Designing an embedded system requires seamless coordination between hardware and software. NXP Configuration Tools offer a comprehensive, user-friendly solution to help developers streamline system setup, accelerate development and reduce errors.
These tools are available in two main versions:
Both are offered as free downloads or as web-based tools, and are also integrated directly into MCUXpresso Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and MCUXpresso Installer for Visual Studio (VS) Code.
Explore how NXP’s Config Tools are helping engineers simplify embedded system design—from pin muxing to Zephyr integration. Dive deeper by listening to our EdgeVerse Techcast episode on Apple podcasts , Spotify or YouTube.
One of the foundational tasks in embedded system design is configuring input/output (I/O) pins. With the increasing complexity of pin multiplexing and peripheral mapping, managing this manually is error-prone and time-consuming. The Pins Tool simplifies this process by providing a visual interface for exploring chip packages, identifying available signals and avoiding resource conflicts. It offers real-time conflict detection and the ability to label pins, preview package diagrams and generate detailed HTML or spreadsheet reports.
For teams collaborating across hardware and software, the Pins Tool supports configuration sharing and code generation. Developers can export C code functions that initialize pins according to predefined configurations, with support for previewing changes and automated integration into startup routines.
Modern microcontrollers often contain multiple clock sources, phase-locked loops (PLLs) and dividers—introducing billions of possible configurations. The Clocks Tool provides a graphical representation of the entire clock tree, enabling users to configure elements interactively and view the resulting frequencies in real time. It also performs constraint validation to prevent unsupported settings, reducing the need for hardware-based trial and error.
Users can lock specific frequency outputs and allow the tool to determine the optimal configuration automatically. Multiple clock schemes can be defined, with the tool generating the initialization code for each configuration, offering flexibility in runtime selection.
The Peripheral Tool further accelerates system bring-up by automating SDK driver configuration and code generation. Developers can select peripherals, adjust their modes and settings and receive complete initialization code that integrates with the appropriate SDK application programming interface (API). If a toolchain project is linked, the Config Tools ensure that the project includes the correct software components and appropriate versions.
The tool also cross-validates peripheral settings with the Pins and Clocks tools, flagging issues, such as unassigned signals or disabled clocks. For peripherals that use direct memory access (DMA), the tool provides a channel usage overview to help optimize resource allocation.
As the Zephyr real-time operating system gains popularity in embedded development, NXP is expanding Config Tools support to meet evolving needs. The Pins Tool already offers the ability to generate Zephyr-compatible device tree files. Ongoing development aims to provide broader Zephyr integration to support hardware abstraction and project scalability.
NXP Config Tools continue to evolve as a key part of the development workflow, helping engineers reduce complexity, improve consistency and accelerate time to market.
Petr Hradsky is a software architect of the configuration tools working at NXP Semiconductors. Petr has 25+ year experience in software development including development in C for embedded systems and desktop applications in JAVA, leading development team and providing customer support.