How to Download and Install MPASM⢠Assembler for PIC® Microcontrollers
How to Download and Install MPASMâ Assembler for PICÂ Microcontrollers
If you are working with 8-bit PICÂ microcontrollers, you may need to use the MPASMâ assembler to compile your assembly language code. MPASMâ is the standard assembler for the 8-bit PICÂ microcontroller family and it is included with MPLAB Â X IDE, a free integrated development environment from Microchip Technology Inc.
In this article, we will show you how to download and install MPASMâ assembler for Windows, and how to use it with MPLAB Â X IDE or stand-alone. We will also provide some links to useful resources for learning MPASMâ assembly language programming.
Mpasmwin.exe download
Downloading MPASMâ Assembler
You can download MPASMâ assembler for free from the Microchip website[^1^]. There are two versions of MPASMâ assembler: MPASMWIN.EXE and MPASM.EXE. The difference between them is the user interface:
MPASMWIN.EXE has a Windows shell interface. It can be used with Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT/2000 or Windows XP. You can use this version with MPLAB Â X IDE (recommended) or stand-alone[^3^].
MPASM.EXE has a command line interface. It can be used with any operating system that supports command line tools. You can use this version with MPLAB Â X IDE or stand-alone[^3^].
We recommend using MPASMWIN.EXE as it is easier to use and has more features than MPASM.EXE. However, if you prefer using command line tools, you can choose MPASM.EXE instead.
Installing MPASMâ Assembler
Once you have downloaded MPASMâ assembler, you need to extract the files to an empty folder on your computer. For example, you can extract them to C:\\MPASM. Do not extract the files into your PBP folder or any other folder that contains other files[^2^].
After extracting the files, you need to add the location of MPASMâ assembler to the PATH environment variable on your computer. This will allow you to invoke MPASMâ assembler from any folder without typing the full path. The procedure for adding a path to the PATH variable depends on your operating system:
For Windows 95/98/ME, you need to edit the autoexec.bat file that is located in the root directory of your C drive (C:\\). You can edit the file with a text editor such as Notepad, or run msconfig (Win98 and ME only). The path statement uses the format: PATH=path1;path2;.... Add the location of MPASMâ assembler to the end of the line, separating each path with a semicolon. An example path statement is: PATH=C:\\WINDOWS;C:\\PBP;C:\\MPASM. Restart your computer after making changes to the autoexec.bat file[^2^].
For Windows NT/2000/XP, you need to access the system properties dialog box. Right click the My Computer icon on your desktop and click Properties. Click the Advanced tab and then click Environment Variables. Find the Path variable in the System Variables window and click to highlight it. The Variable and Value textboxes should fill with the Path information. Add the location of MPASMâ assembler to the end of the line in the Variable Values text box, separating each path with a semicolon[^2^].
For Windows Vista/7/8/10, you need to access the system properties dialog box. Right click the Computer icon on your desktop and click Properties. Click Advanced System Settings and then click Environment Variables. Find the Path variable in the System Variables window and click Edit. In the Edit Environment Variable dialog box, click New and type the location of MPASMâ assembler[^2^].
Using MPASMâ Assembler with MPLAB Â X IDE
MPLAB Â X IDE is a free integrated development environment that supports various Microchip tools, including MPASMâ assembler. You can use MPLAB Â X IDE to create, edit, debug and program your assembly language projects for PICÂ microcontrollers.
To use MPASMâ assembler with MPLAB Â X IDE 0efd9a6b88