Workshop Setup

The Hardware

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This is the hardware that will be used in the workshop and will be handed to the attendees.

The uFerris (microFerris) Megalops Baseboard

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This hardware can also be purchased from https://shop.theembeddedrustacean.com.

The Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-C3:

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This hardware can also be purchased from SeeedStudio.

• Architecture: 32-bit RISC-V (single core, 160 MHz)
• Memory: 400 KB SRAM, 4 MB Flash
• Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5 (LE)
• Peripherals: GPIO, I2C, SPI, UART, ADC, PWM
• USB: Native USB-C (no external programmer needed)

Pre-Workshop Setup

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Please complete this setup before the workshop day. The goal is zero time spent on toolchain issues during the workshop itself.

1. Install Rust

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If you don’t have Rust installed yet:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

After installation, restart your terminal or run:

source $HOME/.cargo/env

Verify:

rustc --version
cargo --version

2. Add the RISC-V Target

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The ESP32-C3 uses a RISC-V architecture:

rustup target add riscv32imc-unknown-none-elf

3. Install espflash

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espflash is used to flash firmware and monitor serial output:

cargo install espflash

Verify:

espflash --version

4. Install esp-generate

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esp-generate creates new ESP32 Rust projects from templates:

cargo install esp-generate --locked

5. Generate and Build a Test Project

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esp-generate --chip esp32c3 -o unstable-hal -o vscode -o esp-backtrace -o log --headless hello_test
cd hello_test
cargo build --release

6. Hardware Verification

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Connect your ESP32-C3 board via USB-C and run:

cargo run

You should see the project build, flash to the board, and then serial output. Press Ctrl+C to exit the monitor.

Troubleshooting

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espflash can’t find the serial port

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ls /dev/ttyACM* /dev/ttyUSB* 2>/dev/null

SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="303a", ATTRS{idProduct}=="1001", MODE="0666"

sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo udevadm trigger

sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER

ls /dev/cu.usbmodem* /dev/cu.usbserial* 2>/dev/null

Get-WMIObject Win32_SerialPort | Select-Object Name, DeviceID

Board not responding

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1. Try a different USB cable (must support data, not just charging)
2. Try a different USB port
3. Press and hold the BOOT button, then press RESET, then release BOOT — this forces download mode

Simulation Fallback

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If your hardware setup fails, you can use a Wokwi simulation as a fallback:

1. Go to the Simplified Embedded Rust book project branch
2. Click Code → Codespaces → Create codespace on project
3. Wait for the devcontainer to build
4. Replace the code in src/main.rs with your workshop exercise code