IDE offers a unified development experience that is cross-platform and scalable

Microchip has released the MPLAB X IDE version 5.05 which beta supports the majority of AVR MCUs. This release enables designers who traditionally used PIC MCUs and developed with the MPLAB ecosystem to easily evaluate and incorporate AVR MCUs into their applications. Support for further AVR MCUs and enhancements will be added in future MPLAB versions. AVR support continues to be added to Atmel Studio 7 and Atmel START for current and future AVR devices. The version 5.05 offers a unified development experience that is cross-platform and scalable with compatibility on Windows, MacOS and Linux operating systems, enabling designers to create with AVR MCUs on their hardware system of choice. The tool chain has been improved with support for the company's code configuration tool, MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC), making it easy for developers to configure software components and device settings such as peripherals, clocks and pin layout with the tool’s menu-driven interface. MCC can also generate code for particular development boards, such as the company’s Curiosity ATMega4809 Nano development board and current AVR Xplained development boards. Most development boards available can programme and evaluate AVR MCUs supported by the MPLAB ecosystem and MCC. Xplained development boards are compatible with START and are now compatible with MPLAB X IDE. These development boards are cost-effective, fully integrated MCU development platforms aimed at first-time users, makers, and those seeking a feature-rich rapid prototyping board. The platform comprises an integrated programmer/debugger and needs no further hardware to get started.