The CH32V003 makes for a cheap as hell RISC-V computer

When most people think of a computer these days, they imagine a machine with multiple processors, several gigabytes of RAM, and several terabytes of non-volatile memory. With such modern expectations, it can be difficult to view something like a microcontroller as anything more than a toy. But if said MCU has a keyboard, is connected to a display, and allows it to run basic office and programming software, doesn’t that qualify as a computer? This was certainly the case in the 1980s.

With this in mind, (Olimex) poked fun at the RVPC, which it calls “the world’s cheapest all-in-one RISC-V educational computer with open source hardware” (let’s say three times faster). This little board houses the SOIC-8 variant of the CH32V003 chip and… well, not much else. You have a few passive components, a buzzer, an LED, and connectors for a PS/2 keyboard, power supply, and a VGA display. The idea is to offer it as a beginner’s soldering kit in the future, so most of the components have through-holes.

On the software side, the post mentions the ch32v003fun development stack and the PicoRVD programmer as examples of open source tools that enable the CH32V to run. There are even plenty of retro games available to play on the platform. But what he (Olimex) really cares about is a port of VMON, the RISC-V monitoring program.

Combined with the 320×200 VGA text mode, which they claim this equipment is capable of, we get an educational tool that will be great for learning assembly and playing with programming on a metal platform.

It may not have the timeless style of the Voja4, but at least it will fit in a normal-sized pocket.

Thank you (PPJ) for the tip.