mirror of
https://github.com/liquidraver/ZephCore.git
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174 lines
7.3 KiB
Markdown
174 lines
7.3 KiB
Markdown
# ZephCore — MeshCore for Zephyr RTOS
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A port of [MeshCore](https://github.com/meshcore-dev/MeshCore/) LoRa mesh firmware from Arduino to [Zephyr RTOS](https://zephyrproject.org/). Aiming for full protocol compatibility with the original Arduino firmware and the MeshCore mobile apps.
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## Why Zephyr?
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The Arduino version uses a `loop()`. This port replaces that with Zephyr's event-driven primitives (`k_event_wait`, `k_poll`, `k_msgq`), so the CPU sleeps in WFI (Wait For Interrupt) between events.
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Other benefits:
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- **Proper driver model** -- LoRa, GNSS, display, sensors, and BLE all use Zephyr subsystem drivers rather than Arduino libraries
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- **Hierarchical build configuration** -- board-specific settings compose cleanly via Kconfig and devicetree overlays
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- **DFU support** -- generates Arduino compatible zip packages for OTA updates and UF2 binaries for drag-and-drop flashing
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- **Back and forth compatible** -- Adapted to softdevice and adafruit's bootloader, so no bootloader re-flashing required.
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## Supported Boards
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### nRF52840
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| Board | Radio | Extras |
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|-------|-------|--------|
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| **Wio Tracker L1** | SX1262 | GPS (L76KB), OLED (SH1106), joystick, buzzer, QSPI flash |
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| **Seeed T1000-E** | LR1110 | GPS (AG3335), LEDs, button |
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| **RAK4631** | SX1262 | GPS (u-blox MAX-7Q), I2C sensors (SHTC3, LPS22HB, BME680) |
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| **RAK WisMesh Tag** | SX1262 | GPS (AT6558R), accelerometer, RGB LEDs, buzzer |
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| **ThinkNode M1** | SX1262 | GPS, e-paper display (SSD1681), QSPI flash, buzzer, RGB LEDs |
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| **Ikoka Nano 30dBm** | SX1262 (E22-900M30S, 30dBm PA) | RGB LEDs |
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### ESP32
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| Board | MCU | Radio | Extras |
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|-------|-----|-------|--------|
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| **XIAO ESP32-C3** | ESP32-C3 | SX1262 | BLE 5.0 |
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| **XIAO ESP32-C6** | ESP32-C6 | SX1262 | BLE 5.0, Wi-Fi 6 |
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| **Station G2** | ESP32-S3 | SX1262 (+PA) | OLED (SH1106), GPS, 16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM |
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| **LilyGo TLoRa C6** | ESP32-C6 | SX1262 | BLE 5.0, Wi-Fi 6 |
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### Other
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| Board | MCU | Radio | Extras |
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|-------|-----|-------|--------|
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| **XIAO nRF54L15** | nRF54L15 | SX1262 | FLPR multicore, RRAM storage |
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| **XIAO MG24** | EFR32MG24 | SX1262 | BLE (SiLabs blob) |
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## Device Roles
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- **Companion** (default) -- connects to MeshCore mobile apps via BLE
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- **Repeater** -- forwards packets, configured via USB serial CLI
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## Building
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Prerequisites: [Zephyr SDK](https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/develop/getting_started/index.html) and `west` installed.
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```bash
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# Initialize workspace (first time only)
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cd %cloned folder%
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west init -l zephcore
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west update
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# Companion (with logging)
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west build -b wio_tracker_l1 zephcore --pristine
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# Companion (production, no logging)
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west build -b wio_tracker_l1 zephcore --pristine -- \
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-DEXTRA_CONF_FILE="boards/common/prod.conf"
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# Repeater (with logging)
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west build -b rak4631/nrf52840 zephcore --pristine -- \
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-DEXTRA_CONF_FILE="boards/common/repeater.conf"
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# Repeater (production)
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west build -b rak4631/nrf52840 zephcore --pristine -- \
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-DEXTRA_CONF_FILE="boards/common/repeater.conf;boards/common/prod.conf"
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# Repeater with packet logging (clean RAW/RX/TX lines only, no debug spam)
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west build -b rak4631/nrf52840 zephcore --pristine -- \
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-DEXTRA_CONF_FILE="boards/common/repeater.conf;boards/common/packet_logging.conf"
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# Formatter (with serial logging)
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west build -b wio_tracker_l1 zephcore/tools/formatter --pristine
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# Companion (BLE debug logging)
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west build -b rak4631/nrf52840 zephcore --pristine -- -DCONFIG_ZEPHCORE_BLE_LOG_LEVEL_DBG=y
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```
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Output binaries are in `build/zephyr/` -- `.hex`, `.uf2`, and DFU `.zip` as applicable.
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## Architecture Overview
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```
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Mobile App <--BLE (NUS)--> [ Companion ] <--LoRa--> Mesh Network
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k_event_wait()
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/ | \
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LORA_RX LORA_TX_DONE BLE_RX
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```
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All code paths are event-driven. The CPU sleeps in WFI between events.
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- **LoRa RX**: Zephyr driver callback enqueues to a ring buffer and signals the mesh event loop
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- **LoRa TX**: A dedicated thread blocks on `k_poll()`, restarts RX on completion, then notifies the mesh loop
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- **BLE**: NUS write handler enqueues to `k_msgq` and signals the mesh loop; TX uses `bt_gatt_notify_cb()` chaining
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- **USB**: CDC-ACM with V3 binary framing protocol, frame timeout recovery
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- **Main loop**: `k_event_wait()` blocks until work arrives; housekeeping runs every 5s
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### Key Differences from Arduino
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| | Arduino | Zephyr |
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|---|---------|--------|
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| Main loop | 50ms polling | `k_event_wait()` (blocks until event) |
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| LoRa TX | Blocking `transmit()` | Async thread with `k_poll()` |
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| BLE queues | Ring buffer + mutex | `k_msgq` (lock-free, ISR-safe) |
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| Drivers | Arduino libraries | Zephyr subsystem drivers |
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| Configuration | `#define` constants | Kconfig + devicetree |
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| Threading | Single-threaded `loop()` | Multi-threaded with explicit sync |
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| Power | Always-on loop | WFI sleep between events |
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## Power Saving
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- **LoRa RX duty cycle**: CAD-based receive windowing reduces LoRa RX current from ~10-15mA to ~3-5mA (configurable via `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_LORA_RX_DUTY_CYCLE`)
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- **USB disabled in production**: Saves ~2-5mA and 62KB flash when logging is off
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- **GPIO-gated GPS**: Powered on only during fix acquisition
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## Configuration
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Key Kconfig options (set in board configs or via `-D` flags):
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| Option | Default | Description |
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|--------|---------|-------------|
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| `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_ROLE_COMPANION` | y | BLE companion mode |
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| `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_ROLE_REPEATER` | n | USB CLI repeater mode |
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| `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_RADIO_NATIVE` | y | SX126x, SX127x, LLCC68, STM32WL |
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| `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_RADIO_LR1110` | n | LR1110/LR1120/LR1121 (custom driver) |
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| `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_LORA_RX_DUTY_CYCLE` | n | CAD-based RX power saving (enabled on WisMesh Tag, ThinkNode M1) |
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| `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_MAX_CONTACTS` | 350 | Contact storage slots (companion) |
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| `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_MAX_CHANNELS` | 40 | Channel slots (companion) |
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| `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_BLE_PASSKEY` | 123456 | BLE pairing PIN |
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| `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_GPS_POLL_INTERVAL_SEC` | 300 | GPS fix interval (seconds) |
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| `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_WIFI_OTA` | n | WiFi AP + HTTP OTA updates (ESP32 repeaters) |
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| `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_PACKET_LOGGING` | n | Arduino-compatible mesh packet logging |
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| `CONFIG_ZEPHCORE_HOUSEKEEPING_INTERVAL_MS` | 5000 | Periodic maintenance interval |
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## Project Structure
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```
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zephcore/
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src/ Main entry points and core mesh protocol
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app/ Companion and repeater role implementations
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adapters/
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ble/ BLE NUS transport
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board/ GPIO, LED, power management
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clock/ Millisecond and RTC clocks
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datastore/ LittleFS filesystem wrapper
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gps/ GPS/GNSS drivers
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ota/ WiFi OTA firmware updates
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radio/ LoRa radio drivers (SX126x, LR1110)
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rng/ Random number generator
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sensors/ I2C sensor auto-detection
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usb/ USB serial transport (CDC-ACM, V3 framing)
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helpers/
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ui/ Display, buzzer, button input
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boards/
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nrf52840/ nRF52840 board overlays and configs
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esp32/ ESP32-C3/C6/S3 board overlays and configs
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nrf54l/ nRF54L15 board overlay and config
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mg24/ EFR32MG24 board overlay and config
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common/ Shared Kconfig fragments and devicetree includes
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lib/ ED25519 crypto library
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patches/ Auto-applied patches to the Zephyr tree
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```
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## License
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Same license as the upstream MeshCore project. |