MAX6952 Evaluation Kit

2

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Quick Start

Required Equipment

Before beginning, the following equipment is needed:

• Compatible PC running Windows 95/98/2000

• Parallel printer port LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3 (25-pin fe-

male socket)

• Standard 25-pin, straight-through, male-to-female

cable (6ft maximum printer extension cable) to connect

the computer’s parallel port to the MAX6952 EV kit

• DC power supply capable of supplying between

2.7V and 5.5V and at least 500mA of current

Procedure

The MAX6952 EV kit is fully assembled and tested.

Caution: Do not turn on the power until all connec-

tions are made.

1) Connect the computer’s parallel port to the MAX6952

EV kit. Use a straight-through 25-pin female-to-male

cable. The EV kit software uses a loopback connec-

tion to confirm that the correct port has been selected.

2) Use the INSTALL.EXE program to install the files and

create icons for them in the Windows 95/98/2000

Start menu. For Windows 2000, check to confirm that

you have the required administrator privilege.

3) Turn on the power supply and set it to 5V and turn it off.

4) Connect the power-supply positive terminal to the

Turn on the power supply.

5) Start the MAX6952 program by opening its icon in

the Start menu.

6) Observe as the program automatically detects the

parallel port address of the MAX6952 EV kit and

starts the main program.

7) Header J2 is provided to monitor the parallel port

(5V signals), and loopback signals. The CS, DIN,

CLK, DOUT, and BLINK pads on the EV kit’s left side

are VCC level-shifted signals from the MAX1841 and

MAX3370 level translators, respectively. Both signal

locations can be used for monitoring.

Note: An uninstall program is included with the soft-

ware. Click on the UNINSTALL icon to remove the EV

kit software from the hard drive.

Detailed Description of Software

Note: Words in boldface are user-selectable features in

the software.

Software Startup

A mouse or the Tab key is used to navigate between

items on the Main display window. Upon starting the

program, the MAX6952 EV kit display is programmed to

initialize in Normal mode, display eight digits, blink at

the Slow Rate with an 8/16 (50% duty cycle) display

intensity, and display the contents of the initialized

MAX6952 SRAM Plane P0 and P1 contents. The User

RAM characters are blank. The MAX6952 EV kit eight-

digit 5 x 7 matrix LED display should alternate between

MAX6952 and ->EV KIT. The number of digits dis-

played is fixed at eight digits, four digits per MAX6952.

Main Window Display Controls

The Display Mode radio buttons determine the mode of

operation of the MAX6952 EV kit. Clicking on the

Shutdown radio button puts the MAX6952 drivers into

shutdown mode. The display is blank and the EV kit

draws the least amount of current in this mode.

Selecting the Normal radio button places the MAX6952

EV kit in the normal mode of operation. The Test radio

button puts the MAX6952 EV kit in test mode. All eight

digits of the 5 x 7 LED matrix display on the MAX6952

EV kit are illuminated with a 50% duty cycle (8/16).

Component Suppliers

SUPPLIER

PHONE

WEBSITE

Diodes Inc.

805-446-4800

www.diodes.com

Fairchild Semiconductor

888-522-5372

www.fairchildsemi.com

Murata Mfg. Co., Ltd.

770-436-1300

www.murata.com

SANYO North America Corp.

619-661-6835

www.sanyovideo.com

Taiyo Yuden

800-348-2496

www.t-yuden.com

TDK Corp.

847-803-6100

www.component.tdk.com

Zetex USA

631-543-7100

www.zetex.com

Note: Indicate that you are using the MAX6952 when contacting these component suppliers.