[Design View / Design Solution]
Take The Guesswork Out Of Debugging
Move past the hit-and-miss game of “printf()” debugging, and instead look to streamline the task with run-time visualization tools.
OTHER TOOLS Without question, iSYSTEM’s LabVIEW solution and Micrium’s µC/Probe can both help gather valuable information from an embedded system. However, tools that allow you to read and write an application’s variables are only one part of a successful debugging strategy. To deliver innovative products ahead of schedule, engineers need a multifaceted debugging plan that exploits the many tools available today.
To round out a debugging arsenal, keep in mind today’s numerous trace tools. Such tools are available from Green Hills, IAR, Keil, Lauterbach, and many other vendors. Green Hills’ TimeMachine trace package has deservedly attracted much attention for enabling embedded software developers to easily step backward through code and locate insidious bugs.
TimeMachine, like other trace products, can be used alongside a run-time visualization tool. An engineer using this combination can view and even manipulate live data while maintaining a vast execution history.
Every tool has drawbacks, whether it enables tracing, run-time visualization, or something entirely different. Without the proper tools, debugging, much like Battleship, is simply a guessing game.
REFERENCE 1. Goering, Richard, “Embedded developer survey reveals debugging challenges,” EE Times, May 11, 2007.
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