NXP Semiconductors arm LPCXpresso55S36 - MCU-Link OB Debug Probe; MCU-Link Overview

NXP Semiconductors
LPCXpresso55S36UM
LPCXpresso55S36 Development Board User Manual
2.16 Board operating conditions
The LPCXpresso55S36 board should be used in laboratory conditions (0
℃
to 50
℃).
It
is not intended for extended temperature testing. See LPC5536 Data Sheet for complete
details on device operating conditions.
3 MCU-Link OB debug probe
This section describes the MCU-Link OB debug probe and explains how to connect it to
the target MCU (LPC5536).
3.1 MCU-Link overview
MCU-Link is a debug probe architecture jointly developed by NXP and Embedded Artists.
The MCU-Link architecture is based on the LPC55S69 MCU, which is based on the Arm
Cortex-M33 core.
NXP uses MCU-Link OB on its evaluation boards, for example, LPCXpresso55S36.
MCU-Link is also available as a standalone debug probe in the following two types:
• MCU-Link (base model): For more details, see https://www.nxp.com/design/
microcontrollers-developer-resources/mcu-link-debug-probe:MCU-LINK
• MCU-Link Pro (fully featured): For more details, see https://www.nxp.com/design/
microcontrollers-developer-resources/mcu-link-pro-debug-probe:MCU-LINK-PRO
All these MCU-Link probes use the same firmware.
NXP evaluation boards have some configuration strap pins that determine the type
of MCU-Link used. The MCU-Link firmware reads these pins during boot process to
determine the MCU-Link type.
In the LPCXpresso55S36 board, some of the strap pins can be configured via jumpers;
however, most of these configuration changes are made before powering up the board.
3.1.1 Supported firmware options
Supported firmware options for the LPCXpresso55S36 MCU-Link debug probe are
described below:
• By default, the LPCXpresso55S36 MCU-Link debug probe is programmed with
firmware based on CMSIS-DAP protocol from NXP. This firmware also supports all
other features supported in hardware. For information on how to update MCU-Link
firmware, see Section 3.2.
• A custom version of J-Link Lite is also available but this firmware is limited to debug
and VCOM features
• Other firmware options available for MCU-Link OB may not provide the buffer enable /
direction control support that is required to correctly configure the LPCXpresso55S36
hardware. Therefore, care should be taken while using such firmware.
3.1.2 Using MCU-Link with development tools
The MCU-Link debug probe can be used with IDEs supported within the MCUXpresso
ecosystem (MCUXpresso IDE, IAR Embedded Workbench, and Keil MDK). To get started
on one of these IDEs:
1. Go to the LPCXpresso55S36 Development Board page on the NXP website.
LPCXpresso55S36UM All information provided in this document is subject to legal disclaimers. © NXP B.V. 2022. All rights reserved.
User manual Rev. 2 — 5 September 2022
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