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Beginner Lab 1: MPLAB® X IDE Setup and Project Creation

Last modified by Microchip on 2026/06/26 07:35

Objective

The objective of this lab is to provide hands-on experience with the MPLAB® X IDE environment and the complete development workflow for PIC32CM devices. The lab covers the following objectives:

  1. Gain familiarity with MPLAB X IDE, its plugins, and the associated project workflow.
  2. Install MPLAB X IDE and MPLAB XC32 Compiler.
  3. Develop a new project using MPLAB X IDE and MPLAB Code Configurator for the PIC32CM LS00 Curiosity Nano+ Touch Evaluation Kit from the beginning and explore the debugging features.

Overview

This lab provides step-by-step instructions for setting up MPLAB X IDE and creating an MPLAB Harmony v3 project from the beginning, specifically for the PIC32CM LS00 Curiosity Nano+ Touch Evaluation Kit. The content covers installation of the IDE, configuration of essential plugins, and an overview of the project workflow within MPLAB X IDE. Additionally, the lab demonstrates the use of debugging features to monitor and troubleshoot applications effectively.

Lab Activities

  • Installation of MPLAB X IDE and required plugins
  • Creation of a new project using MPLAB X IDE and MPLAB Code Configurator
  • Configuration of project settings and peripheral libraries relevant to the PIC32CM LS00 Curiosity Nano+ Touch Evaluation Kit

Expected Outcomes

Upon completing this lab, you will be able to:

  • Successfully install MPLAB X IDE and the necessary plugins.
  • Create a new project using MPLAB X IDE and MPLAB Code Configurator for the PIC32CM LS00 Curiosity Nano+ Touch Evaluation Kit.
  • Navigate the MPLAB X IDE interface and understand the project workflow.
  • Utilization of debugging features within MPLAB X IDE to monitor program execution, set breakpoints, and troubleshoot applications.
  • Demonstrate a basic understanding of embedded project development using MPLAB X IDE and MPLAB Code Configurator.

Lab Source Files and Solutions

This ZIP file contains the completed solution project for this lab. It also contains the source files needed to perform the lab as per the following step-by-step instructions (see the "Lab Index" section on this page).

Download the ZIP file for this lab.

Information

The contents of this ZIP file need to be placed in the following folder:

<Any directory of the user's choice>/
(example Directory = C:/microchip/harmony/v3)

Note:

  1. The project location of an MPLAB Harmony v3 project is independent of the location of the MPLAB Harmony framework path (in other words, it is not required to create or place an MPLAB Harmony v3 project in a relative path under the Harmony v3 framework folder). The project can be created or placed in any directory as needed.
  2. The point above is true because when created, an MPLAB Harmony v3 project generates all the referred source and header files and libraries (if any) under the project folder.

 

Lab Index

The following steps outline the procedure for Lab 1:

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