1.1.1 Monitoring the Microcontroller

Enabling the CLKOUT configuration bit or fuse forces the instruction clock to a pin, bypassing the normal I/O controls. This pin can be monitored to see the instruction clock when using an oscilloscope with the appropriate bandwidth. If this clock is present, then the microcontroller is operating. Monitoring the CLKOUT signal can also be used to determine when the microcontroller is in sleep mode. An alternative to this method is toggling an I/O pin a handful of times immediately on start-up to show the microcontroller is executing code.