Requirements¶

For this workshop you will need;

The Fomu workshop files - see Required Files section.
The Fomu toolchain - see Required Software section.
A Fomu board - see Required Hardware section.

Note

If you are at a workshop, please install the tools first and then get the hardware from your presenter.

Warning

Your Fomu should be running Foboot v2.0.3 or newer.

You can see what version you are running by typing dfu-util -l like so;

dfu-util -l

If your Fomu is running an version older than v2.0.3 follow the Updating the Fomu Bootloader section.

Required Files¶

You will need the Workshop files. They are located in the fomu-workshop Github repository. You can download master.zip or clone it from git:

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/im-tomu/fomu-workshop.git

If you’re attending a workshop that provides USB drives, these files may be available on the USB drive under the Workshop directory.

Required Software¶

Fomu requires specialized software. This software is provided for Linux x86/64, macOS, and Windows, via Fomu Toolchain.

Debian packages are also available for Raspberry Pi.

If you’re taking this workshop as a class, the toolchains are provided on the USB disk.

To install the software, extract it somewhere on your computer, then open up a terminal window and add that directory to your PATH:

$ export PATH=[path-to-toolchain]/bin:$PATH

export PATH=[path-to-toolchain]/bin:$PATH

If you use PowerShell as your terminal;

If you use cmd.exe as your terminal;

PATH=[path-to-toolchain]\bin;%PATH%

To confirm installation, run the yosys command and confirm you get the following output;

Ensure it says (Fomu build). Type exit to quit yosys.

Note

The Fomu Toolchain consists of the following tools;

Tool	Purpose
yosys	Verilog synthesis
nextpnr-ice40	FPGA place-and-route
icestorm	FPGA bitstream packing
riscv toolchain	Compile code for a RISC-V softcore
dfu-util	Load a bitstream or code onto Fomu
python	Convert Migen/Litex code to Verilog
wishbone-tool	Interact with Fomu over USB
serial console	Interact with Python over a virtual console

Required Hardware¶

For this workshop, you will need a Fomu board.

Aside from that, you need a computer with a USB port that can run the Required Software.

You should not need any special drivers, though on Linux you may need sudo access, or special udev rules to grant permission to use the USB device from a non-privileged account.

This workshop may be competed with any model of Fomu, though there are some parts that require you to identify which model you have. See the Which Fomu do I have? section.

Which Fomu do I have?¶

	Hacker	Production
String	hacker	pvt
Bash Command	`export FOMU_REV=hacker`	`export FOMU_REV=pvt`
Front
Back
In Case
Parts
Color	dark blue	cyan / light blue
Bootloader	Fomu Hacker running DFU Bootloader vX.X.X	Fomu PVT running DFU Bootloader vX.X.X
Description	These are the original design and cut corners to make it easier to manufacture. If you received one directly from Tim before 36C3, you probably have one of these. Hacker boards have white silkscreen on the back.	If you ordered a Fomu from Crowd Supply, this is the model you’ll receive. It is small, and fits in a USB port. There is no silkscreen on it. This model of Fomu has a large silver crystal oscillator that is the tallest component on the board.
Received at	From Tim at 35C3, CCCamp19, HackADay Supercon 2019	At RISC-V Summit 2019, 36C3, Crowdsupply, Mouser
Buy more	End of Life	CrowdSupply,

Note

There are also Fomu EVT boards which were shipped to early backers of the Fomu crowd funding campaign. This model of Fomu is about the size of a credit card. It should have the text “Fomu EVT3” written across it in white silkscreen. If you have a different EVT board such as EVT2 or EVT1, they should work also.