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CCS6: Setting software and hardware breakpoints on MSP430

Robert Cowsill
Guru 16361 points


On MSP430 it's possible to set hardware and software breakpoints using the debugger at runtime.

As I understand it, it should be possible to choose which type of breakpoint is used by selecting the appropriate option in the "Breakpoint (Code Composer Studio)" context menu. The "Breakpoint" option should create a software breakpoint and the "Hardware breakpoint" option should create a hardware breakpoint.

Is my understanding of the menu design correct?

The reason I ask is that this is not the case in CCS6.0.1.00040. Both "Breakpoint" and "Hardware Breakpoint" menu options do the exact same thing; they try to set a hardware breakpoint first and will only create a software breakpoint if all the hardware breakpoints are used up.

Am I misunderstanding the menu design, or is this a bug in CCS?

  • 0
    TI__Guru**** 471801 points

    Robert Cowsill said:

    As I understand it, it should be possible to choose which type of breakpoint is used by selecting the appropriate option in the "Breakpoint (Code Composer Studio)" context menu. The "Breakpoint" option should create a software breakpoint and the "Hardware breakpoint" option should create a hardware breakpoint.

    Is my understanding of the menu design correct?

    That is correct

    Robert Cowsill said:
    Both "Breakpoint" and "Hardware Breakpoint" menu options do the exact same thing; they try to set a hardware breakpoint first and will only create a software breakpoint if all the hardware breakpoints are used up.

    I tried this on my MSP430 device and it looks like "Breakpoint" does indeed try to set a software breakpoint first and when the debugger recognizes that the address is flash, it will change it to a HW breakpoint. If you look closely when you are setting the "Breakpoint", you will notice that it puts the standard SW breakpoint icon there and then there is a quick flicker and the icon is changed to a HW breakpoint. If you select "Hardware Breakpoint", the HW breakpoint icon appears from the start. Looks like the MSP430 driver will use SW breakpoints only if you are out of HW breakpoints to minimize the writes to the flash. As mentioned before, looks like MSP430 behaves a bit differently than the rest of the device families.

    ki