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MPLAB® Harmony v3 Peripheral Libraries on SAM D21: Step 1

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

Create a project and configure the SAM D21

Install the MPLAB® Code Configurator (MCC) Plugin in the MPLAB X IDE or verify that MCC 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® Code Configurator in the menu. If you don't see it in the menu, please install MCC.

Tools > Embedded menu

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  • 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.

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Close all existing opened projects before you start creating a new project.

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.

New Project window

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If 32-bit MCC Harmony 3 Project is not displayed, you will need to install MCC.

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

Manage Framework pane

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, C:\microchip\harmony\v3\training\dev.
  • Folder: indicates the name of the MPLAB X IDE .X folder. Enter "sam_d21_xpro" to create a sam_d21_xpro.X folder.
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This must be a valid directory name for your operating system.

  • Name: Enter the project’s logical name as "getting_started_sam_d21_xpro". This is the name that will be shown within the MPLAB X IDE.
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The Path box is read-only. It will update as you make changes to the other entries.

  • Click Next to proceed to configuration settings.

Name and Location pane

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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.

New Project Wizard

Follow the steps below to set the project’s configuration settings:

  • Name: enter the configuration name as "sam_d21_xpro".
  • Target Device: select ATSAMD21J18A as the target device.
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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 MCC.

Configuration Setting pane

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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.

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

MCC Content Manager tab Select a Content Type

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

MCC Content Manager Wizard Finish

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

main MHC plugin window

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 getting_started_sam_d21_xpro and go to Set Configuration > Customize.

Projects tab Set Configuration > Customize menu

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

XC32 setup

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Tool Tip: If you closed MCC accidently and would like to open it again, go to Tools > Embedded > MPLAB Code Configurator in MPLAB X IDE.

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Verify Clock Settings

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

Plugins > Clock Configuration menu

A new window, Clock Easy View is opened inside MCC.

In the Clock Easy View, verify that the Main Clock is set to 48 MHz.

clock easy view

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

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