Emulator support mode for disabling and reconfiguring timeouts o

Details Emulator support mode for disabling and reconfiguring timeouts o Emulator support mode for disabling and reconfiguring timeouts o

1998-04-07

2000-11-07

Iqbal, Nadeem

Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery

Data processing system error or fault handling

Reliability and availability

39550049, S06F 1100

Patent

active

061451037

ABSTRACT:
A microcontroller-based device according to the present invention provides a watchdog timer having an emulator support mode for disabling and reconfiguring time-outs. When the watchdog timer is placed in the emulator support mode, the watchdog timer is inhibited from counting. In a disclosed embodiment, the watchdog timer is inhibited from counting by deasserting a count enable signal. A watchdog time-out is thus prevented from occurring during the emulator support mode. Also, during the emulator support mode, the watchdog timer control register is writable, allowing the emulator to disable a watchdog timer, enable the timer, or program a new time-out value for the timer. The watchdog timer control register is writable regardless of the state of the enable bit of the timer. Further, in the emulator support mode, a watchdog timer current count becomes readable and writable at a predetermined register address above the watchdog timer control register subsequent to a write of a write key sequence to the watchdog timer control register. By writing and reading the predetermined register address location, the emulator is able to define and monitor a condition as the watchdog timer is approaching its timeout value. By monitoring a condition as the watchdog timer approaches its timeout value, a software debugger may better predict and appreciate the behavior of a microcontroller-based device prior to a watchdog time-out. In a disclosed embodiment, the watchdog timer current count is readable and writable through a watchdog timer count high register and a watchdog timer count low register.

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