Rapid Prototyping with 32-bit MCU-based Curiosity Nano Evaluation Kit Using MPLAB Harmony v3 Software Framework: Step 1

Last modified by Microchip on 2023/11/09 09:08
Contents
Verify Whether the MHC Plugin is Installed in MPLAB® X IDE

Verify that MPLAB® Harmony Configurator (MHC) is installed.

  • Launch MPLAB X IDE from the Microsoft Windows® Start menu. Close any projects and files that are currently open.

  • Go to Tools > Embedded.

  • You will see MPLAB Harmony 3 Configurator in the menu.
Select Embedded from the Tools menu

Figure 1

If you don't see it in the menu, install MHC.

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Set Up MHC Plugin Window to Open in Standalone Mode

Go to Tools > Options. You will see the Options window open.

Select Options from the Tools menu

Figure 2

Options window opens

Figure 3

Go to Plugins > Window Manager and select Standalone mode. Click Apply and then click OK.

Select Standalone mode for Window Manager

Figure 4

Note:

  • When you launch MHC for the first time, it displays a prompt asking for the mode in which you would like to use MHC.
    • Standalone mode (as a separate window)
    • Native mode (as an embedded window in MPLAB X)
  • Standalone mode is the default mode.
  • MHC will launch in the operating mode selected the first time, every time you launch MHC.
  • Step 1.2 above shows a way to change the MHC operating mode.

For this lab, MHC is configured to operate in Standalone mode.

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Create MPLAB Harmony v3 Project Using MPLAB X IDE

Note: MPLAB Harmony v3 project creation and library code generation are now also supported under Microchip’s famous MPLAB Code Configurator tool. You could also use MPLAB Code Configurator for generating Harmony library code.

Refer:
1. Create a new MPLAB Harmony v3 project using MCC
2. Update and Configure an Existing MHC-based MPLAB Harmony v3 Project to MCC-based Project

Select File > New Project from the main IDE menu.

Close all existing opened projects before you start creating a new project.

In the Categories pane of the New Project dialog window, select Microchip Embedded. In the Projects pane, select 32-bit MPLAB Harmony 3 Project, then click Next.

Select Microchip Embedded and 32-bit MPLAB Harmony 3 Project

Figure 5

Note: If 32-bit MPLAB Harmony 3 Project is not displayed, install MHC.

Browse to the folder you downloaded the framework to in the Framework Path edit box. If you haven't done this, or want to download it to a different folder, click the Launch Content Manager button, then click Next.

Note: For more information on the content manager, see the "Download MPLAB Harmony Framework" section of the "MPLAB Harmony Configurator Overview" page.

Launch Content Manager

Figure 6

In the Project Settings window, apply the following settings:

  • Location: Indicates the path to the root folder of the new project. All project files will be placed inside this folder. The project location can be any valid path, for example: <Your_folder>\dev\pic32cmmc_smart_appliance_control.
  • Folder: Indicates the name of the MPLABX .X folder. Enter "pic32cm_mc00_cnano" to create a pic32cm_mc00_cnano.X folder.
  • Name: Indicates the name of the project that will be shown in MPLAB X IDE. Enter "smart_appliance_control_pic32cm_mc00_cnano" to set the project's name.

Note: The Path box is read-only. It will update as you make changes to the entries.

  • Click Next to proceed to Configuration Settings.
Set the Name and Location for the Project Settings

Figure 7

Note: Clicking on the Show Visual Help button will open a help window, providing a detailed description of the various fields in the Project Settings window.

Open a help window by clicking Show Visual Help

Figure 8

5. Follow the steps below to set the project’s Configuration Settings.

  • Name: Enter the configuration name as "pic32cm_mc00_cnano".
  • Target Device: Select PIC32CM1216MC00032 as the target device.

Note: You can select the Device Family or enter a partial device name to filter the list in Target Device to make it easier to locate the desired device.

  • After selecting the target device, click Finish to launch MHC.
     
Select target device

Figure 9

Note: The New Project Wizard opens a Configuration Database Setup window to allow you to review the packages that will be used by the current project.

Click Launch to launch the MHC tool with the selected packages.

Launch the MHC tool

Figure 10

  • The MHC plugin’s main window for the project will be displayed.

MHC plugin's main window opens

Figure 11

Before proceeding, set up the compiler toolchain. Click on the Projects tab on the top left pane in MPLAB X IDE. Select project from the Projects tab and File > Project Properties from the main IDE menu.

Select Project Properties from File menu

Figure 12

  • Make sure that XC32 (v3.00) is selected as the Compiler Toolchain for XC32. Click on Apply and then click on OK.
Select XC32 as the Computer Toolchain

Figure 13

Note: When configuring the compiler tool chain, make sure to select the latest PIC32CM_MC00_DFP version.

Tool Tip: If you closed MHC accidentally and would like to open it again, go to Tools > Embedded > MPLAB Harmony 3 Configurator in MPLAB X IDE.

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Configure Clock Settings

Launch Clock Easy View by going to the Tools menu of the MHC window and then selecting Clock Configuration.

Select Clock Configuration from Tools menu

Figure 14

  • A new window, Clock Easy View, is opened inside MHC.

The Clock Easy View window will then appear on your screen. The default CPU clock is set to 48 MHz.

The Clock Easy View Window will open

Figure 15

Tool Tip:

  • The Clock Easy View window can be minimized by clicking the minimize button, as shown in Figure 16.

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Minimize clock easy view in the top right

Figure 16

  • After minimizing the Clock Easy View window, you can see a small Clock Easy View tab at the bottom-left in MHC, as shown in Figure 17.
Clock easy view is minimized to a tab, shown at the bottom-left

Figure 17

  • The Clock Easy View window can be maximized by clicking the maximize button or by double-clicking on the Clock Easy View window, as shown in Figure 18.
Maximize tab by double-clicking on it

Figure 18

  • These tips apply to all other plugin managers like Pin Configuration, DMA Configuration, Event System Configuration, and NVIC Configuration.

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