MSP430 Custom Programmer

Ben,

The MSP430 emulation technology is supported by the experts in the MSP430 device forum, therefore I will move your post there so you can get more educated answers.

Hope this helps,

Rafael

Ben Walpole said:

I believe someone once told me that you publish a DLL and/or API to enable people to do this, is this the case?

Most external software that programs MSPs or programmers for the MSP implement a common API. TI is providing two DLLs, MSP430DLL and HIL.DLL for their programmers, so software like msp430-jtag or the elprotronic FET-Pro430 software (and their own of course) can access the TI FETs. Others, like Olimex, build their own FETs and provide their own MSP430. DLL with the same API, so other software can use their FETs.

The API has been expanded recently, to support the newer devices with 430X core (20 bit address bus and register size), and I know that msp430-jtag, which did originally come with its own MSP430.DLL implementation (mostly because there was no Linux DLL) didn't support these devices, or USB FETs in general, even if the FET did, but was able to program the older ones with a new USB FET when the TI version of the DLL was available. I heard that TI was kindly providing info about the API, the extension and also about the internal changes of teh JTAG protocol, but I remember that on teh beginning of this project no information about even the API was to be found.

So I don't know, whether the API specification is publicly available for plain vanilla netizens or upon special request and with an NDA.