SDK Builder#

Download customized MCUXpresso SDK packages using the online SDK Builder tool.

Overview#

The SDK Builder (https://mcuxpresso.nxp.com/) provides a web-based interface to create customized SDK packages with:

Board-specific configurations
Selected middleware components
Chosen toolchain support
Example applications
Documentation

This method is ideal for:

Offline development environments
Classic IDE workflows (IAR, Keil, MCUXpresso IDE)
Controlled SDK versions
Environments with limited internet access

Accessing SDK Builder#

Step 1: Navigate to SDK Builder#

Visit: https://mcuxpresso.nxp.com/

Step 2: Select Your Board#

Click Select Development Board
Browse or search for your board (e.g., “FRDM-MCXW23”)
Click on your board to select it

Alternatively, select by processor:

Click Select a Processor
Choose your MCU family and specific part number

Step 3: Review Board Information#

The SDK Builder displays:

Board overview and features
Supported peripherals
Available middleware
Documentation links

Configuring Your SDK Package#

Toolchain Selection#

Select the toolchains you plan to use:

☑ MCUXpresso IDE - NXP’s Eclipse-based IDE
☑ IAR Embedded Workbench - Professional development environment
☑ Keil MDK - ARM ecosystem integration
☑ ARMGCC / VSCODE - Open-source toolchain

Recommendation: Select toolchain you might use, the ARMGCC / VSCODE is exclusive option comparing to others.

Operating System Selection#

Choose RTOS support:

☑ Bare Metal - No RTOS, direct hardware access
☑ FreeRTOS - Popular open-source RTOS
☐ Zephyr - (Use GitHub installation for Zephyr)

Recommendation: Include FreeRTOS even for bare-metal projects. Examples are valuable learning resources.

Middleware Components#

Select middleware based on your application needs:

Connectivity:

☑ USB Stack - USB device/host/OTG support
☑ lwIP - Lightweight TCP/IP stack
☑ FatFs - FAT file system
☐ Ethernet - If your board has Ethernet

Wireless:

☑ Bluetooth LE - For BLE-enabled MCUs
☑ IEEE 802.15.4 - For Thread/Zigbee applications
☐ Wi-Fi - If using Wi-Fi modules

Graphics:

☐ emWin - GUI library (if using displays)
☐ LVGL - Open-source GUI library

Security:

☑ mbedTLS - Cryptographic library
☐ Secure Subsystem - For secure boot/TrustZone

Audio/Voice:

☐ Voice Seeker - Voice recognition
☐ Audio Processing - DSP libraries

Machine Learning:

☐ eIQ - ML inference engines
☐ TensorFlow Lite Micro

Tip: Start with minimal selection. You can always download additional components later.

Example Applications#

Choose example categories:

☑ demo_apps - Full-featured demonstrations
☑ driver_examples - Peripheral driver examples
☑ hello_world - Basic getting started example
☐ rtos_examples - RTOS usage examples
☐ usb_examples - USB stack examples
☐ middleware_examples - Middleware demonstrations

Recommendation: Include demo_apps and driver_examples for comprehensive learning resources.

Downloading the SDK#

Step 1: Review Configuration#

Click Review Configuration to see your selections:

Total package size estimate
Included components list
Toolchain support

Step 2: Download#

Click Download SDK
Accept the license agreement
Optionally provide email for notifications
Click Download

The SDK downloads as a ZIP archive (typically 500 MB - 2 GB depending on selections).

Step 3: Save the Archive#

Save the ZIP file to a known location:

C:\MCUXpresso\SDKs\ (Windows)
~/MCUXpresso/SDKs/ (Linux/macOS)

Tip: Include board name and version in filename:

SDK_2.15.0_FRDM-MCXW23.zip

Installing the Downloaded SDK#

For MCUXpresso IDE#

Open MCUXpresso IDE
Window → Preferences → MCUXpresso SDK
Click Import SDK Archive
Browse to downloaded ZIP file
Click OK

The SDK is now available for project creation.

For IAR Embedded Workbench#

Extract the ZIP archive to a permanent location
Open IAR EWARM
Navigate to extracted SDK folder
Open example projects from boards/<board>/iar_examples/

For Keil MDK#

Extract the ZIP archive
Install CMSIS Pack from SDK:
- Navigate to <SDK>/CMSIS_Packs/
- Double-click the .pack file to install
Open Keil µVision
Create new project using installed pack

For Command Line (ARM GCC)#

Extract the ZIP archive to a permanent location
Navigate to the mcuxsdk folder, build specified example:

west build -b your_board examples/demo_apps/hello_world

Package Structure#

The package structure differs from IAR/MDK/MCUX/CodeWarrior toolchain and ARMGCC/VSCODE toolchain. The former one is the classic SDK package layout, which contains:

SDK_2.x.x_BOARD/
├── boards/                    # Board-specific files
│   └── <board_name>/
│       ├── demo_apps/         # Demo applications
│       ├── driver_examples/   # Driver examples
│       └── project_template/  # Empty project template
├── CMSIS/                     # ARM CMSIS headers
├── components/                # Reusable components
├── devices/                   # Device-specific files
│   └── <device>/
│       ├── drivers/           # Peripheral drivers
│       ├── gcc/               # GCC linker scripts
│       ├── iar/               # IAR linker scripts
│       └── arm/               # Keil linker scripts
├── docs/                      # Documentation
├── middleware/                # Selected middleware
├── rtos/                      # RTOS support
└── tools/                     # Utilities

The latter one is the repository-layout SDK package, which is organized as:

SDK_2.x.x_BOARD/
├── manifests
│   ├── boards
│   │   ├── custom.yml.template
│   │   └── <board_name>.yml
│   ├── scripts
│   │   ├── west_commands
│   │   └── west_commands.yml
│   ├── submanifests
│   │   ├── base.yml
│   │   ├── devices
│   │   └── rtos
│   └── west.yml
└── mcuxsdk
    ├── arch
    │   ├── arm
    │   └── xtensa
    ├── cmake
    │   ├── extension
    │   └── toolchain
    ├── components
    │   ├── adapter.cmake
    │   └── wifi_bt_module
    ├── COPYING-BSD-3
    ├── devices
    │   ├── prj.conf
    │   └── <device_family>
    |      ├── <device_series>
    |      │   ├── <device_part>
    ├── docs
    ├── drivers
    │   ├── acmp
    │   └── ...
    ├── examples
    │   ├── _boards
    |   │   └── <board_name>
    │   ├── _common
    │   ├── demo_apps
    │   └── driver_examples
    ├── firmware
    │   └── edgelock
    ├── middleware
    │   ├── audio_voice
    │   ├── wifi_nxp
    │   └── wireless
    ├── README.md
    ├── rtos
    │   └── freertos
    ├── scripts
    ├── tool_data
    ├── tool.yml
    └── yamllint_config.yml

Updating Your SDK#

SDK Builder releases new versions periodically with:

Bug fixes
New features
Additional board support
Updated middleware

Check for Updates#

Visit SDK Builder: https://mcuxpresso.nxp.com/
Select your board
Check version number against your current SDK

Download New Version#

Configure with same selections as before
Download new SDK archive
Extract to new location (keep old version until migration complete)
Update IDE SDK paths or environment variables

Tip: check online documentation for your specific SDK version.

Troubleshooting#

Download Issues#

Download fails or corrupts:

Use download manager for large files
Verify ZIP integrity after download
Try different browser if issues persist
Check available disk space (need 2x package size)

Slow download speeds:

Download during off-peak hours
Use wired connection instead of Wi-Fi
Try different network if available

Extraction Issues#

“Cannot extract” or “Corrupted archive”:

Verify complete download (check file size)
Use 7-Zip or WinRAR instead of built-in tools
Re-download if corruption persists

“Path too long” errors (Windows):

Extract to shorter path (e.g., C:\SDK\)
Enable long path support in Windows 10/11
Use 7-Zip which handles long paths better

IDE Integration Issues#

IDE doesn’t recognize SDK:

Verify extraction path has no spaces or special characters
Check IDE version compatibility in SDK release notes
Ensure all archive contents extracted completely
Restart IDE after SDK installation

Missing toolchain support:

Return to SDK Builder
Ensure desired toolchain was selected during configuration
Re-download with correct toolchain selection

Example projects won’t build:

Verify toolchain installation and version
Check environment variables (ARMGCC_DIR, IAR_DIR, etc.)
Review example readme for specific requirements
Ensure SDK version matches toolchain version requirements

Offline Development#

Classic packages are ideal for offline development:

Setup for Offline Use#

Download complete package with all needed components
Extract to portable location (USB drive, network share)
Install toolchain on development machine
Copy documentation to local drive
Work offline - no internet required after setup

Advanced: Custom SDK Packages#

For enterprise or team use, you can create custom SDK configurations:

Save Configuration#

After configuring SDK Builder:

Note all selections
Document middleware versions
Save configuration for reproducibility

Scripted Downloads#

SDK Builder doesn’t provide API access, but you can:

Document exact configuration steps
Create team guidelines for SDK downloads
Maintain internal SDK repository with approved versions

Additional Resources#

SDK Builder: https://mcuxpresso.nxp.com/
SDK Documentation: https://docs.mcuxpresso.nxp.com/mcuxsdk/latest/html/index.html
NXP Community: https://community.nxp.com/
Technical Support: https://www.nxp.com/support

SDK Builder

Contents