NT3000 JTAG test System
Discontinued Product


The NT3000 (USB & PXI are available) is the latest in JTAG/BDM board test system for troubleshooting processor based boards.The NT3000-PXI CPU Commander™ fits in a single 3U PXI slot and interfaces to the unit under test through an On-Chip Debug (OCD) or JTAG port. The NT3000 is a high performance JTAG based background debug mode (BDM) diagnostic system designed for functional test, development, programming and troubleshooting of microprocessor andmicro-controller based embedded processor systems. Advanced capabilities include simultaneoussupport of up to 255 devices on a single scan chain and up to eight NT3000 systems connected to a single host machine and configurable JTAG/BDM clock rates up to 24Mhz. A Windows graphical user interface is included with built-in functions such as Memory read, Memory write, Read & Write CPU registers, RAM/ROM test, etc. which provide full access to the UUT. Higher level functions such as bus diagnostics, memory tests, memory move and copy operations can also be executed with single command. A built in macro language supports easy development of complex test procedures without the need to learn a programming language. For custom test systems, the NT3000 CPU Commander™ can interface to any programming language capable of supporting DLL’s such as Visual C, Visual Basic, ATEasy™, Delphi™, LabView™ and LabWindows/CVI™.

Additional NT3000 Features
♦ Windows graphical user interface for interactive mode
♦ Built-in macro language – no assembly language or programming required.
♦ Supports on board Flash ROM programming.
♦ Support traget UUT voltage from 1.2V to 5V
♦ Same hardware support all CPU’s
♦ General purpose digital I/O with high-speed measurement capabilities.
♦ High speed logic probe for node diagnostics
♦ Measure logic levels, cyclic redundancy check (CRC), transition count and frequency
♦ External / Internal trigger bus
♦ Extensive on-line help and user documentation.
♦ Priced far below any comparable system on the market.
♦ One year warranty

Target CPUs currently supported include the following:
ARM7 ARM9 & ARM11 (all vendors)
Cortex M3, Cortex A8
AMCC PowerPC PPC405, PPC440GP & GX
AMD SC520 MIPS AU1x00
Broadcom MIPS-64, BCM1250, BCM7115
DSP 56300, 56600, 56800, StarCore
ColdFire MCF52xx, MCF53xx, MCF54xx,, CPU16, CPU32 683xx
PowerPC 603e, 5xx, 8xx, MPC5200, MPC5554, 740, 745, 750, 755, 82xx, 85xx
IDT MIPS32 RC32332, RC32334
LSI Logic MIPS32 TinyRISC
MIPS Cores MIPS32 4Kc/p/m
MIPS32 4Ke & MIPS64 5Kc
Intel® Atom™ Processor Z5xx, N2xx, D4xx
Intel Xscale IOP310, IOP321, PXA210, PXA25x, PXA26x, PXA27x, PXA29x, IXP42x, IXP46x
Intel Xscale IXP23x0, IXP2400, IXP28xx, IXC1100, 80200, 80219, 80321, IQ80315, IQ81341
Texas Instruments OMAP35x,


JSCAN – The ultimate JTAG debugger

JSCAN lets you view and control JTAG pins in real-time without having to touch your board! With a simple click of your mouse, you can set pins HIGH or LOW and observe the results right on your PC.J-SCAN works independently of any logic inside the JTAG device, you do not need any special firmware, code or logic installed. View and control pins in real-time, program FLASH memories, create test macros, for system test, easy to use graphical interface and affordable.

At a glance:
♦ Monitor all boundary pins
♦ Change the state of any pin
♦ No code needed on board
♦ Real-time viewing
♦ Program FLASH devices
♦ SVF player/recorder
♦ No netlists or vectors needed
♦ Can use vendor BSDL files

JTAG Introduction (Written by Sun Microelectronics, January 1997)


Historically, most Print Circuit Board (PCB) testing was done using bed-of-nail in-circuit test equipment. Recent advances with VLSI technology now enable microprocessors and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) to be packaged into fine pitch, high count packages. These high density devices pose unique manufacturing challenges: such as, the accessibility of test points and the high cost of test equipment. In 1985, a group of European companies formed Joint European Test Action Group (JETAG) to tackle these challenges. It called for incorporating hardware into standard components (controlled via software), eliminating the need for sophisticated in-circuit test equipment. By 1988, the concept gained momentum in North America and several companies formed the Joint Test Access Group (JTAG) consortium to formalize the idea. In 1990, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) refined the concept and created the 1149.1 standard, known as IEEE Standard Test Access Port and Boundary Scan Architecture.

What is Boundary Scan?
Boundary scan is a methodology allowing complete controllability and observability of the boundary pins of a JTAG compatible device via software control. This capability enables in-circuit testing without the need of bed-of-nail in-circuit test equipment.
Board level testing has become more complex with the increasing use of fine pitch, high pin count devices. However with the use of boundary scan the implementation of board level testing is done more efficiently and at lower cost. The microSPARC-IIep chip fully supports use of the JTAG boundary scan; enabling it to seamlessly integrate with other IEEE 1149.1 compliant devices on a PCB, as well as permitting microSPARC-IIep chip to be board level tested without the PCB expense of complex in-circuit test equipment.


Figure 1. Input and Output Structure for a Boundary Scan Device (Simplified)

Figure 1 illustrates possible structures for input and output pins of a JTAG-compliant device. During standard operations, boundary cells are inactive and allow data to be propagated through the device normally. During test modes, all input signals are captured for analysis and all output signals are preset to test down-string devices. The operation of these scan cells is controlled through the Test Access Port (TAP) Controller and the instruction register as shown in the following illustration, Figure 2.


Figure 2. The Boundary Scan Device

The TAP controller is a state machine (16 possible states) controlling operations associated with boundary scan cells. The basic operation is controlled through four pins: Test Clock (TCK), Test Mode Select (TMS), Test Data In (TDI), and Test Data Out (TDO). The TCK and TMS pins direct signals between TAP controller states. The TDI and TDO pins receive the data input and output signals for the scan chain. Optionally, a fifth pin, TRST, can be implemented as an asynchronous reset signal to the TAP controller.

Required Instructions
Working in conjunction with the TAP controller is an IR (Instruction Register) providing which type of test to perform. The 1149.1 Standard requires that all compliant devices must perform the following three instructions:

  1. EXTEST Instruction
    This instruction performs a PCB interconnect test. The EXTEST instruction places an IEEE 1149.1 compliant device into an external boundary test mode and selects the boundary scan register to be connected between TDI and TDO. During this instruction, the boundary scan cells associated with outputs are preloaded with test patterns to test downstream devices. The input boundary cells are set up to capture the input data for later analysis.
  2. SAMPLE/PRELOAD Instruction
    The SAMPLE/PRELOAD instruction allows an IEEE 1149.1 compliant device to remain in its functional mode and selects the boundary scan register to be connected between the TDI and TDO pins. During this instruction, the boundary scan register can be accessed via a data scan operation, to take a sample of the functional data entering and leaving the device. This instruction is also used to preload test data into the boundary-scan register prior to loading an EXTEST instruction.
  3. BYPASS Instruction
    A device’s boundary scan chain can be skipped using the BYPASS instruction, allowing the data to pass through the bypass register. This allows efficient testing of a selected device without incurring the overhead of traversing through other devices. The BYPASS instruction allows an IEEE 1149.1 compliant device to remain in a functional mode and selects the bypass register to be connected between the TDI and TDO pins. The BYPASS instruction allows serial data to be transferred through a device from the TDI pin to the TDO pin without affecting the operation of the device.

How Boundary Scan Testing Is Done
In a board design there usually can be many JTAG compliant devices. All these devices can be connected together to form a single scan chain as illustrated in Figure 3, “Single Boundary Scan Chain on a Board.” Alternatively, multiple scan chains can be established so parallel checking of devices can be performed simultaneously.
Figure 3, “Single Boundary Scan Chain on a Board,” illustrates the on onboard TAP controllers connected to an offboard TAP control device, such as a personal computer, through a TAP access connector. The offboard TAP control device can perform different tests during board manufacturing without the need of bed-of-nail equipment.


Figure 3. Single Boundary Scan Chain on a Board

Simple Board Level Test Sequence
One of the first tests that should be performed for a PCB test is called the infra-structure test. This test is used to determine whether all the components are installed correctly. This test relies on the fact that the last two bits of the instruction register (IR) are always “01”. By shifting out the IR of each device in the chain, it can be determined whether the device is properly installed. This is accomplished through sequencing the TAP controller for IR read.
After the infra-structure test is successful, the board level interconnect test can begin. This is accomplished through the EXTEST command. This test can be used to check out “opens” and “shorts” on the PCB. The test patterns are preloaded into the output pins of the driving devices. Then they are propagated to the receiving devices and captured in the input boundary scan cells. The result can then be shifted out through the TDO pin for analysis.
These patterns can be generated and analyzed automatically, via software programs. This feature is normally offered through tools like Automatic Test Pattern Generation (ATPG) or Boundary Scan Test Pattern Generation (BTPG).

The microSPARC-IIep Boundary Scan Capability
The microSPARC-IIep chip implements the standard 1149.1 boundary scan architecture. It can be seamlessly integrated with other 1149.1 compliant devices to perform board level testing. In addition to the standard four-wire (TDI, TDO, TCK, and TMS) JTAG TAP access port, the microSPARC-IIep also implements the optional TRST signal line. This allows the on-chip TAP controller to be reset asynchronously. See Figure 4, “microSPARC-IIep Scan Chain Organization,” for an illustrated description of how the scan chain is organized in the IIep chip.


Figure 4. microSPARC-IIep Scan Chain Organization

In addition to the three instructions required by the 1149.1 Standard (see “Required Instructions”), the microSPARC-IIep also implements other instructions, see Table 1, “microSPARC-IIep JTAG Commands.” These instructions allow different tests to be performed when the microSPARC-IIep is used as a component in a board or system environment. See the microSPARC-IIep User’s Manual for a more detailed description.

 

Table 1. microSPARC-IIep JTAG Commands

Instruction IR Value Registers Function
EXTEST 000000 Boundary PCB Interconnect test
SAMPLE 000001 Boundary Sample and data preload
BYPASS 111111 Bypass Bypass mode
SEL_INT_SCAN 010000 Internal Scan Reg. Scan IIep internal register
SEL_DBG_SCAN 011111 Internal Scan Reg. Scan IIep internal register
IDCODE 100000 JTAG ID Reg. Scan the ID register
SEL_CCR 011110 Clock Control Reg. Set up clock control
CLK_RST 100000 Bypass Reset Clock Control

Conclusion
Board level testing has become more complex with the increasing use of fine pitch, high pin count devices. However with the use of boundary scan the implementation of board level testing is done more efficiently and at lower cost. The microSPARC-IIep chip fully supports use of the JTAG boundary scan; enabling it to seamlessly integrate with other IEEE 1149.1 compliant devices on a PCB, as well as permitting microSPARC-IIep chip to be board level tested without the PCB expense of complex in-circuit test equipment.
Written by Sun Microelectronics, January 1997
Also in PDF format as wpr-0018-01.pdf (10pp, 147KB)