Interface FRDM-K64F, MCUXpresso, Multilink Universal with external Terraterm serial comm port

[mignacio]

Hi,

I got my new FRDM-K64F eval board and P&E Multilink Universal and have hooked-up them up.  I tried a few demo application SDK projects inside MCUXpresso & P&E debug probes debug config to check if connections, flash programming are working fine. 

They are working except since the onboard MCU is 1 MB flash, it takes almost 5 minutes to finish flashing before the debug window comes up & I could run the demos.  

a.  IS THAT NORMAL with FRDM-K64F flash programming before GDB could be started?

One demo I started with is the "Hello World" which should print something out to dumb terminal emulator. I've setup all my demo SDK during import for UART display.  

Please see attached images of my configuration: connections for power via plain USB and P&E via SWD J9 connection mini tag connector to Port G,  Terraterm serial port setup window, & 2014 board traces to cut at J8 & J12.

Before my Univeral came, I tried the FRDM board connection to PC via openSDA USB.  There's that mbed USB debug port (as all pin config are on UART TX RX default at PTB16-17.  That's why you see mbed listed ("hidden" unless click unhide on menu) plus other COM ports on my PC Device Manager.

My current problem is Terraterm is not seeing any serial communication port (grayed-out on screenshot shown).   Device Manager says there is NO hardware connection so port is hidden or disabled.

b. How do I make the Multilink SWD to PC USB connection BE RECOGNIZED also as external debug terminal/console for Terraterm?

c. The cable thru J22 is mainly just for power.   When I switch cable connection to J26 openSDA USB port, the "mbed" driver keeps popping-in up & causing troubles - I only think it's because the default UART TX RX PTB16-17 are going through there.

d. Do I need to add a 3rd USB cable or such so Terraterm can find the driver serial communication port?

NOTE:  I've seen very old posts about cutting traces, J8, J12, switch J25 to still keep openSDA connections, etc.

e.  Do I need to do that?  I have what I think is most recent FRDM-K64F eval board but the traces at the back are Uncut.  I don't really want to cut the traces of the ONLY board I have.  Company can't afford anymore board until I finalized a prototype using FRDM.  HOW ELSE can I enable UART serial port console terminal debugging displays through Multilink USB maybe?

Please forgive if some of the above statements are in error. 

I'm open for corrections, information, suggestions to resolve my problem of having an external UART console terminal to spew out printf & such display reporting as part of my debugging.

Thank you for the help.

Regards,

MI

[mignacio]

Hi Kalaimani,

Thanks for your post.

I'm sorry, maybe I was not very clear in my long post or did not know what I was talking about.

My requirements are simple:

* I code, compile, flash from inside MCUXpresso for FRDM-K64F eval board

* For simple "hello world" SDK demo application project, I want to DISPLAY all "printf" outputs to an external debug console dumb terminal emulator like the Terraterm program, via UART-serial-USB interface to FRDM-K64F.

* For power, I hook-up the PC USB to the plain USB port (J22).

* I hook-up Multilink to the SWD port (J9) to erase, flash, debug the code

* Debugging works for other (e.g. blinky, accelerometer) demo app projects that do NOT "printf" or display texts to UART-serial-to-USB PC interface to Terraterm

* Running Terraterm, it does NOT see any serial comm port (e.g. COM1, COM2, etc.) I think it's because the PC USB cable should be hooked up to the FRDM's openSDA USB port (J26) instead of the plain USB port J22.

* I don't hook-up to the openSDA USB port because mbed keeps popping up as Windows Explorer file folder.

*** I asked PEmicro technical support & I am currently waiting for someone to get back to me on the steps to "install" DAPlink onto openSDA K20 controller which should allow UART-serial-USB-debugging through P&E Multilink probes to SWD to openSDA USB to PC Terraterm, if I got & understand that serial communication path right.   PEmicro support is looking for FRDM-K64 to try it out first themselves before letting me know the correct "driver" binary to download/copy to openSDA DAPlink virtual drive/folder.

Does that make it clearer?

Thanks.

MI

[Anonymous]

Hi,

A. Please refer page numbers 2 in the schematic it will explain that at same time you can't program or debug the target.

https://www.nxp.com/design/development-boards/freedom-development-boards/mcu-boards/freedom-developm...

B.You can use any other UART pins for external debug purpose otherwise disconnected the Multi link debugger and connect external one.

C. Reinstall the mbed driver it will fix, this issue happens me also,after reinstall now it's fixed. And there is no issue in PTA16-17  pin operation in this condition.

https://os.mbed.com/platforms/FRDM-K64F/ 

D. you are using universal debugger and serial in j8&j22,, it similar to issue A

E. If you want real time debugger in external use FREEMASTER  it's a freeware software by nxp.

https://www.nxp.com/design/software/development-software/freemaster-run-time-debugging-tool:FREEMAST...

Thanks,

Kalaimani Arumugam