For my classes I had so far asked the students to install the Kinetis Design Studio (KDS) v3.0.0 and then apply several updates and upgrades available. NXP has now released the v3.2.0 of their KDS (Kinetis Design Studio):
Kinetis Design Studio v3.2.0
The v3.2.0 is including all the 3.x.x updates in a single installation which makes things easier to start with. And it now works for Mac OS X “El Capitan” and the latest GNU ARM Eclipse plugins :-).
KDS v3.0.0 came out in May 2015, so nearly a year ago. Since then, Freescale (now NXP) had released several add-ons and updates especially to support the Kinetis SDK and receltly the Kinetis SDK v2.0.0 (see “First NXP Kinetis SDK Release: SDK V2.0 with Online On-Demand Package Builder“). We are using the KDS classes and for student projects: for new installations it means to install the 3.0.0, then apply the updates and so on. Additionally the base KDS v3.0.0 has an issue with Mac OS X “El Capitan” which makes it not easy for students using Mac OS X (around 20-25% of students in my classes are using Mac machines).
Kinetis SDK v2.x wizard
Besides of including the 3.x.x updates, it comes with updated Segger and P&E drivers. The SDK v2.0 wizard gets now installed too and does not need to be installed separately. Plus it includes the updates tools (see “Solving the 8192 Character Command Line Limit on Windows“) which is another plus. The other good news is that it now works with the latest and greatest GNU ARM Eclipse updates again.
The new version is available from the NXP download page: http://www.nxp.com/kds. I did not had to uninstall my earlier KDS v3.x version as I can install the v3.2.0 into a separate folder and it co-exists with the earlier version: a great way to test out the new installation while keep using the earlier version. So far I have used the v3.2.0 for more than two weeks and not found any issues.
Summary
The KDS v3.2.0 is combining all the v3.x.x updates and patches in a single installation. It makes it easier to start from a new base installation, especially using KDS on a new machine or a Mac with “El Capitan”. Because it includes all the previous updates the installation is much faster and easier. I have installed KDS v3.2.0 side-by-side with my previous KDS v3.x.x setup and have used that without any problems. Because the tool chain and build integration is all the same, no project conversion or anything else is required which is a good thing too. And it makes my life easier to get it installed on new machines or for courses where we are using NXP Kinetis microcontroller.
Happy Upgrading 🙂
Links
- NXP KDS web page: http://www.nxp.com/kds
- GNU ARM Eclipse plugins: http://gnuarmeclipse.github.io
MCU on Eclipse 
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Halloo Erich! I appreciate the fact that “20 to 25%” of your students are using Macs. I have started developing for the FRDM-KL27Z (MKL27Z64xxx) using KDS v3 IDE with the SDK_2.1_FRDM-KL27Z SDK. On a Mac.
But I haven’t figured out how to configure OpenOCD and KDS so I can download / run / debug apps using a USB cable — is this something that your Mac-based students do? Or does everyone use the Segger J-Link?
I’d prefer to program & debug using a USB cable, but I haven’t found the recipe for setting up a Mac and a KDS profile to make that work. Do you have any pointers for that?
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Hi Robert,
I would not use OpenOCD. My experience is that it is slow, buggy and does not work reliably, and it only supports a handful of Freescale/NXP parts. Most of my students with Mac are using the Segger J-Link (OpenSDA on board circuit with Segger firmware) or Segger EDU, others are using the P&E Multilinks. You have to update the debug bootloader and firmware on the board, and depending on the current firmware on the board you will need a Windows 7 machine :-(. See https://mcuoneclipse.com/2014/11/01/illustrated-step-by-step-instructions-updating-the-freescale-freedom-board-firmware/
I hope this helps,
Erich
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Many thanks for the guidance! My Segger EDU is on order (along with the 2×5 pin header to solder onto the board).
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