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Low Power Application on SAM L21 Using MPLAB® Harmony v3 Peripheral Libraries: Step 1

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

Create a Project and Configure the SAM L21

Verify that MPLAB® Code Configurator (MCC) is installed in MPLAB X IDE

• Launch MPLAB X IDE from the Microsoft® Windows® Start menu. Close any projects and files that are currently open.
• Go to Tools > Embedded.
• You will see MPLAB Code Configurator v5 in the menu.

MCC Setup
 

  • When you launch MCC for the first time, it displays a prompt asking for the mode in which you would like to use MCC.
    • Standalone mode (as a separate window)
    • Native mode (as an embedded window in MPLAB X IDE)
  • Standalone mode is the default mode.
  • MCC will launch in the operating mode selected the first time, every time you launch MCC.

For this lab, MCC is configured to operate in Standalone mode.

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Create MPLAB Harmony v3 Project Using MPLAB X IDE

Select File > New Project from the main IDE menu.

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

Project creation setup

In the Framework Path edit box, browse to the folder you downloaded the framework, then click Next.

Project path setup​​

In the Project Settings window, apply the following settings:

  • 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, <Your_folder>\dev\saml21_low_power.
  • Folder: Indicates the name of the MPLABX .X folder. Enter "sam_l21_xpro" to create a sam_l21_xpro.X folder.
  • Name: Indicates the name of the project that will be shown in the MPLAB X IDE. Enter "low_power_sam_l21_xpro" to set the project's name.
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Note: The Path box is read-only. It will update as you make changes to the entries.

  • Click Next to proceed to Configuration Settings.

Name and Location pane

Note: 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.

project naming setup help

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

  • Name: Enter the configuration name as "sam_l21_xpro".
  • Target Device: Select ATSAML21J18B as the target device.
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Note: You can select the Device Family or enter a partial device name to filter the list in Target Device to make it easier to locate the desired device.

  • After selecting the target device, click Finish to launch MCC.

Configuration Settings pane

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Note: The New Project Wizard opens a Configuration Settings window to allow you to review the packages that will be used by the current project.

While the MCC tool launches, Click on Select MPLAB Harmony content type.

MCC launch step 1

Click on the Finish Button in the MCC Content Manager Wizard.

MCC launch step 2​​

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

Launched MCC view

Before proceeding, set up the compiler toolchain. Click on the Projects tab on the top left pane in MPLAB X IDE. Right-click on the project name low_power_sam_l21_xpro and go to Properties.

Project properties

Make sure that XC32 (v4.30) is selected as the Compiler Toolchain for XC32. Click on Apply and then click on OK.

Project properties window

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Configure Clock Settings

Launch Clock Easy View by going to Project Graph in MPLABX IDE and then select Plugins > Clock Configuration.

Clock configuration

The Clock Easy View window will then appear on your screen.

Clock Easy View window

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Tool Tip: Double-click on Clock Easy View tab to maximize the window.

Enable the 16 MHz Internal Oscillator (OSC16M) and select the 12 MHz output in the Oscillator Controller box.

Oscillator Controller box diagram

Disable the Digital Frequency Locked Loop (DFLL).

Digital Frequency Locked Loop (DFLL) diagram

Set the OSC16M as the Generic Clock Generator 0 (GCLK0) source clock.

Generic Clock Generator 0 diagram

Enable the GCLK1 and set the OSC16M as the GCLK1's clock source.

GCLK1 diagram

Enable the GCLK2 and set the OSCULP32K as the GCLK2's clock source. Then, click on the Settings (wheel) button in the top right.

GCLK2 diagram

The Advanced Settings window will appear after clicking on the Settings (wheel) button. Check the box for GCLK should keep running in Standby mode.

Advanced Settings window

Select the OSCULP1K as the RTC's source clock.

OSCULP1K diagram

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