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USBDM: What It Is and How It Works

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Overview and prerequisites

  • USBDM hardware: a USBDM adapter (older or newer versions) or a board with integrated USBDM.
  • Target microcontroller with appropriate debug connector (BDM, SWD, or other, depending on device family).
  • USB cable and a host computer (Windows, macOS, or Linux) with administrative privileges for driver installation.
  • Optional: an IDE (CodeWarrior, MCUExpresso, Eclipse with GDB plugins) or command-line tools (gdb, pyOCD for some families).

Windows

1) Downloading software and drivers

  • Get the latest USBDM Windows package from the official USBDM project page or GitHub releases. The package typically contains:
    • USBDM drivers (WinUSB or libusb-based).
    • USBDM GUI tools (USBDM.exe / USBDM GUI).
    • DLLs and utilities (usbdm.dll, bdm-tools).
    • Documentation and examples.

2) Installing drivers

  • On modern Windows (⁄11), USBDM often uses WinUSB. Installation steps:
    1. Connect the USBDM adapter to USB. If Windows attempts to install a generic driver, let it finish but then replace it with the USBDM driver if required.
    2. Open Device Manager and locate the USBDM device (it may appear under “Other devices” or “Universal Serial Bus devices”).
    3. Right-click → Update driver → Browse my computer for drivers → Let me pick from a list → Have Disk → Point to the USBDM driver INF in the downloaded package.
    4. Confirm installation; Windows may warn about unsigned drivers. Accept if you trust the source.
  • If using libusbK/libusb0, use Zadig to replace the device driver with WinUSB or libusbK. Select the correct device and install WinUSB.

3) Installing USBDM application

  • Run the provided installer (if present) or extract the ZIP to a folder.
  • The installer typically places USBDM GUI, command-line tools, and driver files into Program Files and registers the necessary DLLs.
  • Reboot if required.

4) Testing the connection

  • Launch USBDM GUI (or usbdm.exe). The tool should list the connected adapter and its firmware.
  • Connect the USBDM to your target board’s debug connector and power the target.
  • Click “Connect” or “Probe Target” in the GUI. If successful, you’ll see target information (device type, core, clock).
  • If connection fails, verify target power, reset, and wiring. Ensure jumpers/settings on the adapter match the target voltage (3.3V vs 5V).

5) Integrating with IDEs

  • CodeWarrior / MCUExpresso / Eclipse: configure the debugger to use the USBDM interface. Depending on IDE, select “USBDM” or configure an external GDB server pointing to usbdm.exe or usbdm-gdbserver.
  • For GDB: use the USBDM command-line gdbserver (if provided) and connect your IDE’s debugger to localhost at the specified port.

macOS

Note: macOS support for USBDM has varied historically. Recent macOS versions may require additional steps (kext signing, DriverKit, or using libusb-based implementations). Check the USBDM project for macOS-specific releases.

1) Acquire the macOS package

  • Download the macOS build from the USBDM releases page. The package may contain:
    • A macOS application/CLI tools.
    • libusb-based driver or instructions for using system libusb.

2) Install libusb (if required)

3) Granting permissions and driver setup

  • If a kernel extension (kext) is required by an older USBDM build, modern macOS versions block unsigned kexts. Prefer libusb-based builds that do not require kernel extensions.
  • For libusb-based USBDM tools, no special kext is needed. Ensure the usbdm binary has executable permissions: chmod +x /path/to/usbdm

4) Running USBDM tools

  • Open Terminal, navigate to the USBDM binary folder, and run the GUI or CLI tool: ./USBDM.app/Contents/MacOS/USBDM or for CLI: ./usbdm –version
  • If the adapter is not detected, ensure the user has permission to access USB devices. On macOS, running the tool as the current user should work; if not, try sudo for a quick test.

5) Integrating with IDEs

  • Use command-line gdbserver provided by USBDM or configure your IDE to call the USBDM macOS executable as an external GDB server.
  • For MCUExpresso/Eclipse, point to the USBDM binary and configure the debug port.

Linux

1) Install dependencies

  • Ensure libusb is installed. On Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt update sudo apt install libusb-1.0-0-dev

  • On Fedora/CentOS: sudo dnf install libusb1-devel

2) Download and build/install USBDM

  • Download the latest Linux package or source from the USBDM project.

  • If source: tar xvf usbdm-.tar.gz cd usbdm-
    mkdir build && cd build cmake .. make sudo make install

  • If prebuilt binaries are provided, extract them to /opt/usbdm or ~/usbdm and ensure executables have execute permission.

3) Udev rules (important)

  • To allow non-root users to access USBDM, create a udev rules file (e.g., /etc/udev/rules.d/99-usbdm.rules) with contents similar to: SUBSYSTEM==“usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==“15a2”, ATTR{idProduct}==“0011”, MODE=“0666”, GROUP=“plugdev”
  • Replace idVendor/idProduct with values for your USBDM device (use lsusb to find them).
  • Reload udev: sudo udevadm control –reload-rules sudo udevadm trigger

4) Running and testing

  • Plug in USBDM, power the target, and run: usbdm –list or launch the GUI: usbdm-gui
  • Connect to target via GUI or: usbdm –connect

5) IDE integration

  • Configure your IDE (Eclipse/GDB) to use the usbdm gdbserver, or use command-line openocd-like wrappers if provided.
  • For headless servers, use usbdm CLI + gdb to script flashing and debugging.

Common issues and troubleshooting

  • Device not detected:

    • Check USB cable and ports.
    • Verify the adapter’s power/LED indicators.
    • On Windows, ensure correct driver (WinUSB) is installed via Zadig if necessary.
    • On macOS, prefer libusb builds to avoid kext issues; try running as sudo to rule out permissions.

  • Target won’t connect:

    • Verify target power (voltage, decoupling).
    • Check wiring, target reset circuit, and debug connector orientation.
    • Ensure the adapter’s Vtarget sense/jumper matches target voltage.
    • Try slowing clock or enabling internal debug clock options (if MCU supports it).

  • Permission errors (Linux/macOS):

    • On Linux, add udev rule and relogin or reboot.
    • On macOS, run with elevated permission only for testing; prefer fixed libusb permissions.

  • Firmware mismatch:

    • Some older USBDM adapters require firmware updates; the GUI often provides a firmware update function. Only update with a matching firmware file from the project.

Tips and best practices

  • Always confirm target voltage with a meter before connecting.
  • Use short, good-quality USB cables to reduce communication errors.
  • Keep the USBDM firmware and host tools matched (update both when possible).
  • For CI or automated flashing, use the CLI usbdm tools with scripts and ensure the user account has device permissions.
  • Back up any custom INFs or configuration files before updating drivers on Windows.

Example: Quick Linux test sequence

  1. Install libusb and udev rule.
  2. Plug in adapter and power target.
  3. Run: 
    
lsusb usbdm --list usbdm --connect usbdm --verify <hexfile>  # or --write <hexfile>

Conclusion

Setting up USBDM requires installing the appropriate host tools and drivers, configuring permissions (udev on Linux; WinUSB/Zadig on Windows), and ensuring correct wiring and target power. Once configured, USBDM integrates with common IDEs and command-line workflows for reliable flashing and debugging of supported Freescale/NXP microcontrollers.

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