MAX78000 Bare-Metal Workshop

Embedded software workshop using the no-OS framework on MAX78000FTHR. Learn UART/SPI communication, sensor interfacing, and real-time data processing.

Prerequisites

Hardware

• MAX78000FTHR development board
• USB-C cable (data-capable)
• ADXL355 accelerometer + 6 wires (for Examples 2-4)

Software

• Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, or Raspberry Pi OS)
• ~2GB free disk space
• Internet connection

Note: macOS/Windows users need WSL2 or Linux VM.

Quick Setup

cd ~/workshop_baremetal
chmod +x setup.sh
./setup.sh

What it does:

• ✅ Configures USB permissions for the programmer
• ✅ Installs ARM cross-compiler and tools
• ✅ Clones no-OS framework and ai8x-synthesis
• ✅ Installs serial communication tools

Important: Log out and back in after setup (required for USB permissions).

Understanding the Framework

The no-OS framework separates hardware from application logic:

┌────────────────────────────┐
│  Your Application Code     │  ← Examples live here
├────────────────────────────┤
│  Common Configuration      │  ← Shared peripheral setup
├────────────────────────────┤
│  Platform Layer (Maxim)    │  ← MAX78000-specific code
├────────────────────────────┤
│  no-OS Drivers (HAL)       │  ← UART, SPI, GPIO APIs
└────────────────────────────┘

Benefits:

• Same example code works on different MCUs
• Change pins without touching application code
• Clear separation of concerns

Workspace Structure

After setup, your workspace looks like:

~/workshop_baremetal/
├── setup.sh              # Setup script
├── ai8x-synthesis/       # OpenOCD (ARM64 support)
├── MAX78000SDK/          # Workshop SDK package
│   └── Libraries/        # ← MAXIM_LIBRARIES points here
└── no-OS/
    └── projects/
        └── workshop/     # ← Your working directory

Platform Notes

x86_64 (Desktop)

Everything works out of the box.

ARM64 (Raspberry Pi)

The setup script automatically:

• Installs system ARM toolchain (SDK toolchain is x86-only)
• Clones ai8x-synthesis for ARM64-compatible OpenOCD
• Build system auto-detects and uses it

No manual configuration needed.

Next Steps

✅ Setup complete! Navigate to the project directory:

cd ~/workshop_baremetal/no-OS/projects/workshop

📖 Read the project README for build commands and hardware setup.

📚 Start the workshop: Open HANDS_ON.md for step-by-step instructions.

Troubleshooting Setup

"arm-none-eabi-gcc: command not found"

sudo apt install gcc-arm-none-eabi

"Permission denied" on USB/serial

# Verify groups (should see 'dialout' and 'plugdev')
groups

# If missing, log out and log back in

Build fails with "MAXIM_LIBRARIES not set"

export MAXIM_LIBRARIES=$HOME/workshop_baremetal/MAX78000SDK/Libraries
export PLATFORM=maxim
export TARGET=max78000

Flash fails: "unable to find CMSIS-DAP device"

• Check USB cable (must support data)
• Try different USB port
• Press reset button on board
• On Raspberry Pi: verify ai8x-synthesis is in ~/workshop_baremetal/

Workshop Examples

Example	Description	Hardware
1	UART Hello World	Board only
2	SPI sensor communication	+ ADXL355
3	Fixed-point math	+ ADXL355
4	IIO streaming	+ ADXL355

Resources

• no-OS Documentation: https://analogdevicesinc.github.io/no-OS/
• MAX78000 Info: https://www.analog.com/max78000
• ADXL355 Datasheet: https://www.analog.com/adxl355