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mruby/c Workbench — PIC32MX170F256B

A lightweight desktop environment for writing, simulating, and flashing mruby/c programs to the PIC32MX170F256B microcontroller — all from one window.

What This Is

This is not a full IDE. It is a purpose-built, single-window tool that connects three things you already need:

Step Tool
Write Ruby code Built-in editor with syntax highlighting
Compile to bytecode mrbc (mruby compiler)
Test on your desktop simulator.exe — a virtual PIC32 environment
Flash to real hardware mrbwrite.exe — writes .mrb over UART to your board

Features

  • Code editor — Dark-themed, Ruby syntax highlighting, line numbers, error markers
  • One-click compile — Runs mrbc and shows errors inline in the editor
  • Built-in simulator — Output streams directly into the editor's console, no separate window
  • GPIO simulation — GPIO.new, gpio.write, gpio.read, sleep and loop all work
  • Flash writer — Integrated mrbwrite with COM port selection and baud rate config
  • Settings dialog — Configure all tool paths without touching any file

Requirements

To run the editor

  • Python 3.8+
  • PyQt6 or tkinter (tkinter is bundled with Python on Windows)
  • pyserial (optional — improves COM port detection)
pip install pyserial

To compile Ruby code

  • mrbc — the mruby compiler

    On Windows with MSYS2 UCRT64:

    pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-mruby

To flash to the real board

  • A PIC32MX170F256B board running the mruby/c firmware with UART programming support
  • mrbwrite.exe is already included as a pre-built binary

Quick Start

# 1. Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/yourname/mrubyc-workbench.git
cd mrubyc-workbench

# 2. Launch the editor
python main.py

On first launch, go to Settings → Tool Paths to point the editor at your mrbc.exe on disk.

Usage

Writing Code

Write standard mruby/c-compatible Ruby in the editor. The supported subset follows the mruby/c language spec.

Example — blink an LED:

gpio = GPIO.new(5, GPIO::OUT)

loop do
  gpio.write(1)
  sleep(1)
  gpio.write(0)
  sleep(1)
end

Compiling

Click Compile (or press Ctrl+B). If there are errors, the offending line is highlighted in red and the message appears in the console.

Running in the Simulator

Click Run in Simulator. The virtual PIC32 boots, loads your bytecode into simulated 256 KB Flash, and runs the mruby/c VM. All puts output appears live in the console. Press Stop to kill it at any time.

Flashing to the Board

  1. Select your COM port from the dropdown (auto-detected).
  2. Click Write to Board.
  3. The editor runs mrbwrite and streams its output to the console.

Note: The board must be in programming mode. Power-cycle it (or press SW1) while mrbwrite is running.

Simulated Peripherals

The simulator implements a real software model of the PIC32MX170F256B peripheral registers.

Class / Method Description
GPIO.new(pin, mode) Configure a GPIO pin
GPIO::OUT, GPIO::IN Pin direction constants
GPIO::PULL_UP, GPIO::PULL_DOWN, GPIO::HIGH_Z Input mode constants
gpio.write(value) Drive pin HIGH (1) or LOW (0)
gpio.read Read pin state
gpio.high? / gpio.low? Predicate methods
leds_write(mask) Control up to 4 onboard LEDs by bitmask
sw Read the onboard switch state
sleep(seconds) Real-time delay

Project Structure

.
├── main.py                          # The desktop editor (Python/Tkinter)
├── simulator.exe                    # Pre-built Windows simulator binary
├── mrbwrite.exe                     # Pre-built Windows flash writer binary
├── simulator_main.cpp               # Simulator entry point and VM setup
├── model_dependent.cpp / .h         # Simulated PIC32 peripheral register layer
├── pic32mx.h / xc.h                 # Hardware abstraction headers
├── Makefile                         # Build system for simulator.exe
├── sys/                             # Compiler compatibility shims
├── mrbwrite/                        # mrbwrite source code (submodule)
│   ├── mrbwrite.cpp
│   ├── mrbwrite.h
│   └── mrbwrite.pro                 # Qt project file
└── pic32mx170_mrubyc-master/        # mruby/c VM source code
    └── src/                         # VM core (vm.c, alloc.c, class.c, ...)

Building from Source

If you want to recompile simulator.exe yourself, you need the MSYS2 UCRT64 toolchain:

# Install MSYS2 from https://www.msys2.org, then:
pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-gcc mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-mruby

# In the project root (using UCRT64 shell):
make

To recompile mrbwrite.exe, Qt6 with SerialPort support is required:

pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-qt6-base mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-qt6-serialport

cd mrbwrite
qmake mrbwrite.pro
make release

Third-Party Licenses

This project bundles compiled binaries and source code from the following open-source projects. Their licenses are reproduced in full below as required.

mruby/c VM

Source: https://github.com/mrubyc/mrubyc Included in: pic32mx170_mrubyc-master/

BSD 3-Clause License

Copyright (C) 2015-     Kyushu Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.
Copyright (C) 2015-2026 Shimane IT Open-Innovation Center. All rights reserved.
Copyright (C) 2026-     Shimane Institute for Industrial Technology. All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this
   list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
   this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
   and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its
   contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from
   this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS"
AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER
CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY,
OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

mrbwrite

Source: https://github.com/mrubyc/mrbwrite Included in: mrbwrite/ and mrbwrite.exe

BSD 3-Clause License

Copyright (c) 2015- Kyushu Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2015- Shimane IT Open-Innovation Center. All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this
   list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
   this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
   and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its
   contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from
   this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS"
AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER
CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY,
OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

pic32mx170_mrubyc Firmware / HAL

Source: https://github.com/kishima/pic32mx170_mrubyc Included in: pic32mx170_mrubyc-master/

BSD 3-Clause License

Copyright (c) 2020, Shimane Johoshori Center Inc.
All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this
   list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
   this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
   and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its
   contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from
   this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS"
AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER
CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY,
OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

License

The original code in this repository (main.py, simulator_main.cpp, model_dependent.cpp) is released under the BSD 3-Clause License.

About

Desktop editor and simulator for mruby/c on the PIC32MX170F256B — write Ruby, test locally, flash to hardware.

Topics

ruby desktop-app python microcontroller embedded simulator mruby pic32 mrubyc rboard

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