RED-V RedBoard Hookup Guide

Pages
Contributors: santaimpersonator, Englandsaurus, bboyho
Favorited Favorite 1

Introduction

SparkFun is pleased to welcome a whole new instruction set architecture (ISA) to its family, the RISC-V ISA (pronounced “risk-five”), and along with it, introduce the RED-V RedBoard (pronounced “red-five”). In this tutorial, we'll be focusing on the hardware.

SparkFun RED-V RedBoard - SiFive RISC-V FE310 SoC

DEV-15594
8

"The force is strong with this one." (Star Wars: A New Hope, 1977)

What sets the RISC-V ISA from the rest is that it is completely open-source; including the instruction set architecture (ISA). That means anyone can make full use the microcontroller without requiring royalties, licenses, or non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). The RED-V comes in the familiar Arduino Uno form factor and includes the SiFive Freedom E310 core, 32MB of QSPI flash, an NXP K22 ARM Cortex-M4 for USB connectivity and operating as a JTAG interface, and a Qwiic connector.

Required Materials

To follow along with this tutorial, you will need the following materials and software. You may not need everything though depending on what you have. Add it to your cart, read through the guide, and adjust the cart as necessary. Here is what you would need to get started:

USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot

USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot

CAB-14743
$5.50
4

SparkFun RED-V RedBoard - SiFive RISC-V FE310 SoC

DEV-15594
8
  • RED-V - You'll definitely need this; otherwise, you are probably on the wrong tutorial page (wink).
  • USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot - The USB interface serves two purposes: it powers the board and allows you to upload programs to it. (You might even have a few of these in you drawer!)

You Will Also Need

To utilize all the features of the development board, you may need the following tools and accessories. If you would like to modify the jumpers on the board, you will need soldering equipment.

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool

TOL-09325
$9.95
8
Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen  - 10mL

Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen - 10mL

TOL-14579
$8.95
4

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

TOL-14228
2 Retired


Jumper Modification

If you would like to modify the jumpers on the board, you will need soldering equipment.

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool

TOL-09325
$9.95
8
Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen  - 10mL

Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen - 10mL

TOL-14579
$8.95
4

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

TOL-14228
2 Retired

Qwiic Example

If you would like to follow along with the examples below to interact with the physical world, you will also need the following items:

SparkFun Qwiic 12 Bit ADC - 4 Channel (ADS1015)

SparkFun Qwiic 12 Bit ADC - 4 Channel (ADS1015)

DEV-15334
$11.50
1
Qwiic Cable - 100mm

Qwiic Cable - 100mm

PRT-14427
$1.50

Magnetic Screwdriver Set (20 Piece)

TOL-15003
1 Retired

Segger Programmers

If you would like to debug or flash your processor on your own, here are some of our SEGGER Programmers. We also recommend getting the 1.27mm header pins with some jumper wires to connect. Depending on the programmer that you use, you may need to use a combination of wire wrap and IC hooks to connect.

Header - 2x5 Pin (Male, 1.27mm)

Header - 2x5 Pin (Male, 1.27mm)

PRT-15362
$1.75

J-Link EDU Mini Programmer

PGM-15345
1 Retired

J-Link EDU Base Programmer

PGM-15346
2 Retired

J-Link BASE Compact Programmer

PGM-15347
Retired

Suggested Reading

Before continuing on with this tutorial, you may want to familiarize yourself with some of these topics if they’re unfamiliar to you.

How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering

This tutorial covers everything you need to know about through-hole soldering.

Logic Levels

Learn the difference between 3.3V and 5V devices and logic levels.