FILE

DESCRIPTION

INSTALL.EXE

Installs the EV kit files on your

computer

MAX54X.EXE

Application program

USBConverterDLL.DLL

Application library

UNINSTALL.EXE

Uninstalls the EV kit software

_________________________________________________________________ Maxim Integrated Products 3

MAX54X Evaluation Kit

Evaluates: MAX541/MAX542

Quick Start

Required Equipment

• MAX54XEVkit

• MAX54XEVkitCD

• User-supplied Windows XP, Windows Vista, or

Windows 7 PC with a spare USB port

• Voltmeter

Note: In the following sections, software-related items

are identified by bolding. Text in bold refers to items

directly from the EV kit software. Text in bold and under-

lined refers to items from the Windows operating system.

Procedure

The EV kit is fully assembled and tested. Follow the steps

below to verify board operation. Caution: Do not turn on

the power supply until all connections are completed.

the latest version of the EV kit software, 54XRxx.ZIP.

Save the EV kit software to a temporary folder and

uncompress the ZIP file.

2) Install the EV kit software on your computer by run-

ning the INSTALL.EXE program inside the temporary

folder. The program files are copied and icons are

created in the Windows Start | Programs menu.

3) Verify that all jumpers are in their default positions, as

shown in Table 2.

4) Connect the USB cable from the PC to the EV kit

board; the USB driver is installed automatically.

5) Connect the positive input of the voltmeter to the

BUF_OUT1 connector. Connect the negative input of

the voltmeter to the AGND connector.

6) Start the EV kit software by opening its icon in the

Start | Programs menu. The EV kit software main

window appears, as shown in Figure 1.

7) The main window should display Hardware

Connected in the bottom-left corner.

8) In the MAX541 group box, enter FFFF in the DIN

Register edit box and press the Enter button.

9) The voltmeter should show a voltage value of approxi-

mately +2.5V.

10) Connect the positive input of the voltmeter to the

BUF_OUT2 connector.

11) In the MAX542 group box, click on the LDAC low

radio button, enter FFFF in the DIN Register edit

box, and press the Enter button.

12) The voltmeter should show a voltage value of approx-

imately +2.5V.

Detailed Description of Software

In the main window of the evaluation software (Figure 1),

the user can type in the reference voltage in the REF

Voltage edit box. The software then calculates the DAC

output voltages based on the reference voltage and the

DAC input register value.

The MAX541 group box controls the MAX541 unipolar

DAC on the EV kit board. The MAX542 group box controls

the MAX542 bipolar DAC on the EV kit board.

To change the DAC input register value, type in the

desired value in the DIN Register edit box and press

the Enter button. The user can also move the track bar

to change the DAC input register value. The DIN code

and the target DAC output voltages are displayed for

verification.

Selecting the LDAC High radio button in the MAX542

group box sets the MAX542 /LDAC pin high; selecting

the LDAC Low radio button sets the MAX542 LDAC pin

low. When the LDAC Low radio button is selected, the

output of the DAC updates immediately when the DAC

input register is updated. Pressing the LDAC Pulse but-

ton generates a low pulse on the MAX542 LDAC pin and

updates the output of the DAC.

For the MAX542, the target output voltages are calculated

based on the selected mode in the Output Mode radio

group box.

Click on the Connect menu item to connect the board to

the software if the USB connection is lost.

Detailed Description of Hardware

The MAX54X EV kit provides a proven design to evaluate

the installed MAX541/MAX542 serial-input, voltage-output,

16-bit DACs. The DACs are controlled by an on-board

MAXQ microcontroller that provides two separate SPI

control interfaces.

The EV kit provides on-board +2.5V high-precision volt-

age references. Use jumper JU2 to select from different

reference sources.

The EV kit connects one precision bipolar buffer

(MAX9632) to the MAX542 and one ultra-precision uni-

polar buffer (MAX44251) to the MAX541.

MAX54X EV Kit Files