LPC Link 2 on-board

SEGGER offers a firmware running on the NXP LPC-Link2 on-board (formerly known as LPCXpressoV2) platform which makes the LPC-Link2 on-board compatible to J-Link OB.

LPC-Link2 OB

Overview

This firmware allows users to take advantage of most J-Link features like the ultra fast flash download and debugging speed or the free-to-use GDBServer, by using a low-cost LPC-Link2 on-board platform for developing on evaluation boards.

Key features

  • Supports all ARM based NXP devices which are also supported by J-Link OB. [More..]
  • JTAG, SWD + SWO supported
  • Fully compatible with and same features as J-Link OB [More..]
  • Virtual COM port (VCOM) support

Getting Started with LPC-Link2 on-board

In order to get started with LPC-Link2 on-board just a few steps are necessary:

  • Download LPCScrypt here
    • To make sure that LPCscrypt uses the latest LPC-Link2 firmware, please replace the J-Link firmware images located in:
      • LPCScrypt_InstallDir\probe_firmware\LPCXpressoV2\ and
      • LPCScrypt_InstallDir\probe_firmware\LPCLink2\
      with these:
  • (Files may be need to be renamed after download, to match the ones in LPCScrypt)
  • Connect LPC-Link2 on-board to the PC.
  • Execute %LPCScrypt_InstallDir%\scripts\program_JLINK.cmd
  • Follow the instructions given by the script
  • Power-cycle LPC-Link2 on-board. It will now enumerate as a J-Link

Terms of Use

SEGGER created a firmware which runs on the NXP LPC-Link2 on-board, making it J-Link compatible. In order to make use of this firmware, the following Terms Of Use must be accepted:

  • The firmware is only to be used with NXP target devices. Using it with other devices is prohibited and illegal.
  • The firmware is for use with evaluation boards only. It is not for use with custom hardware.
  • The firmware may only be used for development and/or evaluation purposes. It may not be used for production purposes.
  • The firmware is made available without any warranty and without support.

If there is any doubt if a certain use may be considered within the foregoing scope it is strongly recommended to consult SEGGER prior to use.

When starting a debug session, a license dialog shows up which must be accepted in order to be able to work with LPC-Link2 on-board.

VCOM Support

On some eval boards that have LPC-Link2 on-board on them, a UART of the target device is wired to the LPC-Link2 on-board. This UART is an additional communication channel to the target device. LPC-Link2 will enumerate as a dual USB device at the PC: BULK for the debug component and CDC ATM to make the UART connection available as a virtual COM port (VCOM) at the PC.

Firmware Version History and Limitations

Firmware Version History

23-05-02:

  • Added support for Cadence Xtensa cores (e.g. HiFi 4) which are present in some i.MX chips.
  • Added support for WinUSB (driverless) mode.
  • Added auto-enable of WinUSB (driverless) mode on boot.

21-08-23:

  • LPCXpresso V2 firmware (OB variant of Link2): VCOM stopped working after 24 days of operation. Fixed.

19-04-04:

  • LPC-Link2: Added support for ARMv8-M architecture (Cortex-M23, M33, ...)
  • LPCXpresso V2 firmware (OB variant of Link2): Added support for ARMv8-M architecture (Cortex-M23, M33, ...)

16-08-01:

  • LPCXpresso V2 firmware (OB variant of Link2): Under special circumstances, USB communication problems could occur. Fixed.

16-07-21:

  • LPCXpresso V2 firmware (OB variant of Link2): VCOM functionality sometimes swallowed some bytes or output them delayed. Fixed.

16-05-30_2:

  • LPCXpresso V2 firmware (OB variant of Link2): J-Link USB BULK component enumerated correctly but did not work. Introduced with firmware 16-05-30. Fixed.

16-05-30:

  • LPCXpresso V2 firmware (OB variant of Link2): Added VCOM support.

Limitations

The firmware making the LPC-Link2 on-board J-Link compatible has some limitations in contrast to an original, industry leading SEGGER J-Link:

  • May be used with ARM based NXP devices only.
  • Only debugging on evaluation boards is allowed. Debugging on custom hardware is not supported and not allowed.
  • No production flash programming support.
  • Unlimited breakpoints in flash available for evaluation only.
  • No support is given.

By using an original SEGGER J-Link PRO, J-Link ULTRA+ or J-Link PLUS, all these limitations will be gone. Learn more about J-Link.