51795B datasheet(45/100 Pages) MICROCHIP

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PICkit™ 3 USER’S GUIDE

 2010 Microchip Technology Inc.

DS51795B-page 45

Chapter 8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

8.1

INTRODUCTION

Look here for answers to frequently asked questions about the PICkit 3

programmer/debugger system.

• How Does It Work

•What’s Wrong

8.2

HOW DOES IT WORK

• What's in the silicon that allows it to communicate with the PICkit 3

programmer/debugger?

The PICkit 3 programmer/debugger can communicate with Flash silicon via the

ICSP interface. It uses the debug executive downloaded into program or test

memory.

• How is the throughput of the processor affected by having to run the debug

executive?

The debug executive doesn’t run while in Run mode, so there is no throughput

reduction when running your code, i.e., the debugger doesn’t ‘steal’ any cycles

from the target device.

• How does the PICkit 3 programmer/debugger compare with other in-circuit

emulators/debuggers?

Please refer to Section 2.2 “PICkit 3 vs. PICkit 2”.

• On the MPLAB ICE 2000/4000 debuggers, the data must come out on the

bus in order to perform a complex trigger on that data. Is this also required

on the PICkit 3 programmer/debugger? For example, could I halt based on a

flag going high?

The MPLAB ICE 2000/4000 debuggers use a special debugger chip (-ME) for

monitoring. There is no -ME with the PICkit 3 programmer/debugger so there are

no busses to monitor externally. With the PICkit 3 programmer/debugger, rather

than using external breakpoints, the built-in breakpoint circuitry of the debug

engine is used – the busses and breakpoint logic are monitored inside the part.

• Does the PICkit 3 programmer/debugger have complex breakpoints like

MPLAB ICE 2000/4000?

No. But you can break based on a value in a data memory location or program

address. See Section 10.3.1 “Breakpoints Dialog” for more information.

• Is the PICkit 3 optoisolated or electrically isolated?

No. You cannot apply a floating or high voltage (120V) to the current system.

• What limitations are there with the standard cable?

The standard ICSP RJ-11 cable does not allow for clock speeds greater than

about 15 Mbps.

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