Patent ID: 8656366

Claim:
A system for tracing instructions executed by a microprogrammable electronic device, the microprogrammable electronic device comprising a first code memory, in which instructions are stored, and being configured to execute each of the instructions stored in the first code memory at a respective instruction cycle, the system comprising: binary code generating means and a tracing device; the binary code generating means forming part of the microprogrammable electronic device, and being configured to generate and output on a single pin of the microprogrammable electronic device binary codes, each of which indicates a corresponding execution-related event, is generated and outputted at a corresponding instruction cycle, and comprises N bits, where N is an integer greater than or equal to two; the tracing device being coupled with the single pin to receive the binary codes, and comprising a second code memory in which the instructions are stored, each instruction being stored in the second code memory at a memory address corresponding to a memory address in the first code memory in which that instruction is stored; and the tracing device being configured to trace instructions executed by the microprogrammable electronic device, on the basis of the received binary codes and of the instructions stored in the second code memory.