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UPDATE: What do you think of this Debugger, the ULINKplus -- Power-Aware Debugging

rscasny

When I saw this I thought it was interesting - a multi-core debugger with integrated power measurement and additional test I/O pins allowing you to control automated tests. You can control the processor, set breakpoints, and read/write memory contents, all while the processor is running at full speed.  Nice for ultra-low power applications, sensitive hardware and software validation for getting system and long battery life.  What do you think?

 

image

Here's some specs:

  • Wide target voltage range: 1.2V - 5.5V
  • Electrical isolation from the target system is integrated up to 1 kV
  • USB 2.0 High-Speed connection using the CMSIS-DAP debug protocol
  • USB powered (no power supply required)
  • 10-pin (0.05") - Cortex Debug Connector
  • Hot-plugging to running targets

 

Devices Supported:

  • JTAG support for ARM Cortex processors
  • Serial Wire Debug (SWD) support for all ARM Cortex-M processors
  • Serial Wire Viewer (SWV) support for all ARM Cortex-M processors

 

More information

ULINKplus Overview

ARM blog on the ULINKplus

 

NEW! Ulinkplus Webinar on Nov 30, 2017

 

Interested in learning more about the ULINKplus? Then sign up for the the webinar here

  • Honestly? I have not idea of what is the price but I love it. In an industrial context the engineering lab (firmware coding and debugging) it is frequently stabilised on the company choices to this sort of jolly maybe not an essential component. I mean, the lab already has those debugging instruments needed for test all the characteristics usually are available.

     

    In a more flexible context instead I think this is unvaluable, especially for the I/O pins for testing automation. Very useful when there is not only one micro controller but depending on the project and the kind of application some micro maybe adopted instead of others. I have spent a lot of time in past to build test automation stuff to check this of that different micro controller for a certain feature instead of another.

     

    I am curious to see how this device can work the automated testing software like Jensen. But I think to all the possibilities for the entire scenario opened by this tool.

     

    Reading the documentation also in power critical applications it sounds extremely useful. The first impression is thumb up

     

    Enrico

  • Hi Randall,

     

    I just saw a similar device advertised for an Arduino.

    I like where this technology is going.  Small devices like these are very useful for field work and small work bench uses.

     

    The price I saw for the other device as about 140 Euro's, which I thought was a little pricy, but they claim up to 200Mhz signal capture.

     

    So if you do a lot of field or plant checks on microcontrollers, I could see these little devices as being very useful.

     

    DAB

  • What I especially like: its electrically isolated. This means you don't risk to fry your PC when something goes wrong with your target.

  • This looks great! I like how it uses CMSIS-DAP instead of the proprietary protocol used by the original ULINK.

     

    Having access to a power monitor and test I/O make this much more than just a debugger.

  • in reply to tekmeister

    I agree, this looks like a very useful tool that is also a debugger. I think it can follow a wide path of the board / circuit testing and debugging.

     

    Enrico

  • My opinion on this will depend very much on the price and the detail of the specification.

     

    Current measuring for micros is very, very difficult because of the huge dynamic range needed -  ideally at least 500mA to 1uA to cover, for example, the latest STM32F4xxx from ST. That means a resolution down to less than 100nA so you need a 24 bit ADC with 1 lsb error or fancy range range changing - the UlinkPlus has 16 bit ADC and comes in a little plastic box so I expect compromises in the current measuring area !

     

    Keil/ARMs prices for debug tools are traditionally high and I think that the simple Ulink market has been lost to them because of this - what I hope is that they will put this new device out at a sightly lower price point than the standard Ulink2 ie about£150 but I can't find prices on the web

     

    MK

  • in reply to michaelkellett

    I suspect this won't be cheap. I went looking for the price earlier but didn't find one.

     

    With regard to current measuring, it looks like the sense resistor is external (ie. you provide it), so it might actually be able to measure quite accurately

  • Looks like a good debugging tool.

     

    I'd like to know what it's like to control those I/Os via the scripting language, because that would enable it to run automated testing during development and perhaps even during small batch production.

     

    Razvan

  • in reply to tekmeister

    tekmeister wrote:

     

    With regard to current measuring, it looks like the sense resistor is external (ie. you provide it), so it might actually be able to measure quite accurately

    It's more a case of the dynamic range required. If you need to be able to measure very low currents in the range of uA when the MCU is in a low power mode but then also be able to measure hundreds of mA when it wakes up and is busy doing things you may not be able to select a resistor which will give reasonable accuracy at both ends of that range.

     

    Best Regards,

     

    Rachael

  • in reply to michaelkellett

    The option to support incompletely the power side - it is true, there is an incredible wide range of options - should be excluded IMHO just because they declare it will. If it is not, this is the wort part of the product that is under the announced expectations. About price instead, I agree, it is what makes the difference. Especially for the target it is oriente to.

     

    Enrico