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Can a EZ-FET based debugger be bought?

Andreas Hansen
Intellectual 410 points

Other Parts Discussed in Thread: MSP430F5438A, MSP430F5528, ENERGYTRACE, MSP-FET, MSP430F5529, MSP-EXP430F5529LP

Hi

At the moment, I'm using the MSP-FET430UIF debugger for programming and debugging my MSP430F5438A-based design.

The problem is that I do not have any printf(..) functionality since application UART is not supported by the debugger.

Instead I though that the EZ-FET lite might be an option for me as it supports both programming, debugging and application UART.

First of all, I want to have confirmed that it supports the MSP430F5438A?

As I understand, the EZ-FET is meant to be designed directly onto the target design. However, I would rather have it connect to my MCU through a cable just like a usual debugger (MSP-FET430UIF for instance) .

Can the EZ-FET be bought as a standalone debugging device so I don't have to manufacture it myself using the reference design files?

Best Regards,
Andreas

  • 0
    Guru 34823 points

    eZ-FET Lite is TI open hardware / software, so you can build it by yourself. Or use one from 5xx LP board.

    http://forum.43oh.com/topic/5530-custom-ezfet-lite/

    BTW, 5xx devices have mailbox system that can be used for fast logging instead of UART, but unfortunately that option is not supported by TI FET's.

    http://forum.43oh.com/topic/2972-sbw-msp430f550x-based-programmer/?p=54286

  • 0
    Guru 46710 points
    >functionality since application UART is not supported by the debugger.
    You don't need FET with built-in UART, nor need UART support in the debugger. Instead just get USB-UART adapter and use it with serial terminal software
  • 0 in reply to zrno soli
    Intellectual 410 points

    I just have one question about the building of the eZ-FET Lite. How do I program the emulation MCU (MSP430F5528) used in the design? Can it be bought pre-programmed or what tools do I need for this?
     
    Best Regards,
    Andreas

  • 0 in reply to Andreas Hansen
    Guru 46710 points

    >I just have one question about the building of the eZ-FET Lite.
    What's the point of building such? - If you can buy Launchpad which is cheaper than cost of it's components

    >Can it be bought pre-programmed|
    Indeed. Not only pre-programmed but even soldered on the board and tested!

  • 0 in reply to Ilmars
    TI__Guru* 81001 points
    Just one more note since I hadn't seen this mentioned - if you get the MSP-FET (basically the new version/successor to MSP-FET430UIF), this new tool does support all MSP430 devices and also supports backchannel UART function, BSL, and EnergyTrace. You may also want to take a look at this app note about the different MSP Debuggers that are out there: http://www.ti.com/lit/slau647
  • 0 in reply to Andreas Hansen
    Guru 34823 points

    Andreas Hansen said:

    I just have one question about the building of the eZ-FET Lite. How do I program the emulation MCU (MSP430F5528) used in the design? Can it be bought pre-programmed or what tools do I need for this?

    MSP430F5528 can be programmed by MSP-FET430UIF that you already have. MSP430F5529 (LQFP) is same device as MSP430F5528 (QFN), except package.

  • 0 in reply to Andreas Hansen
    Intellectual 410 points
    >You don't need FET with built-in UART, nor need UART support in the debugger. Instead just get USB-UART adapter and use
    it with serial terminal software.

    Do you mean using the FET for the programming/debugging, and a USB-UART adapter for serial communication (allowing printf).
    Or do you mean using an USB-UART adapter for both programming/debugging and serial communication?

    >What's the point of building such? - If you can buy Launchpad which is cheaper than cost of it's components.

    I don't need a launchpad/development platform, but a way to program my existing hardware platform.
    The problem is that my design has constraints in its dimension, so I would rather avoid having the programmer built onto my design in order to avoid taking up too much space.
    Right now, I have a 14-pin JTAG connector on my board and simply uses the MSP-FET430UIF. This works fine, except that I cannot do printf which would be a nice feature.
  • 0 in reply to zrno soli
    Intellectual 410 points
    Ahh, I see. That must be through the connections TP101-T110 seen in the bottom of layout (.brd file).

    In the custom designed eZ-FET
    forum.43oh.com/.../5530-custom-ezfet-lite
    I can see that a type of connector called "tag-connect" has been applied both for programming the emulator MCU and for programming the target board using the eZ-FET.

    Do you have any experience in using this type of connector?
    One nice thing is that it doesn't take up a lot of space in compared to a 14-pin JTAG connector (that I use right now for my MSP-FET430UIF). However the price for the cables are pretty expensive!
  • 0 in reply to Katie Pier
    Intellectual 410 points
    Thanks for the nice application note. It gives a very good overview!

    The only thing about the MSP-FET that keeps me from buying it, is the 115$ price tag. That was also one of the reasons why I started looking at the EZ-FET Lite.

    Best Regards,
    Andreas
  • 0 in reply to Andreas Hansen
    Guru 58965 points
    To answer your original question:

    Yes, you can buy a "MSP-EXP430F5529LP", pull out all the jumpers that connects the upper 1/3 of the board (i.e., the "ez-FET-lite") to the lower 2/3 of that board, and use a custom cable in their place to connect to your custom board.

    What you get through that cable are, (a) 5V and 3.3V power, (b) an Application UART to the PC via VCOM, and (c) a SBW version of FET.

    Be ware that the "ez-FET-lite" is slower than the full-grown FET, the support is not as good, and the signals are not as robust. You have to make that cable short to avoid further degrading of the signals and RF pickup.
  • 0 in reply to Andreas Hansen
    Guru 46710 points
    >Do you mean using the FET for the programming/debugging, and a USB-UART adapter for serial communication (allowing printf).
    Yes. I did mean exactly that.

    >I don't need a launchpad/development platform, but a way to program my existing hardware platform.
    As OldCow already suggested, Launchpad have two parts - target chip and debugger. Both are connected using row of jumpers. Obviously you can disconnect them and use just debugger alone - to debug msp430 chips which are not part of LaunchPad
  • 0 in reply to Ilmars
    Intellectual 410 points
    I think I will go for the solution of using the debugger on the LP. This is both cheap as I already have a bunch of LP's that I don't use and easy as I don't have to manufacture the eZ-FET myself. Awesome.

    Best Regards,
    Andreas

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