Embedded module TQMa117xL

1. Install Python3 (needed for west and helper scripts)

sudo apt install python3 python3-pip python3-venv -y

3. Setup Virtual Enviroment

python3 -m venv ~/mba117xl-env
source ~/mba117xl-env/bin/activate

2. Install Arm GNU Toolchain Download from: https://developer.arm.com/downloads/-/arm-gnu-toolchain-downloads

sudo apt install gcc-arm-none-eabi

3. Install CMake

sudo apt install cmake -y

4. (Optional) Install SEGGER J-Link for Debugging

Clone the TQMa117xL demo repository:

mkdir -p ~/workspace/NXP
cd ~/workspace
git clone https://https://github.com/tq-systems/MBa117xL.SW.MCU.BSP.git
cd MBa117xL.SW.MCU.BSP
git checkout MBa117xL.SW.MCU.BSP.0003 -b tqma117xl-bsp

Clone NXP MCUXpresso SDK via West:

pip3 install west
cd dependencies
west init -m https://github.com/NXPmicro/mcux-sdk --mr MCUX_2.16.000 mcuxsdk
cd mcuxsdk
west update

cp ../replace_include_guards.py ./

After downloading the SDK from NXP using West, the Python script replace_include_guards.py must be run once. This is required because targets set to global cannot be built in the same build folder due to the existing include guards in the CMake files in the NXP SDK.

cd ..
python3 replace_include_guards.py

VS-Code additional step:
When using Visual Studio Code as your development environment, the `.vscode` folder plays a critical role in configuring how your project is built and debugged. These files inside the `.vscode` folder are specific to your local development environment.

.vscode/
├── settings.json           → Environment vars and toolchain path
├── launch.json             → Debug configuration (e.g. for J-Link)
├── cmake-variants.yaml     → Build variants (Debug/Release + bootDisk)

Place the `.vscode` folder under:

mv ~/workspace/MBa117xL.SW.MCU.BSP/templates .vscode

You can use the templates provided in the `templates/` folder of the repository as a starting point. Open VS-Code

code .

Install Tools & Dependencies

1. Git (latest version):
   1. Download: https://git-scm.com/download/win
   2. Installation: Default settings, ensure Git is added to PATH.
   3. After installation, open Git Bash or PowerShell and run:

       git config --global core.longpaths true 

      (to minimize issues with long paths during Git operations).
      

2. Python (Version ≥ 3.10):
   1. Download: https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/
   2. Installation: Important: Enable “Add Python to PATH” or “Add python.exe to PATH”.
3. CMake (Version ≥ 3.20):
   1. Download: https://cmake.org/download/ (Windows x64 Installer).
   2. Installation: Important: Select “Add CMake to the system PATH for all users” (or “for current user”).
4. ARM GNU Toolchain (Version 14.2.rel1):
   1. Download:ARM Developer Website (Version 14.2.rel1 for AArch32 bare-metal target (arm-none-eabi), x86_64-hosted Windows ZIP).
   2. Installation: Create C:\opt and extract the archive there. The path should be: C:\opt\arm-gnu-toolchain-14.2.rel1-x86_64-arm-none-eabi.
5. Install MinGW:
   1. Download: https://sourceforge.net/projects/mingw/
   2. Follow instructions (e.g., from NXP's documentation: https://github.com/nxp-mcuxpresso/mcux-sdk/blob/main/docs/run_a_project_using_armgcc.md).
   3. Add its bin directory to the system PATH variable (e.g., <Path to MinGW>/MinGW/bin).
6. Segger J-Link Software (Version ≥ v8.83):
   1. Download: https://www.segger.com/downloads/jlink/ (“J-Link Software and Documentation Pack” for Windows).
   2. Installation: Default path (e.g., C:\Program Files\SEGGER\JLink_V838).
7. Visual Studio Code:
   1. (If you don't have it already) Download: https://code.visualstudio.com/
   2. Installation: Standard, “Add to PATH” is good.
   3. Install the necessary extentions listed here VS-CODE-Extentions

Configure Windows for Long Paths (IMPORTANT)

1. Open Registry Editor: Windows key, type regedit, run as administrator.
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
3. Create/modify value LongPathsEnabled:
   
   1. Look for LongPathsEnabled. If present, double-click and set the value to 1.
   2. If not present: Right-click → New → DWORD (32-bit) Value → Name LongPathsEnabled → Set value to 1.

Set Environment Variables

1. Windows key, type “Environment Variables”, select “Edit the system environment variables”.
2. Button “Environment Variables…”.
3. Under “System variables” (recommended) or User variables:
   1. New: Variable ARMGCC_DIR, Value C:\opt\arm-gnu-toolchain-14.2.rel1-x86_64-arm-none-eabi
   2. Edit Path and add the following entries as separate lines (adjust paths if necessary):
      1. %ARMGCC_DIR%\bin
      2. C:\Program Files\CMake\bin
      3. C:\Program Files\SEGGER\JLink_V838
      4. Paths to Python (e.g., C:\Users\YourUser\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python310 and …\Python310\Scripts) should have been set by the installer in your user variables.

Get-Command arm-none-eabi-gcc | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source
Get-Command mingw32-make | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source # oder make, je nach Installation
Get-Command cmake | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source
Get-Command python | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source
Get-Command JLinkGDBServerCL | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source
echo $env:ARMGCC_DIR

PS C:\Users\TQ-Embedded> Get-Command mingw32-make | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source # oder make, je nach Installation
C:\MinGW\bin\mingw32-make.exe
PS C:\Users\TQ-Embedded> Get-Command arm-none-eabi-gcc | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source
C:\opt\arm-gnu-toolchain-14.2.rel1-mingw-w64-i686-arm-none-eabi\bin\arm-none-eabi-gcc.exe
PS C:\Users\TQ-Embedded>
PS C:\Users\TQ-Embedded> Get-Command cmake | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source
C:\Program Files\CMake\bin\cmake.exe
PS C:\Users\TQ-Embedded> Get-Command python | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source
C:\Users\TQ-Embedded\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python313\python.exe
PS C:\Users\TQ-Embedded> Get-Command JLinkGDBServerCL | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Source
C:\Program Files\SEGGER\JLink_V762c\JLinkGDBServerCL.exe
PS C:\Users\TQ-Embedded>
PS C:\Users\TQ-Embedded> echo $env:ARMGCC_DIR
C:\opt\arm-gnu-toolchain-14.2.rel1-mingw-w64-i686-arm-none-eabi

Create Workspace

mkdir C:\workspace
cd C:\workspace

Clone the TQMa117xL demo repository:

git clone https://github.com/tq-systems/MBa117xL.SW.MCU.BSP.git
cd MBa117xL.SW.MCU.BSP
git checkout MBa117xL.SW.MCU.BSP.0003 -b tqma117xl-bsp

Set up Python Virtual Environment
This isolates the Python tools for this project.

python -m venv .tqma117xl
.\.tqma117xl\Scripts\Activate.ps1

Clone NXP MCUXpresso SDK via West:

pip install west
cd dependencies
west init -m https://github.com/NXPmicro/mcux-sdk --mr MCUX_2.16.000 mcuxsdk
cd mcuxsdk
west update

cp ../replace_include_guards.py ./

After downloading the SDK from NXP using West, the Python script replace_include_guards.py must be run once. This is required because targets set to global cannot be built in the same build folder due to the existing include guards in the CMake files in the NXP SDK.

cd ..
python.exe replace_include_guards.py

VS-Code additional step:
When using Visual Studio Code as your development environment, the `.vscode` folder plays a critical role in configuring how your project is built and debugged. These files inside the `.vscode` folder are specific to your local development environment.

.vscode/
├── settings.json           → Environment vars and toolchain path
├── launch.json             → Debug configuration (e.g. for J-Link)
├── cmake-variants.yaml     → Build variants (Debug/Release + bootDisk)

Place the `.vscode` folder under:

cd ..
mv C:\workspace\MBa117xL.SW.MCU.BSP\templates .vscode

You can use the templates provided in the `templates/` folder of the repository as a starting point. Open VS-Code

code .

Below you can find a example 'settings.json' and a 'launch.json'

{
    /* CMake configurations */
    "cmake.configureOnOpen": false,
    "cmake.preferredGenerators": [
        "Ninja",
        "Unix Makefiles",
        "MinGW Makefiles"
    ],
    "cmake.generator": "MinGW Makefiles",
    "cmake.environment": {
        "ARMGCC_DIR": "C:\\opt\\arm-gnu-toolchain-14.2.rel1-mingw-w64-i686-arm-none-eabi"
        //Under Linux: "ARMGCC_DIR": "/opt/arm-gnu-toolchain-12.2.rel1-x86_64-arm-none-eabi",
        //"MCUXSDK_ROOT": "C:\\nxp\\mcuxsdk" //can be used as alternative path for the sdk
    },
    "cmake.buildDirectory": "${sourceDirectory}/build",
    "cmake.configureSettings": {
        "CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE": "dependencies\\mcuxsdk\\core\\tools\\cmake_toolchain_files\\armgcc.cmake"
    },
    /* Debugger configurations */
    "cortex-debug.gdbPath": "C:\\opt\\arm-gnu-toolchain-14.2.rel1-mingw-w64-i686-arm-none-eabi\\bin\\arm-none-eabi-gdb.exe",
    "cortex-debug.armToolchainPath": "C:\\opt\\arm-gnu-toolchain-14.2.rel1-mingw-w64-i686-arm-none-eabi\\bin\\",
    "cortex-debug.JLinkGDBServerPath": "C:\\Program Files\\SEGGER\\JLink_V838\\JLinkGDBServerCL.exe",
    "cortex-debug.variableUseNaturalFormat": true,
    /*Styling configurations*/
    "files.insertFinalNewline": true,
    "files.trimFinalNewlines": true
}

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "pickString",
      "id": "app",
      "description": "choose your app",
      "options": [
        "demo_hello_world",
        "demo_gpio_led",
        "demo_flexcan",
        "demo_digital_io",
        "demo_afe",
        "demo_rs485",
        "demo_sdcard",
        "demo_RTC",
        "demo_eeprom",
        "demo_iot",
        "demo_usb",
        "demo_PMIC",
        "demo_spi_flash",
        "demo_SE97BTP",
        "demo_display_dsi",
        "demo_ethernet_qos",
        "demo_ethernet_1g"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "configurations": [
    {
      "showDevDebugOutput": "both",
      "type": "cortex-debug",
      "request": "launch",
      "name": "Debug J-Link Ram",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
      "servertype": "jlink",
      "device": "MIMXRT1176xxxA_M7",
      "interface": "jtag",
      "executable": "${workspaceFolder}\\build\\dist\\Debug\\TQMa1176xL_${input:app}.elf",
      "serverArgs": [
        "-endian",
        "little",
        "-LocalhostOnly",
        "-speed",
        "4000"
      ],
      "postLaunchCommands": [
        "target remote localhost:50000",
        "monitor reset",
        "monitor halt",
        "load"
      ]
    },
    {
      "showDevDebugOutput": "both",
      "type": "cortex-debug",
      "request": "launch",
      "name": "Debug J-Link Nor-Flash",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
      "servertype": "jlink",
      "device": "MIMXRT1176xxxA_M7",
      "interface": "jtag",
      "executable": "${workspaceFolder}\\build\\dist\\Debug\\Flash\\TQMa1176xL_${input:app}.elf",
      "serverArgs": [
        "-endian",
        "little",
        "-LocalhostOnly",
        "-speed",
        "4000",
        "-device",
        "MIMXRT1176xxxA_M7?BankAddr=0x30000000&Loader=nCS@AD18_CLK@AD19_D0@AD20_D1@AD21_D2@AD22_D3@AD23&BankAddr=0x60000000&Loader=nCS@SDB100_CLK@SDB101_D0@SDB102_D1@SDB103_D2@SDB104_D3@SDB105"
      ],
      "postLaunchCommands": [
        "monitor reset"
      ]
    },
    {
      "showDevDebugOutput": "both",
      "type": "cortex-debug",
      "request": "launch",
      "name": "Debug J-Link SD-Ram-Flash",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
      "servertype": "jlink",
      "device": "MIMXRT1176xxxA_M7",
      "interface": "jtag",
      "executable": "${workspaceFolder}\\build\\dist\\Debug\\SD-Ram-Flash\\TQMa1176xL_${input:app}.elf",
      "serverArgs": [
        "-endian",
        "little",
        "-LocalhostOnly",
        "-speed",
        "4000",
        "-device",
        "MIMXRT1176xxxA_M7?BankAddr=0x30000000&Loader=nCS@AD18_CLK@AD19_D0@AD20_D1@AD21_D2@AD22_D3@AD23&BankAddr=0x60000000&Loader=nCS@SDB100_CLK@SDB101_D0@SDB102_D1@SDB103_D2@SDB104_D3@SDB105"
      ],
      "postLaunchCommands": [
        "monitor reset"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

After fulfilling the preparations, VS-Code should be displaying the CMake-Tools option on the lower bar.

1. In order to build a target, select the build variant by clicking on the corresponding option in the lower bar or by selecting the CMake-Tool icon on the left hand side.
2. Choose the correct compiler (GCC 14.2.1 arm-none-eabi) and the desired build variant under “Configure”
3. Select the example application you wish to build in the “Build” option tab.
4. Finaly click “Build” in the lower bar.
5. The generated build files will be placed under C:\workspace\MBa117xL.SW.MCU.BSP\build\dist\Debug or C:\workspace\MBa117xL.SW.MCU.BSP\build\dist\Release