3.
Xplained Pro
Xplained Pro is an evaluation platform containing a series of microcontroller boards (evaluation kits) and extension
boards. Microchip Studio/MPLAB
®
X is used to program and debug the microcontrollers on these boards. Microchip
Studio includes Advanced Software Framework (ASF) and Atmel START which has drivers, demo code, and Data
Visualizer that supports data streaming and advanced debugging. Xplained Pro evaluation kits can be connected to a
wide range of Xplained Pro extension boards through standardized headers and connectors. Xplained Pro extension
boards have identification (ID) chips to uniquely identify which boards are connected to the Xplained Pro evaluation
kits.
3.1
Embedded Debugger
The ATmega4809 Xplained Pro contains an Embedded Debugger (EDBG) for on-board debugging. The EDBG is a
USB composite device with the following interfaces:
• Debugger
• Virtual COM Port (CDC)
• Data Gateway Interface (DGI)
The EDBG can program and debug the ATmega4809 with the help of Microchip Studio/MPLAB
®
X. The UPDI
interface is connected between the EDBG and the ATmega4809 on the ATmega4809 Xplained Pro.
The Virtual COM Port is connected to a UART on the ATmega4809 and provides an easy way to communicate with
the target application through terminal software. It offers variable baud rate, parity, and stop bit settings. The settings
on the ATmega4809 must match the settings given in the terminal software.
Info:
The Virtual COM Port in the EDBG requires the terminal software to set the Data Terminal Ready
(DTR) signal to enable the UART pins connected to the ATmega4809. If the DTR signal is not enabled, the
UART pins on the EDBG are kept in tri-state (high-Z) to render the COM Port not usable. The DTR signal
is automatically set by terminal software, but it may have to be manually enabled in the terminal.
The DGI consists of several physical interfaces for bidirectional communication with the host computer.
Communication over the interfaces is bidirectional. It can be used to send event values and data from the
ATmega4809. Traffic over the interfaces can be timestamped by the EDBG for more accurate tracking of events, but
timestamping reduces the maximal data throughput. The
is used to send and receive data
through DGI.
The EDBG controls two LEDs on the ATmega4809 Xplained Pro: a power LED and a status LED. The following table
provides details on how the LEDs are controlled in different operation modes.
Table 3-1. EDBG LED Control
Mode
Power LED
Status LED
Normal mode
The power LED is ON when power is
applied to the board.
Activity indicator, the LED flashes
when any communication happens to
the EDBG.
Bootloader mode (idle)
The power LED and the status LED blink simultaneously.
Bootloader mode (firmware upgrade) The power LED and the status LED blink in an alternating pattern.
For additional information on the EDBG, see the
3.2
Hardware Identification System
All Xplained Pro extension boards come with an identification chip (ATSHA204A CryptoAuthentication
™
chip) to
uniquely identify the boards that are connected to the Xplained Pro Evaluation Kit. This chip contains information that
ATmega4809 Xplained Pro
Xplained Pro
©
2020 Microchip Technology Inc.
User Guide
DS50002716C-page 7
