1
Overview
Page 8
Prototyping area;
CodeWarrior for HC(S)12 Development Studio, Special Edition, with
editor, assembler, C compiler and debugger.
i
Note: this user’s manual explains methods and procedures
common to all of the SK-S12(X) and ZK-S12(X) Series Starter Kits.
For a detailed list of the hardware features of your specific Starter
Kit, please refer to the Starter Kit’s specific user’s manual,
available in PDF format on the SofTec Microsystems’ “System
Software” CD-ROM.
1.2 Background Debug Module (BDM)
All MCUs in the HCS12(X) family contain a single-wire background debug
interface which supports in-circuit programming of on-chip non-volatile
memory and sophisticated non-intrusive debug capabilities. This system
does not interfere with normal application resources. It does not use any
user memory or locations in the memory map and does not share any on-
chip peripherals. The background debug module (BDM) uses a single-wire
communication interface to allow non-intrusive access to target system
memory and registers.
The Starter Kits feature a USB to BDM interface which allows the host PC to
communicate with the microcontroller through a standard USB cable.
Contrariwise to traditional in-circuit emulation (where the target application is
executed and emulated inside the emulator), the Starter Kits use the very
same target microcontroller to carry on in-circuit execution. This means that
all microcontroller’s peripherals (timers, A/D converters, I/O pins, etc.) are
not reconstructed or simulated by an external device, but are the very same
target microcontroller’s peripherals. Moreover, the Starter Kits’ debugging
approach ensures that the target microcontroller’s electrical characteristics
(pull-ups, low-voltage operations, I/O thresholds, etc.) are 100% guaranteed.
