DEV-monkey.com Senior Reviews Editor Jon Titus wonders why more dev kits don't contain built-in self-test (BIST) capabilities loaded the Freescale software and USB drivers, but the lack of ANY instructions on how to connect and use the hardware brought his investigation to a rather abrupt halt:
"Recently I checked out an accelerometer kit from Freescale (RD3172MMA7456L, $99). It came with a USB controller that communicates through a wireless link to a 3-axis accelerometer IC on a small board. The manual writers went to great length to provide software-installation instructions and information about using APIs. Unfortunately, they never explained what a developer should see when he or she powers the boards. The USB board contains three LEDs and a pushbutton. No description of what those LEDs indicate or how their status might show the state of the board or the USB connection with a host PC."
For their part, Freescale was gracious and prompt in their handling of the matter -- read more on Jon's post Dev Kits Need Bist Too.
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