.NET nanoFramework Aims to Pull Desktop .NET C# Developers Into the World of Microcontrollers
Free and open source platforms runs on microcontrollers with as little as 64kB of RAM while using familiar toolchains and APIs.
The .NET nanoFramework aims to ease .NET C# developers into the Internet of Things (IoT), wearables, robotics, and other embedded projects — allowing for quick and easy development in Microsoft's Visual Studio IDE.
Recently highlighted by ARN.net, .NET nanoFramework is an open source platform designed for managed code applications in embedded devices — using the .NET C# language and toolchains many developers already know. Building on the earlier .NET MicroFramework, the .NET nanoFramework includes a reduced version of the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR) and a subset of base class libraries along with the most common application programming interface (APIs) from the Windows Universal Platform.
"Developers can harness the powerful and familiar Microsoft Visual Studio IDE and their .NET C# knowledge to quickly write code without having to worry about the low-level hardware intricacies of a microcontroller," the project's maintainers explain. "Desktop .NET developers will feel 'at home' and are able to use their skills in embedded systems development, enlarging the pool of qualified embedded developers."
"Whether this is your first foray into programming or you are a seasoned developer, if you want a powerful and easy to use tool for developing software that runs on embedded devices, you are in the right place. With its modular architecture, it’s easy to grab the core components (like the CLR, debugger and interpreter) and extendibility to new hardware platforms, .NET nanoFramework is the perfect partner for your project."
Support for the .NET nanoFramework is included for several STMicroelectronics development boards, two TI Launchpad boards, Espressif's ESP32 family, the M5Stack Atom, and the NXP MIMIXRT1060-EVK. For those looking to port to other devices, it should run on Arm Cortex-M and ESP32 systems with at least 64kB of RAM and 256kB of flash storage.
More details on the .NET nanoFramework are available on the official website, with source code published to GitHub under the permissive MIT license. Numerous .NET nanoFramework projects are also hosted here on Hackster.io, for those seeking inspiration and practical examples.