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The BICEPS for your ARMp

platz Professional Real-Time-Trace or JTAG Emulator

for ARM microcontrollers

The in-circuit-emulator BICEPS for ARM based microcontrollers is a professional real-time debugging tool. It expands standard JTAG debugging by real-time trace features. A port emulation unit rebuilds port signals during program execution: no pins are lost for debugging signals.

(BICEPS emulator with ETM real-time trace adapter)


BICEPS-ARM features:

  • Dual use ARM debugging adapter:
    • Standard JTAG debugger
    • Real-time trace
  • Records program flow of ARM controllers in real-time at full system speed
  • Supports ETM (embedded trace macrocell) interface
  • 1M frames real-time trace memory with 40 bit time stamp
  • Increased trace capacity by off-chip trace filter expansion logic
  • Port emulation unit: the I/O pins needed for debugging signals can be rebuilt and used for the user application
  • Ready-to-use package with Keil µVision source level debugger:
    • Non-intrusive debugging at full system speed
    • Access to all internal resources
    • Flash programming
  • Options for connection to target board:
    • 38 pin Mictor ETM connector (pinout defined by ARM)
    • 40 pin low cost pin header with optional port emulation signals (defined by Brendes)
    • Standard JTAG connector
    • Vertical adaption without debug connector
  • USB host interface

(BICEPS-ARM with JTAG adapter cable)


The BICEPS real-time trace memory

JTAG debugging is no true real-time debugging, because the real-time program execution of the ARM controller must be stopped by breakpoints. If you have applications using interrupts or buses which must be served continuously (USB, CAN) - and this are the applications the LPCs are made for - you have two options only:

  • Look in the real-time trace memory and see what happened
  • Guess what's going wrong in your application

An important feature of the BICEPS emulator is the real time trace memory. Running at full system speed, the BICEPS records all opcodes executed by the ARM controller.

The trace memory contents can be presented on source text or assembler level or in a mixed mode.

A special context mode shows the trace memory cursor in the source text and allows stepping forward or backward like executing single steps in two directions (see datasheet).

Using a real-time trace means first-class debugging. Additional information like the time stamp for each executed program line give you hints you can't get by other tools. For example: let the debugger calculate the time differences between interrupt calls and see at once, that the interrupt service routine lasts too long in 1 of 20 cases. This is real real-time debugging !


Special features of the BICEPS emulator

Real-time trace filters

Because of the poor on-chip trace filters of some ARM devices, the BICEPS has an unique off-chip trace filter expansion logic. It operates in real-time and offers the most comfortable pre-trace filter options with an unlimited number of address comparators. For example, users can decide on each function or source text line whether it is to be traced or not. This expands the trace capacity from milliseconds to seconds or minutes!

Real-time port emulation

With a BICEPS emulator you don't loose I/O pins for real-time trace. Quite the contrary: you gain additional I/Os ! Because the BICEPS emulator can emulate 16 I/O signals during real-time program execution,

  • no pins are lost for real-time trace signals
  • pins you have to use for JTAG signals now, can be used in your application

See more details of connection types.


More technical information: download BicepsARM.pdf (1.5 MB)

In real life and in real-time:

Every ARM needs a powerful BICEPS


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Tel.: +49 (0) 4403 816838 * Fax: +49 (0) 4403 816839 * eMail: info@brendes.de