2.2.2 eZ-FET Onboard Debug Probe With EnergyTrace™ Technology

To keep development easy and cost effective, TI’s LaunchPad development kits integrate an onboard debug probe, which eliminates the need for expensive programmers. The LP-MSP430FR2476 has the eZ-FET debug probe (see Figure 5), which is a simple and low-cost debugger that supports all MSP430™ device derivatives.

Figure 5. eZ-FET Debug Probe

The LP-MSP430FR2476 LaunchPad development kit features EnergyTrace technology but does not have support for EnergyTrace++ technology. The EnergyTrace technology functionality varies across the MSP portfolio (see Table 1).

The dotted line through J101 shown in Figure 5 divides the eZ-FET debug probe from the target area. The signals that cross this line can be disconnected by jumpers on J101, the isolation jumper block. For more details on the isolation jumper block, see Section 2.2.3.

The eZ-FET also provides a backchannel UART-over-USB connection with the host, which can be very useful during debugging and for easy communication with a PC. For more details on this connection, see Section 2.2.4.

The eZ-FET hardware schematics are available in Section 6 and in the hardware design files download page. For more information on the software and the debugger, visit the eZ-FET wiki.