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Quickstart: Connect an NXP MIMXRT1060-EVK Evaluation kit to IoT Central

  • Article

Applies to: Embedded device development
Total completion time: 30 minutes

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Browse code

In this quickstart, you use Azure RTOS to connect the NXP MIMXRT1060-EVK Evaluation kit (from now on, the NXP EVK) to Azure IoT.

You'll complete the following tasks:

  • Install a set of embedded development tools for programming an NXP EVK in C
  • Build an image and flash it onto the NXP EVK
  • Use Azure IoT Central to create cloud components, view properties, view device telemetry, and call direct commands

Prerequisites

  • A PC running Windows 10

  • Git for cloning the repository

  • Hardware

    • The NXP MIMXRT1060-EVK (NXP EVK)
    • USB 2.0 A male to Micro USB male cable
    • Wired Ethernet access
    • Ethernet cable

  • An active Azure subscription. If you don't have an Azure subscription, create a free account before you begin.

Prepare the development environment

To set up your development environment, first you clone a GitHub repo that contains all the assets you need for the quickstart. Then you install a set of programming tools.

Clone the repo for the quickstart

Clone the following repo to download all sample device code, setup scripts, and offline versions of the documentation. If you previously cloned this repo in another quickstart, you don't need to do it again.

To clone the repo, run the following command:

git clone --recursive https://github.com/azure-rtos/getting-started.git

Install the tools

The cloned repo contains a setup script that installs and configures the required tools. If you installed these tools in another embedded device quickstart, you don't need to do it again.

Note

The setup script installs the following tools:

To install the tools:

  1. From File Explorer, navigate to the following path in the repo and run the setup script named get-toolchain.bat:

    getting-started\tools\get-toolchain.bat

  2. After the installation, open a new console window to recognize the configuration changes made by the setup script. Use this console to complete the remaining programming tasks in the quickstart. You can use Windows CMD, PowerShell, or Git Bash for Windows.

  3. Run the following code to confirm that CMake version 3.14 or later is installed.

    cmake --version

Create the cloud components

Create the IoT Central application

There are several ways to connect devices to Azure IoT. In this section, you learn how to connect a device by using Azure IoT Central. IoT Central is an IoT application platform that reduces the cost and complexity of creating and managing IoT solutions.

To create a new application:

  1. From Azure IoT Central portal, select Build on the side navigation menu.

    Note

    If you have an existing IoT Central application, you can use it to complete the steps in this article rather than create a new application. In this case, we recommend that you either create a new device or delete and recreate the device if you want to use an existing device ID.

  2. Select Create app in the Custom app tile.

    Screenshot of create a custom app in Azure IoT Central

  3. Add Application Name and a URL.

  4. Select one of the standard pricing plans. Select your Directory, Azure subscription, and Location. To learn about creating IoT Central applications, see Create an IoT Central application. To learn about pricing, see Azure IoT Central pricing.

    Screenshot of entering information for the new app in Azure IoT Central

  5. Select Create. After IoT Central provisions the application, it redirects you automatically to the new application dashboard.

Create a new device

In this section, you use the IoT Central application dashboard to create a new device. You'll use the connection information for the newly created device to securely connect your physical device in a later section.

To create a device:

  1. From the application dashboard, select Devices on the side navigation menu.

  2. Select Create a device from the All devices pane to open the Create a new device window. (If you're reusing an existing application that already has one or more devices, select + New to open the window.)

  3. Leave Device template as Unassigned.

  4. Fill in the desired Device name and Device ID.

    Screenshot of entering information for a new device in Azure IoT Central

  5. Select the Create button.

  6. The newly created device will appear in the All devices list. Select on the device name to show details.

  7. Select Connect in the top right menu bar to display the connection information used to configure the device in the next section.

    Screenshot of device connection details in Azure IoT Central

  8. Note the connection values for the following connection string parameters displayed in Connect dialog. You'll add these values to a configuration file in the next step:

    • ID scope
    • Device ID
    • Primary key

Prepare the device

To connect the NXP EVK to Azure, you'll modify a configuration file for Azure IoT settings, rebuild the image, and flash the image to the device.

Add configuration

  1. Open the following file in a text editor:

    getting-started\NXP\MIMXRT1060-EVK\app\azure_config.h

  2. Set the Azure IoT device information constants to the values that you saved after you created Azure resources.

    Constant name Value
    IOT_DPS_ID_SCOPE {Your ID scope value}
    IOT_DPS_REGISTRATION_ID {Your Device ID value}
    IOT_DEVICE_SAS_KEY {Your Primary key value}

  3. Save and close the file.

Build the image

  1. In your console or in File Explorer, run the script rebuild.bat at the following path to build the image:

    getting-started\NXP\MIMXRT1060-EVK\tools\rebuild.bat

  2. After the build completes, confirm that the binary file was created in the following path:

    getting-started\NXP\MIMXRT1060-EVK\build\app\mimxrt1060_azure_iot.bin

Flash the image

  1. On the NXP EVK, locate the Reset button, the Micro USB port, and the Ethernet port. You use these components in the following steps. All three are highlighted in the following picture:

    Photo showing the NXP EVK board.

  2. Connect the Micro USB cable to the Micro USB port on the NXP EVK, and then connect it to your computer. After the device powers up, a solid green LED shows the power status.

  3. Use the Ethernet cable to connect the NXP EVK to an Ethernet port.

  4. In File Explorer, find the binary file that you created in the previous section.

  5. Copy the binary file mimxrt1060_azure_iot.bin

  6. In File Explorer, find the NXP EVK device connected to your computer. The device appears as a drive on your system with the drive label RT1060-EVK.

  7. Paste the binary file into the root folder of the NXP EVK. Flashing starts automatically and completes in a few seconds.

    Note

    During the flashing process, a red LED blinks rapidly on the NXP EVK.

Confirm device connection details

You can use the Termite app to monitor communication and confirm that your device is set up correctly.

  1. Start Termite.

    Tip

    If you have issues getting your device to initialize or connect after flashing, see Troubleshooting.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. In the Serial port settings dialog, check the following settings and update if needed:

    • Baud rate: 115,200
    • Port: The port that your NXP EVK is connected to. If there are multiple port options in the dropdown, you can find the correct port to use. Open Windows Device Manager, and view Ports to identify which port to use.

    Screenshot of serial port settings in the Termite app.

  4. Select OK.

  5. Press the Reset button on the device. The button is labeled on the device and located near the Micro USB connector.

  6. In the Termite app, check the following checkpoint values to confirm that the device is initialized and connected to Azure IoT.

    Starting Azure thread

Initializing DHCP
     IP address: 192.168.0.19
     Mask: 255.255.255.0
     Gateway: 192.168.0.1
SUCCESS: DHCP initialized

Initializing DNS client
     DNS address: 75.75.75.75
SUCCESS: DNS client initialized

Initializing SNTP client
     SNTP server 0.pool.ntp.org
     SNTP IP address: 108.62.122.57
     SNTP time update: May 20, 2021 19:41:20.319 UTC 
SUCCESS: SNTP initialized

Initializing Azure IoT DPS client
     DPS endpoint: global.azure-devices-provisioning.net
     DPS ID scope: ***
     Registration ID: mydevice
SUCCESS: Azure IoT DPS client initialized

Initializing Azure IoT Hub client
     Hub hostname: ***.azure-devices.net
     Device id: mydevice
     Model id: dtmi:azurertos:devkit:gsg;1
Connected to IoT Hub
SUCCESS: Azure IoT Hub client initialized

Keep Termite open to monitor device output in the following steps.

Prerequisites

  • A PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11

  • Hardware

    • The NXP MIMXRT1060-EVK (NXP EVK)
    • USB 2.0 A male to Micro USB male cable
    • Wired Ethernet access
    • Ethernet cable

  • IAR Embedded Workbench for ARM (IAR EW). You can download and install a 14-day free trial of IAR EW for ARM.

  • Download the NXP MIMXRT1060-EVK IAR sample from Azure RTOS samples, and unzip it to a working directory. Choose a directory with a short path to avoid compiler errors when you build.

Create the cloud components

Create the IoT Central application

There are several ways to connect devices to Azure IoT. In this section, you learn how to connect a device by using Azure IoT Central. IoT Central is an IoT application platform that reduces the cost and complexity of creating and managing IoT solutions.

To create a new application:

  1. From Azure IoT Central portal, select Build on the side navigation menu.

    Note

    If you have an existing IoT Central application, you can use it to complete the steps in this article rather than create a new application. In this case, we recommend that you either create a new device or delete and recreate the device if you want to use an existing device ID.

  2. Select Create app in the Custom app tile.

    Screenshot of create a custom app in Azure IoT Central

  3. Add Application Name and a URL.

  4. Select one of the standard pricing plans. Select your Directory, Azure subscription, and Location. To learn about creating IoT Central applications, see Create an IoT Central application. To learn about pricing, see Azure IoT Central pricing.

    Screenshot of entering information for the new app in Azure IoT Central

  5. Select Create. After IoT Central provisions the application, it redirects you automatically to the new application dashboard.

Create a new device

In this section, you use the IoT Central application dashboard to create a new device. You'll use the connection information for the newly created device to securely connect your physical device in a later section.

To create a device:

  1. From the application dashboard, select Devices on the side navigation menu.

  2. Select Create a device from the All devices pane to open the Create a new device window. (If you're reusing an existing application that already has one or more devices, select + New to open the window.)

  3. Leave Device template as Unassigned.

  4. Fill in the desired Device name and Device ID.

    Screenshot of entering information for a new device in Azure IoT Central

  5. Select the Create button.

  6. The newly created device will appear in the All devices list. Select on the device name to show details.

  7. Select Connect in the top right menu bar to display the connection information used to configure the device in the next section.

    Screenshot of device connection details in Azure IoT Central

  8. Note the connection values for the following connection string parameters displayed in Connect dialog. You'll add these values to a configuration file in the next step:

    • ID scope
    • Device ID
    • Primary key

Prepare the device

In this section, you use IAR EW IDE to modify a configuration file for Azure IoT settings, build the sample client application, download and then run it on the device.

Connect the device

  1. On the NXP EVK, locate the Reset button, the Micro USB port, and the Ethernet port. You use these components in the following steps. All three are highlighted in the following picture:

    Photo of the NXP EVK board.

  2. Connect the Micro USB cable to the Micro USB port on the NXP EVK, and then connect it to your computer. After the device powers up, a solid green LED shows the power status.

  3. Use the Ethernet cable to connect the NXP EVK to an Ethernet port.

Configure, build, flash, and run the image

  1. Open the IAR EW app on your computer.

  2. Select File > Open workspace, navigate to the mimxrt1060\iar folder in the working folder where you extracted the zip file, and open the azure_rtos.eww workspace file.

    Screenshot showing the open IAR workspace.

  3. Right-click the sample_azure_iot_embedded_sdk_pnp project in the left Workspace pane and select Set as active.

  4. Expand the project, then expand the Sample subfolder and open the sample_config.h file.

  5. Near the top of the file, uncomment the #define ENABLE_DPS_SAMPLE directive.

    #define ENABLE_DPS_SAMPLE

  6. Set the Azure IoT device information constants to the values that you saved after you created Azure resources. The ENDPOINT constant is set to the global endpoint for Azure Device Provisioning Service (DPS).

    Constant name Value
    ENDPOINT "global.azure-devices-provisioning.net"
    ID_SCOPE {Your ID scope value}
    REGISTRATION_ID {Your Device ID value}
    DEVICE_SYMMETRIC_KEY {Your Primary key value}

    Note

    TheENDPOINT, ID_SCOPE, and REGISTRATION_ID values are set in a #ifndef ENABLE_DPS_SAMPLE statement. Make sure you set the values in the #else statement, which will be used when the ENABLE_DPS_SAMPLE value is defined.

  7. Save the file.

  8. Select Project > Batch Build. Then select build_all and Make to build all projects. You'll see build output in the Build pane. Confirm the successful compilation and linking of all sample projects.

  9. Select the green Download and Debug button in the toolbar to download the program.

  10. After the image has finished downloading, Select Go to run the sample.

  11. Select View > Terminal I/O to open a terminal window that prints status and output messages.

Confirm device connection details

In the terminal window, you should see output like the following, to verify that the device is initialized and connected to Azure IoT.

DHCP In Progress...
IP address: 192.168.1.24
Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.1.1
DNS Server address: 192.168.1.1
SNTP Time Sync...0.pool.ntp.org
SNTP Time Sync successfully.
[INFO] Azure IoT Security Module has been enabled, status=0
Start Provisioning Client...
[INFO] IoTProvisioning client connect pending
Registered Device Successfully.
IoTHub Host Name: iotc-********-****-****-****-************.azure-devices.net; Device ID: mydevice.
Connected to IoTHub.
Sent properties request.
Telemetry message send: {"temperature":22}.
Received all properties
[INFO] Azure IoT Security Module message is empty
Telemetry message send: {"temperature":22}.
Telemetry message send: {"temperature":22}.

Keep the terminal open to monitor device output in the following steps.

Prerequisites

  • A PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11

  • Hardware

    • The NXP MIMXRT1060-EVK (NXP EVK)
    • USB 2.0 A male to Micro USB male cable
    • Wired Ethernet access
    • Ethernet cable

  • MCUXpresso IDE (MCUXpresso), version 11.3.1 or later. Download and install a free copy of MCUXPresso.

  • Download the MIMXRT1060-EVK SDK 2.9.0 or later. After you sign in, the website lets you build a custom SDK archive to download. After you select the EVK MIMXRT1060 board and select the option to build the SDK, you can download the zip archive. The only SDK component to include is the preselected SDMMC Stack.

  • Download the NXP MIMXRT1060-EVK MCUXpresso sample from Azure RTOS samples, and unzip it to a working directory. Choose a directory with a short path to avoid compiler errors when you build.

Create the cloud components

Create the IoT Central application

There are several ways to connect devices to Azure IoT. In this section, you learn how to connect a device by using Azure IoT Central. IoT Central is an IoT application platform that reduces the cost and complexity of creating and managing IoT solutions.

To create a new application:

  1. From Azure IoT Central portal, select Build on the side navigation menu.

    Note

    If you have an existing IoT Central application, you can use it to complete the steps in this article rather than create a new application. In this case, we recommend that you either create a new device or delete and recreate the device if you want to use an existing device ID.

  2. Select Create app in the Custom app tile.

    Screenshot of create a custom app in Azure IoT Central

  3. Add Application Name and a URL.

  4. Select one of the standard pricing plans. Select your Directory, Azure subscription, and Location. To learn about creating IoT Central applications, see Create an IoT Central application. To learn about pricing, see Azure IoT Central pricing.

    Screenshot of entering information for the new app in Azure IoT Central

  5. Select Create. After IoT Central provisions the application, it redirects you automatically to the new application dashboard.

Create a new device

In this section, you use the IoT Central application dashboard to create a new device. You'll use the connection information for the newly created device to securely connect your physical device in a later section.

To create a device:

  1. From the application dashboard, select Devices on the side navigation menu.

  2. Select Create a device from the All devices pane to open the Create a new device window. (If you're reusing an existing application that already has one or more devices, select + New to open the window.)

  3. Leave Device template as Unassigned.

  4. Fill in the desired Device name and Device ID.

    Screenshot of entering information for a new device in Azure IoT Central

  5. Select the Create button.

  6. The newly created device will appear in the All devices list. Select on the device name to show details.

  7. Select Connect in the top right menu bar to display the connection information used to configure the device in the next section.

    Screenshot of device connection details in Azure IoT Central

  8. Note the connection values for the following connection string parameters displayed in Connect dialog. You'll add these values to a configuration file in the next step:

    • ID scope
    • Device ID
    • Primary key

Prepare the environment

In this section, you prepare your environment, and use MCUXpresso to build and run the sample application on the device.

Install the device SDK

  1. Open MCUXpresso, and in the Home view, select IDE to switch to the main IDE.

  2. Make sure the Installed SDKs window is displayed in the IDE, then drag and drop your downloaded MIMXRT1060-EVK SDK zip archive onto the window to install it.

    The IDE with the installed SDK looks like the following screenshot:

    Screenshot showing the MIMXRT 1060 SDK installed in MCUXpresso.

Import and configure the sample project

  1. In the Quickstart Panel of the IDE, select Import project(s) from file system.

  2. In the Import Projects dialog, select the root working folder that you extracted from the Azure RTOS sample zip file, then select Next.

  3. Clear the option to Copy projects into workspace. Leave all check boxes in the Projects list selected.

  4. Select Finish. The project opens in MCUXpresso.

  5. In Project Explorer, select and expand the project named sample_azure_iot_embedded_sdk_pnp, then open the sample_config.h file.

    Screenshot showing a loaded project in MCUXpresso.

  6. Near the top of the file, uncomment the #define ENABLE_DPS_SAMPLE directive.

    #define ENABLE_DPS_SAMPLE

  7. Set the Azure IoT device information constants to the values that you saved after you created Azure resources. The ENDPOINT constant is set to the global endpoint for Azure Device Provisioning Service (DPS).

    Constant name Value
    ENDPOINT "global.azure-devices-provisioning.net"
    ID_SCOPE {Your ID scope value}
    REGISTRATION_ID {Your Device ID value}
    DEVICE_SYMMETRIC_KEY {Your Primary key value}

    Note

    TheENDPOINT, ID_SCOPE, and REGISTRATION_ID values are set in a #ifndef ENABLE_DPS_SAMPLE statement. Make sure you set the values in the #else statement, which will be used when the ENABLE_DPS_SAMPLE value is defined.

  8. Save and close the file.

Build and run the sample

  1. In MCUXpresso, build the project sample_azure_iot_embedded_sdk_pnp by selecting the Project > Build Project menu option, or by selecting the Build 'Debug' for [project name] toolbar button.

  2. On the NXP EVK, locate the Reset button, the Micro USB port, and the Ethernet port. You use these components in the following steps. All three are highlighted in the following picture:

    Photo showing components on the NXP EVK board.

  3. Connect the Micro USB cable to the Micro USB port on the NXP EVK, and then connect it to your computer. After the device powers up, a solid green LED shows the power status.

  4. Use the Ethernet cable to connect the NXP EVK to an Ethernet port.

  5. Open Windows Device Manager, expand the Ports (COM & LPT) node, and confirm which COM port is being used by your connected device. You use this information to configure a terminal in the next step.

  6. In MCUXpresso, configure a terminal window by selecting Open a Terminal in the toolbar, or by pressing CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+T.

  7. In the Choose Terminal dropdown, select Serial Terminal, configure the options as in the following screenshot, and select OK. In this case, the NXP EVK device is connected to the COM3 port on a local computer.

    Screenshot of configuring a serial terminal.

    Note

    The terminal window appears in the lower half of the IDE and might initially display garbage characters until you download and run the sample.

  8. Select the Start Debugging project [project name] toolbar button. This action downloads the project to the device, and runs it.

  9. After the code hits a break in the IDE, select the Resume (F8) toolbar button.

  10. In the lower half of the IDE, select your terminal window so that you can see the output. Press the RESET button on the NXP EVK to force it to reconnect.

Confirm device connection details

In the terminal window, you should see output like the following, to verify that the device is initialized and connected to Azure IoT.

DHCP In Progress...
IP address: 192.168.1.24
Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.1.1
DNS Server address: 192.168.1.1
SNTP Time Sync...0.pool.ntp.org
SNTP Time Sync successfully.
[INFO] Azure IoT Security Module has been enabled, status=0
Start Provisioning Client...
[INFO] IoTProvisioning client connect pending
Registered Device Successfully.
IoTHub Host Name: iotc-********-****-****-****-************.azure-devices.net; Device ID: mydevice.
Connected to IoTHub.
Sent properties request.
Telemetry message send: {"temperature":22}.
Received all properties
[INFO] Azure IoT Security Module message is empty
Telemetry message send: {"temperature":22}.
Telemetry message send: {"temperature":22}.

Keep the terminal open to monitor device output in the following steps.

Verify the device status

To view the device status in IoT Central portal:

  1. From the application dashboard, select Devices on the side navigation menu.

  2. Confirm that the Device status is updated to Provisioned.

  3. Confirm that the Device template value is updated to a named template.

    Screenshot of device status in IoT Central.

    Screenshot of NXP device status in IoT Central.

View telemetry

With IoT Central, you can view the flow of telemetry from your device to the cloud.

To view telemetry in IoT Central portal:

  1. From the application dashboard, select Devices on the side navigation menu.

  2. Select the device from the device list.

  3. View the telemetry as the device sends messages to the cloud in the Overview tab.

  4. The temperature is measured from the MCU wafer.

    Screenshot of device telemetry in IoT Central.

    Screenshot of NXP device telemetry in IoT Central.

Call a direct method on the device

You can also use IoT Central to call a direct method that you've implemented on your device. Direct methods have a name, and can optionally have a JSON payload, configurable connection, and method timeout.

To call a method in IoT Central portal:

  1. Select the Command tab from the device page.

  2. In the State dropdown, select True, and then select Run. There will be no change on the device as there isn't an available LED to toggle. However, you can view the output in Termite to monitor the status of the methods.

    Screenshot of calling a direct method on a device in IoT Central.

  3. In the State dropdown, select False, and then select Run.

  1. Select the Command tab from the device page.

  2. In the Since field, use the date picker and time selectors to set a time, then select Run.

    Screenshot of calling a direct method on an NXP device in IoT Central.

  3. You can see the command invocation in the terminal. In this case, because the sample thermostat application prints a simulated temperature value, there won't be minimum or maximum values during the time range.

    Received command: getMaxMinReport

    Note

    You can also view the command invocation and response on the Raw data tab on the device page in IoT Central.

View device information

You can view the device information from IoT Central.

Select About tab from the device page.

Screenshot of device information in IoT Central.

Screenshot of NXP device information in IoT Central.

Tip

To customize these views, edit the device template.

Troubleshoot and debug

If you experience issues building the device code, flashing the device, or connecting, see Troubleshooting.

For debugging the application, see Debugging with Visual Studio Code.

If you need help with debugging the application, see the selections under Help in IAR EW for ARM.

If you need help with debugging the application, in MCUXpresso open the Help > MCUXPresso IDE User Guide and see the content on Azure RTOS debugging.

Clean up resources

If you no longer need the Azure resources created in this quickstart, you can delete them from the IoT Central portal.

To remove the entire Azure IoT Central sample application and all its devices and resources:

  1. Select Administration > Your application.
  2. Select Delete.

Next steps

In this quickstart, you built a custom image that contains Azure RTOS sample code, and then flashed the image to the NXP EVK device. You also used the IoT Central portal to create Azure resources, connect the NXP EVK securely to Azure, view telemetry, and send messages.

As a next step, explore the following articles to learn more about using the IoT device SDKs to connect devices to Azure IoT.

Connect a device to IoT Central

Connect a device to IoT Hub

Important

Azure RTOS provides OEMs with components to secure communication and to create code and data isolation using underlying MCU/MPU hardware protection mechanisms. However, each OEM is ultimately responsible for ensuring that their device meets evolving security requirements.