Raspberry Pi gets a dedicated Debug Probe that has more uses, too:
Raspberry Pi has unveiled a new probe that allows users to debug code running on a Raspberry Pi Pico or other Arm-based microcontrollers.
The Debug Probe, which is based on the Pi Pico and its RP2040 microcontroller, is available now for $12. It's the company's first new product for 2023 and comes as the firm works to improve availability of the Zero W, 3A+, and the 2GB and 4GB variants of Raspberry Pi 4, which have been in short supply since the coronavirus pandemic.
The company decided to make the probe after noticing people were using one Pico to debug programs running on another. The probe package includes a USB to Serial Wire Debug (SWD) bridge, a generic USB serial adapter, and cables to connect to a host computer, and to the debug target.
But even if you don't want to debug code, the probe might still be a useful addition. "The Raspberry Pi Debug Probe's low price makes it a cost-effective alternative to other USB serial adapters. It has largely replaced the once-ubiquitous FTDI cable as our adapter of choice here at Pi Towers," notes Raspberry Pi chief executive Eben Upton in a blogpost.
While it has been designed with Raspberry Pi Pico, and other RP2040-based targets, in mind, he said the Raspberry Pi Debug Probe can be used to debug any Arm-based microcontroller that provides an SWD port with 3V3 I/O.
[...] The probe provides a bridge between USB and the Serial Wire Debug (SWD) protocol: on the RP2040, the SWD port provides access to the Debug Port (DP). The Debug Probe provides a bridge between USB and SWD to allow the host to access the target's debug port. Upton notes its more convenient to connect via USB, which is also the only option when using a PC or Mac.
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Technologist David Bombal has a one-hour interview with Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton. The interview covers a range of topics, starting with the big questions about unit availability and when more stock will be available.
00:00 - Intro: Tough Environment
00:07 - Intro: Eben Upton hacked the network as a kid
00:40 - Raspberry Pi shortage (stock availability)
07:22 - People say that you're not looking after hobbyists!
10:12 - Raspberry Pi OS is backwards compatible
12:37 - The pain affecting all of us
16:33 - The origin of the Raspberry Pi // How it started
23:16 - Eben hacked the school network // Creating an environment for young hackers
32:05 - Changing the Cambridge and the World
35:00 - African growth and plans
40:03 - General purpose Computer vs iPhone vs Chromebook
43:28 - Possible IPO and Raspberry Pi Foundation
44:50 - The Raspberry Pi RP2040
48:33 - How is Raspberry Pi funded?
49:10 - How is the next product decided?
50:22 - Raspberry Pi Foundation sticking to its roots
51:17 - Advice for the youth or anyone new
56:01 - Changing roles // From tech to business
57:08 - Do you need to go to university? // Do you need degrees?
01:00:05 - Learning from experiences
01:01:44 - Creating opportunities
01:05:05 - Conclusion
No transcript is available and Eben does speak very quickly. Also published on YouTube if you do not have the obligatory LBRY account to block the algorithmic "recommendations".
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Thursday February 23, @12:01PM (4 children)
https://flirc.tv/products/flirc-jeffprobe [flirc.tv]
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/16883 [sparkfun.com]
Am I missing something?
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(Score: 2) by Rich on Thursday February 23, @12:37PM (3 children)
The RPi probe also contains a UART which is usually needed to connect to the console interface of the embedded device and it comes with a little case. Tidier desktop.
I have to think of a service module, a little black box, USB-in, SubD-out that I made, which replaced a contraption with a gutted USB hub PCB and two FTDIs (one fake, one formerly fake, to tell their S/Ns apart) duck-taped onto a piece of cardboard, which replaced two loose Uno R3s being abused as serial converters with pulled AVRs. Admittedly, these are dual-serial rather than serial+SWD, but still, for such a dual connection, it would be nice to get the first solution ready made for the low price of €13, wouldn't it?
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Thursday February 23, @03:06PM (2 children)
I've mentioned the Jeff probe since it seems to come with a UART cable and mentions the following in the FAQ:
( https://flirc.tv/products/flirc-jeffprobe [flirc.tv] )
So I think they're more or less the same in that regards? To be clear, I'm genuinely asking here rather than criticizing. Personally, a cheap stlink with a flashed firmware [github.com] is more than enough for my mcu needs. I mean, even segger has a how-to on the stlinks [segger.com] so I'm really wondering what's the point...
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(Score: 2) by Rich on Thursday February 23, @05:01PM (1 child)
Looks the "Jeff" has sort-of UART functionality built in.
"If you are debugging a chip with single wire JTAG, there is a supported hardware command to enable UART over the existing JTAG connector. That means, the single JTAG cable can be used for both debug, and the second UART connection. "
The main ad text didn't make it clear and said "Connects to the target processor using the JTAG or Serial Wire Debug (SWD) interface." and "It is able to control and examine the state of the target microprocessor using a JTAG or Serial Wire Debugging (SWD) port and on-chip debug logic provided by the microprocessor.", so I imagined there would be an option to switch between JTAG and SWD, but no UART. I'd rather have a detailed spec on one page rather than 5 pages of hipster-conformant scrolling with the interesting bits hidden in small print FAQs.
I'd assume that for targets that support "UART-over-debug injection", it's even neater, cable-wise. So, the difference is the RPi case (Jeff: "Do you plan on making a case for this? Nah.") and the Jeff's JTAG functionality (I understood it like the RPi only does ARM-specific SWD and no JTAG, but I might just have missed that, or someone will eventually hack it in )
(Score: 3, Interesting) by RamiK on Thursday February 23, @07:20PM
It was mentioned that the raspi debug port uses openocd which I know has jtag support. So, I suspect them not supporting it means there's a circuitry issue. I mean, I haven't bothered looking up the details but I believe jTAG is 4-5 pins, cJTAG is 3 pins and SWD is 2pins so there should be some circuitry limitations unless the design was purposefully made with JTAG in mind...
Anyhow, I think this discussion speaks more about how CMSIS-DAP was watered down to mean nothing. Like, the marketing claim was to unify all the various jtag standards and yet here we are, trying to figure out if a CMSIS-DAP probe even has JTAG support at all...
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(Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Thursday February 23, @09:41PM
On Windows we have a couple of options for debugging a live system like this. The most common way is across the network, a feature that only works with certain NICs (including hyper-v NICs which is how I use it.) Another option is a special USB a-to-a cable. It's one of those things you buy when you need it, use once, and keep on a shelf forever. :)