Nuvoton adds scriptable offline programming to its MCU debug tool
Image: Nuvoton Technology
Nuvoton’s Nu-Link3-Pro combines microcontroller debugging and programming with digital signal capture, protocol decoding and a MicroPython environment for customised offline programming sequences.
The tool retains SWD debugging, ICP/ISP programming, drag-and-drop programming and a virtual COM port from the Nu-Link2-Pro. It moves the host connection to USB-C and supports target voltages of 1.8V, 2.5V, 3.3V and 5V. For supported NuMicro devices, Nuvoton specifies an ETM instruction-trace frequency of 110MHz.
ETM trace records processor instruction activity. External digital signals are captured separately through integration with PulseView and the open-source sigrok framework, which provides protocol decoding. Firmware execution and activity on the connected buses can therefore be examined using different functions of the same unit; the 110MHz figure applies to instruction trace.
The USB bridge supports SPI, I²C, UART and RS-485, with I3C and CAN FD added to the protocol options. It gives the same unit a role in communicating with a target as well as programming it.
For production or automated-test use, a customised MAIN.PY file on a microSD card supplies the offline programming logic. The script can change the sequence without requiring a modification to the programmer’s firmware. This extends the earlier button-triggered offline mode into a programmable workflow that can be adapted to a fixture or test station.
Nuvoton also describes hardware-keystore support for secure provisioning projects, with the programming sequence customised for the application.
The company’s international store lists Nu-Link3-Pro at US$149. Device support is centred on the NuMicro families.
