Quick Start Guide for SimpleLink MSP432E4 SDK

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

This guide is intended to assist users in the initial setup and demonstration of running their first sample application. The guide explains how to install the SimpleLink^TM MSP432E4^TM SDK and lists the various other tools required to get started with your first application.

2. Prerequisites

The user is expected to have the following:

• MSP-EXP432E401Y LaunchPad
• A computer running a supported operating system listed in the Release Notes
• At least one of the following IDE supported by the SimpleLink MSP432E4 SDK:Refer to Release Notes for the IDE/Tools Versions
  • CCS
  • IAR for ARM
  • Keil uVision with the following packs installed:
    • TexasInstruments.MSP432E4_DFP
    • ARM::CMSIS Pack
  • GNU ARM Embedded Toolchain
• FreeRTOS (Optional) The SimpleLink MSP432E4 SDK does not deliver FreeRTOS sources. User is expected to download the same from www.freertos.org if they want to use FreeRTOS with the SDK.

3 SDK - Download and Installation

3.1 Using the SDK Online

A quick and easy way to start working with the SDK is to use TI Resource Explorer on dev.ti.com. This online tool lets you explore the contents of the SimpleLink MSP432E4 SDK. You can build the examples directly using the cloud version of Code Composer Studio. If you choose to use the SDK online, there is no need to download anything to your local computer or install any tools.

3.2 Installing the SDK

You can also download the SimpleLink MSP432E4 SDK from TI Resource Explorer or the software product page on TI’s website.

4. Quick Start for CCS IDE (CCS or GCC Projects)

This section is going to cover the required settings for a CCS installation and how to build and load examples

4.1 Download and Installation

Download CCS

During the installation, the following options are recommended:

• We recommend that you use the default installation folder

• Make sure that SimpleLink MSP432 low power + performance MCUs is selected. You can select additional processor support options as needed.

• To use a debug probe, select TI XDS Debug Probe Support and any other options you would like.The MSP-EXP432E401Y Launchpad uses TI XDS Debug Probe by default.

• Make sure that MSP432 Tool Chain is installed by checking for updates under Help → Check for Updates

www.ti.com/lit/pdf/slau575 has more details about MSP432E4 device

4.1.1 Discovering the SDK in CCS

Install the SDK in the default location pointed to by the installer - C:\ti and Re-start CCS. CCS will automatically detect the latest install.

4.2 Running Your First Example

This section will show how to import, build and load an example

4.2.1 TI Resource Explorer

A quick and easy way to start working with the SDK is to use the TI Resource Explorer on dev.ti.com/tirex. Step by step instructions are available here.

4.2.2 Import via CCS IDE

• Open CCS
• Choose Project → Import CCS Projects from the menu.
• Select the Browse button in the Import CCS Projects dialog and select the the directory <SDK_INSTALL_DIR>/examples

• The SDK provides no RTOS, TI-RTOS and FreeRTOS based examples. TI-RTOS and FreeRTOS examples have the word “tirtos” or “freertos” in the project name

• CCS discovers both CCS and GCC based examples.

• Importing TI-RTOS and FreeRTOS examples will bring import kernel projects in the same workspace. The kernel project is a dependent project and will be automatically built when the example is built. For more details and how change configurations look at the SimpleLink MSP432E4 SDK User’s Guide.

• Select any Code Example you would like to use. In this example gpiointerrupt_MSP_EXP432E401Y_tirtos_ccs is chosen

• Choose target configuration

You may have to expand the project in the Project Explorer window to view the target configuration. If you are using the Launchpad, double click on MSP432E401Y.ccxml

• In order to use FreeRTOS within CCS, you must specify the location of the FreeRTOS installation

• Build and Download

Plug in your launchpad, Click the build and download icon in CCS. The RTOS build for the first time takes a couple of minutes.

• The XDS110 may require a firmware update. If a firmware update is requested click ok.

www.ti.com/lit/pdf/slau575 has more details about MSP432E4 device

• Every RTOS example has a README.html that details the Example Application Design Details and how each example works. This feature will soon be added to the No RTOS based examples

4.3 Create a new SDK based User Application

Do not use the New Project Creation Wizard

• Start with one of the example projects or empty project template shipped inside the SDK. Each software component in the SDK comes with its own set of examples. If your project depends on multiple TI provided software libraries, start from the empty template then add the necessary components into your projects.

• Import one of the empty project template shown below to your IDE and start your application from there. All the necessary include paths and SDK specific defines if any are already part of the Empty Project Template

4.3.1 Non-RTOS Based Empty Project Template

4.3.2 TIRTOS Based Empty Project Template

4.3.3 FreeRTOS Based Empty Project Template

5. Quick Start for IAR IDE

This section is going to cover the required settings for a IAR installation and how to build and load examples.

5.1 Download and Installation

Download and install IAR Embedded Workbench for ARM. You can get IAR for ARM here.

• Make sure to select TI XDS as one of the debug probe drivers. You may also select other drivers. The driver will be installed towards the end of the installation of IAR.

IAR 8.11.3 requires a patch for proper debug support with the MSP-EXP432E401Y LaunchPad. The patch is provided in the SDK in the C:\ti\simplelink_msp432e4_sdk_4_20_00_12\tools\iar directory or at www.iar.com/mypages. This patch only works with IAR 8.11.3 and should not be used with any other IAR versions.

To install the patch, simple extract the zip where you have IAR Embedded Workbench installed within the \Embedded Workbench 8.0 directory.

For more information refer to the PatchReadme-8.11.3.14204.html file contained within the patch.

5.1.1 Configuring Custom Argument Variables

Before starting to work with any of the projects in the SDK, you need to load a set of variables that will be set for your current workspace:

• Choose Tools -> Configure Custom Argument Variables

• Click Global -> Import

• Import the custom argvars from the SDK. The argvars are stored in a SIMPLELINK_MSP432E4_SDK.custom_argvars file, which is located in the tools directory of the SDK (<SDK_INSTALL_PATH>/tools/iar/SIMPLELINK_MSP432E4_SDK.custom_argvars)

• You can open (<SDK_INSTALL_PATH>/tools/iar/SIMPLELINK_MSP432E4_SDK.custom_argvars) in a text editor if you need to modify the default path argument variables.

• Restart IAR.

5.2 Using SysConfig with IAR Workbench

If you are using the IAR toolchain, you can use SysConfig as a standalone desktop tool to generate the configuration files to be compiled and linked with your application. In order to do so you have to open SysConfig from the IAR EWARM IDE like described below. If you open device configurations with SysConfig otherwise some parameters provided by the IDE will be missing.

The steps that follow use the SysConfig standalone installer and IAR-EWARM - use the tool versions from release notes. The figures use the MSP432 SDK as an example, but other SimpleLink SDKs follow the same procedure. These steps assume the TI Code Generation Tools are installed in the default location.

1. Install SysConfig as a standalone tool (download here) within the default location (C:\ti).

2. Open IAR and follow these steps to configure it to use the correct viewer for *.syscfg files:

   a. Choose Tools > Configure Viewers from the menus, and click Import.(Possible with IAR EWARM 8.32.2 or higher)

   b. Navigate to the SDK installation directory (\tools\iar) and select the file ‘sysconfig_iar_setup.xml’ like in the image shown below. Click “Edit”to and make sure the string is displayed correctly.

   c. Alternatavily you can add the configuration manually by pressing the New button.

   i. In this case type .syscfg in the File name extensions field.

   ii. Select the Command line option and type the following into the field (this string can also be found in the tools/iar/sysconfig_iar_setup.xml files if you want to copy-paste it from there). $SYSCONFIG_ROOT$\nw\nw.exe $SYSCONFIG_ROOT$ –compiler iar –product $SIMPLELINK_SDK_INSTALL_DIR$.metadata\product.json –output $PROJ_DIR$ $FILE_PATH$

   

3. Make sure you imported the custom argument variables (See chapter 5.1.1) and that the paths are correct
4. Import an example project workspace like described in the previous chapters. Make sure to take it from the syscfg_preview folder.
5. Double click on the *.syscfg file in your project
6. This shall open SysConfig and offers you to adapt drivers, IO Pins and other settings
7. Save your changes and switch back to IAR EWARM.

8. ebuild the project to perform the custom build step, which uses command line scripts to adapt your IAR project to the changes made in SysConfig.

5.3 Running Your First Example / Importing Your First project

This section will show how to import, build and load an example

Directly accessing workspace from example folder All Code Examples that are shipped with the SDK come with an IAR workspace. Double-Clicking the specific template workspace allows you to open the project, save a copy of workspace and project in separately selected locations to disk and build it.

Browse the example list

• In the IAR-IDE go to the Help tab and click on Information Center

• In the new IAR Information Center for ARM window, click on Integrated Solutions

• Then, click on Example projects under Texas Instruments

• Then, click on example applications link

• This Examples page contains information on how to create a new project, and links to import example projects

• Scroll through the page and click on the project you are interested in. In this example let us click on

• When prompted, click Yes to save a copy of the project workspace, No otherwise

• If Yes, browse to the location where you want to save this workspace. Click Choose

• By default, the project Debug settings is configured for TI XDS110, but the user may change them as needed

• Choose Project > Make

Double click on the *.syscfg file in your project. This shall open SysConfig and offers you to adapt drivers, IO Pins and other settings. Save your changes and switch back to IAR EWARM. Saving the configuration in SysConfig does not yet generate new driver and other files; It just saves the configuration.

Rebuild the project to perform the custom build step, which uses command line scripts to adapt your IAR project to the changes made in SysConfig. If you later on do changes in SysConfig and don’t want to rebuild the whole project you can select the *.syscfg file in your IAR project explorer and compile only that one. This will trigger the creation of driver and other files with the changes you made in SysConfig. After that a simple “Make” will detect all changed files for the IAR compiler and linker tool chain.

Make/Build the Example Project. Make [(Project->Make) Shortcut F7]. For RTOS based Projects - Note that the RTOS(kernel) build is a dependent project which is automatically pre-built before the example project builds.

The RTOS kernel(TI-RTOS or FreeRTOS build) project is linked to the workspace but the Example Project is copied into the workspace. SO the RTOS kernel needs to be built only once within the scope of the SDK but each workspace has its own copy of the example project.

For noRTOS Projects - There is not RTOS(kernel) build dependent project imported into the workspace

• Plug in the launchpad and download Click Project->Download and Debug - Shortcut (Ctrl + D)

www.ti.com/lit/pdf/slau574 has more details on IDE specific of MSP432E4

• Every RTOS example has a README.html that details the Example Application Design Details and how each example works

5.4 Create a New SDK Based User Application

This section will show how to create a new SDK user application

• In the IAR-IDE go to the Help tab and click on Information Center

• In the new IAR Information Center for ARM window, click on Integrated Solutions

• Then, click on Example projects under Texas Instruments

• Then, click on example applications link

• This Examples page contains information on how to create a new project, and links to import example projects

• Scroll through the page and click on the empty project (os or non_os based) you are interested in.

• When prompted, click Yes to save a copy of the project workspace, No otherwise

• If Yes, browse to the location where you want to save this workspace. Click Choose

• Add user source/application files

• By default, the project Debug settings is configured for TI XDS110, but the user may change them as needed

• Plug in your launchpad, make and download.

www.ti.com/lit/pdf/slau574 has more details on IDE specific of MSP432E4

• Choose Project > Make

Make/Build the Project Make [(Project->Make) Shortcut F7].

• Plug in the launchpad and download Click Project->Download and Debug - Shortcut (Ctrl + D)

6 Quick Start for Keil

This section is going to cover the required settings for a Keil installation and how to build and load examples.

Keil support is available for some components of the SDK. The RTOS and Drivers components currently do not support Keil.

6.1 Download and Installation

• Download and Install Keil uVision 5.23
• Install the TexasInstruments::MSP432E4xx_DFP pack
• Install the ARM::CMSIS pack

6.2 Running Your First Example

This section will show how to import/build/load an example

Keil support is available for some components of the SDK

• Browse through the <SDK_INSTALL_DIR>/examples/nortos folder. Keil projects are available for many of the components

• Import one of the projects. In this example the <SDK_INSTALL_DIR>/examples/nortos/MSP_EXP432E401Y/driverlib/gpio_toggle_output/keil project is shown

• Build the selected project by clicking Project->Build Target( Shortcut F7), plug in your launchpad and click download Flash->Download ( Shortcut F8).

6.3 Create a New SDK Based User Application

Do not use the New Project Creation Wizard

• Start with one of the example projects or empty project template shipped inside the SDK. Each software component in the SDK comes with its own set of examples. If your project depends on multiple TI provided software libraries, start from the empty template then add the necessary components into your projects.

• Import one of the empty project template shown below to your IDE and start your application from there. All the necessary include paths and SDK specific defines if any are already part of the Empty Project Template

• Start your application code development from this template
• Build the selected project by clicking Project->Build Target( Shortcut F7), plug in your launchpad and click download Flash->Download ( Shortcut F8).

www.ti.com/lit/pdf/SLAU590 has more details about Keil for MSP432E4

7. Quick Start for Makefile Users

The SDK examples and RTOS configuration projects ship Makefiles in addition to IDE specific projects.

7.1 Update imports.mak

Update the top level <SDK_INSTALL_DIR>/imports.mak to point to actual install locations on the user’s machine

7.2 Build RTOS config

Skip this step if you are not using an RTOS.

If the code example in use is an RTOS based example, the RTOS config must be built first. The makefile for RTOS config are available in

<SDK_INSTALL_DIR>\kernel\<tirtos/freertos>\builds\MSP_EXP432E401Y\<debug/release>\<ccs/gcc/iar>

For example: <SDK_INSTALL_DIR>\kernel\tirtos\builds\MSP_EXP432E401Y\release\ccs\makefile

7.3 Build the makefile

• Identify the makefile for the project and build it.

• Every RTOS example has a README.html that details the Example Application Design Details and how each example works. This feature will soon be added to the No RTOS based examples

•