AN1948_D Freescale Semiconductor / Motorola, AN1948_D Datasheet - Page 2

• Manufacturer Part Number: AN1948_D
• Description: Real Time Development of MC Applications using the PC Master Software Visualization Tool
• Manufacturer: Freescale Semiconductor / Motorola

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The PC Master Software Visualization Tool
3.
3.1 PC Master Software Introduction
Traditionally, developers use code debuggers and oscilloscopes for the development of motor control
applications. Debuggers are used for visualization of the internal memory of the processor.
Oscilloscopes are chosen for visualization of the input and output signals.
Such traditional development is quite arduous. Debuggers mostly do not allow visualization and
change of the application variables at the run time of the target processor. Also, visualization of the
selected variables as a time function is not possible. Often, debuggers require stopping the target
processor to access the variables. Such an approach is not applicable in motor control applications - the
developer cannot just stop the motor in order to access the memory of the processor, and then let the
motor run again.
The input and output variables can be observed by an oscilloscope. The limiting factor of oscilloscope
usage is that the real signals of the drive often differ from the signals measured by the processor. The
measured signals are affected by the sensing circuitry used, by measurement noise and also by the
offset and gain error of the analog-to-digital converter. Generated signals are modulated by Pulse
Width Modulation (PWM), so they need to be filtered in order to obtain the real value. The filtering of
the signals influences the precision of the measurement. The usage of oscilloscopes for visualization of
internal variables is quite limited. The internal variables can be observed using a Digital-to-Analog
Converter (DAC). Unfortunately such peripherals are not standard either at the motor control
processor or at the motor control application board.
Another significant drawback of the traditional approach is the cost and availability of an oscilloscope
and the necessary accessories (like current probes). Typically, two-channel oscilloscopes are available,
which is not enough for the development of a multi-phase motor control system, especially when it is
desired to observe several internal and input/output variables simultaneously.
In order to help the developers in the development of real-time embedded applications, Motorola has
developed the PC master software tool. It enables access and visualization of the internal variables of
the target processor and thus solves most of the difficulties the motor control developer faces.
PC master software was designed to make the development of motor control applications easier. It
provides the debugging, diagnostic and demonstration tools needed for the development of real-time
algorithms and applications. PC master software runs on a PC, connected to the target processor via an
RS232 serial interface. A small program, resident on the target processor, communicates with the PC
master software. It provides access to any memory location of the target processor in real-time. Once
the data are loaded into PC master software, they can be visualized in a number of different ways. The
PC master software, running on a PC, uses Microsoft Internet Explorer as the user interface. The
detailed description can be found in the user’s manual (see [6]) and in the dedicated application notes
(see [2], [3], [4], [5]). A basic block diagram is illustrated in
PC master software is currently available for the DSP56F80x, DSP56F82x and DSP5685x families of
Motorola. The PC master software application is part of the Motorola Embedded Software
Development Kit (SDK)
other Motorola processors, including MC68HC08, MC68HCS12 and MPC500 families, will be
released soon.
The PC Master Software Visualization Tool
Real Time Development using the PC Master Software
Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
[7]
For More Information On This Product,
and may be selectively installed during the SDK installation. Support for
Go to: www.freescale.com
Figure
3-1.
MOTOROLA