Having a debug probe is essential for development. But this does not stop here: it can be beneficial to have the debug probe circuit on the final hardware to, e.g. for customer usage, field programming or field debugging.
What many might not realize: the NXP MCU-Link hardware design is open, and the license allows you to use it, change it and to embed it into your own design and boards. Then you can use it with the NXP LinkServer/MCU-Link firmware, as you would use it with the external debug probe.
For example at the Lucerne University we put the NXP MCU-Link circuit on our classroom boards, making it easier and simpler for students to develop and use the lab hardware. Or build a custom debug probe with special connectors.
I have published articles and files (KiCAD), so everyone else can benefit from our work:
The design files are in KiCAD (this is what we mostly use at the university), but if you are using different tools, you should be able to import and convert the files. The article link to the different GitHub repositories.
I hope this helps,
Erich
PS: Other articles around MCU-Link and MCU-Link Pro you might find useful: https://mcuoneclipse.com/tag/mcu-link/
