MPLAB® Harmony v3 Drivers on SAM E70/S70/V70/V71 Using FreeRTOS™: Step 1

Last modified by Microchip on 2023/11/09 09:08

Install MPLAB® Harmony Configurator (MHC) Plugin in MPLAB X IDE

Verify that MPLAB Harmony Configurator (MHC) is installed.

Launch MPLAB X IDE from the 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.

You will see MPLAB Harmony 3 Configurator in the menu

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

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Setup MHC Plugin Window Open in Native Mode

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

Open the Options window

The options window opens

Go to Plugins and select the Native Netbeans option from the Window Manager menu. Click Apply and then click OK.

Go to Plugins and select the Native Netbeans option from the Window Manager menu

  • 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 Native mode.

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Create MPLAB Harmony v3 Project Using MPLAB X IDE

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

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.

For more information on the framework downloader, see the "Download MPLAB Harmony Framework" section of the "MPLAB Harmony v3 Configurator Overview" page.

Browse to the folder you downloaded the framework to in the Framework Path edit box

In the Project Settings window, apply the following settings:

  • Location: 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, C:\microchip\harmony\v3\training\dev.
  • Folder: Folder indicates the name of the MPLABX .X folder. Enter "drivers_freertos_sam_e70_xult" to create a drivers_freertos_sam_e70_xult.X folder.

This must be a valid directory name for your operating system.

  • Name: Enter the project’s logical name as "getting_started_drivers_freertos_sam_e70_xult". This is the name that will be shown from within the MPLAB X IDE.​

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

Click Next to proceed to Configuration Settings.

Set the Location, Folder, and Name settings

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.

The New Project Wizard Visual Help Window

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

  • Name: Enter the configuration name as "sam_e70_xult".
  • Target Device: Select ATSAME70Q21B as the target device.

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

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

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.

Click Launch to launch the MHC tool with the selected packages

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

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

Before proceeding, set up the compiler toolchain. Click on the Projects tab on the top left pane. Right-click on the project name getting_started_drivers_freertos_sam_e70_xult and go to Properties.

Right-click on the project name getting_started_drivers_freertos_sam_e70_xult and go to Properties

Make sure that XC32 (v2.30) is selected as the Compiler Toolchain for XC32. Click on Apply and then click on OK.

​Make sure that XC32 (v2.30) is selected as the Compiler Toolchain for XC32

If you closed MHC accidentally and would like to open it again, go to Tools > Embedded > MPLAB Harmony 3 Configurator.

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Verify Clock Settings

Launch Clock Easy View by going to the MHC tab in the MPLAB X IDE and then select Tools > Clock Configuration.

Launch Clock Easy View by going to the MHC tab in the MPLAB X IDE and then select Tools > Clock Configuration

A new window, Clock Diagram, is opened in the project’s main window.

Click on the Clock Diagram tab, scroll to the right, and verify that the Processor Clock (HCLK) and Master Clock (MCK) are set to 300 MHz and 150 MHz, respectively.

Click on the Clock Diagram tab, scroll to the right and verify that the Processor Clock (HCLK) and Master Clock (MCK) are set to 300 MHz and 150 MHz, respectively

​Double-click on the Clock Diagram tab to maximize the window.

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