The PIC18F47K42 Curiosity Nano contains an on-board debugger for programming and debugging. The on-board debugger is a composite USB device of several interfaces: A debugger, a mass storage device, a data gateway, and a Virtual COM port (CDC).
Together with Microchip MPLAB® X IDE, the on-board debugger can program and debug the PIC18F47K42.
A Data Gateway Interface (DGI) is available for use with the logic analyzer channels for code instrumentation to visualize the program flow. DGI GPIOs can be graphed using the Data Visualizer.
The Virtual COM port (CDC) is connected to a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) on the PIC18F47K42 and provides an easy way to communicate with the target application through terminal software.
The on-board debugger controls a Power and Status LED (marked PS) on the PIC18F47K42 Curiosity Nano. The table below shows how the LED is controlled in different operation modes.
| Operation Mode | Status LED |
|---|---|
| Boot Loader mode | LED blink at 1 Hz during power-up. |
| Power-up | LED is ON. |
| Normal operation | LED is ON. |
| Programming | Activity indicator: The LED flashes slowly during programming/debugging. |
| Fault | The LED flashes fast if a power fault is detected. |
| Sleep/Off | LED is OFF. The on-board debugger is either in Sleep mode or powered down. This can occur if the kit is externally powered. |