Simple implementation of an OS for the BeagleBoard C4 with ARMv7 A8 processor. logo

Simple implementation of an OS for the BeagleBoard C4 with ARMv7 A8 processor.

Free

Simple OS for BeagleBoard C4 with ARMv7 A8 processor

FreeFree tier
Type
Open Source

About Simple implementation of an OS for the BeagleBoard C4 with ARMv7 A8 processor.

MinionOS is a simple operating system implementation designed for the BeagleBoard C4 single-board computer, which features an ARMv7 Cortex A8 processor (OMAP 3530). Developed as an educational and experimental project, it provides a hands-on demonstration of core OS concepts including GPIO control, interrupt handling, system timers, system calls, a filesystem, scheduler, virtual memory, process management, inter-process communication (IPC), and basic user applications. The project also includes a shell, low-level drivers for MMC/SD, SPI, UART, and high-level DMX support. Written primarily in C with Assembly components, it uses Code Composer Studio v7 as a design tool. The repository is licensed under MIT.

Key Features

GPIO control and interrupts
System timers and system timer management
System calls interface
Filesystem implementation
Process scheduler
Virtual memory management
Process management and inter-process communication (IPC)
Basic user applications and shell
Low-level drivers: MMC/SD, SPI, UART
High-level DMX (Digital Multiplex) support

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Covers a wide range of OS fundamentals from GPIO to virtual memory and IPC
  • Open-source (MIT license) and free to use
  • Modular design with separate components for drivers, system calls, and scheduler
  • Well-documented in the repository with a clear README and code comments
Cons
  • Limited to the BeagleBoard C4 with OMAP 3530 processor, not portable to other boards without modification
  • Primarily educational; not intended for production or real-world deployment
  • No pre-built binaries or releases; requires building from source

Best For

Educational project for learning operating system concepts on embedded hardwareExperimental platform for ARMv7 Cortex A8 OS developmentPrototyping and testing low-level hardware drivers on the BeagleBoard C4