An Introduction to hardware hacking with FreeBSD

Tom Jones <thj@freebsd.org>

Slides: https://2019.eurobsdcon.org/slides/An%20Introduction%20to%20hardware%20hacking%20with%20FreeBSD%20-%20Tom%20Jones.pdf

This tutorial will provide an introduction to controlling hardware from FreeBSD. We will cover using General Purpose Input and Output (GPIO) to interface with the real world using tools in the FreeBSD base system. We expand on this basic IO by interfacing with sensors and output devices via standard buses. To complete the tutorial we will make a simple status application to let us know when the someone has broken the build.

In the tutorial we will perform practical activities using an ARM Single Board Computer (SBC) running FreeBSD. Attendees will get a material pack including a SBC, interesting output devices and some sensors to make new hardware projects with FreeBSD.

Attendees should be comfortable on the command line, have a laptop with a spare USB-A port and serial terminal software (cu, minicom or screen will work). Everything else will be provided.