I’m using different MCUS from NXP with VS Code, and for this I’m mostly using the NXP MCUXpresso extension for VS Code.
At the same time, I’m using the cortex-debug extension for other ARM Cortex-M based MCUs, for example the Raspberry Pi Pico series.
Does it makes sense to use cortex-debug for NXP devices, and what would be the benefit? More precise: can I use the NXP MCU-Link (LinkServer based) debug probes with cortex-debug, to debug another NXP MCU?
The latest release of the NXP LinkServer supports ARM 64bit (Debian) besides Windows, Linux and MacOS. With this, I can now develop on an NXP i.MX board. Plus, this enables an inexpensive way for automated on-target tests and CI/CD.
The 3D Printed Rugged Enclosure for NXP MCU-Link Debug Probe has been very useful. I wanted to design something similar for the ‘MCU-Link Pro‘ version of that debug probe. There there is already a laser-cut enclosure for the probe itself. I used the same stack-able rugged box for the debug probe plus all the cables.
The MCU-Link-MR debug probe has been updated :-).
The MCU-Link-MR is a CMSIS-DAP debug probe for ARM Cortex-M devices with extra features for mobile robot and drone debugging. The project is open source and available on GitHub with KiCAD files and BOM.
Continue readingI’m using the NXP MCU-Link CMSIS-DAP debug probe in many of my projects. The debub probe from NXP does not come with an enclosure. I’m traveling to work by train, so I designed a new rugged box and enclosure. The box is small and I can keep all parts inside it.
Docker or Development Container are great for isolation. And they work very well with things outside which are TCP/IP based. But most debug probes are USB only. Docker container don’t work well with USB. In Remote Debugging with DevContainer and VS Code, I showed how to use USB based debug probes. I demonstrated using them with an IP connection. In this article I show how Windows USB devices can be used from a container, with the help of usbipd.
The Rust programming language is making its way into different areas: Rust gets added to the Linux Kernel. I see an increasing interest for using Rust in embedded projects. And Rust is used for embedded tools. I noticed this with the latest LinkServer v25.09 release: there is a new tool included in the package, rblhost.
The release note just mentioned:
- Switched to using rapid blhost (rblhost) utility.
This triggered my interest, and actually that utility is implemented in Rust :-).
Continue readingToday’s projects and systems get more and more complex. Many systems include multiple MCUs, connected with a field bus or network, for example CAN. For example there can be up to 70 CAN nodes in modern cars. Such larger and connected systems are a challenge for debugging.
Traditional hardware debugging requires a hardware debug probe, connected with a dedicated SWD/JTAG debug cable to the target device. This needs dedicated pins on the target device plus physical access to the device itself. In many cases, this is not possible in the final product. The hardware debug probes, cables, pins and high speed signals are costly. And worse they can introduce new problems and are prone to interference.
If there is a field bus like CAN connecting all the MCUs, why not use it for hardware debugging? Hardware debugging meaning programming the FLASH memory, halt the MCU, inspect the memory and registers, and step through the code?
Yes, we can! With the help of a rather unknown hardware feature on ARM Cortex-M devices. We can use the ARM DebugMonitor Interrupt to control and debug the target system. As we would use a JTAG/SWD connection. Instead, we use the CAN bus :-).
Continue readingUsually, I run applications in the micro-controller FLASH memory. But for a CI/CD or testing environment that is not the best choice.
It is possible to have a ‘RAM target’, where the application is running in RAM instead of FLASH memory. This has the advantage not to ‘wear-out’ the FLASH memory. Plus loading and running in RAM is faster. This makes having RAM targets especially useful for testing.
In this article I’m using the NXP LPC55S16-EVK board, but any other target or board is applicable.
Remote debugging an embedded target is very useful: I don’t need a direct debug probe or USB cable connection. Instead, I’m using a network connection (wired or even wireless) over TCP/IP to talk to the debug probe and target. That way I can place the debug probe and target system away from my desk.
In Debugging ARM Cores with IP based Debug Probes and Eclipse I have used IP-based debug probes. This is a logical path, but expensive.
In Remote Debugging with USB based JTAG/SWD Debug Probes I showed how normal USB based debug probes can be used. This approach uses a remote host machine (e.g. desktop machine or notebook). This approach is still expensive, not scalable and the host machine needs a lot of space too.
So what if I use a Raspberry Pi instead? The RPi is small, inexpensive and ideal for such a task. Additionally, I can easily use it to build a test or debug farm. In this article, I show the use of the Raspberry Pi for remote debugging. A sub $20 or embedded target debug probe can be employed.
MCU on Eclipse 