Development Tools
Quick Guide to
Microchip Development Tools
www.microchip.com/tools
Introduction
MPLAB
®
X IDE, Atmel Studio and Software Tools
Microchip is proud to offer development tools for AVR
®
MCUs in addition to our classic development tools for PIC
®
MCUs and
dsPIC
®
DSCs. Together, Microchip offers the strongest development tool chains for the industry’s most popular products. Micro-
chip produces approximately 2,000 development tools, of which only a selection are featured in this document. For the full listing
of Microchip’s development tools, please visit the online Development Tools Selector (DTS) at
www.microchip.com/dts
or visit our
application sites on
www.microchip.com.
Development Tool Selector
Microchip’s development tools selector is an online/offline application that allows you to view development tools through a Graphi-
cal User Interface (GUI) with filter and search capabilities to easily find development tools associated with Microchip products. Just
enter a development tool or Microchip device in the search box and DTS quickly displays all related tools and devices. Updated
after every MPLAB X IDE release, DTS is available online and offline at:
www.microchip.com/dts.
Development Tool Ecosystem: Software
AVR
®
MCU
MPLAB
®
X IDE
IDEs
MPLAB Xpress
Atmel Studio
Compliers
MPLAB XC
AVR GCC
Arm
®
GCC
MPLAB Code Configurator
MPLAB Harmony
Atmel Start
ü
ü
ü*
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
PIC
®
MCU
ü
ü
dsPIC
®
DSC
ü
ü
ü
ü
SAM MCU
CEC1702
ü
*32-bit PIC only
2
Configurators
www.microchip.com/tools
MPLAB X IDE
MPLAB X IDE
MPLAB X IDE is Microchip’s free integrated development environment for PIC and AVR MCUs and
dsPIC DSCs. Incorporating a powerful and highly functional set of features, it allows you to easily
develop applications. Based on the NetBeans IDE from Oracle, MPLAB X IDE and runs on Windows
®
,
Linux
®
and Mac OS X
®
. Its unified GUI helps to integrate software and hardware development tools
from Microchip and third-party sources to give you high-performance application development and
extensive debugging capabilities.
The flexible and customizable interface allows you to have multiple debug tools connected to your computer at the same time.
You can select any tool you desire for a specific project or configuration within a project. With complete project management,
visual call graphs, a configurable watch window and a feature-rich editor that includes code-completion and hyperlink navigation,
MPLAB X IDE is fully equipped to meet the needs of experienced users while remaining flexible and user-friendly for even those
who are new to the IDE.
MPLAB Xpress Cloud-based IDE
MPLAB Xpress Cloud-Based IDE is an online development environment that contains the most popular features of our award-
winning MPLAB X IDE. This simplified and distilled application is a faithful reproduction of our desktop-based program, which
allows you to easily transition between the two environments.
MPLAB Xpress is a perfect starting point for new users of PIC MCUs - no downloads, no machine configuration and no waiting to
get started on your system development.
MPLAB Xpress incorporates the latest version of MPLAB Code Configurator, which enables users to automatically generate
initialization and application C code for 8- and 16-bit PIC MCUs and dsPIC DSCs using a graphical interface and pin map.
With massive amounts of storage available, you can store your current projects in the Cloud. The Community feature allows you to
share your ideas with others and gain inspiration from the shared code repository.
Best of all, MPLAB Xpress cloud-based IDE is free and can be accessed from any Internet-connected PC or Mac, anywhere in the
world.
Compatible Hardware
•
•
•
•
MPLAB Xpress evaluation boards
Curiosity development boards
Explorer 16/32 Development Board
PICkit
TM
3 Programmer/Debugger
Quick Guide to Microchip Development Tools
3
MPLAB X IDE Plug-Ins
MPLAB X IDE Plug-Ins
MPLAB Code Configurator
MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC) is a free, graphical programming environment that
generates seamless, easy-to-understand C code to be inserted into your project. Using
an intuitive interface, it enables and configures a rich set of peripherals and functions
specific to your application.
MPLAB Code Configurator supports 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit PIC microcontrollers. MCC
is incorporated into both the down-loadable MPLAB X IDE and the cloud-based MPLAB
Xpress IDE.
•
Free graphical programming environment
•
Intuitive interface for quick start development
•
Automated configuration of peripherals and functions
•
Minimized reliance upon product datasheet
•
Reduces overall design effort and time
•
From novice to expert, accelerates generation of production ready code
C: 100 M: 10 Y: 35 K: 15
MPLAB Harmony Configurator
The MPLAB Harmony Configurator (MHC) is a time-saving hardware configuration utility for
MPLAB Harmony, Microchip's award winning software framework. You can use MHC to
get visual understanding and control of the configuration of their target device and applica-
tion. MHC is a fully integrated tool within MPLAB X IDE.
•
Generates all hardware configuration code
•
Generates all middleware framework related code
•
Automatically updates the active MPLAB X IDE project with all required files
MPLAB Harmony Graphics Composer
MPLAB Harmony Graphics Composer (MHGC) is Microchips industry-leading GUI design tool for PIC32 microcontrollers. As a
fully-integrated component of MHC, MHGC will accelerate your application's front end design without leaving the MPLAB X IDE.
Integrated Programming Environment
C: 0 M: 40 Y: 100 K: 10
The Integrated Programming Environment (IPE) is a software application that provides a simple
interface to quickly access key programmer features. IPE provides a secure programming en-
vironment for production programming. It is bundled in the MPLAB X IDE installation package.
motorBench™ Development Suite
The motorBench Development Suite is a GUI-based software development tool for Field Oriented
Control (FOC) of low-voltage motors (up to 48 volts and 10 amps), performing accurate measure-
ment of critical motor parameters, automatic tuning of feedback control gains and generating
source code for an MPLAB X project, utilizing the Motor Control Application Framework (MCAF).
This graphical, interactive development environment helps motor control embedded engineers
save time in starting up and running new motors with no load or a constant load, especially when
the motor parameters are unknown. The motorBench Development Suite is an MPLAB X plug-in.
The user interface takes you step-by-step through the project, with context-sensitive help files at your fingertips inside the tool.
•
motorbench-start-screen
•
Quickly get stable PI (proportional integral) control loop gains for velocity and torque
•
See how the control loop gains affect the system through Bode plots
•
Generate code straight into an MPLAB X project
•
Integrated help files guide through each step
4
www.microchip.com/tools
Atmel Studio
Atmel Studio 7 IDP
Atmel Studio 7 is the Integrated Development Platform (IDP) for developing and debugging all AVR and SAM
microcontroller applications. The Atmel Studio 7 IDP gives you a seamless and easy-to-use environment to
write, build and debug your applications written in C/C++ or assembly code. It also connects seamlessly
to the debuggers, programmers and development kits that support AVR and SAM devices. AVR/Arm GNU
compiler, assembler and linker are included, IDE and compiler solutions are also available from Keil and IAR.
Additionally, Studio 7 includes Gallery, an online app store that allows you to extend your development envi-
ronment with plug-ins developed by Microchip as well as third-party tool and embedded software vendors.
Studio 7 can also seamlessly import your Arduino
®
sketches as C++ projects, providing a simple transition
path from makerspace to marketplace.
Data Visualizer
The Data Visualizer is a program to process and visualize data. The Data Visualizer is capable of receiving data from various
sources such as the Embedded Debugger Data Gateway Interface (DGI) and COM ports. Track your applications run-time using
a terminal graph or oscilloscope, or analyze the power consumption of your application through correlation of code execution and
power consumption, when used together with a supported probe or board. Having full control of your code’s run-time behavior
has never been easier.
MPLAB Harmony Software Framework
MPLAB Harmony Software Framework for PIC32 MCUs
MPLAB Harmony is a flexible, abstracted, fully integrated firmware development environment for PIC32 microcontrollers. It enables
robust framework development of interoperable RTOS-friendly libraries with quick and extensive Microchip support for third-party
software integration. MPLAB Harmony includes a set of peripheral libraries, drivers and system services that are readily acces-
sible for application development. It features the MPLAB Harmony Configurator plug-in that provides a graphical way to select
and configure all MPLAB Harmony components, including middleware, system services and peripherals, with ease. Get the latest
updates at
www.microchip.com/harmony.
MPLAB Harmony
Quick Guide to Microchip Development Tools
5