Guide PC Simulator

Try MicroCS on the PC

No board needed: the mcs program on the PC is the same compiler and VM that runs on the chips, plus a simulated board with GPIO, UART, I²C sensors, SPI, ADC, PWM, timers, QSPI flash, CAN and an optional OLED. Everything you try here runs unchanged on the hardware.

1. Get mcs

Linux x64: download mcs-<version>-linux-x64.tar.gz from the latest release and unpack it.

Any OS with a C compiler (Linux, macOS, Windows with MSYS2 / WSL):

git clone https://github.com/amir1387aht/MicroCS
cd MicroCS
make            # -> ./mcs      (or: cmake -S . -B build && cmake --build build)

2. Run C#

./mcs --repl               # interactive C# prompt, like on a board; .help lists commands
./mcs examples/tour.cs     # run a file
./mcs -e 'Console.WriteLine(Math.Sqrt(2));'

3. Talk to (simulated) hardware

--sim attaches the simulated board:

./mcs --sim examples/hardware/01_blink.cs
./mcs --sim examples/hardware/05_i2c_temperature.cs     # a TMP102-like sensor at 0x48
./mcs --sim -e 'Console.WriteLine(string.Join(",", I2C.Scan(0)));'   # 72,80,104

What is on the simulated board: Hardware API → simulator.

4. A display

make fetch-u8g2 mcs-u8g2                        # the CLI with the optional U8g2 driver
./build/mcs_u8g2 --oled examples/u8g2/hello.cs  # the OLED is drawn in the terminal

5. Files and precompiled images

./mcs --fs myfiles app.cs          # File.* works inside ./myfiles (default: the current folder)
./mcs -c app.cs -o app.mcsb        # compile once; devices can run app.mcsb without the compiler
./mcs -C app.cs -n app -o app.h    # the same image as a C array to build into firmware
./mcs app.mcsb

6. Next

• Put it on a board: guides.
• Learn the hardware classes: HAL.md.
• The browser IDE also works with the PC build: MicroCS Studio.

Troubleshooting

• make: cc: not found — install a C compiler (sudo apt install build-essential, Xcode command line tools, or MSYS2's mingw-w64-x86_64-gcc).
• I2C / GPIO "does not exist" — add --sim; without it the PC has no hardware.