MPLAB-X free Microchip IDE for PIC mcu's on Windows, Linux and OSX

[arhi]

Hi guy's, long time ...

anyhow I acquired some spare time and working on a new product and the first step was to check if new **broken link removed** will work at all on Linux and OSX and the initial finding is - IT WORKS GREAT (I use Fedora 13 64bit linux and 10.6 Snow Leopard). On OSX C18 is still not there yet but rest of the stuff works nice.

As my new project will be using UBW32 for "brain" (to avoid SMD soldering, to allow breadboard use etc .. and if nothing else just because I like the project), the first "real" project was to compile UBW32 firmware 1.4 using MPLAB-X. Of course it did not work from scratch and that's mostly because of 2 problems
1. Linux file system is case sensitive (so some includes were not working)
2. include "a\b" is very weird construct that imho should not be working on windows also (one would have to do include "a\\b" as single \ is escape char in c, but ..) - so I replaced these with /

If anyone want it, the UBW32 Firmware 1.4 modified to compile with mplab-x + Microchip Folder from Microchip Application Library (Microchip.zip) with USB stack v2.7a (from MAL 2010-08-04) are available here:
http://elco.crsndoo.com/files/UBW32.firmware_mal.mplabx.tar.gz

(original files are here: firmware, **broken link removed** )

 

[arhi]

Also - here's the screen-shot of how it looks like. It is still beta but works like a charm.

The only "problem" I found so far is that it is not working with PICKIT2 and only show PICKIT3 as supported debugger (from pickit family). This is not big issue for me as I do have pk3 (so I can debug pic32 family) but it is a bummer imho and I really hope the GA version will come with pk2 support too.

What I love about MPLAB-X a lot is that it is not another Eclipse based IDE but Microchip decided to go with NetBeans. The installer works like a charm, the interface is very fast and works perfectly. I'm using it for few weeks now (for some test projects made from scratch, and today whole day with this firmware that was imported as mplab8 project) and haven't had a single glitch. From what I read, the plan is to have MPLAB-X GA in first quarter of 2011 and it will be default IDE for all operating systems (the old ugly mplab will be deprecated) so I strongly suggest you try MPLAB-X out asap

 

[3v0]

It does not do much for me without the C18 or PICkit2 but it does support the ICD2 which I have yet to try with it.

If you run it and MPLAB X at the same time you can edit in MPAB X and execute/debug/program from MPLAB 8

 

[arhi]

I did obtain one pk3 hoping it will be "better version of pk2" (what a misteka to meka) but as pk3 can debug pic32mx it actually pay out even as it is neither faster nor better version of pk2, it is completely new product. I did hear also somewhere (not from any official channels) that they (microchip) want to deprecate pk2 but I still hope that's a duck and that official version of mplab-x will support pk2 too...

Wrt using mplab-x and mbpab8 in parallel, I use it on linux now so no mplab8 here but I see that mplabx now uses different project structure from mplab8, there is no .mpc and .mcw (project and workspace) file and it is replaced with nbproject directory where the project files (configurations.xml, project.xml, project.properties) and Makefile generators (Makefile-default.mk, Makefile-impl.ml, Makefile-variables.mk) are stored. The proper Makefile is maintained in the project directory so you can make project from shell too... So, mplab-x can import mplab8 files but other way around may not work

Wrt pk2/pk3, I do believe pk2 is a better device (mostly better firmware as pk3 is similar board with faster mcu so it should be better device) but since pk2 cannot debug pic32mx I don't have much use for it as debugger any more as I moved mostly to 32bit family as I get much more for the buck then I get with 8bit mcu's but that's a whooole other story...

 

[3v0]

I keep hoping they will improve PICkit3 to where it it worth the money the ask for it. I have a PICkit2 and a goodly number of clones I use for teaching. I hope BIG TIME that they will support it. Given that X is open source maybe someone else will do the driver needed.

From time to time I am tempted t get a ICD3.

 

[arhi]

I keep hoping they will improve PICkit3 to where it it worth the money the ask for it.

Honestly, I believe that's just a bunch of empty promises from Microchip

The major change between pk2 and pk3 is that pk3 need different firmware for each mcu family and this is the behaviour copied from ICD3 (it works pretty much the same, and pk3 was developed by icd3 team if mine memory serves me right), so all the features pk2 has that are not in the icsp scope (serial, i2c, logic analyzer ..) could only be added as "new firmware" to the pk3.. so some serious development is needed. I personally gave up on that and I use bus pirate and open bench logic sniffer for this now (both tools fully open sourced with great supporting forum and active development) and gave up on the pk2 for everything other then ICSP. And since I decided to move away from 8bit mcu's it get's used less and less every day ..

I have a PICkit2 and a goodly number of clones I use for teaching. I hope BIG TIME that they will support it. Given that X is open source maybe someone else will do the driver needed.

It might be possible to write one, I reeeeeeeeealy hope they will support it natively just because if they don't the acceptance of the mplab-x will be *very low*, as I believe there's still much more pk2 users out there that will not upgrade to pk3 and then will never move to mplab-x, not only because pk3 cost money but if you are in the 8bit mcu world, pk2 is actually better and faster tool

From time to time I am tempted t get a ICD3.

Now this is a weird sentence, may I know why? I was looking at it few times and beside it's ability to use bit more complex triggers then pk3 there's nothing explaining the 4 times higher price...

 

[Anunakin]

I trying to mount a PIC32MX795, breadboard too... I using a TQFP 100 adapter, blink a led is running ...
Thanks for UBW32 FW port to MPLAB X....