NodeMcu-32s debugging

PlatformIO IDE
1

Hi,
I’m facing a problem on debugging NodeMCU-32s.
My OS is windows 7, I have installed ftdi driver bundle and the JTAG probe I’m using is C232HM, via openocd.

My PlaformIO.ini is the following

[env:nodemcu-32s]
platform = espressif32
framework = espidf
board = nodemcu-32s
monitor_speed = 115200
build_flags =
  ; https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/get-started/get-started-wrover-kit.html#rgb-led
  -D CONFIG_BLINK_GPIO=2
debug_tool = custom
debug_server =
  $PLATFORMIO_HOME_DIR/packages/tool-openocd-esp32/bin/openocd
  -f
  $PROJECT_DIR/C232HM.cfg
  -f
  $PLATFORMIO_HOME_DIR/packages/tool-openocd-esp32/share/openocd/scripts/board/esp-wroom-32.cfg
upload_port = COM20

The debug console is the following
**PlatformIO Unified Debugger -> http://bit.ly/pio-debug**
**PlatformIO: debug_tool = custom**
**PlatformIO: Initializing remote target...**
**Open On-Chip Debugger v0.10.0-esp32-20190708 (2019-07-08-11:04)**
**Licensed under GNU GPL v2**
**For bug reports, read**
**adapter speed: 20000 kHz**
**Info : Configured 2 cores**
**esp32 interrupt mask on**
**Info : tcl server disabled**
**Info : telnet server disabled**
**Error: libusb_open() failed with LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED**
**Error: no device found**
**Error: unable to open ftdi device with vid 0403, pid 6014, description '*', serial '*' at bus location '*'**
**Warn : Flash driver of esp32.flash does not support free_driver_priv()**
**Warn : Flash driver of irom does not support free_driver_priv()**
**Warn : Flash driver of drom does not support free_driver_priv()**

Windows has correclty enumerated and hook the JTAG probe, but it seems that openocd doesn’t see it.
Does anyone have some suggestion to me.
Thanks.
Davide.

2

Can you temporarily use https://zadig.akeo.ie/ to load libusb drivers for the C232HM USB device and see if that helps? Refer eclipse - openocd **Error: libusb_open() failed with LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED** - Stack Overflow

1 Like
3

Hi, thanks so much.
Good tip.
I set winusb with Zadig and now C232HM seems to be recognized by PIO.
I tried to debug “blink app”.
Sometimes I debug successfully. I set a breakpoint in main_app and PIO stops there. Step/Continue works perfectly.
Other times I don’t and PIO debug sounds to be unstable. It seems related to communication between C232HM and ESP32.
I tried to slow down adapter_speed to 50Khz it doesn’t give any result.

I typical dump when it goes wrong:

Processing nodemcu-32s (platform: espressif32; framework: espidf; board: nodemcu-32s)
Verbose mode can be enabled via -v, --verbose option
CONFIGURATION: https://docs.platformio.org/page/boards/espressif32/nodemcu-32s.html
PLATFORM: Espressif 32 1.11.1 > NodeMCU-32S
HARDWARE: ESP32 240MHz, 320KB RAM, 4MB Flash
DEBUG: Current (custom) External (esp-prog, iot-bus-jtag, jlink, minimodule, olimex-arm-usb-ocd, olimex-arm-usb-ocd-h, olimex-arm-usb-tiny-h, olimex-jtag-tiny, tumpa)
PACKAGES: toolchain-xtensa32 2.50200.80 (5.2.0), framework-espidf 3.30300.190916 (3.3.0), tool-esptoolpy 1.20600.0 (2.6.0)
LDF: Library Dependency Finder -> http://bit.ly/configure-pio-ldf
LDF Modes: Finder ~ chain, Compatibility ~ soft
Found 0 compatible libraries
Scanning dependencies…
No dependencies
Building in debug mode
Retrieving maximum program size .pio\build\nodemcu-32s\firmware.elf
Checking size .pio\build\nodemcu-32s\firmware.elf
Advanced Memory Usage is available via “PlatformIO Home > Project Inspect”
DATA: [ ] 3.7% (used 12040 bytes from 327680 bytes)
PROGRAM: [= ] 14.9% (used 155828 bytes from 1048576 bytes)
========================= [SUCCESS] Took 22.12 seconds =========================
Reading symbols from d:\Users\Davide\Documenti\PlatformIO\Projects\200121-085425-espidf-blink.pio\build\nodemcu-32s\firmware.elf…
done.
PlatformIO Unified Debugger -> http://bit.ly/pio-debug
PlatformIO: debug_tool = custom
PlatformIO: Initializing remote target…
Open On-Chip Debugger v0.10.0-esp32-20190708 (2019-07-08-11:04)
Licensed under GNU GPL v2
For bug reports, read
http://openocd.org/doc/doxygen/bugs.html
adapter speed: 1000 kHz
Info : Configured 2 cores
esp32 interrupt mask on
Info : tcl server disabled
Info : telnet server disabled
Info : clock speed 1000 kHz
Info : JTAG tap: esp32.cpu0 tap/device found: 0x120034e5 (mfg: 0x272 (Tensilica), part: 0x2003, ver: 0x1)
Info : JTAG tap: esp32.cpu1 tap/device found: 0x120034e5 (mfg: 0x272 (Tensilica), part: 0x2003, ver: 0x1)
Info : esp32: Debug controller 0 was reset (pwrstat=0x5F, after clear 0x0F).
Info : esp32: Core 0 was reset (pwrstat=0x5F, after clear 0x0F).
Info : esp32: Debug controller 1 was reset (pwrstat=0x5F, after clear 0x0F).
Info : esp32: Core 1 was reset (pwrstat=0x5F, after clear 0x0F).
Info : Detected debug stubs @ 3ffc0340 on core0 of target ‘esp32’
Info : accepting ‘gdb’ connection from pipe
Error: No symbols for FreeRTOS
Error: cpu1: esp32_fetch_all_regs (line 303): DSR (80108413) indicates DIR instruction generated an exception!
Error: Exception reading excsave5!

Info : Target halted. PRO_CPU: PC=0x400E4292 (active) APP_CPU: PC=0x00000000
Error: cpu0: xtensa_write_memory (line 807): DSR (8000CC13) indicates DIR instruction generated an exception!
Warn : esp32: Failed writing 512 bytes at address 0x40091000, data - 1d, f0, 00, 00, 36, 41, 00, 91
Error: Failed to write stub section!
Error: Failed to load stub (-4)!
Error: Algorithm run failed (-4)!
Error: Failed to run flasher stub (-4)!
Warn : Failed to get flash mappings (-4)!
Error: cpu0: xtensa_read_memory (line 700): DSR (8000CC13) indicates DIR instruction generated an exception!
Warn : cpu0: Failed reading 5848 bytes at address 0x40090000
Error: no working area available, can’t alloc space for stub code!
Error: Failed to load stub (-308)!
Error: Algorithm run failed (-308)!
Error: Failed to run flasher stub (-308)!
Error: cpu0: xtensa_read_memory (line 700): DSR (8000CC13) indicates DIR instruction generated an exception!
Warn : cpu0: Failed reading 5848 bytes at address 0x40090000
Error: no working area available, can’t alloc space for stub code!
Error: Failed to load stub (-308)!
Error: Algorithm run failed (-308)!
Error: Failed to run flasher stub (-308)!
Error: Failed to probe flash, size 0 KB
Error: auto_probe failed
Error: Connect failed. Consider setting up a gdb-attach event for the target to prepare target for GDB connect, or use ‘gdb_memory_map disable’.
Error: attempted ‘gdb’ connection rejected
Error: error during select: Unknown error
Info : Restore debug stubs @ 3ffc0340 on core0 of target ‘esp32’
Warn : Flash driver of esp32.flash does not support free_driver_priv()
Warn : Flash driver of irom does not support free_driver_priv()
Warn : Flash driver of drom does not support free_driver_priv()
.pioinit:13: Error in sourced command file:
Remote communication error. Target disconnected.: No error.

Does someone have any suggestion about waht happens?
Thanks.

4

Well it’s still at 1MHz so something did not take effect? You’d need short and good cables for that to work.

Hm it seems like it’s different from all 0xFFFFFFF like shown in Tips and Quirks - ESP32 - — ESP-IDF Programming Guide latest documentation so I don’t really have an idea what’s going on besides signal integrity.

5

Could you potentially have a conflict because your program uses some of the pins 12, 13, 14, 15 that are needed for debugging? Does your board have any sensors, modules or displays that are connected to these pins?

6

Hi guys,
after a lot of tries I got a configuration I can debug.

But, I can debug but I don’t know why.
The scenario I have is that working on lenght of connection between board and C232HM can make debug working or not!
If I connect TCK cable output directly to board at GPIO13 of ESP32 via Nodemcu pin strip, debug doesn’t work.
If I connect TCK cable output to GPIO13 with an extra cable (making the connection longer!) the debug works.
I can’t accept such a workaround, but it allows me to work now.

Does anyone have suggestion to probe?
Thanks.
Below here you have a shoot of my board cabling.

IMG_20200203_172020_1
IMG_20200203_172020_14032×3016 304 KB

7

Well I think it’s all down to signal integrity. If you have a scope, you should measure it. As a first point, you should get rid of the breadboard when JTAG debugging it and connect it directly to the pin header of the NodeMCU, as a breadboard has some parasitic capacitance, resistance and inductance due its layout, which makes the whole thing a filter (RLC)

See discussions here

https://www.northguyblog.com/2019/02/19020901.htm

There might also occur some crosstalk between the high-frequency TCLK line and other neighbouring lines. As the above posts indicate:

  • remove breadboard
  • use twisted pair with GND shield for signals
  • try termination resistors on TCK and/or TDO
  • no wire loops because this is an antenna