Getting Started with the EVBMA7X2YDT1 Evaluation Board
Contents of this document
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Out of the Box
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Get Hardware
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Plug It In
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Build and Load
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Purchase your BMA7426 Evaluation Board
1. Out of the Box
NXP analog product development board provides an easy-to-use platform to evaluate NXP products. The board supports a range of analog, mixed-signal and power solutions. They incorporate monolithic integrated circuits (ICs) and system-in-package (SiP) based on proven high-volume technologies. NXP products offer longer battery life, smaller form factors, reduced component counts, lower costs and improved performance in powering systems.
This page will guide you through the process of setting up and using the EVBMA7X2YDT1 evaluation board (EVB).
1.1 Kit Contents
The EVBMA7X2YDT1 contains the following:
- Assembled and tested evaluation board or module in an antistatic bag
- One 40-pin battery cell cable
- One two-pin transport protocol link (TPL) cable
1.2 Additional Hardware
You will need the following equipment to evaluate the board:
- An 8-cell to 26-cell battery pack or a battery pack emulator, such as BATT26EMULATOR
2. Get Hardware
2.1 Board Features
The main features of the EVBMA7X2YDT1 are:
- Daisy-chain device connection
- LED indicator for operating mode
- Cell-balancing resistors (68 Ω per individual cell)
- Cell-sense input with resistor-capacitor (RC) filter
- General-purpose input/output (GPIO): digital I/O, ratiometric analog inputs and analog inputs with absolute measurements
- Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), connected to the IC with Inter-Integrated Circuit (I²C) interface, to store user-defined calibration parameters
- External access to Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) controller and I²C pins
2.2 Board Description
The EVBMA7x2yDT1 serves as a hardware evaluation tool in support of NXP's BMA7426 device. For more information, visit the BMA742X product page. The BMA7426 is an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)-capable distributed cell monitoring unit (CMU) with electrical transport protocol link (eTPL) communication.
The EVBMA7X2YDT1 is designed for use in automotive and industrial applications. The device performs analog-to-digital (ADC) conversion on the differential cell voltages and battery temperature measurements. The EVBMA7X2YDT1 can be used for rapid prototyping of BMA7426-based applications that involve voltage and temperature sensing.
The information is digitally transmitted to a microcontroller for processing. The evaluation board can be used with a gateway ICs to convert microcontroller (MCU) SPI data bits to pulse bit information for the BMA7426 and vice versa. For more information, visit the Battery Communication ICs page.
2.3 Board Components
The EVBMA7X2YDT1 allows the user to exercise all the functions of the BMA7426 battery cell controller (BCC).
The items numbered in Table 1 below directly correspond to the components numbered in Figure 2 above.
Table 1. EVBMA7X2YDT1 Board Components and Description
| Number | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ESD differential capacitors | Differential electrostatic discharge (ESD) protections |
| 2 | Cell-balancing resistors | 68 Ω per CBx pin |
| 3 | CTx low-pass filter | 330 Ω/10 nF differential |
| 4 | GPIO low-pass filter | NTC connections |
| 5 | GPIO/SPI connector | To connect external Negative temperature coefficient (NTC) or SPI/I²C peripherals |
| 6 | PBMA7426TB1AE | 26-cell BCC IC |
| 7 | High-voltage capacitors | For communication isolation |
| 8 | MOLEX-43650-0213 | Low-port communication connector for connection to the gateway |
| 9 | MOLEX-43650-0213 | High-port communication connector for connection to the next node |
| 10 | JAE-MX34040NF2 | 40-pin connector for cells and NTC sensor connections |
Connectors
This section outlines the EVB connectors.
Battery Pack Connector J4
The cell and NTC connections are available on J4 (see Figure 3).
Cell 0 is connected between C0M (cell0M) and C1M (cell0P); cell 1 is connected between C1M (cell1M) and C2M (cell1P) and so on. Cell 17 is connected between C17M (cell17M) and C17P (cell17P).
C17P-PWR and ground (GND) (pin21) are used to supply the EVBMA7X2YDT1 and are separated from C17P and C0M, respectively, to prevent any voltage drop because of the EVB current consumption.
For the lowest cells, cell 25 is connected between C25M and C24M; cell 24 is connected between C24M and C23M and so on. Refer to the board schematic below for a better understanding about cells connections and stack arrangement. Optional external 10 kΩ NTC sensors can be connected between each NTCx terminal and one GND terminal.
- Board connector reference: MX34040NF2 (Manufacturer: JAE), 40-pin, right-angle version
- Corresponding mate connector reference: MX34040SF1
- Crimp reference for the mate connector: M34S75C4F1, applicable to cables from 0.22 mm² to 0.35 mm²
TPL Connectors
Isolated connections to upper and lower nodes should be made through
J2 and J3, respectively.
- Board connector reference: Micro-Fit (manufacturer: Molex) 3.0 43650-0213, two-pin, right-angle version
- Corresponding mating connector reference: 0436450200
- Crimp reference for the mating connector: 0436450201
- Twisted cable: 64920108 (Manufacturer: Kromberg and Schubert)
3. Plug It In
3.1 Plug It In
Software is not included with the EVBMA7X2YDT1. Multiple software bundles are available to support the EVBMA7X2YDT1 and enable quick evaluation. For assistance with selecting the most suitable evaluation environment, contact the NXP sales support.
4. Build and Load
4.1 Build and Load
Figure 5 shows the complete EVB setup. The setup uses the BATT26EMULATOR to supply and emulate cell voltages for two EVBMA7X2YDT1 boards. The KIT-PC2TPLEVB is connected for communication with a standard PC. The evaluation graphical user interface (GUI) displays the measured voltages and allows interaction with the BMA7x2y devices. Depending on the evaluation scope—such as real battery cells or another TPL communication source—the system can use different components.
Design Resources
Board Information
The schematic, board layout and bill of materials are available for the EVB on the EVBMA7X2YDT1 page.