While working on an embedded project, you have to know which tools exist for the target platform and how they work. This ranges from programming an MCU via JTAG or other interface and starting a debugging session for on-chip debugging, to the limitations of on-chip debugging. It pays to read the manual or documentation for a tool before using it and doing some reading up on the experiences of other developers with these tools.

We looked at a number of these tools in previous chapters, both for MCU and SoC platforms, along with ways to validate an MCU design before even flashing it on the target hardware.