3.6 ICSP Pins

The PGCx and PGDx pins are used for programming and debugging purposes. There are three pairs of PGCx and PGDx pins to select from based on the application's need of shared pin functions. There are no configuration bits to explicitly choose which pair is used. Instead, the device automatically detects which pair is being used to enter ICSP mode and configures itself,accordingly. It is recommended to keep the trace length between the ICSP connector and the ICSP pins on the device as short as possible. If the ICSP connector is expected to experience an ESD event, a series resistor is recommended, with the value in the range of a few tens of Ohms, not to exceed 100Ω.

Pull-up resistors, series diodes and capacitors on the PGCx and PGDx pins are not recommended as they will interfere with the programmer/debugger communications to the device. If such discrete components are an application requirement, they should be removed from the circuit during programming and debugging. Alternatively, refer to the AC/DC characteristics and timing requirements information in the respective device Flash programming specification for information on capacitive loading limits and pin Voltage Input High (V_IH) and Voltage Input Low (V_IL) requirements.