ST6xxx-EMU2

The ST6xxx-EMU2 is an advanced hardware development system designed and configured to provide comprehensive support for the ST6 family of MCU's.

This ST6xxx-EMU2 consists of a basic part, common to all ST6 devices, and one ST62 or ST63 subfamily dedicated board depending on the device to emulate. This new emulator is fully compatible with the existing dedicated boards, except for the ST638X and ST631XX devices which have been designed on two boards. Only the dedicated board needs to be changed to emulate a new device within the ST62/ST63 subfamilies.

The debugger runs under the Microsoft Windows™ environment. The use of a parallel port allows a much faster communication transfer rate. The assembler source level debugger, software part of the real time emulation tool, can be run on a PC, and is common to all ST62 and ST63 devices. The debugger is a native Windows application; it can run under Windows 3.1x, Windows 95, Windows NT (specific drivers NT are provided). Full context sensitive on-line help is provided.

Once assembled, linked and debugged with the simulator, the application software is ready to be downloaded into the ST6-EMU. The device probe is connected to the application hardware. The development station performs a real-time emulation of the target device, thus allowing high performance testing and debugging of both application hardware and software.

The breakpoints allow the user to stop the MCU when the application software reaches selected addresses, and/or addresses within a selected ranges, and/or on data fetch (or read, or write, or both) cycles. The user is then able to read and modify any register and memory location. An online assembler/disassembler is also available to ease debugging. The internal break signal is output on OUT1 triggers on the front panel of the emulator. This feature enables the user to count events using to external equipment, when optimising software for example, or to synchronise an oscilloscope when debugging hardware.

The debugger provides the same interface for both simulator and emulator, allowing easy transition from the software simulation phase to the execution of the program in the target hardware with the emulator.

The assembler source level debugging capability allows program execution to be viewed in the source file written by the user. Mouse click functions are context sensitive. Depending on the program element selected, different actions are performed such as viewing a subroutine or variable.

In addition, the ST6xxx-EMU2 architecture allows toread ST6 registers while the user program is running:such possibility is offered without any disturbance in the user program execution. Known as"Read on the Fly" feature, it allows to follow the modification of a system variable during execution. Moreover, modification of the registers contents is possible in the same conditions, without disturbing the execution of the program.

The logical analyser permanently records in real time on 32 bits: buses, flags, Bank registers and 4 external signals. ST6xxx-EMU2 allows the user to display the last 1024 executed cycles. The displayed cycles are, either fetch, or fetch and data space accesses, chosen by a debugger command. Addresses, data, control/status bits and 4 user signals are displayed using mnemonic and user symbols. Log files offer the possibility to send any screen display to a text file. In particular, log files are very useful to save the contents of the logic analyser and/or the contents of data registers to be analysed or printed.

Command files can be used to execute a set of debugger commands in order to ease and speed up the emulation session.

A powerful help facility can be involved at any time to give additional information about the commands, the processor or the emulator. A powerful hardware test allows to verify the good behaviour of the system.

When the program is fully debugged, the ST6xxx-EMU2 remote programming board can be used to program the emulation device with the INTEL hex format file produced by the linker.