There are multiple Timer_A’s on the board, each with their own IC/OC channels. The registers of Timer_A are denoted by TAxCCRn, where x is the index or number of the Timer_A being used and n is the index of its IC/OC channel. TAxCCR0, however, is the load value register for the Timer_A, which stores the load value for the timer’s counter. You may also see the registers referred to as TAx.n, with x and n retaining their same meanings.

So for example, TA0CCR1 is IC/OC channel #1 of Timer_A0. Similarly, TA1.3 is IC/OC channel #3 of Timer_A1. This notation is important to know when looking through the MCU datasheet and the user guides since some of these channels are connected to GPIO pins. The table below is a snippet of table 6-45 from the MCU datasheet. As can be seen in the table, GPIO Port 2, Pin 6 can be configured as an IC/OC channel for Timer_A0, channel #3.

Because these channels are connected to GPIO pins, Timer_A can be used to interface with peripherals on the Launchpad or the BoosterPack. As verified by the Quick User Guides, P2.7 connects to the buzzer peripheral on the BoosterPack, and P2.6, P2.4, and P5.6 are connected to the RGB LED, also on the BoosterPack. These pins, in turn, are connected to specific IC/OC channels of specific Timer_A peripherals. The details of these can also be found in the Quick User Guides (but can also be found in the MCU datasheet as well). These connections allow us to utilize PWM for various applications with the peripherals. One particular application is LED dimming, as mentioned before. What if you could dim the individual colors of an RGB LED, though?