JSC NIIET (part of Element Group, MOEX:ELMT) held an online seminar on “New RISC-V Microcontrollers from NIIET,” where participants had an opportunity to ask questions regarding both technical aspects and practical applications of the microcontrollers.
Below are the answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Question #1: Good afternoon! Is there compatibility between the register models of the peripheral units of different microcontrollers? In other words, how easy is it to port a peripheral unit driver from one microcontroller to another?
Answer: Since the peripheral units of the developed controllers are compatible, the process of code porting from one controller to another will not require much time. Many of these blocks were also previously used in the K1921VK035, K1921VK028, and K1921VG015 controllers.
Question #2: Are the peripheral register addresses and bits inherently identical to those in STM32 controllers?
Answer: No, the register addresses and structure are not compatible with the STM32.
Question #3: Does the VG1T microcontroller support powering the cores directly from an external voltage source?
Answer: No, the K1921VG1T microcontroller only supplies power to the cores from the internal LDO.
Question #4: How many clock cycles will be involved in reading commands directly from flash when they are not yet in the I-cache?
Answer: 17 clock cycles + N LATENCY clock cycles. At a frequency of 204 MHz, the total delay will be 17 + 5 = 22 clock cycles.
Question #5: Is FreeRTOS SMP planned for VG1T?
Answer: Yes, we plan to port FreeRTOS SMP to the K1921VG1T microcontroller. This work is expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year.
Question #6: Is it possible to install Linux on the VG1T? If so, which one? Where can I find repositories and examples?
Answer: We are currently working on porting FreeRTOS, Zephyr, and Linux to K1921VG1T. This work is expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year. Follow our repository updates on GitFlic.
Please, check the link to our repository navigation page: https://gitflic.ru/company/niiet
Question #7: Do the evaluation boards come with a standard set of libraries or examples for using the microcontrollers?
Answer: Yes, some examples are already available in the repository and are constantly being added.
Question #8: Is there a built-in hardware bootloader in this series of chips?
Answer: A hardware bootloader is not implemented in this series of chips.
Question #9: Are there any plans to manufacture these controllers in rad-hard packages? Will the 1921VG1 microcontroller be introduced with avionics/space grade? If so, when? Will there be MCUs with a military product acceptance and Ethernet PHY?
Answer: These controllers will be manufactured only within commercial quality control range. We plan to expand the range of packages available, but will not include rad-hard or metal-ceramic packages.
Question #10: Will you participate in the RISC-V Alliance’s early access program for the RISC-V architecture?
Answer: We plan to participate in the RISC-V Alliance’s DevBoars early access program. We are currently working with the Alliance to select a product from the series to be made available to program participants. You can influence our product selection by sending your information to our official email address niiet@niiet.ru Please, insert the subject line “Product Selection for the Devboards Program.”
Question #11: Which RTOSes can be run on these MCUs?
Answer: We will add FreeRTOS support to the repositories for the new series in Q1 2026. Work is currently underway to support Zephyr for K1921VG1T. Follow repository updates on GitFlic. Link to the navigation page for our repositories: https://gitflic.ru/company/niiet
Question #12: Will there be versions for -60°C?
Answer: There are currently no plans to release versions of the microcontrollers with a lower ambient temperature limit of -60°C.
Question #13: Which controllers are suitable for automotive industry?
Answer: All microcontrollers in this series can potentially be used for designing control units for use in the automotive industry.
Question #14: Will VG2T, VG4T and other even-numbered microcontrollers be complete clones of the VG1T, VG3T, etc.? Or will there be significant improvements?
Answer: Currently, JSC NIIET is developing Level 1 localization microcontrollers, which will have the part numbers K1921VG2T, K1921VG4T, K1921VG6T, and K1921VG8T. They will not be complete clones of the products presented at the seminar due to limitations associated with the use of domestic semiconductor technologies.
Question #15: Good afternoon. Are the analog parts of the ADC, comparators, etc. powered by 1.8 or 3.3 volts?
Answer: The ADC analog part and comparators are powered by 3.3 volts.
Question #16: Is a peripheral configurator planned? Cube Analog
Answer: Not planned for the near future.
Question #17: Are DSP instructions supported?
Answer: The K1921VG1T microcontroller supports the P-extension for DSP/SIMD instructions.
Question #18: Is there a direct SD card connector or is it only available via SPI?
Answer: You can use the SPI or QSPI interface (in SPI mode) to connect an SD card.
Question #19: How many breakpoints does 1T have?
Answer: Four hardware breakpoints.
More detailed information about the event can be found on the company’s website in the “Seminars” section.
As a reminder, NIIET regularly holds seminars to familiarize consumers with its products. The next one is scheduled for March 2026.