2.1 MPLAB PICkit 4 In-Circuit Debugger Description
The MPLAB PICkit 4 In-Circuit Debugger (PG164140) allows fast and easy debugging and programming of Microchip PIC®, dsPIC®, AVR, SAM and CEC (Arm® Cortex®-M7-based) microcontrollers using the powerful graphical user interface of MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
The MPLAB PICkit 4 is connected to the design engineer's computer using a high-speed 2.0 USB interface and can be connected to the target via a Microchip debug 8-pin Single In-Line (SIL) connector. The connector uses two device I/O pins and the reset line to implement in-circuit debugging and In-Circuit Serial Programming™ (ICSP™). An additional microSDHC card slot and the ability to be self-powered from the target means you can take your code with you and program on the go.
The MPLAB PICkit 4 programs faster than its predecessor (PICkit 3) and comes ready to support PIC, dsPIC, AVR, SAM and CEC MCU devices. Along with a wider target voltage, the MPLAB PICkit 4 supports advanced interfaces such as 4-wire JTAG, Serial Wire Debug (SWD), and streaming Data Gateway1, while being backward compatible for demo boards and target systems using 2-wire JTAG and ICSP. The MPLAB PICkit 4 also has a unique Programmer-To-Go function with the addition of a microSDHC card slot to hold project code and the ability to be powered by the target board.
The debugger system executes code like an actual device because it uses a device with built-in emulation circuitry, instead of a special debugger chip. All available features of a given device are accessible interactively, and can be set and modified by the MPLAB X IDE interface.
The MPLAB PICkit 4 In-Circuit Debugger is compatible with any of these platforms:
- Microsoft Windows® 7 or later
- Linux®
- macOS™
The MPLAB PICkit 4 In-Circuit Debugger was developed for debugging embedded processors with rich debug facilities which are different from conventional system processors in the following aspects:
- Processors run at maximum speeds.
- Capability to incorporate I/O port data input.
- Advanced host communication interfaces (Windows, macOS and Linux).
- Advanced communication mediums and protocols.
- Faster programming times.
In addition to debugger functions, the MPLAB PICkit 4 In-Circuit Debugger system also may be used as a device production programmer.