OMAP-L137 Emulation Questions

FYI, I've split this post into its own thread.  Originally it was appended to this thread.  Although it's a related topic I prefer to try and keep threads short and pointed.

Mike said:

Are the SD XDS510 emulators able to debug both cores? Independently and simultaneously?

Yes.  You would have a single emulator connected from your host pc to the board and there would be two CCS debugger windows open, one per core.  You can independently run, step, etc.

Mike said:

Is there a preference among which emulator to use on the C6747 (Spectrum Digital vs. Blackhawk)?

It doesn't really matter.  just make sure you have an emulator or adapter that supports adaptive clocking for the ARM.

Mike said:

If we want to do development/debug on just the ARM9, can we use the XDS 510 with an IDE other than CCS?

There are other companies that sell their own emulators with their own IDE, e.g. ARM Ltd, Lauterbach, Greenhills.  Now that I mention Greenhills I think they *might* have the capability of interacting with an XDS510 or XDS560 emulator (maybe just the 560, not positive).

Mike said:

What would TI recommend as a development platform for the ARM9 (IDE and emulator)?  What ARM9 emulators have been tested/verified on the L137?

It's a standard ARM core so any ARM9 emulator/IDE will work.  Lauterbach tends to have fancier capabilities in terms of trace and I know that users of those tools can do some very cool things because of trace.  You pay quite a premium though...  Personally, now that CCS has become Linux Aware I think that it's the best value by a long shot.

Mike said:

Is it possible to plug in different emulators into each JTAG connector (20-pin and 14-pin) at the same time to perform independent debugging on separate IDEs (which may even be on separate PCs)?

No, those headers are there for your convenience but are connected to the same physical pins.  You can only connect to one of them at a given moment.

Mike said:

Or is there a way to layout a design of the OMAP L137 so that each core (C6747 + ARM9) can have it's own JTAG?  Maybe a better way to ask is this - does each core have a JTAG port or is there a single JTAG port that talks to both cores?

thanks,

Mike

No, it's not possible as there is only one set of JTAG pins.  That means you can have one emulator talk to both cores, but you cannot have two emulators simultaneously talking to the 2 cores.

Hi,

What is "Emulation Debug" mode in OMAP-L137.
The boot mode selection table in "sprab04b" has a boot mode
selection as "Emulation Debug",
does it mean a "No Boot" mode? and where do we use it.

Thankyou.

It means that it will let the emulator take control. So when you are developing with a JTAG emulator connected to CCS, that is the one to use. The emulator might work even if this option is not selected, but this one guarantees that it will work without a problem.

Let's say at some point you put some code that does something "really bad" in the flash.  I've seen cases where the "bad code" puts the processor in a bad state so quickly that you cannot connect to it with an emulator.  In that scenario you would be permanently shut out of the device if it were not for the emulation boot mode (or sometimes just switching to some other boot mode is good enough, but emulation boot is more convienent).  That way the processor basically does nothing when it powers up and that allows you to connect with an emulator, put new "good" code into flash, and move on with life.

So, this means if we want to connect external emulator and by pass onboard emulator in OMAP-L137 EVM board, then we need to connect external emulators to J4/J5 JTAG connectors (i.e. 14pins/ 20pins) of OMAP-L137 EVM board. And SW2 should be placed in "Emulation Debug" mode. 

Please correct me if i am wrong.

Also what Gel, CCS setup & BSL files are needed for OMAP-L137? 

I got the Gel, CCS setup & BSL files for OMAP-L138 on the below link 

http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/How_to_connect_to_the_OMAP-L138/C6748/AM1808_EVM_board_using_CCS%3F

Can i use the same files... is it compatible with OMAP-L137 also?

Thanks,

Priya

Hi Priya

OMAPL137 EVM detils along with BSL, GEL file , CCS setups etc can be found on Spectrum Digital's support page

http://support.spectrumdigital.com/boards/evmomapl137/revg/

Regards

Mukul

Thanks Mukul for your quick response.

but can you verify my other question also that whether i can connect external emulator and

by pass onboard emulator in OMAP-L137 EVM board, then we need to connect external emulators

to J4/J5 JTAG connectors (i.e. 14pins/ 20pins) of OMAP-L137 EVM board. And SW2 should be

placed in "Emulation Debug" mode.

Thanks,

Priya

The "emulation debug" is a boot mode.  You can connect a header and debug code regardless of that setting.  You might choose "emulation debug" while developing code which you are loading and debugging with CCS.  Later once you write that code into flash you can change the boot mode to SPI.  You will still have the ability to connect and debug, but in that case the boot ROM will load the code from flash.

Emulation debug means the ROM bootloader loops forever right after start. Then, no lousy code you have in Flash ;-) can render the processors inaccessible.