MISC STUDY PLAN - Firmware

Full Book Roadmap

Stage	Chapter	Task / Objective	Key Takeaway / Reason
0. Setup	Ch 1: Setting Up Tools	Just follow the steps to install the IDE/Toolchain.	Environment Check. Ensure compiling works. No need to deep read.
I. The Magic (Foundations)	Ch 2: Constructing Peripheral Registers	Control hardware via pointers/memory addresses (MMIO).	The Core Skill. Absolute prerequisite for bare-metal & RISC-V.
	Ch 3: Build Process & GNU Toolchain	Understand Compiler, Assembler, and Linker logic.	Know how .c turns into .bin. Essential for debugging.
	Ch 4: Linker Script & Startup File (Critical)	Learn Boot Sequence, Vector Table, and memory layout.	The "Holy Grail" for your RISC-V SoC. Explains what happens at T=0.
	Ch 5: The "Make" Build System	Write your own Makefile; ditch the IDE.	Professional standard. Compiling via Command Line.
II. Communication (I/O)	Ch 7: GPIO (General-Purpose I/O)	Blink an LED using your own drivers.	Hardware "Hello World". Verifies your registers are correct.
	Ch 10: UART (Serial Communication)	Send printf style messages to your PC.	Lifeline. Your primary debugging tool when there is no OS.
III. System Dynamics (Real-Time)	Ch 14: External Interrupts (EXTI)	Handle button presses via Interrupts (ISRs).	Understands "Events" vs "Polling" and Stack operations.
	Ch 8: SysTick Timer	Implement a precise system heartbeat.	The foundation for time-slicing and future RTOS porting.
Skip (Reference Only)	Ch 6: CMSIS (Standard Interface)	Skip for now.	We want to build from scratch (Ch 2), not use pre-made ARM libraries.
Skip	Ch 9: General-Purpose Timers	Skip for now.	Complex PWM features not needed for OS fundamentals.
Skip	Ch 11: ADC (Analog-to-Digital)	Skip for now.	Specific to reading sensors (analog signals), not system architecture.
Skip	Ch 12: SPI (Serial Interface)	Skip for now.	Protocol for Flash/Displays. Learn it only when you need it.
Skip	Ch 13: I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit)	Skip for now.	Protocol for sensors/EEPROMs. Not critical for the core kernel.