Harmony currently incorporates products from other companies, such as Express Logic, FreeRTOS, InterNiche, WITTENSTEIN High Integrity Systems, and wolfSSL, with others in development. As a result, developers can greatly simplify their PIC32 microcontroller code development process by reducing common integration errors, thus accelerating time to market.
Given the increasing complexity of embedded systems, market research has shown that software development represents, on average, 60% of the design cycle. At the same time, designers are using a wide variety of software whose compatibility has not been verified, as well as multiple sources for purchasing and support. This lengthens the verification and debugging time after the design is complete, which can cost 10-30 times more than the defects found during the design phase.
Microchip's new MPLAB Harmony environment reduces development time and costs by providing a single, integrated, abstract, and flexible source for Microchip-verified, debugged, and interoperable code. Harmony also features a modular architecture that enables efficient integration of multiple drivers, middleware, and libraries, while offering an RTOS-independent environment. This pre-verification and integration not only accelerate development but also enhance code reuse. On the hardware side, Harmony further simplifies code portability and adaptation to Microchip's various 32-bit PIC32 microcontrollers. Furthermore, by using this single source for both proprietary and third-party code (in free and paid versions) with Microchip support, designers can significantly improve their responsiveness to the ever-changing demands of the end market.
MPLAB Harmony is now available, and the basic version of the environment is free. Its first version offers initial support for the new PIC32MZ family, as well as the PIC32MX families. Full support for all PIC32 families is planned for the next version, which will be released in March 2014. Once downloaded, a modular menu of free and paid software options is also available. Among the growing list of products initially included are FreeRTOS from Real Time Engineers Ltd. and OPENRTOS from Wittenstein High Integrity Systems; a TCP/IP stack from InterNiche Technologies; and the CyaSSL Embedded SSL Library from wolfSSL, among many others.
Microchip's MPLAB Harmony Online Design Center provides designers with a portal where they can easily download the environment and begin development. It also offers numerous resources to Harmony environment users.
Comments from Microchip contributors
William E. Lamie, President & CEO of Express Logic, said: “Powerful embedded applications require a high level of integration between the RTOS and IDE. Our advanced ThreadX® Real-Time Operating System, integrated within the MPLAB Harmony framework, is designed to facilitate the development of high-performance applications that take advantage of the latest advancements in 32-bit PIC32 microcontroller technology.”
FreeRTOS, Richard Barry, Director: “It has been very interesting to collaborate with Microchip on MPLAB Harmony—a truly practical solution with undeniable benefits for PIC32 users. MPLAB Harmony allows application programmers to write much less code, along with a much more reliable product and, of course, the important advantage of a shorter time to market.”
InterNiche Technologies, Inc., Larry Larder, President: “InterNiche worked with Microchip application engineers to ensure that our low-cost TCP/IP code and source-code network modules were compatible with the MPLAB Harmony platform. InterNiche offers a complete range of commercial network modules that are pre-integrated with MPLAB Harmony, so PIC32 customers can quickly add value to their designs by reducing time to market.”
SEGGER Microcontroller Systems, Ivo Geilenbruegge, Director: “As a contributor to Microchip’s PIC32 ecosystem, SEGGER is very pleased with MPLAB Harmony’s progressive approach to software development. SEGGER will add this support to our RTOS (embOS) and middleware, including emWin, the industry-leading embedded graphics package.”
WITTENSTEIN High Integrity Systems, Andrew Longhurst, Business Development Director: “OPENRTOS offers high performance with minimal resources. It is also easy to use and, when integrated with other rich components of MPLAB Harmony, ensures that your next development is completed in the shortest possible time.”
Larry Stefonic, CEO of wolfSSL, said: “Developing secure, encrypted software is a difficult task, even for the most experienced engineers. With this in mind, wolfSSL is focused on providing secure software that works seamlessly for MPLAB Harmony developers. Our deep integration with the MPLAB Harmony environment reduces security and project risks because wolfSSL's cryptography libraries come pre-tested and ready to use. Developers can implement wolfSSL cryptography with MPLAB Harmony for greater peace of mind and increased productivity.”
