Updated Arduino cores with ZephyrOS (beta)  

Last December we released our beta Arduino cores based on Zephyr. Today, we are excited to make another step in this beta program for Arduino cores based on Zephyr!

ZephyrOS is an open-source, state-of-the-art, real-time operating system (RTOS) designed for low-power, resource-constrained devices. We are transitioning Arduino cores to ZephyrOS to ensure continued support and innovation for developers. This change follows Arm’s deprecation of MbedOS, which has historically powered some of our cores. By adopting ZephyrOS, we are introducing a more modern, scalable, and feature-rich RTOS that aligns with the evolving needs of the embedded development community. This ensures that Arduino users have access to a robust, actively maintained platform for creating advanced applications.

With this update to our beta program for Arduino cores based on ZephyrOS, we invite our community to explore, test, and contribute to this significant new development in Arduino’s evolution – one that will allow old and new Arduino users all around the world to continue using the language and libraries they know and love for many years to come.

How is it going to work?

The Arduino Core for ZephyrOS brings significant changes to how Arduino sketches are built and executed. However, the integration between Arduino core and ZephyrOS operates seamlessly under the hood, providing advanced RTOS capabilities like real-time scheduling and multitasking, while keeping the development process as straightforward as ever. This means you can enjoy the best of both worlds: the ease of Arduino and the power of a modern, robust RTOS.

• Dynamic sketch loading: Sketches are compiled as ELF files and dynamically loaded by a precompiled Zephyr-based firmware.
• Zephyr subsystems: Leverage features like threading, inter-process communication, and real-time scheduling.
• Fast compilation: Since only a thin layer of user code and libraries are compiled, while the rest of the ZephyrOS is already binary, compilation is faster and resulting binary files are smaller.

What’s new in this update?

Arduino Core on Zephyr – Release v0.3.2 brings the following improvements:

• Updated Zephyr to v4.2.0
• Added Opta variant
• Added SPI Wire PWM and ADC on Portenta H7
• GC2145 Camera support
• Added Wi-Fi^® and Bluetooth^® Low Energy on Portenta C33
• GIGA Display Shield support in progress with community contributions
• And many more fixes! Explore all in the official release note 

This version of Arduino Core on Zephyr is available for the following Arduino boards:  

• GIGA R1 WiFi
• Opta
• Portenta H7
• Portenta C33
• Nano 33 BLE

How to get started

Ready to dive into the future of Arduino development with ZephyrOS? 

This new version of Arduino Core on Zephyr is available on Arduino IDE by adding this specific package index: https://downloads.arduino.cc/packages/package_zephyr_index.json

Instructions on how to add it are available at: https://support.arduino.cc/hc/en-us/articles/360016466340-Add-third-party-platforms-to-the-Boards-Manager-in-Arduino-IDE 

Contribute to the beta program!

This is your opportunity to shape the future of Arduino development! We welcome feedback, bug reports, and contributions to the core. Visit the GitHub Issues page to report bugs or suggest features. Your feedback will play a critical role in refining this integration and unlocking new possibilities for embedded systems.

Visit the ArduinoCore-Zephyr GitHub repository today and start exploring this exciting new platform! Thank you for being a part of the Arduino community.