11.1. User interface

11.1.1. The ribbon menu

From version 4.7 SmartSnippets™ Toolbox introduces ribbon menu to access its tools and functions. Tools are grouped under 5 categories for easy access: Programmer, Manager, Configurator, Monitor and Estimator. The tools under each group and the set of available groups depend on the selected device: different toolset is available per device family. SmartSnippets™ Toolbox even allows for creating custom layouts with the tools of interest for faster and accurate access.

../_images/main_ribbon_menu.png

Figure 161 SmartSnippets™ Toolbox ribbon menu

The following sections introduces the tools available under each ribbon group. Only a brief description of each tool is presented in the following section. Please refer to the left side menu for full tool presentation. Note that some of the groups are not available for all families. For example Configurator group is not available for DA1468x, DA1469x, DA1470x and DA1459x families and Estimator group is not available for DA1468x and DA1469x families. Each tool under a group is accessible through a dedicated button. By clicking on a button, the corresponding window becomes visible and takes focus. Moving the mouse over the button will provide a small description of each SmartSnippets™ Toolbox tool.

11.1.2. Group View

This group contains buttons that help user to organize the application view layout. User can load the default or last saved view layout for this family, create new or delete a previously created view layout.

../_images/workspaceGroup.png

Figure 162 View ribbon group

Table 8 View group buttons

Icon

Description

llate

Previous user specified view layout is the latest layout that has been saved for each board family. Latest view layout is saved when user changes family or when user exits Toolbox

ldefa

Load default view layout which includes Power Profiler tool and some Estimator group tools available only for certain families.

lcrea

Save new custom view layout will save the locations and sizes of all currently opened tools

lload

Load custom view layout

ldele

Delete custom view layout

11.1.3. Group Programmer

Programmer group contains all the tools needed to program any memory resource available on the DK as well as the SOC such as OTP, external or embedded FLASH for code, external FLASH or EEPROM for data etc.

../_images/programmerGroupDA1453x.png

Figure 163 Programmer ribbon group for DA1453x family

../_images/programmerGroupDA1469x.png

Figure 164 Programmer ribbon group for DA1469x family

This group contains the following tools:

Table 9 Programmer group tools

Icon

Description

otp
OTP

Program OTP Memory (Reloaded version of OTP Programmer tools)

eepromProg
EEPROM
Programmer

Download image file to EEPROM

propHeader
Proprietary Header
Programmer

Burn header or NVDS to EEPROM or SPI flash memory

qspiPartTable
QSPI Partition
Table

Manage QSPI Flash partitions

flashCode
Flash
Code

Program the part of the Flash that contains executable code

flashData
Flash
Data

Program the Flash

ram
RAM

Program the System RAM

otaServices
OTA
Services

Software patching and firmware download over the air

suota
SUOTA

Software update over the air

11.1.4. Group Manager

Manager groups contains all the tools used for setting the SOC into predefined states for monitoring or testing real-time.

../_images/managerGroupDA1453x.png

Figure 165 Manager ribbon group for DA1453x family

../_images/managerGroupDA1469x.png

Figure 166 Manager ribbon group for DA1469x family

This group contains the following tools:

Table 10 Manager group tools

Icon

Description

rfMaster
RF Master

RF Master tests

xtalManager
XTAL
Manager

XTAL configuration

ioManager
IO
Manager

GPIO configuration

registerAccess
Registers
Access

Registers’ configuration

terminal
Terminal

UART Terminal, available only when connection is over UART

terminalScripting
Terminal
Scripting

Terminal Scripting

11.1.5. Group Configurator

The Configurator Group tools help in defining certain states of the SoC during the actual application. The output of these group’s tools shall be structures that are natively supported by the SDK.

../_images/configuratorGroupDA1453x.png

Figure 167 Configurator ribbon group for DA1453x family

This group contains the following tools:

Table 11 Configurator group tools

Icon

Description

boardSetup
Board
Setup

Manage communication with the chip

11.1.6. Group Monitor

This group of tools contains important monitoring applications that are of interest to a developer on Renesas’s DK and SDK. While some of these applications are passively printing values coming from a hardware-based measuring circuitry (Power Profiler), others need certain, code images to be downloaded so that they can display the required data.

../_images/monitorGroupDA1458x.png

Figure 168 Monitor ribbon group for DA1458x family

This group contains the following tools:

Table 12 Monitor group tools

Icon

Description

log
Log

Log messages from all tools

powerProfiler
Power
Profiler

Plot the current drawn by the chip’s battery

Data Rate Monitor
Data Rate
Monitor

Monitors the overall receive and transmit rate over Bluetooth

11.1.7. Group Estimator

Estimator group contains tools that allow the user to estimate various chip specific metrics by testing various usage scenarios.

../_images/estimatorGroupDA1458x.png

Figure 169 Estimator ribbon group for DA1458x family

../_images/estimatorGroupDA1470x.png

Figure 170 Estimator ribbon group for DA1470x family

This group contains the following tools:

Table 13 Estimator group tools

Icon

Description

ble
Battery Lifetime
Estimator

Estimate battery lifetime for the selected device family

sleepModeAdv
Sleep Mode
Advisor

Analyze power consumption for target application

gfx
Graphics FPS
Estimator

Estimate the typically and maximum achievable frame rate

11.1.8. Tool specific groups

Apart from the groups mentioned above SmartSnippets™ Toolbox provides two ribbon groups / toolbars containing tool specific utilities that are activated when certain tools are selected:

  1. Power Profiler: is activated when the respective tool is selected and is hidden once the respective tool is closed. The functionality of this toolbar is described under Power Profiler section.

  2. RF Master: is activated when RF Master, XTAL Manger, Register Access or IO Manager tools are selected and hidden if none of these tools are open. The functionality of this toolbar is described under RF Master section.

11.1.9. Ribbon Menus

SmartSnippets™ Toolbox provides four menus that help the users, among others, manage their projects, configure connected device(s) and select communication interfaces, download and install application and Support Packs updates.

11.1.10. Project Menu

Project menu provides the following options:

  • New: Creates a new project. User has to provide the project name and the location to save the new project. A new folder is created with the user provided project name at the location that the user has indicated. The project folder contains the project.sms file where various user configurations across different tools are saved and loaded again the next time the same project is selected. After creating the new project the application will automatically load it, in which case a popup may appear asking to save the previous project that was being used.

  • Open: Opens a SmartSnippets™ Toolbox project. The user has to navigate to a folder containing the project.sms file of an existing project.

  • Open Recent: Application remembers recent projects. The user can load a recent project by selecting its name from a list. The user has the options to clear the list of recent projects, in which case the application will start keeping track of recent projects from scratch after the Clear button is pressed.

  • Save: Saves current project in the default location which is in <user_home>/SmartSnippetsToolbox/Projects.

  • Save As: Saves current project in the user specified location with a name of the user’s choice.

  • Info: Shows basic project info such as its name, location and description.

  • Exit: Exits the application.

11.1.11. Board Menu

This menu can be used to configure the connected device(s) and manage the Support Pack.

  • Device: (Figure 171) User can select from the list the device name that matches the connected device. In case the connected device is detected, the device is automatically selected.

  • UART: (Figure 172) User can select from the list the UART port of the connected device. In case the connected device is detected, the UART port is automatically selected. Unchecking the UART checkbox indicates that the user doesn’t want UART interface to be used for communication with the device. If an alternative interface has been configured (e.g. JTAG) certain tools that can use either of the two interfaces will still be functional and use the alternative interface instead. Tools that require UART interface to communicate with the device will have buttons that depend on communication over UART disabled until the UART interface is configured.

  • Power Profiler: User can select from the list the Power Profiler port of the connected device. In case the connected device is detected, the Power Profiler port is automatically selected. Unchecking the Power Profiler checkbox indicates that the user doesn’t want to communicate with the device over the Power Profiler port. This means that if no Power Profiler port is selected or the Power Profiler checkbox is unchecked, the user will not be able to use the Power Profiler tool.

  • JTAG: (Figure 173) User can select from the list the JTAG serial of the connected device. In case the connected device is detected, the JTAG serial is automatically selected. Unchecking the UART checkbox indicates that the user doesn’t want JTAG interface to be used for communication with the device. If UART interface has been configured this will be used instead in that case. If both JTAG and UART interfaces have been configured, JTAG interface will be used which is faster than UART.

  • Close Debug Session: Applies to JTAG interface. Terminates the communication with the debugger.

  • Cannot See my Board: Help message that informs the user on what can be done in order for the application to identify the connected device(s).

  • Support Pack Info: (Figure 174) Provides information about the used Support Pack: Its type (bundled or custom or online resource), its location, the devices it supports e.t.c..

  • Check Online for Updates: Checks for Support Packs updates for the selected device.

  • Device Info: (Figure 175) Provides info of the connected device once it has been detected. Info includes the device core ID, its family and name and its interfaces. Refresh button on Device Info dialog triggers again the detection logic. JTAG Info button reads device info over JTAG interface.

  • Detect Device: (Figure 176) Detects connected device(s). Note that the user may have to press the hardware reset button in order for the device detection firmware to be downloaded over UART to the device. A message prompting the user to press the HW reset button will be added to the Log in that case. In case a single device is detected, when the user presses OK on the device detection dialog, the device type, UART, JTAG and SPI interfaces will be automatically selected under the Board menu. If more than one devices are detected, the user will be asked to select with which device the application should work with. Once the user selects one of the detected devices the entries under the Board menu regarding device name, UART, JTAG and SPI interface will be automatically selected.

Table 14 Board Menu
../_images/devices.png

Figure 171 Devices Menu

../_images/uart.png

Figure 172 UART Menu

../_images/jtag.png

Figure 173 JTAG Menu

../_images/spInfo.png

Figure 174 SP Info Menu

../_images/deviceInfo.png

Figure 175 Device Info

../_images/detect.png

Figure 176 Device Detection Results

11.1.12. Settings Menu

This menu can be used to configure device and application parameters.

  • Advanced Settings: (Figure 177) Advanced users can select from a list the visible tools and memory sections in tools. Non advanced users will be able to see only the default set of the tools. Note that some tools are only available for certain device families. These tools cannot be activated from the advanced settings menu if the selected device is not a member of the family for which the tool is available.

  • Device Settings: (Figure 178) User can specify the size of the Flash attached to the device that is being currently used. The menu popup dialog initially indicates the default Flash size for the selected device. The user can change this value in case a non default flash is being used. Flash size value is saved and will be used again for the same device family in subsequent SmartSnippets™ Toolbox sessions.

Table 15 Settings Menu
../_images/advancedSettings.png

Figure 177 Advanced Settings Menu

../_images/deviceSettings.png

Figure 178 Device Settings Menu

11.1.13. Help Menu

User can access via this menu application documents and update the application, if updates are available.

  • User Guide (html): Opens this User Manual.

  • License Info: Opens the license document.

  • Release Notes: Opens the Release Notes document.

  • Feedback: Opens a URL at Renesas portal to provide feedback for the application.

  • About: Application information.

  • Check for Updates: Checks for application updates. More info on Application Updates section.