Renode

Renode is a development framework which accelerates IoT and embedded systems development by letting you simulate physical hardware systems - including both the CPU, peripherals, sensors, environment and wired or wireless medium between nodes. For more information, see Renode’s official website.

Configuration 

You can configure Renode as a debugging tool using debug_tool option in “platformio.ini” (Project Configuration File):

[env:myenv]
platform = ...
board = ...
debug_tool = renode

More options:

Debugging options

Installation 

We will automatically install for you the latest Renode package using PlatformIO package manager. The only requirement is to install Mono/.NET framework.

Windows:: On Windows 7, download and install .NET Framework 4.7. Windows 10 ships with .NET by default, so no action is required there.
Mac:: Install Homebrew and the mono package using brew install mono.
Linux:: Install the mono-complete package as per the installation instructions for various Linux distributions which can be found on the Mono project website.

Check the official Renode installation guide for more details.

Custom Settings 

If the default Renode configuration is not suitable for your project, it’s possible to override the default Renode flags in “platformio.ini” (Project Configuration File). The following sections describe typical use cases where custom settings might be useful.

Additional Analyzers 

Additional analyzers might be handy in cases when an application prints output to a peripheral which is not visible by default. For example, to open an additional UART window while using Renode as the upload tool, a special command showAnalyzer should be added to upload_flags option, e.g.:

[env:hifive1-revb]
platform = sifive
framework = zephyr
board = hifive1-revb
; Override the default upload settings
upload_command = renode $UPLOAD_FLAGS
upload_flags =
    -e include @scripts/single-node/sifive_fe310.resc
    -e showAnalyzer uart1
    -e sysbus LoadELF @$SOURCE
    -e start

Redirecting peripherals output 

It might be useful to redirect output from device peripherals to a more convenient communication channel. A typical example is redirecting UART output to a socket which can be opened by pio device monitor while using Renode as the debug tool. The default debug flags can be overridden using the debug_server option. For example, the following configuration can be used to redirect output from the UART0 port on the hifive1-revb board:

[env:hifive1-revb]
platform = sifive
framework = zephyr
board = hifive1-revb
; Override the default debug settings
debug_tool = custom
debug_port = localhost:3333
debug_server = renode
  --hide-log
  -e machine StartGdbServer 3333 True
  -e emulation CreateServerSocketTerminal 4321 "externalUART" false
  -e connector Connect uart0 externalUART
debug_extra_cmds =
    monitor start

# Monitor port for Renode integration
monitor_port = socket://localhost:4321

Examples 

Pre-configured projects for Zephyr RTOS, FreeRTOS, and Arduino by Carlos Eduardo

Platforms 

Name	Description
OpenHW Group	OpenHW Group is a not-for-profit, global organization that provides an infrastructure for hosting high quality open-source HW developments in line with industry best practices. The OpenHW CV32E40P RISC-V core is the first open-source core for high-volume chips verified with the state-of-the-art process required for high-integrity, commercial SoCs.
SiFive	SiFive brings the power of open source and software automation to the semiconductor industry, making it possible to develop new hardware faster and more affordably than ever before.

Frameworks 

Name	Description
Freedom E SDK	Open Source Software for Developing on the SiFive Freedom E Platform
FreeRTOS	FreeRTOS is a real-time operating system kernel for embedded devices that has been ported to 40 microcontroller platforms.
PULP Runtime Environment	Runtime Environment for Parallel Ultra Low Power platform
PULP SDK	Software Development Kit for Parallel Ultra Low Power platform
Zephyr	Zephyr is a new generation, scalable, optimized, secure RTOS for multiple hardware architectures

Boards 

Note

For more detailed board information please scroll tables below by horizontal.

Name	Platform	Debug	MCU	Frequency	Flash	RAM
Arty FPGA Dev Kit	SiFive	On-board	FE310	450MHz	16MB	256MB
Digilent Nexys A7	OpenHW Group	On-board		320MHz	16MB	1.16MB
HiFive Unleashed	SiFive	On-board	FU540	1500MHz	32MB	8GB
HiFive1	SiFive	On-board	FE310	320MHz	16MB	16KB
HiFive1 Rev B	SiFive	On-board	FE310	320MHz	16MB	16KB
SparkFun RED-V RedBoard	SiFive	On-board	FE310	320MHz	16MB	16KB
SparkFun RED-V Thing Plus	SiFive	On-board	FE310	320MHz	16MB	16KB