NECTO Studio update 1.8.1

Published: 24/08/2021 | Post categories: Compiler releases, Product Announcement

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NECTO Studio update 1.8.1


Dear NECTO Studio user,

NECTO Studio is on the constant quest for perfection. That's why, after only a month, our software team brings you more news; The multi-architectural software development kit - mikroSDK is getting a brand new update. Amongst other, more than 30 new hardware definitions have been added.

Here is the list of all new features and significant improvements they have been working on.

NEW FEATURES

1. NEW HARDWARE SUPPORT


The newest NECTO release with mikroSDK 2.1.1 brings you a major update to an already amazing SDK package. NECTO Studio and mikroSDK now support 31 additional hardware. 2 new development boards, 12 new mikromedia boards, 3 new Clicker boards and 14 new SiBRAIN add-on boards have been added. You can now switch hardware without the need to go through all the boring hardware definitions manually. Creating a project for your hardware was rather simple to begin with, but now it’s even simpler. It’s just a couple of clicks away. For a detailed list of all newly added hardware, please have a look at the documentation.

hardware setup

2. mikroSDK automated recursive build

mikroSDK which is integrated into NECTO Studio now has an implemented recursive build process. The automation ensures an uninterrupted workflow when adding new chips or improving/fixing existing chip implementations. Once a feature has been implemented, a simple run of the script will reveal any potential problems. The idea here is to get the results of all chip builds without the need to do everything manually. Imagine having to build a library for 400 chips manually. It’s quite hard to imagine even, let alone do it. But don’t worry. With each update, we aim to save your precious time. On top of that, it can be run on Windows, Linux or MAC OS. For a detailed overview, please have a look at the documentation.

script automation

3. mikroSDK development test set

A default set of tests has been added to mikroSDK. New features can now be easily tested using these examples. The set includes the following examples:

  • ADC
    • Outputs AD conversion result on diodes or UART terminal
  • Clicker Buttons
    • Defined test for Mikroe Clicker boards
  • GPIO
    • Tests all GPIO functions
  • I2C
    • Tests all I2C functions
  • mikroBUS
    • Tests all Mikroe development board mikroBUS connections
  • PWM
    • Tests all PWM/TIM functions
  • SPI
    • Tests all SPI functions
  • TFT
    • Tests all TFT panel connections
  • TFT Touch Panel
    • Tests TFT Touch panel with a basic example
  • UART
    • Tests all UART functions
  • Clicks
    • Tests all modules on specifically selected Click boards:
      • ADC
        • Ambient 7 Click
        • Force Click
        • Hall Current 5 Click
        • Pressure 12 Click
        • Slider 2 Click
      • GPIO
        • 4x4 RGB Click
        • CAP Touch Click
        • Opto Encoder 3 Click
        • PLL Click
        • SHT1X Click
        • Vibra Sense Click
      • I2C
        • 6DOF IMU 11 Click
        • Altitude 3 Click
        • Color 9 Click
        • ECG 6 Click
        • Light Ranger 2 Click
      • PWM
        • Brushless Click
        • Button Y Click
        • DC Motor 8 Click
        • LED Driver 6 Click
        • STSPIN250 Click
      • SPI
        • Bee Click
        • CCRF 2 Click
        • eInk 290 inch Click
        • Magneto 2 Click
        • OLED C Click
      • UART
        • Barcode Click
        • BLE 8 Click
        • Fingerprint 2 Click
        • IQRF 2 Click
        • LTE IoT 2 Click

The example set covers all development necessities.

Furthermore, a memory safeguard has been implemented. If a chip with insufficient memory for any given test has been selected, your project will still be adequately built, but Necto Studio will provide information regarding memory issues.

memory issues NECTO

For a full list of new features, please take a look at the following document.

4. Necto Studio MCU configuration setting

Added the option for users to specify their custom microcontroller configuration in appropriate manifest files. Adding this will result in NECTO taking the custom configuration file instead of a predefined configuration. This is quite useful for repeated project creation, as it saves a lot of time. There is no need to change the configuration each time.

IMPROVEMENTS

1. mikroSDK drivers separated by module

All drivers are now separated per module and can be included without the need of including everything else. This way, mikroSDK is more efficient, conserves memory and is more versatile as each user has different needs. Don’t worry if you have a project built in a previous version, as the previous approach where all libraries are included in the project is still possible.

separate drivers

2. SPI module baud setting

Baud rate setting for 8-bit chips SPI module has been improved.

Previously, the baud rate was set using one of the predefined dividers, limiting the possible baud rate values on the actual hardware. Now, the baud rate is calculated more precisely using separate registers. These are just some of the vast amount of improvements. For a full list of improvements, please take a look at the following document.

 

What's coming next?

  • mikroSDK support for more ARM vendors (Kinetis MCUs)
  • mikroSDK support for AVR architecture, with the official release of mikroC AI for AVR.
  • mikroSDK support for more ARM vendors (TIVA MCUs)
  • mikroSDK support for dsPIC architecture, with the official release of mikroC AI for dsPIC.

For a full list of all improvements and bug fixes please check out the RoadMap and Release changes on the NECTO Studio page.