# Sipeed Hardware

Reads and controls I2C and SPI peripherals on Sipeed boards.

- Repository: https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw (30078 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-30
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add sipeed/picoclaw --skill hardware -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add sipeed/picoclaw --skill hardware -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add sipeed/picoclaw --skill hardware -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add sipeed/picoclaw --skill hardware -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Read and control I2C and SPI peripherals on Sipeed boards (LicheeRV Nano, MaixCAM, NanoKVM).

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Hardware (I2C / SPI)

Use the `i2c` and `spi` tools to interact with sensors, displays, and other peripherals connected to the board.

## Quick Start

```
# 1. Find available buses
i2c detect

# 2. Scan for connected devices
i2c scan  (bus: "1")

# 3. Read from a sensor (e.g. AHT20 temperature/humidity)
i2c read  (bus: "1", address: 0x38, register: 0xAC, length: 6)

# 4. SPI devices
spi list
spi read  (device: "2.0", length: 4)
```

## Before You Start, Pinmux Setup

Most I2C/SPI pins are shared with WiFi on Sipeed boards. You must configure pinmux before use.

See `references/board-pinout.md` for board-specific commands.

**Common steps:**
1. Stop WiFi if using shared pins: `/etc/init.d/S30wifi stop`
2. Load i2c-dev module: `modprobe i2c-dev`
3. Configure pinmux with `devmem` (board-specific)
4. Verify with `i2c detect` and `i2c scan`

## Safety

- **Write operations** require `confirm: true`, always confirm with the user first
- I2C addresses are validated to 7-bit range (0x03-0x77)
- SPI modes are validated (0-3 only)
- Maximum per-transaction: 256 bytes (I2C), 4096 bytes (SPI)

## Common Devices

See `references/common-devices.md` for register maps and usage of popular sensors:
AHT20, BME280, SSD1306 OLED, MPU6050 IMU, DS3231 RTC, INA219 power monitor, PCA9685 PWM, and more.

## Troubleshooting

The rest: https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/blob/HEAD/workspace/skills/hardware/SKILL.md