Electronics Weekly
It is designed to work with the company’s MPLAB Harmony v3 and its mainlined distribution for 32-bit Linux environments to create new GUIs, including adding animations and images, as well as to aid the migration of GUIs between Harmony and Linux, and from legacy GUIs.
MGS Harmony (formerly Harmony Graphics Suite) is for graphics software development within the MPLAB Harmony embedded software development framework.
MGS Harmony Composer is part of the MPLAB Code Configurator, and coupled to the Legato library which has been renamed ‘MGS Harmony library’. It is for visually designing and configuring user interfaces.
MGS Linux (renamed from EGT) “offers an application-level graphics solution that integrates our existing drivers and libraries with the Linux ecosystem”, said Microchip.
A simulator is included which operated on C code generated by Code Configurator in a choice of two modes: for visual review, ‘web mode’ creates an HTML file that can run on web browsers with simulated touch interactivity that anyone can view, for review for example, while ‘native mode’ enables engineers to debug the GUI on Windows computers.
“MGS provides an intuitive WYSIWYG interface with a modern design, enabling users to directly see and manipulate the final output,” said Microchip. It supports “a range of devices of varying performance, from resource-constrained devices with significantly lower memory and system performance, to high-performance devices supporting tablet-sized touchscreens with high-fidelity video playback”.
Applicable display types, according to the comapny, span monochrome OLEDs to 1080p 16.7m colour TFTs, with MIPI, DSI, LVDS, RGB, SPI or HDMI interfaces, and touchscreens with 2D or 3D gestures.
Both Linux and Harmony paths through the graphics suit are linked to hardware development boards for SAM9x75, SAM9x60, SAMA5D2 and PIC32MZ DA processors, all of which include display controller blocks.
The Harmony path can also be used with PIC32CZ CA80, PIC32MZ EF, PIC32CK GC and SAME70 development hardware – these ICs have 16bit RGB interfaces, but no graphics controller.
Electronics Weekly is awaiting responses to questions about MSG – so watch this space – or this YouTube video might help.
