Debug Tool Fashion Accessories An showcase of development tool accessories designed to enhance your debug session July 2012 This webinar takes a look at some of the available debug and emulation tool accessories that make debugging easier and more effective. The driver boards, device headers and even the cables used to connect to your design can make a big difference to how your debugger performs, so although less well known, these are important tools to consider.
Basic Debugging 2012 Microchip Technology Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Debug Tool Fashion Accessories Slide 2 You can begin debugging a Microchip design with a very simple setup. Start with the MPLAB X IDE installed on your PC which is connected to a debugger or emulator, such as the MPLAB REAL ICE. The Standard Driver Board (part no AC244001) that ships with the REAL ICE slots into the emulator and provides a connection with your development board via an RJ-11 cable. This is simple and easy, but you can expand your debugging potential using some of the many Microchip debugger accessories.
The Microchip document "Processor Extension Pak and Header Specification" (DS51292) lists those devices that must use a header if you plan to use debugger features, and lists those devices where the use of a header is optional, but will assist with debugging by freeing up device memory and pins. Processor Extension Paks "Processor Extension Pak and Header Specification" (DS51292) 2012 Microchip Technology Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Debug Tool Fashion Accessories Slide 3 Some Microchip PIC devices have very low pin counts. This keeps costs down for production parts, but it does mean that there are few, or no, pins remaining for debugging purposes. Debug header boards can be used in this situation to allow debugging when these devices are used in a design. These boards use a special variant of the target device that have additional, dedicated pins which communicate with the emulator, and may have dedicated memory used for debug purposes. To use the header board, the target device is removed from your development board. A socket on the header allows you to connect to the empty device socket using stand offs to ensure proper clearance. If the debug header board has a different socket to that on your board, a transition socket can be used. The header board plugs into the now empty socket. An adaptor board plugs into the header and allows communication with the emulator using the usual RJ-11 cable. Debug headers are now sold as part of a Processor Extension Pak. These Paks include the debug header, as well as the adaptor board and stand offs. They are available for most 8- and 16-bit PIC devices.
MPLAB REAL ICE Performance Pak 2012 Microchip Technology Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Debug Tool Fashion Accessories Slide 4 The optional High Performance Pak (AC244002 ) can increase the data rate to the emulator and host PC, resulting in faster debugging. It replaces the cables and driver boards used for basic debugging. The cables provided in the Pak are designed for the higher data rates used by some devices and can permit a longer distance between the debugger and target board. They can also add functionality such as SPI. The contents of this Pak include a high-speed variant of the standard driver board. Using this board, the emulator can communicate with the development board using low-voltage differential signalling (or LVDS) via two CAT5 cables that connect to a high-speed receiver board, also included in the Pak. The receiver can connect directly to those development boards that have the appropriate 6 or 8-pin connector, or you can use a debug header board which plugs into the device socket, as we have just seen in the previous slide. The MPLAB REAL ICE High Performace Pak contains everything you need for high performance debugging.
MPLAB REAL ICE Isolator 2012 Microchip Technology Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Debug Tool Fashion Accessories Slide 5 The MPLAB REAL ICE Isolator (AC244005) enables connectivity to AC and high-voltage applications not referenced to ground. The control signals are magnetically or optically isolated and this is completely transparent to the MPLAB REAL ICE. The Isolator requires the Performance Pak we saw in the previous slide and supports full-speed debugging. The isolator replaces the high-speed receiver board and connects to the high-speed driver board attached to the REAL ICE via the same cables. The isolator does not support all devices, so consult the MPLAB REAL ICE documentation for more information. The MPLAB REAL ICE Isolator and REAL ICE Performance Pak can be purchased as a single bundle (AC244005-2).
Debugger Test Boards 2012 Microchip Technology Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Debug Tool Fashion Accessories Slide 6 If you are having trouble getting the MPLAB REAL ICE and your development board to communicate, then the MPLAB REAL ICE Loopback Test Board (AC244003 ) can be used to ensure that the REAL ICE is functioning according to specification. After disconnecting the development board, the test board is plugged into the logic probe socket of the REAL ICE. An RJ-11 modular cable is used to connect the test board and the Standard Driver board. MPLAB X IDE or MPLAB IDE version 8 can be used to perform the tests. The REAL ICE loopback test board comes with the test cable. There is a similar board called the ICD3 test interface module for the MPLAB ICD3 debugger.
Miscellanea Programming adapters Trace kits Cables and more... 2012 Microchip Technology Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Debug Tool Fashion Accessories Slide 7 This webinar has covered some of the more significant accessories you can add to your basic debug setup, but there is so much more available. Items like programming adapters, to protect devices during programming; trace kits, for instruction trace on PIC32 devices; cables for the analog resistive touch screen controller boards; and in-circuit serial programming cables, just to name a few. All these accessories are available from Microchip Direct (http://www.microchipdirect.com) and information can be downloaded from Microchip's website (http://www.microchip.com). Take the time to see what is available as these accessories can let you do more and do it faster.