Microchip Software Frameworks
Microchip's software frameworks provide a comprehensive suite of tools designed to streamline and enhance the development process for embedded systems. The primary framework, MPLAB® Code Configurator (MCC), offers an intuitive graphical interface that simplifies the configuration and generation of initialization and application C code for 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit microcontrollers. In addition to MCC, Microchip offers a range of other powerful frameworks, including Atmel START, which facilitates the configuration of software components and device drivers for Atmel microcontrollers, the Microchip Libraries for Applications (MLA) that provide robust libraries for USB, graphics, and other peripheral interfaces, and the Microchip Graphics Suite (MGS), which enables the creation of sophisticated graphical user interfaces. These frameworks collectively support developers in creating efficient, reliable, and high-performance applications across a variety of platforms and use cases.
MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC)
MCC is a free graphical programming environment that generates source code for the MCC Melody, MCC Classic, and MPLAB Harmony software frameworks. You use MCC to configure your MCU's clocks, I/O pins, interrupts, peripherals, and middleware libraries (USB, TCP/IP, Graphics, etc.) based on your specific application. MCC then generates your customized source code and adds it to your project. All you need to do is interface your application code with the MCC-generated code.
These frameworks are a collection of system, middleware, driver, and peripheral libraries that work with specific MCUs and MPUs.
| Software Framework | Supported Devices |
|---|---|
| MCC Melody | 8-bit PIC® and AVR® MCUs, and 16-bit dsPIC® Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs) |
| MCC Classic | 16-bit PIC24 MCUs |
| MPLAB Harmony (MCU) | 32-bit PIC32 and SAM MCUs |
| MPLAB Harmony (MPU) | 32-bit SAM MPUs |
Microchip Graphics Suite (MGS)
MGS is a comprehensive toolkit that simplifies the process of incorporating Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), animations, and images into a graphical display.
- Microchip Graphics Suite (MGS) Harmony User Guide
- Microchip Graphics Suite (MGS) Linux® User Guide
- Microchip Graphics Suite (MGS) Development Kits
Older Software Frameworks
Microchip also has two older software frameworks you may want to learn about:
- Atmel START with ASF4 is used for older 32-bit SAM MCUs.
- Microchip Libraries for Applications (MLA) is used for PIC18F, PIC24, dsPIC33, and PIC32MM.
You can also find useful information regarding these frameworks on the following Microchip homepages:
- MCC Melody
- MCC Classic
- MPLAB Harmony v3
- Atmel START with ASF4
- Microchip Libraries for Applications (MLA)