Setting up M5Stack Cardputer Emulator on Linux

Follow these steps to set up an M5Stack Cardputer emulator on Linux and test MicroPython code before deployment.

1. Install ESP-IDF and ESP32 Tools

1. Install prerequisites:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install git wget flex bison gperf python3 python3-pip python3-setuptools cmake ninja-build ccache libffi-dev libssl-dev dfu-util libusb-1.0-0

2. Get ESP-IDF:

   mkdir -p ~/esp
   cd ~/esp
   git clone --recursive https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf.git

3. Set up the environment:

   cd ~/esp/esp-idf
   ./install.sh
   . ./export.sh

2. Install QEMU for ESP32

1. Clone and build QEMU for ESP32:

   git clone https://github.com/espressif/qemu.git
   cd qemu
   ./configure --target-list=xtensa-softmmu
   make
   sudo make install

3. Install MicroPython

1. Clone the MicroPython repository:

   git clone https://github.com/micropython/micropython.git
   cd micropython
   git submodule update --init

2. Build MicroPython for ESP32:

   cd ports/esp32
   make submodules
   make

3. Flash MicroPython to QEMU:

   qemu-system-xtensa -nographic -M esp32 -m 4M -drive file=build-GENERIC/firmware.bin,if=mtd,format=raw

4. Testing MicroPython Code

1. Write a simple MicroPython script, e.g., main.py:

   print("Hello, M5Stack Cardputer!")

2. Load and run the script on the emulator:

   qemu-system-xtensa -nographic -M esp32 -m 4M -drive file=build-GENERIC/firmware.bin,if=mtd,format=raw -s -S

3. Use GDB to interact with the QEMU emulator:

   xtensa-esp32-elf-gdb -ex "target remote localhost:1234" -ex "symbol-file build-GENERIC/application.elf"

4. In the GDB session, load your MicroPython script:

   monitor load "main.py"
   monitor start

5. Additional Configuration

For a more accurate emulation of the M5Stack Cardputer, you may need to configure specific peripherals and interfaces based on the hardware features listed in the provided documents.