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What is the point of M430F1612 U1 Chip on the launchpad

Other Parts Discussed in Thread: TUSB3410

I understand it connects to the MSP430 Micro-controller and helps to program it and debug it. But then Arduino has the boot loader on the micro-controller it self. And the pic dev boards also has a secondary chip like the launchpad.

I don't understand whats the need for these extra circuitry, can't you just connect to the micro directly using like parallel port or something and program it directly.

Whats the function of the boot loader?

I know its a lot of questions, so if you could direct me to some literature that is clear and detailed that would be wonderful.

Thank you.  

  • The MSPs (well, most of them) also have a simple bootloader on the chip itself. For the so-called BSL, you don't need the 11612 on the LaunchPad, only a serial connection.

    However, each MSP has a built-in embedded emulation module (EEM) which can be accessed via JTAG and allows supervising the CPU from outside. Not running software, but rather accessing and controlling CPU internal registers and other operations, bypassing the CPU.
    The 1612 contains interface software to allow JTAG access to the target MSP under control of the PC software. Without this, the debugger couldn't stop the CPU, inspect registers, read and change memory etc. It would require debug code included into the binary.
    Programming the target through this connection is just an additional use and not the main purpose of this chip.
    And it is pure coincidence that it is an MSP that does this. It could well be something else. But why not using an MSP?



  • I also have some questions about this uC... I understood that this "talks" with the MSP target by JTAG and send/receives the debuginformation to the computer via serial (and TUSB3410). But I dont know why it is called an EMULATOR (flash emulador)... for me, it is just a bridge between the serial and JTAG. I cant see the "Emulation" process...
    can someone explain ?

    Thanks

  • You are correct.

    In the old days, MSP430s use on-chip maskable-ROM. And for development, there are hardware tools that emulate the ROM with Flash. For some reason, this name is carried on and became very strange.

    "When I use a word, it means exactly what I choose it to mean. Nothing less, nothing more." -- so said Humpty-Dumpty.
  • As OCY said, in old times, the processors came with mask-programmed ROM or (the more expensive ones) with one-time programmable PROM.
    To allow development, there have been so-called "emulators': special and very expensive devices where the the rom/prom part had been replaced with ram (or later flash) that was read-only from the processor side and where you could read/write it and access the processor registers from outside. Many of these devices even emulated the processor by an FPGA instead of using the original core. I've also seen an emulator where you could put an EPROM in (this was before flash was developed).

    I guess, the 'flash emulation tool' name is derived from the fact that the 'tool' (the FET) and a real CPU together build such an emulator. So it is a tool to build a flash emulation.

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