In the world of embedded software (firmware), it is often enough to observe the order of events, select timings and optimize the program, forcing it to drag PIO lines and capture their behavior on an oscilloscope.
In the past days, it was possible to switch contacts on the serial and parallel ports to achieve the same as on PC-based software. This made it possible to record software events on the PC and firmware events on the same path and study the interaction with the host software / firmware.
Now, my new laptop ... no serial or parallel ports! This is becoming more relevant. So, does anyone have any suggestions for emitting accurate synchronization signals from a “modern” PC? It seems to me that we do not have any programmable, inactive output contacts.
The solution should be launched from a laptop, so the use of additional boards that connect only to desktops is not allowed.
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