LPC-LINK versa Red Probe

[lpcware]

Content originally posted in LPCWare by riscy00 on Sun Dec 30 02:24:33 MST 2012
Hi

I planning to buy Code Red NXP suite and wondering what is pro and con between LPC-LINK verse Red Probe+

I already have LPC-LINK and what is the point to buy Red Probe+?

I expect code size would be around 50K-70K in c.

Your comment is very much appreciated.

Riscy

[lpcware]

Content originally posted in LPCWare by jdurand on Fri Sep 20 14:35:49 MST 2013
A client built several for his people and gave me one.

I also have one from Zero Computer that adapts to some other cable sizes such as 2mm hard metric.

On the link board, yes, it's a bare board but also is slower in debugging (unless they've updated them) and you have to use that fragile ARM 10 pin header after you cut off the right hand part of the board (or at least cut the traces to it).  If it saves me 2-3 hours of time over the life of the debugger, it's worth it for me to buy the "real" one. 

So, you can probably get by using the link board, but if it's something you're using all the time the more rugged Red Probe is probably the better deal.  I haven't looked at the price recently, but I remember this wasn't all that expensive.

Which reminds me, I've got a couple of Keil debugger pods to put on eBay.

[lpcware]

Content originally posted in LPCWare by mesocyclone on Fri Sep 20 10:43:28 MST 2013
Thanks for your response...

A couple of questions...

Did you build the adapter board or buy it? If the latter, from where.

What is the specific objection to the LPC Link board? That it is a bare board with no mounting holes and no package, or are there other issues with it? I'm also a professional developer, so I need something that will work right and well.

[lpcware]

Content originally posted in LPCWare by jdurand on Fri Sep 20 09:21:52 MST 2013
I've been using Red Probe + for quite a while now and it's worked with hardly any issues.  Rarely I'll have to unplug the USB port to reset it, but it seems quite stable.

It comes with connectors for both 10 and 20 pin cables, don't know if it currently ships with both cables.

I use an adapter board that converts the 20 pin to a 10 pin 0.1" header which is a lot sturdier and cheaper.  It also adds a RESET button which I notice hardly anyone puts on their pods.  I guess they assume we all add buttons to our boards.

As I an a professional developer, I couldn't stand the LPC-Link board for any longer than it took to order the real probe.

[lpcware]

Content originally posted in LPCWare by mesocyclone on Thu Sep 19 14:20:42 MST 2013
Is it possible that Red Probe is more robust in the face of electrical issues (static, connector backwards, overvoltage, etc)?

For that matter, does anyone know how robust the LPC-Link is? The Red Probe?

[lpcware]

Content originally posted in LPCWare by vasanth on Mon Dec 31 09:38:29 MST 2012
Although not related to red probe+, this webinar could provide a clear understanding of what trace is good for. Take a look :).

[U]Edit:[/U] Make sure you read Red Trace Guide as mentioned previously, because the Trace debugger used in this presentation is a different one.

[lpcware]

Content originally posted in LPCWare by TheFallGuy on Mon Dec 31 02:00:32 MST 2012

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Quote: KTownsend

Update: There's a getting started guide here that shows what you can do with Red Trace: http://support.code-red-tech.com/CodeRedWiki/RedTraceOverview

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Or even better, use the version shipped in the product...
Help->Help contents
and open the Red Trace Guide. This includes the description of the instruction trace support in M0+

[lpcware]

Content originally posted in LPCWare by ktownsend on Sun Dec 30 17:54:13 MST 2012

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Quote: graynomad
No good for M0 parts though, is that correct?

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The new M0+ has micro-trace (LPC800 parts), but for older chips trace is only useful on the M3 and M4 parts not the M0 (the original one).

As for what it's useful for, it really depends on the parts and the toolchain you're using, but in the case of the NXP edition of Red Suite you can do some interesting code profiling to see which functions your code is spending most of the execution time in, etc.  I think they have some details of this on their website if you dig around.  For the price of the 256KB version and the cost of the Red Probe + just the basic profiling and limited trace support was worth the price to me, and is the main reason I bought them ... but YMMV.

Update: There's a getting started guide here that shows what you can do with Red Trace: http://support.code-red-tech.com/CodeRedWiki/RedTraceOverview

[lpcware]

Content originally posted in LPCWare by graynomad on Sun Dec 30 16:22:49 MST 2012

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Quote:
support for Red Trace (SWV)

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No good for M0 parts though, is that correct?

[lpcware]

Content originally posted in LPCWare by vasanth on Sun Dec 30 05:20:35 MST 2012
[LEFT]So, that brings us to the question what can Trace functionality do for us?
A nice overview and explanation is given here. :)



[/LEFT]

[lpcware]

Content originally posted in LPCWare by TheFallGuy on Sun Dec 30 04:43:54 MST 2012
According to the datasheet,

[LIST]
[*]USB 2.0 High Speed - up to 480Mbps.
[*]Fast all round debug including stepping.
[*]JTAG/SWD clock up to 30MHz!.
[*]Self powered from USB host.
[*]Wide target voltage range: 1.5V - 3.5V.
[*]Switchable protocol support:
[LIST]
[*]ARM JTAG, SWD, and SWV.
[/LIST]
[*]Supports multiple standard JTAG connectors:
[LIST]
[*]20-pin 0.1. pitch (supplied), 10-pin 0.05" pitch (1.27mm) pitch (extra cost option)
[/LIST]
[*]Programmable SWV runtime trace capture.
[*]Hardware and Software Breakpoints.
[*]Integrated high-speed FLASH programming with Red Suite.
[*]One of the fastest download and FLASH pro-gramming algorithms in the industry:
[*]Up to 5M Bytes/s download to RAM,
[*]Up to 40K Bytes/s flash programming.
[*]Fully integrated with Red Suite.
[*]Priced at $150
[/LIST]

In my experience, the main things are speed (not just download, but single-stepping etc) and support for Red Trace (SWV)