Dabao Is a $10 Dev Board with an Open Source Baochip-1x RISC-V Microcontroller (Crowdfunding)

Key Takeaways

• $9.50 Dabao board ships June 2026.
• Baochip‑1x uses mostly‑open RISC‑V design.
• Hardware security features include signed boot and ECC RAM.
• Production leverages TSMC 22 nm “hitchhiking” chip reuse.
• Over 500 backers fully funded the campaign.

Summary

Hardware hacker bunnie Huang launched the Dabao evaluation board, a $9.50 single‑board computer featuring the open‑source Baochip‑1x RISC‑V microcontroller. The chip, fabricated in TSMC’s 22 nm process, offers a 350 MHz VexRiscv core, multiple PicoRV32 I/O cores, 4 MiB non‑volatile RRAM, and hardware security such as signed boot and ECC‑protected RAM. Production uses a “hitchhiking” approach that embeds Baochip‑1x into unused space on another SoC, enabling low‑cost, scalable manufacturing. The crowdfunding campaign, backed by over 500 supporters, is fully funded and aims to ship boards by June 2026.

Pulse Analysis

The Dabao board arrives at a moment when open‑hardware security is gaining traction among developers wary of opaque supply chains. Bunnie Huang, known for his advocacy of user‑inspectable silicon, extends his Betrusted initiative with a microcontroller that publishes its compute logic on GitHub while keeping only essential analog blocks closed. This transparency lets engineers run simulations, verify firmware integrity, and even perform microscopic inspections, fostering a community‑driven trust model that contrasts sharply with traditional proprietary chips.

Technically, the Baochip‑1x packs a 350 MHz VexRiscv core alongside four 700 MHz PicoRV32 I/O cores, delivering a heterogeneous compute fabric suitable for low‑power edge tasks. Its 4 MiB RRAM and 2 MiB SRAM provide ample space for secure bootloaders and cryptographic keys, while built‑in ECC and signed‑boot mechanisms protect against tampering. The clever “hitchhiking” manufacturing strategy—embedding the chip in unused silicon of another SoC—leverages TSMC’s 22 nm node without incurring full‑die costs, making million‑unit scaling economically feasible.

From a market perspective, a sub‑$10 security‑focused board could democratize access to trusted hardware for hobbyists, startups, and academic labs. Compared with the $600 Precursor handheld, Dabao offers a cost‑effective platform for prototyping secure IoT devices, firmware verification, and education. As more projects demand verifiable hardware roots of trust, the board’s open‑source ethos and low price point position it as a catalyst for broader adoption of transparent, tamper‑resistant technology across the embedded ecosystem.