4.
Curiosity Nano
Curiosity Nano is an evaluation platform of small boards with access to most of the microcontrollers I/Os. The
platform consists of a series of low pin count microcontroller (MCU) boards with on-board debuggers, which are
integrated with MPLAB
®
X IDE. Each board is identified in the IDE. When plugged in, a Kit Window is displayed with
links to key documentation, including relevant user guides, application notes, data sheets, and example code.
Everything is easy to find. The on-board debugger features a virtual serial port (CDC) for serial communication to a
host PC and a Data Gateway Interface (DGI) with debug GPIO pin(s).
4.1
On-Board Debugger Overview
PIC18F16Q40 Curiosity Nano contains an on-board debugger for programming and debugging. The on-board
debugger is a composite USB device consisting of several interfaces:
• A debugger that can program and debug the PIC18F16Q40 in MPLAB
®
X IDE
• A mass storage device that allows drag-and-drop programming of the PIC18F16Q40
• A virtual serial port (CDC) that is connected to a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) on the
PIC18F16Q40, and provides an easy way to communicate with the target application through terminal software
• A Data Gateway Interface (DGI) for code instrumentation with logic analyzer channels (debug GPIO) to visualize
program flow
The on-board debugger controls a Power and Status LED (marked PS) on the PIC18F16Q40 Curiosity Nano board.
The table below shows how the LED is controlled in different operation modes.
Table 4-1. On-Board Debugger LED Control
Operation Mode
Power and Status LED
Boot Loader mode
The LED blinks slowly during power-up
Power-up
The LED is ON
Normal operation
The LED is ON
Programming
Activity indicator: The LED blinks slowly during programming/debugging
Drag-and-drop
programming
Success:
The LED blinks slowly for 2 sec
Failure:
The LED blinks rapidly for 2 sec
Fault
The LED blinks rapidly if a power fault is detected
Sleep/Off
The LED is OFF. The on-board debugger is either in a sleep mode or powered down.
This can occur if the board is externally powered.
Info:
Slow blinking is approximately 1 Hz, and rapid blinking is approximately 5 Hz.
4.1.1
Debugger
The on-board debugger on the PIC18F16Q40 Curiosity Nano board appears as a Human Interface Device (HID) on
the host computer’s USB subsystem. The debugger supports full-featured programming and debugging of the
PIC18F16Q40 using MPLAB
®
X IDE.
PIC18F16Q40 Curiosity Nano
Curiosity Nano
©
2020 Microchip Technology Inc.
User Guide
DS50003047A-page 8
