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Keil µVision

All LANDTIGER labs and extra-points projects are developed with Keil µVision, the integrated development environment of Arm Keil MDK (Microcontroller Development Kit). In a single window it provides:

  • a project manager and source editor for C and Arm assembly;
  • the Arm Compiler toolchain (compiler, assembler, linker);
  • a debugger that works both on the real board (through a ULINK2 or other JTAG/SWD probe) and on the built-in simulator, which emulates the Cortex-M3 core and the LPC1768 peripherals — this is what lets you develop without a board, using the SW_Debug target of the course projects;
  • peripheral windows (GPIO, timers, ADC, CAN…), logic analyzer and performance views to observe the system while it runs.

Download and install

µVision runs on 64-bit Windows. The MDK-Community edition is free for non-commercial use such as coursework.

MDK-Community edition Keil product downloads

  1. Download and install MDK (µVision) from the links above.
  2. Activate the Community license from File → License Management, as explained on the MDK-Community page.
  3. Install the device support for the LPC1768 (next section).

Device Family Pack for the NXP LPC1768

µVision gets device-specific files — startup code, system/clock setup, register definitions (LPC17xx.h), flash programming algorithms and simulator support — from CMSIS Device Family Packs (DFP). The LPC1768 is supported by Keil::LPC1700_DFP (NXP LPC1700 series).

  1. Open Project → Manage → Pack Installer.
  2. In the Devices tab select NXP → LPC1700 Series → LPC1768.
  3. In the Packs tab, install Keil::LPC1700_DFP.

Download the pack file and double-click it to install it:

Keil.LPC1700_DFP.2.7.2.pack

Pack details: LPC1700_DFP · LPC1768 device page

Note

On the Keil website the LPC1700 pack is marked deprecated for Arm's newer command-line tools; it remains the pack that provides LPC1768 support in µVision and is the one used by the course projects.

Working on the course projects

  • Targets — the projects provide a SW_Debug target for the simulator (emulator of the LANDTIGER) and a target for the real board; select the right one before building, because they use different settings.
  • Build and debug — Project → Build (F7), then Debug → Start/Stop Debug Session (Ctrl+F5). In the simulator, open the peripheral windows from the Peripherals menu to watch LEDs, buttons, timers and the other devices.
  • Simulator settings — keep the emulator's non-ideal behaviours enabled, as required by the assignments; RIT and timer scaling may be enabled to speed up debugging.
  • Keep your files inside the project — when you add a source file from another folder, µVision only references it and does not copy it. Copy the files into your project folder first, then add them, so the zipped project compiles on another computer.

Documentation

Keil µVision and MDK

NXP LPC1768

Arm Cortex-M3 and CMSIS