AN2395 Freescale Semiconductor / Motorola, AN2395 Datasheet - Page 9

• Manufacturer Part Number: AN2395
• Description: PC Master Software Usage
• Manufacturer: Freescale Semiconductor / Motorola

The Difference
Between Scope and
Recorder
Variety of PC Master Software Usage
MOTOROLA
The Recorder provides monitoring/visualization of application variables that are
changing at a faster rate than the oscilloscope sampling. While the Scope
periodically reads PC master software variable values and plots them in real-
time, the Recorder is running on the target board. Variable values are sampled
into and on the board buffer, then the data is downloaded from the board to the
PC master software Recorder window. This mechanism allows a much shorter
sampling period, which enables the sampling and plotting of very quick
movements.
PC master software is a very efficient tool, consisting of all the base principles
that allow a great variety of uses. Simply, PC master software can be used
anywhere where communication with the board application brings some
advantages. Let us propose some of the uses of the PC master software.
The PC master software is a great tool for debugging. The developer can very
easily select and arrange all important variables in the Watch-grid Pane and
check or update their values. Further more, the developer can track the variable
movements using Scopes. This is very useful in cases where a variable’s value
changes instantaneously and is too fast to be read. For even faster events, like
transient phenomenons, the developer can record the precise course of the
variable using the Recorder, and then explore the recorded movements on a
chart. Both Scope and Recorder charts can be copied to be reused in
documentation.
For board applications where development is finished, the PC master software
can be used for monitoring an application run. Here the project tree can be of
great benefit. The blocks of the Project Tree Pane can create a logical tree
structure, corresponding to the application functional elements. A different
watch-grid can be defined for each block, as can the description HTML page
Scopes or Recorders. The Watch-grid Pane is sensitive to the block selected
in the project tree, which means that only those values and variable movements
relevant to the selected application function are monitored.
Monitoring is a passive activity between the PC master software site and the
board application. An active activity, that of control, is also possible. The
easiest way to control board applications, is a manual modification of the
variables in the Watch-grid. The control variables must not be read-only. But
the PC master software has a special feature for control — the Control Page.
The Control Page is one of the pages in the Detail View pane. The tab to this
page is not sensitive to the block selected in the Project Tree, and is always
available. The Control Page is a special HTML page. By using all of the HTML
language web standards, it can be used to create a graphically attractive
control center (see
Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
For More Information On This Product,
PC Master Software Usage
Go to: www.freescale.com
Figure
8).
Variety of PC Master Software Usage
AN2395/D
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