Flowerberry Project Intro

Master repository: https://github.com/MERL-Rose-Hulman/Flowerberry-Runtime

What is Flowerberry?

Flowerberry is a modular teaching-and-research stack that unifies real hardware labs, lightweight simulation, and reproducible data workflows. It targets embedded systems, robotics/control, measurement science, and systems/OS topics.

Design pillars

• Reproducible labs: templates, calibration, uncertainty, plots, and machine-readable metadata
• Extensible drivers: HAL/board packs; capability traits (e.g., Motor, Distance, IMU, Display)
• Git-native workflows: PR reviews, CI, and automated docs/artifacts
• Local-first privacy: offline/on-prem friendly; optional private mirrors

Architecture overview

• Core Runtime: Drivers + HAL for Pi/ESP32/STM32/RISC-V; unified I/O (I²C/SPI/UART/PWM/ADC) and capability traits
• Experiment Kits: Course/lab templates with calibration steps, datasheets, plotting scripts, and error models
• Data & Tools: Structured logging (CSV/JSON), plotting, and report export (Markdown/Notion/LaTeX adapters)
• DevOps: GitHub Actions for builds, linting, firmware packaging, and documentation previews/releases
• Adapters/Plugins: Board packages, instrument bridges (DMM/PSU/scope), and peripheral bundles

Example layout (subject to repository structure):
/runtime/ /boards/ /drivers/ /examples/ /course-kits/ /tools/ /docs/

Example workflows

A. First hardware bring-up

1. Pick a target board (ESP32/STM32/RPi/RISC-V) and install the board pack.
2. flowerberry init to scaffold a sample project and lab template.
3. flowerberry flash and flowerberry logs to verify serial and sensor I/O.
4. flowerberry record to capture CSV + metadata (timestamp, board, firmware version).
5. Commit and open a PR; CI runs build/static checks and publishes a docs preview.

B. Measurement-ready lab

1. Choose a kit from course-kits/ (e.g., temperature, light, motor control, closed-loop control).
2. Fill calibration and uncertainty templates; connect instruments (optional).
3. Record data; plotting scripts render figures (PNG/SVG).
4. Export a report/handout (Markdown/Notion/LaTeX).

Command names are illustrative; refer to the repository tools for the actual CLI.

Course alignment

• Intro to Embedded Systems: GPIO, PWM, I²C/SPI, sensor drivers
• Robotics/Controls: feedback loops, filtering, log analysis, tuning
• Measurement & Data: calibration, uncertainty, reproducible experiments
• Systems/OS (optional): driver abstractions, RTOS/microkernel concepts

Reproducibility & data workflow

• Standardized file trees for raw data, processed data, and figures
• Machine-readable metadata (board, firmware, environment, instrument settings)
• CI checks to validate dataset completeness and plot regeneration

Roadmap (short)

• v0.1: Minimal HAL + 2–3 experiment kits + logging tools
• v0.2: Driver/board pack ecosystem, instrument bridges, stable plotting
• v0.3: Course template library, on-prem deployment guide, classroom examples

Contributing

• Please read CONTRIBUTING.md and style guides before submitting an issue/PR.
• Documentation: keep examples runnable and include sample datasets.
• Drivers/board packs: include a minimal reproducible lab and tests.

Links

• Master repository: Flowerberry Runtime
• Organization page for related modules and examples

License

See the repository LICENSE.