30.3 Physical Interface

When the debugWIRE Enable (DWEN) bit is programmed to '0' and Lock bits are unprogrammed ('1'), the debugWIRE system within the target device is activated. The RESET port pin is configured as a wire-AND (open-drain) bi-directional I/O pin with pull-up enabled and becomes the communication gateway between target and emulator.

Figure 30-1. The debugWIRE Setup

The debugWIRE Setup shows the schematic of a target MCU, with debugWIRE enabled, and the emulator connector. The system clock is not affected by debugWIRE and will always be the clock source selected by the CKSEL Fuses.

When designing a system where debugWIRE will be used, the following observations must be made for correct operation:

  • Pull-up resistors on the dW/(RESET) line must not be smaller than 10 kΩ. The pull-up resistor is not required for debugWIRE functionality.
  • Connecting the RESET pin directly to VCC will not work.
  • Capacitors connected to the RESET pin must be disconnected when using debugWire.
  • All external reset sources must be disconnected.