The MCU-Link-MR from NXP is a CMSIS-DAP debug probe. It includes dedicated connection headers found on mobile robotic systems. These systems include the Pixhawk/PX4 drone and robotics hardware.
The NXP SDK is git based which is great. If I create a project with VS code, it references the SDK cloned locally.
A standalone project structure is needed if you want to easily share a project with your team. It’s also necessary for sharing inside a classroom environment. This article shows how to use an NXP SDK project in standalone mode.
Continue readingFreeRTOS has a great performance measurement feature built-in: Performance counters. At each context switch, the RTOS can do a bookkeeping of time spent in tasks. With this, it can estimate the runtime distribution between the tasks. A very useful feature to get a feeling what the tasks are doing.
But I noticed that with recent FreeRTOS versions, VS Code extension have issues showing the correct runtime counter values:
This is the second part describing how to use DevContainer for embedded applications with VS Code.
In Optimizing Embedded Development with VS Code and DevContainer I use VS Code with a docker ‘development’ container. The container is created with a recipe to install the development tools and SDK. With VS Code and DevContainer I have the same developer experience as I would develop locally on the host.
One thing not addressed in that earlier article is debugging. Using USB debug probes like a SEGGER J-Link or NXP MCU-Link is a challenge inside a container. This applies to any other debug probe as well.
The solution is to transform an USB based debug probe into one with a network connection:
In this article, I show how to do this.
Continue readingI’m making progress on my larger split-flap project (see Update on the Split-Flap Project for 2025). So far I have 32 operational for the larger 64 flap installation. In parallel, I worked on a smaller 4 flaps unit used as a clock.
NXP has released a new LinkServer software. It includes an interesting feature. The LinkServer test runner has been extended with a Semihosting console. This is not only very useful for on-target testing. With the Semihosting console, I have a bidirectional communication channel with the target. And I do not need any hardware pins or to run a debug session. All what I need is the CMSIS-DAP connection with the NXP LinkServer runner to have a command line shell:
In CI/CD for Embedded with VS Code, Docker and GitHub Actions, I used GitHub to build a pipeline. This setup supports continuous integration within a CI/CD environment.
This time, let’s do a similar thing. But instead of GitHub, I use GitLab with VS Code. And I use it for a project where three different MCUs are used: the Raspberry Pi Pico-W, an Espressif ESP32 plus the NXP K22FX512 on the Sumo robot:
The year 2024 is coming to its end, time for a Year-End-Processor-Expert-Component-Release.
Also, this is now the 10th anniversary of the releases on Sourceforge, starting with https://mcuoneclipse.com/2014/10/21/mcuoneclipse-releases-on-sourceforge/ back in 2014.
Continue readingThe release 24.9.75 of LinkServer software and tools includes interesting feature: the ability to use the debug probe for automated on-target testing. It includes a ‘runner’ which can program, launch and run the application on the target through a debug probe. While the target is running, it uses semihosting or UART for communication. This makes it a perfect tool for automated testing, especially in a CI/CD environment. One such environment is running automated tests with CMake and CTest in VS Code.
NXP has released a new version of the LinkServer software. This is a utility for debugging and using scripting for a wide range of devices and debugging probes. It includes support for the MCU-Link, LPC-Link2, on-board and CMSIS-DAP based debug probes with the ‘LinkFlash’:
With the new release, it includes a graphical user interface (GUI) for flash programming. It also includes erasing, verifying, recovery, and saving the memory to a file.
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MCU on Eclipse 