Connecting Atmel-ICE to an SWD Target

Last modified by Microchip on 2023/12/15 20:00

The Arm® SWD interface is a subset of the Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) interface, making use of TCK and TMS pins, which means that when connecting to an SWD device, the 10-pin JTAG connector can technically be used. The Arm JTAG and AVR® JTAG connectors are however not pin-compatible, so this depends upon the layout of the target board in use. When using STK600 or a board making use of the AVR JTAG pinout, the AVR connector port on the Atmel-ICE must be used. When connecting to a board that makes use of the Arm JTAG pinout, the SAM connector port on the Atmel-ICE must be used.

The recommended pinout for the 10-pin Cortex® Debug connector is shown in the accompanying image.

Arm SWD/JTAG Header Pinout

Arm SWD/JTAG Header Pinout

The Atmel-ICE is capable of streaming UART-format ITM trace to the host computer. Trace is captured on the TRACE/SWO pin of the 10-pin header (JTAG TDO pin). Data is buffered internally on the Atmel-ICE and is sent over the HID interface to the host computer. The maximum reliable data rate is about 3MB/s.

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Connection to a 10-pin 50-mil Cortex Header

Use the flat cable (included in some kits) to connect to a standard 50-mil Cortex header.

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Connection to a 10-pin 100-mil Cortex-layout Header

Use the adapter board (included in some kits) to connect to a 100-mil Cortex-pinout header.

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Connection to a 20-pin 100-mil SAM Header

Use the adapter board (included in some kits) to connect to a 20-pin 100-mil SAM header.

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Connection to a Custom 100-mil Header

The 10-pin mini-squid cable should be used to connect between the Atmel-ICE AVR or SAM connector port and the target board. Six connections are required, as described in the table below.

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Atmel-ICE SWD Pin Mapping

 Atmel-ICE SWD Pin Mapping

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