Thanks everybody, yours comments have been so useful. Now I want to do a
deeper study about the JTAG, maybe you can recommend me some literature
about this topic like the bible of the JTAG or some similar. I started
with the IEEE std 1149.1

ok Thanks everybody see you later.

David Brown wrote:

> Using the boot loader is smaller - you just need ground, two 
> communications pins, and reset (if I remember rightly), if you don't 
> need debugging.
> 

Ground , transmit, receive (these are NOT UART pins), reset and TEST or 
one of the JTAG pins. Plus power if you want to power the RS232 level 
shifter from the target, or power the target from the programmer. This 
is sensible anyway as it makes it easy to match signal levels.

So that's 6 pins.

I tend to reserve the BSL pins where possible, they also make a useful 
debug (bitbanged) serial port.

Paul Burke

Gene S. Berkowitz wrote:
> In article <EYudnShjBdAlyezenZ2dnUVZ_sWdnZ2d@giganews.com>, el_777
> @yahoo.com says...
> 
>>Hi everybody. I am working with a development platform based in the msp430,
>>and I am looking for different programming tools. I tried the JTAG but this
>>is too big. it takes up to 14 pins of space. So I hope that somebody can
>>make a suggestion about other solutions, or other version of JTAG that
>>take up less space.
> 
> 
> Every member of the MSP430 family has a Boot Serial Loader in mask ROM 
> on board that allows loading code serially with two pins.  You can not 
> debug via that interface, however.
> 
> The actual JTAG connection to the MSP only requires 4 pins plus power 
> and ground on all but the smallest devices; I have no idea where you 
> came up with 14.
> 
> --Gene

There is also the reset pin, so in total 7 pins are needed for msp430 
jtag.  There are some other pins useful with certain msp430 chips (such 
as oscillator pins), but they are not necessary for most devices.  The 
14 pin connector is the "standard" connector for TI's jtag connectors, 
and is therefore the one always used by tools.  To save a bit of space, 
we tend to use the first 10 pins, and short-circuit lines 10 and 11 on 
the jtag debugger cable to get a smaller connector with minimal changes 
to the tools.  It is also possible to use a physically smaller 10 pin 
(or 14 pin) connector, if you make the appropriate cables.

Using the boot loader is smaller - you just need ground, two 
communications pins, and reset (if I remember rightly), if you don't 
need debugging.

In article <EYudnShjBdAlyezenZ2dnUVZ_sWdnZ2d@giganews.com>, el_777
@yahoo.com says...
> Hi everybody. I am working with a development platform based in the msp430,
> and I am looking for different programming tools. I tried the JTAG but this
> is too big. it takes up to 14 pins of space. So I hope that somebody can
> make a suggestion about other solutions, or other version of JTAG that
> take up less space.

Every member of the MSP430 family has a Boot Serial Loader in mask ROM 
on board that allows loading code serially with two pins.  You can not 
debug via that interface, however.

The actual JTAG connection to the MSP only requires 4 pins plus power 
and ground on all but the smallest devices; I have no idea where you 
came up with 14.

--Gene

Hi everybody. I am working with a development platform based in the msp430,
and I am looking for different programming tools. I tried the JTAG but this
is too big. it takes up to 14 pins of space. So I hope that somebody can
make a suggestion about other solutions, or other version of JTAG that
take up less space.