The center piece of our toolset is the software integrated development environment or IDE. MPLAB IDE has enjoyed many years of evolution cracking Microchip’s popular catalogue of micro controllers and digital signal controllers. This presentation will cover these topics. Look at MPLAB and its components. An MPLAB IDE overview, MPLAB’s hardware components including starter kits and demonstration and evaluation kits and finally we attempt to answer the question why use Microchip tools.

To reach the largest possible audience MPLAB IDE runs on 32 bit Windows computers. As hardware and software components tools and is free. It can be downloaded from our website. The components of MPLAB are hardware and software tools that assist in the creation, design, and implementation of embedded systems using Microchip micro controllers. The MPLAB integrated development environment can be viewed as a platform for the rest of the MicroChip technology tool set using a singularly straightforward graphical user interface for design, debugging and programming, helps you get your applications finished fast.

MPLAB’s programmer’s editor is for writing and editing source code. The editor recognizes C programming constructs and automatically uses different colors to identify comments, labels, reserved words to help you quickly spot syntax errors. It has advanced features such as bookmarks, block indent, brace matching and block comment uncomment. The source level debugger drives software or hardware debuggers as your application executes. The capabilities of the software or hardware debugger may duffer slightly among the various debugging tools. But breakpoints, stepping through code and access to variables and registers are the same. This provides an easy learning curve when switching from a simulator during early development to an in circuit emulator when the hardware is functional.

The project manager lets you create an associate source files with the compilers, assemblers, librarians and linkers to build your final application. All the language tools operate seamlessly when you build a project. Click on compiler, link errors to bring up the source code window and the programmers editor on a line with the error so you can quickly fix the problem and rebuild it. Break points and single stepping through your code uses your original source files so the editor, debugger, and project manager work together to help you fine tune your application.

Software components for MPLAB include both free and for sale versions of Microchip compilers and for PIC microcontrollers and dsPIC digital signal controllers. These are optimized, ANSI compliant compilers that integrate directly with the project manager. MPLAB IDE provides graphical dialogs to set up memory models, optimizations, and control compiler preferences. Many third party vendors also provide software development tools that can be integrated into MPLAB IDE. Check our website for a directory of these manufacturers of software and hardware tools. These tools include real time operating systems, language compilers and link checkers. Third party version control systems are easily integrated into the MPLAB IDE so all your editing can be done here. Third party components in this diagram are colored light orange.
MPLAB IDE includes free simulators for all PIC microcontrollers and dsPIC signal controllers. Simulators are software programs that mimic the operation of a microcontroller simulating PIC and dsPIC instruction execution responding to stimulus events on pins or registers to verify the code is operating as expected. With a simulator you can test and debug much of your software before the hardware is ready. You can also measure the duration of code execution to help you evaluate and optimize your routines.

A couple of third party simulation tools are listed here. LAB Center’s Prodeus combines fully interactive mixed modes SPICE circuit simulation with detailed hardware level models of the PIC micros to simulate and debug complex digital and analog designs. Device blocks for dsPIC devices allow MatWorks MatLab to be used as an additional tool extension.

Hardware debuggers can help program execution in the application. So you can inspect internal registers in single step through code in a prototype or final hardware. In circuit emulators can measure code execution times, halt on complex series of events to find subtle bugs and can trace the execution of code as your application executes at full speed. So you can track program flow.

Microchip offers in circuit emulation with MPLAB REAL ICE. Programmers are the last link in the chain. Programmers are used to embed the finished code into the PIC micro or dsPIC so that the target application can run on its own. At that point the development system tools have finished their work and you can begin evaluating your application as it operates in its final form completely separated from the development environment.

Microchip’s top of the line programmer is MPLAB PM3. Combining capabilities of both hardware debuggers and programmers are in circuit debuggers or ICDs. These have many of the tools found in more expensive emulation systems while providing programming features as well. The low cost PIC kit does hardware debugging and programming on a budget. While not as powerful as an in circuit debugger and emulator, code can be run and halted and registers examined and modified to fine tune an application and The final circuit can be programmed using Microchip’s in circuit serial programming interface.

MPLAB starter kits offer very low cost, easy to use application demonstration with built in hardware debugging and reprogramming facilities. Third parties also offer emulators and hardware debuggers that work with MPLAB and a wide range of programmers from large gang programmers to budget systems for hobbyists.

MPLAB IDE can be expanded with other associated tools to be incorporated on the MPLAB desktop. Application segment tools such as motor control development, boot loaders, a sophisticated data monitor and control interface or task viewers and other components can be a part of the MPLAB development desktop.

Let’s take a quick look at MPLAB IDE. MPLAB’s desktop looks like many other Windows applications. Hold down menus at the top or access to all the features of MPLAB. Tool bars provide quick access to the most common functions with easily identifiable icons. The debug section of the tool bar allows running, stopping, single stepping and resetting the processor with a simple click of the mouse. At the bottom of the MPLAB desktop, the status displays the current operating debug tool, the processor supported and important debug information such as the program counter, processor flag status at break points, and system clock frequency. In a typical debugging session, you have immediate view of all the information on your project setup. You have instant access to all source files in order to edit your code and while debugging you can see data and code in your application in various formats to help debug and optimize your design.

Break points and single stepping can be done in source code windows, in machine code views and in mixed C and assembly views. Trace buffers record and analyze your codes so you can view and track program flow. Data and watch windows display current I/O variables, arrays, structures and register contents at a glance. The color keyed editor makes source code debugging easier. You can set break points with the click of a mouse in your source code. Hover the cursor over the name of the variable to see its value and customize your watch windows to view and modify registers and memory. Other free tools are available that work in conjunction with MPLAB.