USB as standard debug interface

"Roberto Waltman" <usenet@rwaltman.com> wrote in message
news:hohho6lo87tnskpind8f7820bg5ma7adq3@4ax.com...
> But, for example, in a laptop with no serial ports:
>
> Plug an RS-232 dongle for the first time - Becomes COM1
>
> Disconnect, connect in a separate USB port, it is still the only
> serial port in the system, but becomes COM-NOT-1

That only happens with dirt-cheap RS-232 dongles without serial numbers.
Windows has no way of recognising it has 'seen' this before so the COM port
number will be tied to the USB port. As soon as you spend a little more on a
RS-232 dongle with a serial number, windows will recognise it the next time
regardless of which USB port it is plugged into, and assign the same COM
port number again. The FTDI RS-232 converters are a good example of this.

Meindert

In message <gjkho69aoalcbev2120sultuke5aj9m51k@4ax.com>, Roberto Waltman
<usenet@rwaltman.com> writes
>Chris H  wrote:
>
>[Things about ICEs ...]
>
>I am curious.  Regardless how an ICE compares to JTAG, BDM, etc., you
>seem to consider it a viable option today.

Absolutely. Not all MCU have JTAG or BDM  Also not all MCU have ICE

>I have not used a "real" ICE since the 8080/Z80/6800 days.
>I don't recall even seeing an ICE for at least the last twelve years
>in the places I worked or visited.

Well as I know several ICE manufacturers whilst they are not selling as
many due to the growth in ARM and hence JTAG there are still a lot of
people using ICE where they are available.

However new technologies are coming on stream like SWD for Cortex which
are purpose designed debug solutions a generation on from JTAG.

>Are In Circuit Emulators still part of an embedded developer's
>toolkit?

They should be where appropriate.

>What companies manufacture them, for what processor families?
 See
www.lauterbach.com
www.isystem.com
www.hitex.com

There are  half a dozen others at a similar level


-- 
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
\/\/\/\/\ Chris Hills  Staffs  England     /\/\/\/\/
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Chris H wrote:

[...]

>However new technologies are coming on stream like SWD for Cortex which
>are purpose designed debug solutions a generation on from JTAG.

Not only "new" debug interfaces are "purpose designed", look at the
single wire "BDM" interface by Motorola. I don't remember exactly when
I started using it, but I think it was more than ten years ago (HC12,
"SDI" interface).

>>Are In Circuit Emulators still part of an embedded developer's
>>toolkit?
>
>They should be where appropriate.
>
>>What companies manufacture them, for what processor families?
> See
>www.lauterbach.com
>www.isystem.com
>www.hitex.com
>
>There are  half a dozen others at a similar level

Like Nohau... I remember them being ardent ICE advocates. How many
_new_ ICE products did all the manufacturers bring out recently?

Oliver
-- 
Oliver Betz, Muenchen (oliverbetz.de)

On Mar 23, 4:14=A0am, "Meindert Sprang" <m...@NOJUNKcustomORSPAMware.nl>
wrote:
> "Roberto Waltman" <use...@rwaltman.com> wrote in message
>
> news:hohho6lo87tnskpind8f7820bg5ma7adq3@4ax.com...
>
> > But, for example, in a laptop with no serial ports:
>
> > Plug an RS-232 dongle for the first time - Becomes COM1
>
> > Disconnect, connect in a separate USB port, it is still the only
> > serial port in the system, but becomes COM-NOT-1
>
> That only happens with dirt-cheap RS-232 dongles without serial numbers.
> Windows has no way of recognising it has 'seen' this before so the COM po=
rt
> number will be tied to the USB port. As soon as you spend a little more o=
n a
> RS-232 dongle with a serial number, windows will recognise it the next ti=
me
> regardless of which USB port it is plugged into, and assign the same COM
> port number again. The FTDI RS-232 converters are a good example of this.
>
> Meindert

If you are using a hub, does the "quality" of the hub have anything to
do with it?  I have a FPGA programming adapter that works ok in any
USB port on my machine, but refuses to work when plugged into a hub.
I only have two hubs around and they are both min price units.  In
fact, I plug in the hub and it shows up in device manager as a
"generic hub".  If the programming adapter is then plugged into the
hub not only does the adapter not show up, the generic hub goes away
and an "unknown device" appears.

Would this be likely to work correctly if I were to get a "better"
hub?  FTDI doesn't make hub chips.  How can I identify a high quality
USB hub?

Rick

In message <4d8a31f3.82959187@z1.oliverbetz.de>, Oliver Betz
<OBetz@despammed.com> writes
>Chris H wrote:
>
>[...]
>
>>However new technologies are coming on stream like SWD for Cortex which
>>are purpose designed debug solutions a generation on from JTAG.
>
>Not only "new" debug interfaces are "purpose designed", look at the
>single wire "BDM" interface by Motorola. I don't remember exactly when
>I started using it, but I think it was more than ten years ago (HC12,
>"SDI" interface).
>
>>>Are In Circuit Emulators still part of an embedded developer's
>>>toolkit?
>>
>>They should be where appropriate.
>>
>>>What companies manufacture them, for what processor families?
>> See
>>www.lauterbach.com
>>www.isystem.com
>>www.hitex.com
>>
>>There are  half a dozen others at a similar level
>
>Like Nohau... I remember them being ardent ICE advocates.

Nohau stopped doing ICE a while ago.

>How many
>_new_ ICE products did all the manufacturers bring out recently?

No Idea. Most new parts are JTAG

-- 
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
\/\/\/\/\ Chris Hills  Staffs  England     /\/\/\/\/
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"rickman" <gnuarm@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:aae13651-52e1-460f-90d3-964b65c16b44@r4g2000prm.googlegroups.com...
> If you are using a hub, does the "quality" of the hub have anything to
> do with it?  I have a FPGA programming adapter that works ok in any
> USB port on my machine, but refuses to work when plugged into a hub.

I think so. I have no experience woth dirt-cheap $1 hubs, but I know that
the I have handles for of my devices using an FT232R perfectly. Always the
same com ports. I even tried connecting four devices to that hub and then
connecting the hub to the PC, so the PC would see four similar new devices
at once. No sweat.

Could it be that modern dirt-cheap hubs don't follow the USB specs and just
act as a semi-intelligent USB four-way switch? Just to cut on silicon cost?

Meindert

On Mar 23, 6:41=A0pm, rickman <gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:

> do with it? =A0I have a FPGA programming adapter that works ok in any
> USB port on my machine, but refuses to work when plugged into a hub.
> I only have two hubs around and they are both min price units. =A0In
> fact, I plug in the hub and it shows up in device manager as a
> "generic hub". =A0If the programming adapter is then plugged into the
> hub not only does the adapter not show up, the generic hub goes away
> and an "unknown device" appears.

Is the hub powered externally? Bus-powered hubs can cause a lot of
trouble and odd behaviors like this (they SHOULDN'T, but they DO).