Installing MCUXpresso Installer in DevContainer

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Setting up the correct tools for a development environment can be complex and time consuming. I’m using DevContainers with Docker for almost all of my projects. Because that way I get an isolated development environment. For this I spend time to craft dedicated docker files, to have everything installed correctly with the the right versions.

Outside a docker or DevContainer environment, I’m using the NXP MCUXpresso installer. It is a standalone application which can be used from VS Code to check and install all the necessary tools.

MCUXpresso Installer
MCUXpresso Installer

In this article, I show how to have the NXP MCUXpresso Installer installed in a DevContainer so it can be used with VS Code.

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Explore Freedom of Choice with Debug Extensions for NXP and Cortex-Debug

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I’m using different MCUS from NXP with VS Code, and for this I’m mostly using the NXP MCUXpresso extension for VS Code.

At the same time, I’m using the cortex-debug extension for other ARM Cortex-M based MCUs, for example the Raspberry Pi Pico series.

Does it makes sense to use cortex-debug for NXP devices, and what would be the benefit? More precise: can I use the NXP MCU-Link (LinkServer based) debug probes with cortex-debug, to debug another NXP MCU?

MCU-Link (right) debugging a MCU-Link Pro (LPC55S69, right) with cortex-debug
NXP MCU-Link (right) debugging a NXP MCU-Link Pro (LPC55S69, right)
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Using Tracealyzer for Embedded Systems Analysis

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In my latest research project I’m using the NXP FRDM-MCXN947 board. As part of that project I have to collect and export application trace data for later analysis. In that project I’m using the the Tracealyzer product from Percepio.

Trace Data in Percepio Tracealyzer
Trace Data in Percepio Tracealyzer

In this article I describe different ways to export trace data from the embedded target: using generic GDB commands or with an trace exporter in VS Code.

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Semihosting with LinkServer in VS Code

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For an university research project, I need to write some console output and the same time write a file with data from the embedded board to the host. A logical choice for this is using semihosting.

Semihosting with LinkServer in VS Code
Semihosting with LinkServer in VS Code
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Build and Debug QEMU in Docker

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For an university research project we are implementing a software simulator for the EZH (or SmartDMA) co-prozessor present on some NXP MCUs.

Debugging QEMU in container using VS Code
Debugging QEMU in container using VS Code

This article describes how to setup and build QEMU in a docker container, including debugging QEMU with VS Code.

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Debug C/C++ Apps in Docker with VS Code: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Debugging a C/C++ application inside a Docker Container using VS Code is surprisingly easy.

This article shows the needed steps.

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Visualize Embedded Power Data in VS Code

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With the NXP MCU-Link Pro I can measure current and power/energy of an embedded target. In this article I describe how I can use and visualize that data in VS Code:

Measurement Data in VS Code
Current Measurement Data Visualization with VS Code
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Building the MetaClockClock78: My Largest Clock Project Yet

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From my previous MetaClockClock project, I still had some hardware available. So I decided to build my largest build so far: to clocks with 78 clocks each.

MetaClockClock78
MetaClockClock78
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Tutorial: Creating Self-Contained MCUXpresso SDK Projects

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In Tutorial: Getting Started with MCUXpresso SDK – Repositories with VS Code and Tutorial: Getting Started with MCUXpresso SDK – west I showed how to get the MCUXpresso SDK. In this article it is about tweaking and streamlining the project.

The result is a clean, portable and self-contained MCUXpresso SDK project.

VS Code with streamlined NXP MCUXpresso project
VS Code with streamlined NXP MCUXpresso project
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Debugging Linux Apps with VS Code: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Recently I have been asked “How can I debug a Linux application with VS Code?”. I’m covering that topic in my ‘Embedded Application Development Course on Linux”.

Debugging Linux Application with VS Code over SSH
Debugging Linux Application with VS Code over SSH

I realized, that I have never covered that topic in any of my blog articles. So here we go: I show how easy it is to use VS Code to debug a Linux application. You can use this for example with an Raspberry Pi. Or for example the NXP i.MX93 which I’m using in this article.

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