10.0 General Operating Tips
1) During initial evaluation of the PGA309 + Sensor it is recommended to leave the PRG pin separate from the
Vout pin of the PGA309. Disable the Two-Wire interface on the PGA309 PC Interface Board and use the
One-Wire Interface. Disabling the Two-Wire interface keeps communications to the PGA309 PC Interface
port expander, PCF8574A, and A/D Converter, ADS1100, from being delayed by the PGA309 talking to its
external EEPROM, if PGA309 is in Stand-Alone Mode. Communication on the One-Wire interface will
always be recognized and will stop PGA309 to external EEPROM communication.
2) For final production testing on 3 terminal sensor modules (Vcc, GND, Vout), where PRG is tied to Vout, use
the One-Wire hardware pull-up on the PGA309 PC Interface Board for reliable logic level transitions.
3) Upon initial receipt of the PGA309EVM, first perform the Initial Setup and Checkout as described in Section
6.0. If there is ever a doubt as to proper functioning of the PGA309EVM return to this configuration and use
Section 6.0 to verify proper operation. Next configure the PGA309 Sensor Interface Board with your Sensor
for evaluation. Connect the PGA309 Sensor Interface Board to the PGA309 PC Interface Board using wire
to connect the required signals together. If all tests pass then move the PGA309 Sensor Interface Board
into the temperature chamber for PGA309 + Sensor calibration.
4) When Reading and Writing to the PGA309 through the Board Interface Software push the desired button in
the Main Window
ONE TIME
and wait until the “Board Communication Status” returns to “Board
Communication Idle” before pushing any button. Repeated pushing of buttons when the Board Software is
in the middle of communication with the PGA309 will cause unreliable data transfer and nuisance errors.
5) The “most quiet” analog readings, with a voltmeter or oscilloscope, on Vout of the PGA309 are
accomplished when there is no digital activity from the test PC to the PGA309 PC Interface Board and the
PGA309 Two-Wire Bus is isolated from the PGA309 PC Interface Board. The RS-232 interface chip, U9
(MAX3238), on the PGA309 PC Interface Board has a shutdown feature which disables the on-board
positive and negative charge pumps. These capacitive charge pumps are noisy and every attempt has
been made on the PC Interface board to filter them away from the Vs for the PGA309. However, some
amount of noise does still exist and as such does not give a true indication of the PGA309 noise
performance on its output (Vout). After 30 seconds of inactivity on U9 the internal charge pumps are
shutdown. Easiest check that U9 is in shutdown is to probe TP:V- for a voltage reading of <0.1Vdc. To
ensure U9 goes into shutdown cease all communications to the PC Interface Board through the RS-232
Interface (Ppc) and ensure that the Two-Wire interface is disabled form the Sensor Interface Board through
either software or hardware program selection of disable on U10 and U11. Once U9 is shutdown a “quiet”
reading on Vout of the PGA309 can be taken.
6) The on-board ADC, ADS1100, on the PGA309 PC Interface Board requires two calibration steps for optimal
accuracy. The “gain” of the ADS1100 is set by its reference voltage which is the supply, Vs. Measure Vs
on the PGA309 PC Interface Board test point TP:Vs. Ensure that the nVsens bit in the PCF8574A port
expander is set to ‘0’ (See Figure 19: ADS1100 and PCF8574A Status and Control Pop-up Window) to turn
Vs on. Enter the measured value of Vs into the “Supply Vcc (V)” box under the “Interface board and
ADS1100” in the Main Window. After this is complete go to the “ADS1100 and PCF8574A Status” pop-up
window (See Figure 19). Click on “Calibrate the ADS1100”. This will measure the offset
on the ADS1100 and the Board Control Software will adjust all future readings to account for the offset.
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