Chronos Control Center PC software and clicking Update eZ430-Chronos Watch. To start the update on the Chronos module, press the DOWN button. The update is started. For details, see Section 3.6.3.
Make sure that the file you are trying to download does not include data outside the main flash boundaries, which are 0x8000 to 0xFFFF. This protection mechanism avoids writing of data to non-existent or restricted addresses. Try to download one of the original example project’s .txt files, which are available for Windows in C:\Program Files\Texas Instruments\eZ430-Chronos\Recovery\Chronos Watch\Applications and for Linux in /home/<user name>/Texas Instruments/eZ430-Chronos/Recovery/Chronos Watch/Applications. If the update still does not work, the RAM-based update software may be corrupted; see the next question.
Make sure that the file named ram_based_updater.txt, which is located on the working directory of your Control Center or Data Logger GUI has not been changed. If so, reinstall the eZ430-Chronos Software to restore the original file.
Check if the RF access point contains right software version. Kits older than 04/2010 (date code can be found on bottom of the eZ430-Chronos box) require a manual update as described in Section 3.6.3.
This is normal. Whenever the wireless update was activated on the Chronos module, it returns to the main application with a reset, regardless if an update was performed or not. Time, data, alarm, and other RAM-based data is lost. For details, see Section 3.6.3.
This is normal as the buzzer is located on the metal back of the wrist housing. It is only connected to the Chronos module when the metal back is mounted.