TI C2000 F28E12x LaunchPad Development Kit for Real-Time Motor Control

LAUNCHXL-F28E12X development board

Texas Instruments launched the F28E12x series as a cost-effective expansion of its C2000 real-time MCU lineup. These devices focus on applications such as motor control, digital power, and household appliances. Powered by a 160 MHz C28x DSP core and optimized peripherals, they deliver an affordable platform for real-time control solutions.

To support rapid evaluation, TI offers the F28E12x LaunchPad development kit (LAUNCHXL-F28E12X). This compact board provides direct access to the F28E12x family’s processing features, allowing engineers to develop control algorithms, test peripherals, and validate system performance during early design stages.

LAUNCHXL-F28E12X development board front and back

LAUNCHXL-F28E12X LaunchPad development kit Specifications:

• Processor: C28x 32-bit DSP core running up to 160 MHz (~equivalent to 320 MHz Arm Cortex-M7 in real-time signal processing)
  • Floating Point Unit: Single-precision FPU (FPU32)
  • DMA Controller: 2-channel independent DMA
  • RAM: 16 KB parity-protected SRAM
  • Flash Memory: Up to 128 KB ECC-protected single-bank flash (F28E120SC), 64 KB flash for F28E120SB
• Peripherals:
  • GPIO: 27 multiplexed pins (8 shared with analog), 9 analog pins usable as digital inputs
  • Serial Interfaces: 2 UART-compatible SCIs, SPI, I²C
  • PWM Modules: 2 MCPWM units, 8 channels in total (6+2 configuration)
  • Timers: Three 32-bit CPU timers, watchdog, missing clock detection
  • Capture Module: 1x Enhanced Capture (eCAP)
  • Interrupt System: Enhanced Peripheral Interrupt Expansion (ePIE)
• Analog Components:
  • ADC: 12-bit, up to 9.4 MSPS, supporting up to 17 external channels
  • Post-Processing Blocks (PPBs): 3 per ADC for computation offload
  • Comparators: 3x CMPSS_LITE with 10-bit DAC reference and glitch filtering
  • DAC: 1x 10-bit output (CMP3_LITE_DACL)
  • PGA: Programmable gain amplifier (unity, inverting, non-inverting, with configurable filtering)
• Security and Protection:
  • Dual-zone security with JTAGLOCK and zero-pin boot
  • Software AES support with 128-bit CMAC keys
• Other Features:
  • Internal 32 MHz oscillator (±1.2% accuracy) with optional external crystal/clock
  • Dual-Clock Comparator (DCC) for clock monitoring
  • Unique device identification (UID)
  • Enhanced Quadrature Encoder Pulse (eQEP) with CW/CCW mode support
• Power:
  • Operating voltage: 3.3 V (includes internal 1.2 V core regulator)
  • Brownout reset (BOR) support
  • Low-power mode capability
• Packaging:
  • 48-pin LQFP (9 x 9 mm, 7 x 7 mm body)
  • 32-pin LQFP (9 x 9 mm, 7 x 7 mm body)
  • 32-pin VQFN (5 x 5 mm)
• Operating temperature: –40 °C to +125 °C (junction)

F28E12x-LaunchPad Key Specifications

The F28E12x LaunchPad integrates with TI’s Code Composer Studio IDE and the C2000Ware software package, which includes drivers, libraries, and examples. Developers can also take advantage of the InstaSPIN field-oriented control framework, offering features such as zero-speed high torque startup, vibration compensation, and sensorless algorithms. Additionally, the SysConfig tool simplifies peripheral and pin configuration, enabling modular application development.

F28E12x-LaunchPad Board Pinout

The F28E12x LaunchPad development kit (LAUNCHXL-F28E12X) is priced at $19.00 USD from Texas Instruments. The F28E120SB starts at about $0.49 and the F28E120SC at $0.70 (per 1k units), though both MCUs are in preproduction and currently out of stock.

Images used courtesy of Texas Instruments