Single Board Computer Debugging Enhancements Up and Running Published Sept. 26, 2011 By Pino Robinson Information ROME, New York -- The Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Single Board Computer (SBC) is now running on the emulation board and has been verified via the program counter to run all the way through the boot code, just as the Register Transfer Level (RTL) version does. The Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) has been confirmed to work. Regression tests have also been performed on the RTL, originally indicating errors in the floating point processor that have since been corrected. The next step is to implement debugging features and test the board at either Honeywell or Aerospace. The current SBIRS program is designed to provide early warning of missile launches while simultaneously supporting other missions including missile defense, technical intelligence, and battle space awareness. This program will develop a software debugging system for use on the SBIRS. The approach uses an SBC emulation board that will have built-in debugging hardware capable of exporting desired data without affecting the SBC's program flow. The SBC emulation board provides the potential for nearly infinite code visibility. By replacing one or more of the eight SBC boards with this form fit and function emulation board, useful debugging data can be extracted without perturbing the software. Tracking the program counter, specific register values, I/O, and myriad other functions can be accomplished without changing the timing, allowing for faster software debugging in the system.