Simplify On-Board Debugging: A Guide to Integrating the Nano Debugger

Every embedded design needs a dependable way to program and debug firmware. Microchip’s Nano Debugger, also known as nEDBG or PKOB nano, gives hardware designers a practical way to add the official Microchip debug element directly to their own boards, development kits, evaluation platforms or standalone tools. Instead of creating a custom debug experience, designers can integrate a proven Microchip-supported solution that is easy to add and built to work with Microchip software.

What Is the Nano Debugger?

The Nano Debugger is a compact, integrated debug and programming solution built around a standard SAMD21 microcontroller in a space-saving QFN32 package. It supports Microchip AVR^®, PIC^®, SAM, PIC32 and dsPIC^® microcontrollers, and it can also serve as a standalone programming and debugging tool for select AVR and Arm^®-based devices. It is fully compatible with MPLAB® tools for VS Code^®, MPLAB X IDE and Microchip Studio, and its standard CMSIS-DAP interface means it also works with a wide range of partner IDEs and open-source toolchains.

Why Add It to Your Design?

• Add the official Microchip debug element to your design – give customers a trusted programming and debugging interface using Microchip-supported firmware and tools.
• Integrate it into the board you want to build – use the Nano Debugger on development kits, evaluation boards, customer reference designs or standalone debug hardware.
• Make the customer experience easy – provide a familiar Microchip debug path with support for programming, debugging, Virtual Serial Port, Data Gateway Interface and drag-and-drop programming where supported.
• Rely on Microchip software that stays aligned with Microchip devices – because the Nano Debugger uses official Microchip firmware and tool integration, designers can give users a debug experience that is maintained with the Microchip ecosystem.

Key Features That Extend Beyond Debugging

• Virtual Serial Port (CDC) for simple UART communication with the host computer.
• Data Gateway Interface (DGI), enumerated automatically over USB, for streaming additional debug and application data.
• Mass storage disk with drag-and-drop programming – users can flash a HEX or UF2 file straight onto the board. Note: this feature is supported only for AVR and PIC16/PIC18 devices and is not available in standalone debugger configurations.
• A recovery path via the BOOT jumper – shorting it during power-up forces the Nano Debugger into upgrade mode, allowing end users to reflash the debugger firmware in the unlikely event it becomes corrupted.

Five Integration Paths – Pick the One That Fits Your Board

Before laying out a board, the Integration Guide walks designers through two key questions: what kind of hardware are you building, and what target device will it use? The answer maps directly to one of five proven configurations:

• Standalone Debugger – no on-board target device; connects out to a separate target board via level shifters.
• Standalone Debugger with Target Supply – same as above, but the Nano Debugger also supplies power to the target board.
• Adjustable-Voltage Board – a permanently mounted target device with adjustable voltage managed by the Nano Debugger and powered by USB VBUS (this is the configuration used on every Curiosity Nano board).
• 3.3V Board – a mounted target device that shares the same fixed 3.3V regulator as the Nano Debugger, so no level shifting is required.
• Fixed-Voltage Level-Shifted Board – a mounted target device (or peripherals) that runs at a voltage other than 3.3V; the Nano Debugger monitors but does not control that voltage, so it must be supplied by the external board.

Broad Device and IDE Support

The Nano Debugger's target interfaces cover a wide range of designs right out of the box: all Arm Cortex®-M devices with an SWD interface supported by a CMSIS-DAP-compliant IDE, MPLAB for VS Code or MPLAB X IDE; all AVR devices with a UPDI interface supported in MPLAB for VS Code, MPLAB X IDE, Microchip Studio or partner IDEs compatible with EDBG-based Tools Protocols; and any PIC16, PIC18, PIC24 or dsPIC33 device available with a Curiosity Nano kit.

Get Started

Whether you're designing a new evaluation kit, a customer reference board or a standalone debug tool, the Microchip Nano Debugger Integration Guide gives you the decision flowcharts, reference schematics and configuration tables needed to add the official Microchip debug element to the design you choose.

Ready to add the official Microchip debug element to your next design? Download the full Microchip Nano Debugger Integration Guide for reference schematics and configuration tables or contact our embedded debugger team with questions about your specific board.