🚀 OpenC6 BIOS: Advanced Modular Firmware for ESP32-C6

OpenC6 BIOS is a fully open-source, high-performance modular platform (BIOS) for the ESP32-C6 (RISC-V) microcontroller. It completely changes the traditional embedded development paradigm by decoupling hardware initialization from application logic—bringing a PC/Server-like architecture to a $2 microcontroller.

Instead of monolithic firmwares, OpenC6 acts as a host platform. It initializes the hardware, provides out-of-band management via an independent LP-Core coprocessor, and exposes a standardized System Call Interface (ABI). This allows you to hot-swap, download, and execute tiny, lightning-fast bare-metal Payloads directly into RAM or Execute-In-Place (XIP) Flash.

🎨 Visual Demos

1. Retro Web Setup Utility (1280x1024 5:4 Native Look)

Experience the nostalgic blue-screen interface of classic PC BIOS, fully running on the ESP32-C6-Zero and accessible via local Wi-Fi.

2. Aura Sync RGB Flow (Dynamic Hardware Diagnostics)

Real-time demonstration of the addressable POST LED smoothly cycling colors (Aura Sync) and flashing post codes during hardware initialization.

✨ Key Architectural Features

• 🛡️ LP-Core Management Engine (ME): An autonomous out-of-band RISC-V coprocessor that monitors system health, reads the power button, handles hardware Watchdogs, and triggers emergency thermal shutdowns even if the main OS crashes.
• ⚡ SchedUtil Dynamic Governor: Real-time load-adaptive CPU frequency scaling (80/120/160 MHz) calculated via FreeRTOS idle cycles.
• 🔌 Network Boot (PXE): Dynamically fetch and execute bare-metal payloads over Wi-Fi without wearing out the flash memory using physical USB tools.
• 🧱 Anti-Brick A/B OTA: Network updates for the BIOS itself are protected by hardware rollback mechanisms.
• 🛠️ Retro Web Setup Utility: An integrated AP-mode web server with a classic blue-screen BIOS interface for AI Tweaker configurations (Overclocking, BOD levels, Thermal limits).
• 📜 Standardized ABI: Payloads compile without ESP-IDF (-nostdlib -fPIC), weighing only 2-10 KB, while utilizing BIOS-provided Wi-Fi, Math, and Crypto engines.

📚 Comprehensive Documentation

The architecture of OpenC6 is heavily documented. Please refer to the docs/ directory for deep technical dives into each subsystem:

1. bios_core.md - State machine, Boot Dispatcher & System ABI.
2. management_engine.md - LP-Core IPC, Watchdogs, and Power Button logic.
3. power_management.md - AI Tweaker, Brownout Detector (BOD), and SchedUtil.
4. boot_manager.md - Interactive Boot Menu and Serial Protocol.
5. pxe_network_boot.md - Network Boot and OTA specifications.
6. nvram.md - Virtual CMOS database schema and Clear CMOS routines.
7. led_management.md - Aura Sync RGB and POST Diagnostics.
8. bios_setup_web_ui.md - REST API and Retro Web Configurator.
9. wifi_management.md - Network stack and safe netif re-use.
10. payload_development_serial_boot.md - How to compile payloads and use the UART Loader.

🔌 Hardware Pinout (ESP32-C6-Zero / Generic C6)

🚀 Quick Start Guide

1. Build and Flash the BIOS

Ensure you have the ESP-IDF (v6.1-dev) installed and sourced.

. $IDF_PATH/export.sh
idf.py build flash monitor -p /dev/ttyACM0

2. Build the Bare-Metal Payload

Navigate to the tools/ directory to compile the C++ host loader and the RISC-V payload.

cd tools/ mkdir build && cd build cmake .. make

See payload_development_serial_boot.md for instructions on deploying via the UART Serial Loader.

🌐 Network Booting & OTA Updates

OpenC6 allows you to download Payloads or update the BIOS entirely over your home Wi-Fi using a simple local Python web server.

Method A: Network Booting a Payload (PXE)

This method downloads payload.bin into Flash (XIP) and boots it.

1. Open a terminal on your PC, navigate to the tools/ directory (where your compiled payload.bin is located), and start a local HTTP server: python3 -m http.server 8080
2. Power on the ESP32-C6 and enter BIOS Setup (Hold Power Button for 3s OR hold BOOT to enter the menu and select the 5th option).
3. Connect your phone/PC to the BIOS_SETUP_C6 Wi-Fi network (Password: 12345678) and open http://192.168.4.1.
4. Enter your home Wi-Fi SSID and Password.
5. Set the PXE Server URL to your PC's local IP: http://<YOUR_PC_LOCAL_IP>:8080/payload.bin
6. Click [ F10: Save & Exit ].
7. While the board reboots, hold the BOOT (GPIO 9) button to open the Interactive Menu.
8. Select [0] Network Boot (PXE) (1 blink). The BIOS will connect to your router, download the payload, and execute it.

Method B: Wireless BIOS Firmware Update (OTA)

This method safely reflashes the core openc6_bios.bin (the host system) using hardware A/B partition rollback protection.

1. Compile your new BIOS using idf.py build.
2. Navigate to the ESP-IDF build/ directory in the root of the project.
3. Start the Python server there: python3 -m http.server 8080
4. Enter the BIOS Setup Web UI (192.168.4.1) as described above. Ensure Wi-Fi credentials are correct.
5. Change the PXE Server URL to point to the newly compiled BIOS binary: http://<YOUR_PC_LOCAL_IP>:8080/openc6_bios.bin (Note: Replace openc6_bios.bin with your actual project binary name).
6. Click [ F10: Save & Exit ].
7. Wait for the board to reboot, then enter the BIOS Setup Web UI again.
8. Click the [ F12: Network BIOS Update ] button.
9. The system will restart, connect to your router, download the new BIOS into the passive OTA slot, and reboot.

Anti-Brick Safety: If the new BIOS crashes, the LP-Core Watchdog will trigger a hardware reset, and the ESP32 bootloader will automatically roll back to the previous stable version!

🛤️ Roadmap & Known Issues (Help Wanted!)

This project is actively evolving. Pull requests are highly welcome for the following:

• 🟢 Custom zRAM Implementation: Developing a brand-new, custom high-speed compression algorithm specifically tailored for the RISC-V architecture to expand SRAM execution memory for complex payloads.
• 🟢 Custom Open-Source File System: Designing a lightweight, entirely new file system from scratch, exposing storage read/write capabilities directly to payloads via the BIOS ABI structure.
• 🟢 Security Validation: Adding SHA256 checksum verification to PXE and Serial Boot payload transfers to prevent corrupted executions.
• 🟢 Watchdog Delegation: Exposing the pet_watchdog() function to the ABI so payloads can be monitored for thread-locks.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details. Let's change the embedded development paradigm together!