About eleven months after the first release, version 1.5 of Qt for MCUs (microcontroller units) was released. The most important innovation in the framework for embedded development is an API platform, which should enable the integration of the graphics framework on any microcontroller.

Flanking offer the editors submitted a porting guide and a new set of C ++ APIs to load images into the QML GUI (General User Interface in Qt Modeling Language) used at runtime. According to the announcement in the Qt blog, the Qt team has also revised the interfaces to improve stability and fixed some problems in the previous version.

The multitude of existing and now being added chips Embedded projects evidently require the ongoing expansion of support for microcontrollers from Qt: With the release of version 1.5, the Qt team has announced that it will continuously support new MCUs in the future. Due to high-resolution displays and the further development of the hardware, according to the blog entry, the user interfaces must also be continuously adapted. With the new API platform, Qt aims to bring chips that have not yet been supported to the platform by means of a porter function through Qt Quick Ultralite. Qt for MCUs 1.5 introduces a number of APIs to enable this integration.

The platform comprises two components, the platform namespace with the functions of the Qt Quick Ultralite Engine and the platform namespace Interface in which the APIs are available to developers. The SDK of the graphics framework contains the source code of all possible platform adaptations, although developers usually do not have to implement all the functions that the platform provides, but can selectively limit themselves to the adaptations that their embedded project requires.

Extensive documentation on Qt for MCUs 1.5 offers support with porting and explains which requirements are required, how to get graphics on the screen and how to use the platform in Qt Creator. The demo platform, which has been added to the SDK and serves as a simple reference for standard cases, could also be useful. As a further innovation, the Qt team has added an Image C ++ class that developers can use to package raw image data. Interested parties can find more on this in the porting guide.

Qt for MCUs briefly explained With Qt for MCUs, applications can be created that run directly on the MCU – the abbreviation stands for a semiconductor chip with processor and peripheral functions, which combines working and program memory as a one-chip computer system. With a Qt Creator and Qt Quick Designer, developers can build applications for it and port existing Qt Quick applications for use on microcontrollers. Qt for MCUs either runs on a real-time operating system or directly on the processor in bare metal mode.

The area of ​​application is embedded systems: microcontrollers are found in everyday technical objects such as washing machines, chip cards, entertainment electronics, mobile phones and clocks, as well as in all computer peripheral devices such as keyboards, mice, scanners, printers and monitors. Microcontrollers are not identical to microprocessors, even if the boundary is fluid and some microcontrollers also include a microprocessor architecture through peripheral components.

Further information Details on the current release of the Qt for MCUs graphic framework can be found in the Qt blog entry There, the curious will also find a short video demo with a case study. All of the changes are most clearly listed in the Qt documentation. Qt for MCUs is a commercial program, the provider also provides a free test version in the download area.

(sih)