REV 3.2
TCS347X EVM
USER’S GUIDE
TCS347X LIGHT-TO-DIGITAL COLOR LIGHT
SENSOR EVALUATION SYSTEM
September 2012
ESTABLISHING BASIC FUNCTIONALITY ................................... 3
TCS347X EVM GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE (GUI) ............ 4
SOFTWARE OVERVIEW ................................................. 4
INPUT SIDE, “FUNCTIONAL” TAB ........................... 6
INPUT SIDE, “REGISTER” TAB.................................. 7
INPUT SIDE, “LUXMATRIX” TAB ................................. 9
OUTPUT SIDE, “REGISTER” TAB ............................... 10
OUTPUT SIDE, “FUNCTIONAL” TAB .......................... 11
OUTPUT SIDE, “PLOT” TAB ....................................... 12
RESOURCES ............................................................................. 12
ams PROVIDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN VARIED TECHNICAL AREAS. SINCE ams DOES NOT POSSESS FULL ACCESS TO DATA CONCERNING ALL OF THE
USES AND APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS, ams ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER PRODUCT DESIGN OR THE USE OR
APPLICATION OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF PATENTS OR RIGHTS OF OTHERS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM ams’
ASSISTANCE.
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Color Light Sensor
TCS3471 AND TCS3472
The TCS3471 and TCS3472 devices are controlled by the same software. There are only a few
differences between the two devices. Throughout this document, the devices will be referred to as
TCS347x. The screen images in this document use a TCS3471 device, but where the device controls
differ, the appropriate portion of the TCS3472 screen will also be shown.
INITIAL HARDWARE SETUP
The software should be installed prior to connecting any hardware to the computer. Follow the
instructions found in the Quick Start Guide (QSG). The software will check the system for required
component to support the graphical user interface (GUI). The software comes in the kit on a
company logo flash drive.
The hardware consists of the Controller EVM v2.1 motherboard, the TCS347x evaluation
daughterboard and an A to mini-B USB interface cable.
FIGURE 1: TCS3472 EVM COMPONENTS
When the USB cable is connected the green LED next to the USB connector should light up indicating
that power is being received via the USB interface, and the controller board processor is running. If
the green LED does not light up check the USB cable connections, unplug the USB cable and try
again. If, after re-trying, the LED does not light, check the PC for USB error messages. See resources
section at end of this document for additional assistance. Note, after the “DigitalLightSensor”
application program begins executing, it will turn this LED off so that it does not interfere with testing.
ams PROVIDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN VARIED TECHNICAL AREAS. SINCE ams DOES NOT POSSESS FULL ACCESS TO DATA CONCERNING ALL OF THE
USES AND APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS, ams ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER PRODUCT DESIGN OR THE USE OR
APPLICATION OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF PATENTS OR RIGHTS OF OTHERS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM ams’
ASSISTANCE.
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2 OF 12
Color Light Sensor
ESTABLISHING BASIC FUNCTIONALITY
The software should be started using the desktop icon “DigitalLightSensor” or by double-clicking the
“DigitalLightSensor.exe” file from the installation directory. The default installation directory path is:
C:\Program Files\ams\TCS347xEVM
C:\Program Files (x86)\ams\TCS347xEVM
Windows 32 bit operating systems
Windows 64 bit operating systems
where the “x” is replaced with “1” OR “2” depending on the installed device. A different install path
may be selected by the user. When started, the following windows will open on the PC. The bottom
window is the main user interface “child window” and should be positioned on the screen for easy
access. The top window “parent window” is not typically needed and may be placed out of the way.
This window is the parent window (PW) to the child
window (CW) and may be used to reset the CW.
Clicking on the red “X” on the PW will close both
PW and CW. Clicking on the red “X” on the CW will
close only the CW.
The “Functional” tabs on both the left and right
side of the CW will be selected by default each time
the application software is opened. On the right
side numbers should be updating showing that the
ALS function is operational. By changing the ambient light source or waving your hand over the
sensor at ~4 inch (100mm) separation you should see the ALS readings change respective to the light
intensity reaching the sensor.
The balance of this document identifies and describes the controls available on the different tabs of
the GUI. In combination with the TCS347x datasheet, the quick start guide (QSG) and application
notes available on the ams website www.ams.com there should be enough information to allow
thorough evaluation of the TCS347x device.
ams PROVIDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN VARIED TECHNICAL AREAS. SINCE ams DOES NOT POSSESS FULL ACCESS TO DATA CONCERNING ALL OF THE
USES AND APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS, ams ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER PRODUCT DESIGN OR THE USE OR
APPLICATION OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF PATENTS OR RIGHTS OF OTHERS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM ams’
ASSISTANCE.
www.ams.com
3 OF 12
Color Light Sensor
TCS347X EVM GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE (GUI)
SOFTWARE OVERVIEW
On initialization the software displays two windows – a smaller “Digital Light Sensor” window called
the parent window (PW) and a larger window containing controls pertinent to the device connected
called the child window (CW). The PW displays the software GUI version and if a controller board is
found it will also display the firmware version of the controller board.
If “No Devices” appears, verify that the
daughterboard is connected to the motherboard
properly. If “No_HID” appears, verify the USB
cable is connected. A green LED on the
motherboard indicates that the USB cable is
connected and providing power to the system.
The “Reset” button can be pressed or the software
can be restarted to reinitialize the system.
The CW contains the user interface with control buttons, fields, selection boxes and output values for
the identified device connected. Tabs are used to make control and evaluation of specific device
functions easy. For the TCS3471 devices the initial display screen is shown:
TCS3472 devices will contain an additional tab, “LuxMatrix” on the left side and, on the right side, the
“Functional” tab will contain an additional block of Lux-related information:
ams PROVIDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN VARIED TECHNICAL AREAS. SINCE ams DOES NOT POSSESS FULL ACCESS TO DATA CONCERNING ALL OF THE
USES AND APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS, ams ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER PRODUCT DESIGN OR THE USE OR
APPLICATION OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF PATENTS OR RIGHTS OF OTHERS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM ams’
ASSISTANCE.
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4 OF 12
Color Light Sensor
This window has inputs organized on the left, and outputs organized on the right. Values for register
variables may be set using multiple techniques. The Functional tab is commonly used to quickly
evaluate the device with nominal settings. The Input Register tab allows the register settings to be
changed, and the Output Register tab allows registers to be viewed. Other tabs provide additional
demonstration and test features for evaluation.
By default the “Functional” tabs have the focus. The values shown in this document will not exactly
match a users system but the basic window and controls should be identical. This document will
identify the usage and operation of these items in detail.
Always visible along the bottom are the following controls:
• LED Off – ON/OFF/ON toggle for the green controller board LED. This LED is a good power-on
indicator but can introduce errors in the optical tests. However it is recommended for accurate
measurements to turn the LED off.
• A section containing logging controls and sampling status information:
1. Toggles LED on the controller board.
2. Text entered here is appended to the default file name. The file name contains the
Part Name and address shown in the large “Child” window, an underscore “_” and the
text entered. The default if nothing is entered is a period(“.”).
3. Secondary comment box. Text entered here is also appended to the log file name. .
The default if nothing is entered is a period (“.”).
Sample:
TCS34717Bx39 _ A-B-C _ 1-2-3 _ Log.csv
From DigitalLightSensor.exe
From User Input
4. The start button tells the program to start logging. The fields entered in #2 and #3
will be used as field names in the output. If you change the values in #2 or #3, the
corresponding field names will change in the output beginning at the time of the
change, but the log file name will not change after logging is started.
5. Clear –The Clear button will flush the previous optical sample readings and reset the
elapsed time indicator (see #7).
6. Log – Creates a text log file with data. The name will be assigned as explained in #3.
This will cause the system to write out any data currently in the log buffer.
7. Count of samples in the log buffer. When that number reaches the limit selected in
#9, the system will show a file dialog to save the log in a named file.
8. The elapsed time since the beginning of logging data.
9. The number of log samples to collect before log entry is written to the log file.
ams PROVIDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN VARIED TECHNICAL AREAS. SINCE ams DOES NOT POSSESS FULL ACCESS TO DATA CONCERNING ALL OF THE
USES AND APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS, ams ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER PRODUCT DESIGN OR THE USE OR
APPLICATION OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF PATENTS OR RIGHTS OF OTHERS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM ams’
ASSISTANCE.
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5 OF 12
Color Light Sensor
INPUT SIDE, “FUNCTIONAL” TAB
Easy to use controls exist for the ALS functionality and the wait time between samples. The TCS3472
contains an added tab in the input group, “LuxMatrix.”
ALS SENSOR
• Gain - The gain control allows the user access to the AGAIN settings in the Control Register
(0x0F). The gain amplifies the ADC signal to increase sensitivity. The gain options include 1x,
4x, 16x and 60x and are selected from the list box when the down arrow is depressed.
• Time (mS) – This list box has numerous preselected values for the integration time of all
channels (Red, Blue, Green and Clear). If a value other than what is shown in the list box is
desired it must be entered manually using the Register tab (documented later). Manually
entering a value will NOT work in this location. The actual integration time is shown on the
line below.
NOTE: The saturation level of the device is partially dependant on the integration time. Digital
saturation occurs when the ADC output registers overflow. Digital saturation is reached at
65,535, thus the full-scale output of the TCS347x is 65,535 (16-bits). If the integration time is
set less than 172ms, however, the dynamic range of the device will be limited to the
following:
Integration Time > 172ms
Integration Time < 172ms
Saturation = 65,535
Saturation = ((Integration Time / 2.7) x 1024) – 1
WAIT TIME
When the software initializes, a default wait period of 2.4mS is inserted between the ALS cycles. This
duration can be adjusted in 2.4mS steps from 0 to 614mS. A wait multiplier (WLONG=1) may also be
used to multiply the wait period by 12x. Using these controls the duration of the wait may be adjusted
from none (WEN=0) to 7.37 seconds (WEN=1, WLONG=1, WTIME=0x00).
The Wait Time list box provides a quick mechanism for setting preselected wait periods from 2.4mS to
614mS. The wait period is completely disabled by setting WEN=0 (Enable Register (0x00, bit3).
ams PROVIDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN VARIED TECHNICAL AREAS. SINCE ams DOES NOT POSSESS FULL ACCESS TO DATA CONCERNING ALL OF THE
USES AND APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS, ams ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER PRODUCT DESIGN OR THE USE OR
APPLICATION OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF PATENTS OR RIGHTS OF OTHERS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM ams’
ASSISTANCE.
www.ams.com
6 OF 12
Color Light Sensor
INPUT SIDE, “REGISTER” TAB
“Control” Sub Tab
The Register tab provides for direct control of the registers of the device.
The Control sub-tab allows
enabling and disabling
functionality in the part and also
controls the wait time multiplier
(WLONG).
Additionally, a list box provides
options for turning ON all parts
(All On) of the device or turning
OFF all parts (All Off) of the
device simultaneously.
•
•
•
•
Enable Register (0x00) – Provides the ON/OFF control of the device.
Check boxes are provided to allow selection of specific functions on the device:
1. PON – Power on. Activates internal oscillator. When =0 device is in standby.
2. AEN – ALS Enable. Writing a one (1) enables the ALS
3. WEN – Wait Enable. Writing a one (1) activates the wait timer.
4. AIEN – ALS Interrupt Enable. Writing a one (1) enables the ALS interrupt.
WTIME (0x03) – Wait time in 2.4ms increments, unless the WLONG bit is set, in which case
the wait time is multiplied by 12. The number to the right is the computed WTIME. See the
ATIME note in the ALS Sub Tab description.
Config Register (0x0D) – Controls the wait time multiplication factor of x12.
1. WLONG – Wait Long. When checked (=1) enables the wait multiplier.
ams PROVIDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN VARIED TECHNICAL AREAS. SINCE ams DOES NOT POSSESS FULL ACCESS TO DATA CONCERNING ALL OF THE
USES AND APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS, ams ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER PRODUCT DESIGN OR THE USE OR
APPLICATION OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF PATENTS OR RIGHTS OF OTHERS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM ams’
ASSISTANCE.
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7 OF 12
Color Light Sensor
“ALS” Sub Tab
The ALS tab shows the registers associated with ambient light sensing control. Register values in hex
are shown on the left, preselected values are available in list boxes in the middle, and actual values
are shown on the right.
Note: The column on the right is
the computed value for ATIME and
is always correct. Sometimes the
value shown in the list box will be
one of the preselected values but it
has not been selected. If this
happens the number will not be
the same as the computed number
for WTIME on the Control SubTab. The computed value is the
one that is correct. This can be
fixed by selecting a preselected
value from the list box or by
cycling the register value
UP/DOWN or DOWN/UP. This will set the list box value or clear the value from the list box so the
screen is correct.
“ALS Interrupt” Sub Tab
This tab contains the settings for controlling the generation of ALS interrupts to a control processor.
The AILT and AIHT values are 16
bit thresholds for the upper and
lower trigger points. Each is set
using two 8-bit registers. Another
control (APERS) establishes the
required persistence of the
interrupt signal.
Also on this screen is a control that
will automatically generate the
register values to provide threshold
settings 25% higher and lower
than the currently measured
amount of ambient light.
•
•
ALS Interrupt Low Threshold (0x04, 0x05) – Low light threshold for ALS interrupt.
1. AILTL (0x04) – The lower 8 bits of the 16 bit low threshold value.
2. AILTH (0x05) – The upper 8 bits of the 16 bit low threshold value.
ALS Interrupt High Threshold (0x06, 0x07) – High light threshold for ALS interrupt.
1. AIHTL (0x06) – The lower 8 bits of the 16 bit high threshold value.
2. AIHTH (0x07) – The upper 8 bits of the 16 bit high threshold value.
ams PROVIDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN VARIED TECHNICAL AREAS. SINCE ams DOES NOT POSSESS FULL ACCESS TO DATA CONCERNING ALL OF THE
USES AND APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS, ams ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER PRODUCT DESIGN OR THE USE OR
APPLICATION OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF PATENTS OR RIGHTS OF OTHERS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM ams’
ASSISTANCE.
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8 OF 12
Color Light Sensor
•
•
PERS (0x0C) – The APERS field (bits 3:0) allows the number of times the ALS interrupt
threshold (AILT, AIHT) is exceeded before the interrupt is generated to be controlled. Setting
a zero means an interrupt is generated on every ALS reading.
The +/-25% button takes the current ambient light reading and automatically computes new
values for the AILT and AIHT registers, each with a 25% wider latitude.
INPUT SIDE, “LUXMATRIX” TAB
The “LuxMatrix” tab on the Input
Side is present only for the
TCS3472. It is used when
developing custom Lux and color
temperature equations. Refer to
Designer’s Notebook number 28
(DN28), “Developing a Custom Lux
Equation,” for information
regarding the use of this tab.
ams PROVIDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN VARIED TECHNICAL AREAS. SINCE ams DOES NOT POSSESS FULL ACCESS TO DATA CONCERNING ALL OF THE
USES AND APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS, ams ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER PRODUCT DESIGN OR THE USE OR
APPLICATION OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF PATENTS OR RIGHTS OF OTHERS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM ams’
ASSISTANCE.
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9 OF 12
Color Light Sensor
OUTPUT SIDE, “REGISTER” TAB
The values of internal registers are
displayed on this tab. Register
values cannot be set here. To set
registers use the Register tab on
the input side of the screen.
A control is provided for clearing
the ALS interrupt (AINT). The
current interrupt status is also
shown.
The CDATA, RDATA, GDATA, and
BDATA are the ADC values from
the Clear, Red, Green and Blue
channel photodiodes. Each is read
via two 8-bit registers.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Status (0x13) – Internal status. Interrupts active (2 bits) and ALS valid bits are here.
ID (0x12) – The ID register provides the value for the part number.
CDATA (0x14, 0x15):
1. CDATA (0x14) – The lower 8 ADC bits of the Clear photodiode.
2. CDATAH (0x15) – The upper 8 ADC bits of the Clear photodiode.
RDATA (0x16, 0x17):
1. IRDATA (0x16) – The lower 8 ADC bits of the Red photodiode.
2. IRDATAH (0x17) – The upper 8 ADC bits of the Red photodiode.
GDATA (0x18, 0x19):
1. IRDATA (0x18) – The lower 8 ADC bits of the Green photodiode.
2. IRDATAH (0x19) – The upper 8 ADC bits of the Green photodiode.
BDATA (0x1A, 0x1B):
1. IRDATA (0x1A) – The lower 8 ADC bits of the Blue photodiode.
2. IRDATAH (0x1B) – The upper 8 ADC bits of the Blue photodiode.
ams PROVIDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN VARIED TECHNICAL AREAS. SINCE ams DOES NOT POSSESS FULL ACCESS TO DATA CONCERNING ALL OF THE
USES AND APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS, ams ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER PRODUCT DESIGN OR THE USE OR
APPLICATION OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF PATENTS OR RIGHTS OF OTHERS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM ams’
ASSISTANCE.
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10 OF 12
Color Light Sensor
OUTPUT SIDE, “FUNCTIONAL” TAB
The Output Side “Functional” Tabs for the TCS3471 and the TCS3472 tabs are shown above, on the
left and right sides, respectively.
The Raw Color box displays the output register values of the Clear, Red, Green and Blue photodiodes.
ams PROVIDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN VARIED TECHNICAL AREAS. SINCE ams DOES NOT POSSESS FULL ACCESS TO DATA CONCERNING ALL OF THE
USES AND APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS, ams ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER PRODUCT DESIGN OR THE USE OR
APPLICATION OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF PATENTS OR RIGHTS OF OTHERS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM ams’
ASSISTANCE.
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11 OF 12
Color Light Sensor
OUTPUT SIDE, “PLOT” TAB
The four photodiodes can be displayed vs. time on the graph.
This sample graph shows all the color outputs for a static system. The X-axis plots 337 points then
rolls over back to 1 on the graph. The Y-axis is set to range 0 to 1024; this range cannot be adjusted.
However, multipliers (selected from the list boxes) may be used to scale the display accordingly.
RESOURCES
TCS347x datasheet (included with EVM media)
Quick Start Guide (QSG included with EVM media)
Application Notes (available from website)
For additional information regarding the TCS347x, please refer to the datasheet. For information
regarding the installation of the TCS347x EVM host application please refer to the Quick Start Guide.
Application notes dealing with various aspects of optical measurement and optical measurement
applications are available.
All content is available on the ams website www.ams.com
ams PROVIDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN VARIED TECHNICAL AREAS. SINCE ams DOES NOT POSSESS FULL ACCESS TO DATA CONCERNING ALL OF THE
USES AND APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS, ams ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER PRODUCT DESIGN OR THE USE OR
APPLICATION OF CUSTOMERS’ PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF PATENTS OR RIGHTS OF OTHERS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM ams’
ASSISTANCE.
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