3.
Xplained Pro
Xplained Pro is an evaluation platform containing a series of microcontroller boards (evaluation kits) and extension
boards. Atmel Studio/MPLAB
®
X is used to program and debug the microcontrollers on these boards. Atmel Studio
includes Advanced Software Framework (ASF) and Atmel START, which has drivers and demo code, and Data
Visualizer, which 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 ATtiny3217 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
• Data Gateway Interface (DGI)
The EDBG can program and debug the ATtiny3217 with the help of Atmel Studio/MPLAB
®
X. The UPDI interface is
connected between the EDBG and the ATtiny3217 on the ATtiny3217 Xplained Pro.
The Virtual COM Port is connected to a UART on the ATtiny3217 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 ATtiny3217 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 ATtiny3217. 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 your 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
ATtiny3217. 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 ATtiny3217 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
ATtiny3217 Xplained Pro
Xplained Pro
©
2020 Microchip Technology Inc.
User Guide
DS50002765B-page 7
