CY8C24123
CY8C24223, CY8C24423
Document Number: 38-12011 Rev. *G
Page 6 of 43
Debugger
The PSoC Designer Debugger subsystem provides hardware
in-circuit emulation, allowing the designer to test the program in
a physical system while providing an internal view of the PSoC
device. Debugger commands allow the designer to read and
program and read and write data memory, read and write IO
registers, read and write CPU registers, set and clear break-
points, and provide program run, halt, and step control. The
debugger also allows the designer to create a trace buffer of
registers and memory locations of interest.
Online Help System
The online help system displays online, context-sensitive help
for the user. Designed for procedural and quick reference, each
functional subsystem has its own context-sensitive help. This
system also provides tutorials and links to FAQs and an Online
Support Forum to aid the designer in getting started.
Hardware Tools
In-Circuit Emulator
A low cost, high functionality ICE (In-Circuit Emulator) is
available for development support. This hardware has the
capability to program single devices.
The emulator consists of a base unit that connects to the PC by
way of the parallel or USB port. The base unit is universal and
operates with all PSoC devices. Emulation pods for each device
family are available separately. The emulation pod takes the
place of the PSoC device in the target board and performs full
speed (24 MHz) operation.
Figure 4. PSoC Development Tool Kit
User Modules and the PSoC Development
Process
The development process for the PSoC device differs from that
of a traditional fixed function microprocessor. The configurable
analog and digital hardware blocks give the PSoC architecture a
unique flexibility that pays dividends in managing specification
change during development and by lowering inventory costs.
These configurable resources, called PSoC Blocks, have the
ability to implement a wide variety of user-selectable functions.
Each block has several registers that determine its function and
connectivity to other blocks, multiplexers, buses and to the IO
pins. Iterative development cycles permit you to adapt the
hardware as well as the software. This substantially lowers the
risk of having to select a different part to meet the final design
requirements.
To speed the development process, the PSoC Designer
Integrated Development Environment (IDE) provides a library of
pre-built, pre-tested hardware peripheral functions, called “User
Modules.” User modules make selecting and implementing
peripheral devices simple, and come in analog, digital, and
mixed signal varieties. The standard User Module library
contains over 50 common peripherals such as ADCs, DACs
Timers, Counters, UARTs, and other not-so common peripherals
such as DTMF Generators and Bi-Quad analog filter sections.
Each user module establishes the basic register settings that
implement the selected function. It also provides parameters that
allow you to tailor its precise configuration to your particular
application. For example, a Pulse Width Modulator User Module
configures one or more digital PSoC blocks, one for each 8 bits
of resolution. The user module parameters permit you to
establish the pulse width and duty cycle. User modules also
provide tested software to cut your development time. The user
module application programming interface (API) provides
high-level functions to control and respond to hardware events
at run-time. The API also provides optional interrupt service
routines that you can adapt as needed.
The API functions are documented in user module data sheets
that are viewed directly in the PSoC Designer IDE. These data
sheets explain the internal operation of the user module and
provide performance specifications. Each data sheet describes
the use of each user module parameter and documents the
setting of each register controlled by the user module.
The development process starts when you open a new project
and bring up the Device Editor, a pictorial environment (GUI) for
configuring the hardware. You pick the user modules you need
for your project and map them onto the PSoC blocks with
point-and-click simplicity. Next, you build signal chains by inter-
connecting user modules to each other and the IO pins. At this
stage, you also configure the clock source connections and enter
parameter values directly or by selecting values from drop-down
menus. When you are ready to test the hardware configuration
or move on to developing code for the project, you perform the
“Generate Application” step. This causes PSoC Designer to
generate source code that automatically configures the device to
your specification and provides the high-level user module API
functions.
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