Unlike DIP and PLCC devices, QFP devices are usually soldered to the target board, not socketed. Therefore, a different method of connecting the emulator to the target electronics is required. MetaLink uses an industry standard method supported by components from Ironwood Electronics and other third-party suppliers. In this approach, a fixture known as a ‘foot’ is soldered to the target board in place of the QFP component, and then the MGA socket on the emulator mates with the foot. It is often necessary to increase the distance between the emulator and the target, so the MGA sockets can serve as spacers for that purpose (approximate spacing is shown in this drawing).
MetaLink will always ship one foot with each QFP-style emulator. However, since the customer may have several boards that require emulation, the feet and MGA sockets are available as accessories.
If you need to test your target application with the actual microcontroller, and without the emulator attached, a chip carrier is available. The chip carrier can be plugged onto the target foot that is soldered onto the target board, where the emulator would normally be attached. Your microcontroller can then be placed into the chip carrier to run the target application.
The following pictures are a small sample of the available parts but are representative of them. |
