On 10/23/06, Herbert Graf wrote: > Even without any watch windows, since stepping will be relatively slow > with the ICD2, regardless of what PIC you are using. > > That said, the solution is simple: don't single step. I have rarely > needed to extensively single step any of my code. Yes, from time to > time, when I've narrowed down the location of a problem I will single > step a few lines, but that's about it. Breakpoints are MUCH more > effective at narrowing down where a problem comes from, ignoring the > speed advantage. > > In fact, when dealing with an HLL I'd recommend you never single step. > Simply set the breakpoint at the next line. The result will be MUCH > faster operation since the PIC will be allowed to run whatever it needs > to to get to that line. Thanks a lot for the insight and recommendations. Still we have to admit that ICD2 is slow. I used ICE2000 before and stepping through Hitech PICC code did not show any slowness. > > Maybe I am biased but I never think ICD2 is a good debugger. > > Of the debuggers I've used (which I admit isn't that extensive) the ICD2 > is an excellent value for the money. It's not perfect. It has quite a > few limitations. And it can be cranky (more so because of the crap > Windows does sometimes then the actual hardware). But once you know how > to PROPERLY use it, the ICD2 is a VERY effective tool, and WELL worth > the money. Of the debuggers I have used, it has had the steepest > learning curve (because of the quirks) but is the most effective. I agree that ICD2 is WELL WORTH the money and I have used it in place of ICE2000 for Flash PIC16Fs since the processor modules are relatively expensive and ICD2 is okay with PIC16F. > Personally, out of all the dev tools I've used, for chips varying from > CPLDs, to FPGAs, to MCUs, the ICD2 has been the most useful to me. > That is an very interesting conclusion. I have not used many debugging tools (ICE2000, JTAG for MSP430, MSP470/LPC ARM, JTAG for Silabs C8051Fxxx, ICD2) but ICD2 is certainly the worst among them. Anyway, it seems that Microchip is putting JTAG in PIC24/dsPIC33. Hopefully Real-ICE is more than a souped-up ICD2. And they might come out with new JTAG debugging tools for those chips supporting JTAG. Xiaofan -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist