Use hardware definitions
Important
This is the Azure Sphere (Legacy) documentation. Azure Sphere (Legacy) is retiring on 27 September 2027, and users must migrate to Azure Sphere (Integrated) by this time. Use the Version selector located above the TOC to view the Azure Sphere (Integrated) documentation.
This topic describes how to use hardware definitions in your high-level application. See Hardware definitions for more detailed information about hardware definitions, including how to create your own hardware definition files.
Note
The directory containing the JSON hardware definitions also contains an inc/hw sub-directory for the equivalent header file definitions.
Use a hardware definition from the SDK
The HardwareDefinitions directory in the Azure Sphere SDK contains definitions for common Azure Sphere boards and the chips they use. This directory is %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Azure Sphere SDK\HardwareDefinitions
on Windows and /opt/azurespheresdk/HardwareDefinitions
on Linux.
In CMakelists.txt search for the function
azsphere_target_hardware_definition
and set theTARGET_DEFINITION
parameter to the hardware definition JSON file for the target board. The following example shows how to set theTARGET_DEFINITION
parameter if your application uses the MT3620 Reference Development Board (RDB):azsphere_target_hardware_definition(${PROJECT_NAME} TARGET_DEFINITION "mt3620_rdb.json")
In main.c, include the corresponding hardware definition header file for the target board:
#include "hw/mt3620_rdb.h"
See the header file or the JSON file to get information about the identifier and the type of peripherals used in your application. Create or modify your application code accordingly.
For example, an application that targets the MT3620 Reference Development Board (RDB) uses an on-board LED. The constant used to identify the LED is defined in the header file mt3620_rdb.h as follows:
// LED 1 Red channel uses GPIO8. #define MT3620_RDB_LED1_RED MT3620_GPIO8
The following line initializes the LED using the information provided in the hardware definition.
int fd = GPIO_OpenAsOutput(MT3620_RDB_LED1_RED, GPIO_OutputMode_PushPull, GPIO_Value_High);
Update the application manifest to enable the peripherals that the app is now using:
"Capabilities": { "Gpio": [ "MT3620_RDB_LED1_RED" ]},
Compile and package the application.
Use a hardware definition that is not installed with the SDK
In CMakelists.txt search for the
azsphere_target_hardware_definition
function .Set the
TARGET_DIRECTORY
parameter with the relative or absolute path or paths to the directory or directories containing the hardware definition files you want to use.Set the
TARGET_DEFINITION
parameter to the name of the hardware definition JSON file. The build process searches for this file, and any files that it imports, in the target directories in the order listed, and then in the SDK itself.azsphere_target_hardware_definition(${PROJECT_NAME} TARGET_DIRECTORY "<path>/my_app/contoso_hardware_definitions" TARGET_DEFINITION "contoso_board.json")
Specify each target directory in double quotation marks, and separate directory names with spaces. In the example, <path> represents the path to the my_app folder.
In main.c include the hardware definition header file for the target board. The build process will search for this file, and those files that it includes, in the 'inc' subdirectory of the target directories in the order listed, and then in the SDK itself. Hence, following convention, the following will find contoso_board.h in inc/hw sub-directory of the target directories:
#include "hw/contoso_board.h"
See the header file or the JSON file to get information about the identifier and the type of peripherals used in your application. Create or modify your application code accordingly.
int fd = GPIO_OpenAsOutput(CONTOSO_BOARD_LED_RED, GPIO_OutputMode_PushPull, GPIO_Value_High);
Update the application manifest (app_manifest.json) to enable the peripherals that the app is now using:
"Capabilities": { "Gpio": [ "CONTOSO_BOARD_LED_RED" ]},
Compile and package the application.