| A
new low-cost, background debug mode (BDM) hardware tool which speeds up
the development of applications based on Motorola's CPU32 family of devices
is now available from embedded system specialist Noral Micrologics. The
latest addition to Noral's FlexTools family of development hardware and
software, the Flex-BDM/CPU32 is fully compatible with all members of Motorola's
683xx, CPU32 and CPU32+ range, and offers real-time development at a price
comparable with less sophisticated none real-time simulators. |
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| The combination
of low cost and comprehensive 683xx support means that the Flex-BDM/CPU32
makes it possible for each developer to have their own real-time development
tool. In addition, because the hardware is fully compatible with Flex, the
real-time high-level debugger for Windows supplied with Noral's 683xx in-circuit
emulators, the same interface can be used independent of the debugging environment,
eliminating the need for retraining. |
| Utilising
the on-chip debugger incorporated into each CPU32 processor, Flex-BDM/CPU32
connects to the target via Motorola's recommended 8 or 10-way connector
and requires no additional probes. As the capability of the BDM interface
varies between individual 683xx devices, the Noral hardware has been designed
to optimise performance by identifying which facilities are available and
offering them to the developer via the standard Flex debugger menu system.
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| Flex-BDM/CPU32
provides a data transfer rate of up to 5Mbits/s, allowing the hardware to
respond quickly to changes in target behaviour, withdynamic configuration
of baud rate ensuring optimum debugging performance by increasing the data
transfer rate as CPU clock speed rises. |
| A
fast break facility supports dynamic mode accesses, allowing the debugger
to update important data, such as program variables, without the user having
to manually break target execution. Offering complete isolation between
the target system and the host computer, the Flex-BDM/CPU32 protects both
from electrical damage and is tolerant of power cycling on the target. The
need to re-initialise the target following a fatal error has also been reduced
as the hardware will recover from such errors and return control to the
debugger for full investigation of the problem. |
| In
order to further reduce project development times, Noral has also produced
a BDM evaluation board for use with the Flex-BDM/CPU32. This board allows
software development to commence in those cases where the actual target
hardware is not yet available. |
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