Board Manager
Each type of microcontroller (like Arduino Uno, ESP32, STM32) needs a software "Core" to compile code. Board Manager helps you install these Cores.
Icon: 🖥️ (Chip/IC)
Structure
Similar to Library Manager, Board Manager also has 2 parts:
1. Online (Find Boards)
- Search: Enter chip family or board name (e.g., "ESP32", "Samd", "RP2040").
- Install: Find the matching package (e.g., "esp32 by Espressif Systems") and click Install.
- Note: Installing a Board Core might take a bit of time as files are usually larger than libraries.
2. Installed (Your Boards)
This tab manages the platforms you have installed and ready to use.
- Your Boards: Boards you have manually installed.
- Default Boards: Boards supported out-of-the-box by Gokino (usually AVR for Arduino Uno, Nano, Mega...).
- Uninstall: Click Remove/Uninstall to delete unused platforms.
When to use Board Manager?
- You only need to visit here once when starting to work with a new chip family (e.g., switching from Uno to ESP32 for the first time).
- After installation, new board names will appear in the Board Selector dropdown in the Header for you to select.