SLAS590P March 2009 – September 2020
PRODUCTION DATA
All MSP microcontrollers are supported by a wide variety of software and hardware development tools. Tools are available from TI and various third parties. See them all at MSP430 ultra-low-power mcus – tools & software.
Table 10-1 lists the debug features of these MCUs. See the Code Composer Studio IDE for MSP430 MCUs user's guide for details on the available features.
| MSP430 ARCHITECTURE | 4-WIRE JTAG | 2-WIRE JTAG | BREAK- POINTS (N) | RANGE BREAK- POINTS | CLOCK CONTROL | STATE SEQUENCER | TRACE BUFFER | LPMx.5 DEBUGGING SUPPORT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSP430Xv2 | Yes | Yes | 8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Design Kits and Evaluation Modules
MSP430F5529 USB LaunchPad Development Kit
Develop low-power PC-connected applications with integrated full-speed USB 2.0 (HID, MSC, CDC). The MSP-EXP430F5529LP LaunchPad kit is an inexpensive, simple microcontroller development kit for the MSP430F5529 USB microcontroller. It’s an easy way to start developing on the MSP430 MCU, with an on-board emulation for programming and debugging, as well as buttons and LEDs for simple user interface.
MSP430F5529 USB Experimenter’s Board
The MSP430F5529 Experimenter Board (MSP-EXP430F5529) is a development platform for the MSP430F5529 device, from the latest generation of MSP430 devices with integrated USB. The board is compatible with many TI low-power RF wireless evaluation modules such as the CC2520EMK. The Experimenter Board helps designers quickly learn and develop using the new F55xx MCUs, which provide the industry's lowest active power consumption, integrated USB, and more memory and leading integration for applications such as energy harvesting, wireless sensing and automatic metering infrastructure (AMI).
64-pin target development board and MSP-FET programmer bundle for MSP430F5x MCUs
The MSP-FET430U64USB is a powerful flash emulation tool that allows you to quickly begin application development on the MSP430 MCU. It includes USB debugging interface used to program and debug the MSP430 in-system through the JTAG interface or the pin saving Spy Bi-Wire (2-wire JTAG) protocol. The flash memory can be erased and programmed in seconds with only a few keystrokes, and because the MSP430 flash is ultra-low power, no external power supply is required.
80-pin target development board and MSP-FET programmer bundle for MSP430F5x MCUs
The MSP-FET is a powerful flash emulation tool to quickly begin application development on the MSP430 MCU. It includes USB debugging interface used to program and debug the MSP430 in-system through the JTAG interface or the pin-saving Spy-Bi-Wire (2-wire JTAG) protocol. The flash memory can be erased and programmed in seconds with only a few keystrokes, and because the MSP430 flash is ultra-low power, no external power supply is required. The debugging tool interfaces the MSP430 to the included integrated software environment and includes code to start your design immediately.
Software
MSP430Ware software is a collection of code examples, data sheets, and other design resources for all MSP430 devices delivered in a convenient package. In addition to providing a complete collection of existing MSP430 design resources, MSP430Ware software also includes a high-level API called MSP Driver Library. This library makes it easy to program MSP430 hardware. MSP430Ware software is available as a component of Code Composer Studio™ IDE or as a stand-alone package.
C code examples are available for every MSP device that configures each of the integrated peripherals for various application needs.
Driver Library's abstracted API keeps you above the bits and bytes of the MSP430 hardware by providing easy-to-use function calls. Thorough documentation is delivered through a helpful API Guide, which includes details on each function call and the recognized parameters. Developers can use Driver Library functions to write complete projects with minimal overhead.
EnergyTrace technology for MSP430 microcontrollers is an energy-based code analysis tool that measures and displays the application’s energy profile and helps to optimize it for ultra-low-power consumption.
ULP Advisor™ software is a tool for guiding developers to write more efficient code to fully utilize the unique ultra-low power features of MSP and MSP432 microcontrollers. Aimed at both experienced and new microcontroller developers, ULP Advisor checks your code against a thorough ULP checklist to squeeze every last nano amp out of your application. At build time, ULP Advisor will provide notifications and remarks to highlight areas of your code that can be further optimized for lower power.
The IEC60730 MSP430 software package was developed to be useful in assisting customers in complying with IEC 60730-1:2010 (Automatic Electrical Controls for Household and Similar Use – Part 1: General Requirements) for up to Class B products, which includes home appliances, arc detectors, power converters, power tools, e-bikes, and many others. The IEC60730 MSP430 software package can be embedded in customer applications running on MSP430s to help simplify the customer’s certification efforts of functional safety-compliant consumer devices to IEC 60730-1:2010 Class B.
Fixed Point Math Library for MSP
The MSP IQmath and Qmath Libraries are a collection of highly optimized and high-precision mathematical functions for C programmers to seamlessly port a floating-point algorithm into fixed-point code on MSP430 and MSP432 devices. These routines are typically used in computationally intensive real-time applications where optimal execution speed, high accuracy, and ultra-low energy are critical. By using the IQmath and Qmath libraries, it is possible to achieve execution speeds considerably faster and energy consumption considerably lower than equivalent code written using floating-point math.
Floating Point Math Library for MSP430
Continuing to innovate in the low power and low cost microcontroller space, TI brings you MSPMATHLIB. Leveraging the intelligent peripherals of our devices, this floating point math library of scalar functions brings you up to 26x better performance. Mathlib is easy to integrate into your designs. This library is free and is integrated in both Code Composer Studio and IAR IDEs. Read the user’s guide for an in depth look at the math library and relevant benchmarks.
Development Tools
Code Composer Studio™ Integrated Development Environment for MSP Microcontrollers
Code Composer Studio integrated development environment (IDE) supports all MSP microcontroller devices. Code Composer Studio IDE comprises a suite of embedded software utilities used to develop and debug embedded applications. It includes an optimizing C/C++ compiler, source code editor, project build environment, debugger, profiler, and many other features.
Code Composer Studio IDE combines the advantages of the Eclipse software framework with advanced embedded debug capabilities from TI resulting in a compelling feature-rich development environment for embedded developers. When using CCS with an MSP430 MCU, a unique and powerful set of plugins and embedded software utilities are made available to fully leverage the MSP430 microcontroller.
MSP Flasher is an open-source shell-based interface for programming MSP microcontrollers through a FET programmer or eZ430 using JTAG or Spy-Bi-Wire (SBW) communication. MSP Flasher can download binary files (.txt or .hex) files directly to the MSP microcontroller without an IDE.
MSP MCU Programmer and Debugger
The MSP-FET is a powerful emulation development tool – often called a debug probe – that allows users to quickly begin application development on MSP low-power microcontrollers (MCU). Creating MCU software usually requires downloading the resulting binary program to the MSP device for validation and debugging. The MSP-FET provides a debug communication pathway between a host computer and the target MSP. Furthermore, the MSP-FET also provides a Backchannel UART connection between the computer's USB interface and the MSP UART. This affords the MSP programmer a convenient method for communicating serially between the MSP and a terminal running on the computer. It also supports loading programs (often called firmware) to the MSP target using the BSL (bootloader) through the UART and I2C communication protocols.
MSP-GANG Production Programmer
The MSP Gang Programmer is a device programmer that can program up to eight identical MSP430 or MSP432 flash or FRAM devices at the same time. The MSP Gang Programmer connects to a host PC using a standard RS-232 or USB connection and provides flexible programming options that allow the user to fully customize the process. The MSP Gang Programmer is provided with an expansion board, called the Gang Splitter, that implements the interconnections between the MSP Gang Programmer and multiple target devices. Eight cables are provided that connect the expansion board to eight target devices (through JTAG or Spy-Bi-Wire connectors). The programming can be done with a PC or as a stand-alone device. A PC-side graphical user interface is also available and is DLL-based.