“BreadboardOS (BBOS, if you like) - as its namesake implies - is a firmware platform aimed at quick prototyping. BBOS was built around the following principles:
- Every project should start with a CLI. A command line interface makes prototyping, debugging, and testing about 1000% easier, especially over the lifespan of multiple projects with re-used pieces.
- Write it once. Don’t waste time writing and re-writing the basic infrastructure for your projects. Modularize, duplicate, and profit!
- Get running QUICKLY. The faster you can bring up a project, the faster you can find out that you need to re-tool the whole dang thing. But at least you don’t have to write a CLI again!
Functional Description
BreadboardOS is built on top of FreeRTOS, enabling fast integration of new functional blocks and allowing for task concurrency without breaking the base system. Existing knowledge of RTOS is not necessarily required.
The central component of BBOS is the fantastic microshell project, which provides CLI functionality. Currently, a fork of microshell is used, which includes some additional customization. The CLI implementation is organized into POSIX-style folders/files providing a recognizable user-interface for interacting with MCU hardware.
As of the first release, BBOS is implemented on a single MCU platform - the Raspberry Pi RP2040 (Pico, Pico W, etc). However, the project has been structured such that all hardware-specific code resides in a single directory, with a header file providing HAL functionality. The platform was built with porting in mind.
Notable Features
- Rich set of informational tools for checking system resources on the fly, a’la: ps top free df
- RTOS task manager for dynamically controlling system services at runtime
- Onboard flash filesystem with wear-leveling (thanks to littlefs)
- Selective peripheral hardware initialization routines
- Interacting with chip I/O and serial buses directly from command line
- Watchdog service for system failsafe recovery”