Getting Started

This guide will get you up and running with TinyUSB quickly with working examples.

Project Structure

TinyUSB separates example applications from board-specific hardware configurations:

Example applications: Located in examples/ <https://github.com/hathach/tinyusb/tree/master/examples/>_ directories
Board Support Packages (BSP): Located in hw/bsp/FAMILY/boards/BOARD_NAME/ with hardware abstraction including pin mappings, clock settings, and linker scripts
Build system: Located in examples/build_system/ <https://github.com/hathach/tinyusb/tree/master/examples/build_system>_ which supports both Make and CMake. Though some MCU families such as espressif or rp2040 only support cmake

For example, stm32h743eval is located in hw/bsp/stm32h7/boards/stm32h743eval <https://github.com/hathach/tinyusb/tree/master/hw/bsp/stm32h7/boards/stm32h743eval>_ where FAMILY=stm32h7 and BOARD=stm32h743eval. When you build with BOARD=stm32h743eval, the build system automatically finds the corresponding BSP using the FAMILY.

For guidance on integrating TinyUSB into your own firmware (configuration, descriptors, initialization, and callback workflow), see :doc:integration.

Quick Start Examples

The fastest way to understand TinyUSB is to see it working. These examples demonstrate core functionality and can be built immediately.

We'll assume you are using the STM32H743 Eval board (BOARD=stm32h743eval) under the stm32h7 family. For other boards, see Board Support Packages below.

Get the Code

.. code-block:: bash

$ git clone https://github.com/hathach/tinyusb tinyusb $ cd tinyusb $ python tools/get_deps.py -b stm32h743eval # or python tools/get_deps.py stm32h7

.. note:: Some MCU families require additional SDKs, please follow their instructions to install and set it up

rp2040: Requires pico-sdk <https://github.com/raspberrypi/pico-sdk>_
Espressif (esp32): Requires esp-idf <https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf>_. Only a few examples support the ESP-IDF build system. Look for ones with src/CMakeLists.txt that contain idf_component_register(), such as cdc_msc_freertos.

Simple Device Example

The cdc_msc <https://github.com/hathach/tinyusb/tree/master/examples/device/cdc_msc>_ example creates a USB device with both a virtual serial port (CDC) and mass storage (MSC).

What it does:

Appears as a serial port that echoes back any text you send
Appears as a small USB drive with a README.TXT file
Blinks an LED to show activity

Build and run with CMake:

.. code-block:: bash

$ cd examples/device/cdc_msc $ cmake -DBOARD=stm32h743eval -B build # add "-G Ninja" to use Ninja build $ cmake --build build

cmake --build build --target cdc_msc-jlink

.. tip:: Flashed/Debugger can be selected with --target -jlink, -stlink or -openocd depending on your board. Use --target help to list all supported targets.

Build and run with Make:

.. code-block:: bash

$ cd examples/device/cdc_msc $ make BOARD=stm32h743eval all $ make BOARD=stm32h743eval flash-jlink

.. tip:: Flashed/Debugger can be selected with target flash-jlink, flash-stlink or flash-openocd depending on your board.

Connect the device to your computer and you'll see both a new serial port and a small USB drive appear.

Simple Host Example

The cdc_msc_hid <https://github.com/hathach/tinyusb/tree/master/examples/host/cdc_msc_hid>_ example creates a USB host that can connect to USB devices with CDC, MSC, or HID interfaces.

What it does:

Detects and enumerates connected USB devices
Communicates with CDC devices (like USB-to-serial adapters)
Reads from MSC devices (like USB drives)
Receives input from HID devices (like keyboards and mice)

Build and run with CMake:

.. code-block:: bash

$ cd examples/host/cdc_msc_hid $ cmake -DBOARD=stm32h743eval -B build $ cmake --build build

Build and run with Make:

.. code-block:: bash

$ cd examples/host/cdc_msc_hid $ make BOARD=stm32h743eval all $ make BOARD=stm32h743eval flash-jlink

Connect USB devices to see enumeration messages and device-specific interactions in the serial output.

Additional Build Options

Debug and Logging ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

TinyUSB built-in logging can be enabled by setting CFG_TUSB_DEBUG which is done by passing LOG=level. The higher the level, the more verbose the logging.

In addition to traditional hw uart as default, logging with debugger such as Segger RTT <https://www.segger.com/products/debug-probes/j-link/technology/about-real-time-transfer/>_ (10x faster) is also supported with LOGGER=rtt option.

.. code-block:: bash

$ cmake -B build -DBOARD=stm32h743eval -DLOG=2 # logging level 2 with uart $ cmake -B build -DBOARD=stm32h743eval -DLOG=2 -DLOGGER=rtt # logging level 2 with RTT

.. code-block:: bash

$ make BOARD=stm32h743eval LOG=2 all # logging level 2 with uart $ make BOARD=stm32h743eval LOG=2 LOGGER=rtt all # logging level 2 with RTT

RootHub Port Selection ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Some boards support multiple usb controllers (roothub ports), by default one rh port is used as device, another as host in board.mk/board.cmake. This can be overridden with option RHPORT_DEVICE=n or RHPORT_HOST=n To choose another port. For example to select the HS port of a STM32F746Disco board, use:

.. code-block:: bash

$ cmake -B build -DBOARD=stm32h743eval -DRHPORT_DEVICE=1 # select roothub port 1 as device

.. code-block:: bash

$ make BOARD=stm32h743eval RHPORT_DEVICE=1 all # select roothub port 1 as device

RootHub Port Speed ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A MCU can support multiple operational speed. By default, the example build system will use the fastest supported on the board. Use option RHPORT_DEVICE_SPEED=OPT_MODE_FULL/HIGH_SPEED/ or RHPORT_HOST_SPEED=OPT_MODE_FULL/HIGH_SPEED/ e.g To force operating speed

.. code-block:: bash

$ cmake -B build -DBOARD=stm32h743eval -DRHPORT_DEVICE_SPEED=OPT_MODE_FULL_SPEED

.. code-block:: bash

$ make BOARD=stm32h743eval RHPORT_DEVICE_SPEED=OPT_MODE_FULL_SPEED all

IAR Embedded Workbench

For IAR users, project connection files are available. Import tools/iar_template.ipcf <https://github.com/hathach/tinyusb/tree/master/tools/iar_template.ipcf>_ or use native CMake support (IAR 9.50.1+). See tools/iar_gen.py <https://github.com/hathach/tinyusb/tree/master/tools/iar_gen.py>_ for automated project generation.

Common Issues and Solutions

Build Errors

"arm-none-eabi-gcc: command not found": Install ARM GCC toolchain: sudo apt-get install gcc-arm-none-eabi
"Board 'X' not found": Check the available boards in hw/bsp/FAMILY/boards/ or run python tools/build.py -l
Missing dependencies: Run python tools/get_deps.py FAMILY where FAMILY matches your board or python tools/get_deps.py -b BOARD

Runtime Issues

Device not recognized: Check USB descriptors implementation and tusb_config.h settings
Enumeration failure: Enable logging with LOG=2 and check for USB protocol errors
Hard faults/crashes: Verify interrupt handler setup and stack size allocation

Linux Permissions

Some examples require udev permissions to access USB devices:

.. code-block:: bash

$ cp examples/device/99-tinyusb.rules <https://github.com/hathach/tinyusb/tree/master/examples/device/99-tinyusb.rules>_ /etc/udev/rules.d/ $ sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger

Next Steps

Check :doc:integration for integrating TinyUSB into your own firmware
Check :doc:reference/boards for board-specific information
Explore more examples in examples/device/ <https://github.com/hathach/tinyusb/tree/master/examples/device>_ and examples/host/ <https://github.com/hathach/tinyusb/tree/master/examples/host>_ directories
Read :doc:reference/usb_concepts to understand USB fundamentals