Virtual Instrument in LabVIEW for Microprocessor Debugging

LabVIEW applications consist of several graphical controls and “virtual instruments” connected with graphical data paths. Usually you have an input device, some data processing instruments and an output or visualization device. By connecting the appropriate devices, called “virtual instruments”, with data paths, you get a complete data processing application.

TRACE32 PowerDebug is a hardware based debugger targeted to all common CPUs used in the embedded field. A graphical user interface allows visual debugging, while a powerful script language can execute extensive automated test scenarios.

The new integration between TRACE32 and LabVIEW brings the strengths of both tools together. Lauterbach built several virtual instruments, that can be easily used in an LabVIEW application. E.g. you can control the target’s program execution, use memory accesses as data input or output channels, or use the target hardware as data processing unit. The developer gets the full control over the embedded device from within LabVIEW, without the need of an external communication interface. The whole control and communication is done via TRACE32 and the JTAG line.