Programming With Micropython Pdf

[Cyrille Mixtapes]

MicroPythonis a lean and efficient implementation of the Python 3 programming language that includes a small subset of the Python standard library and is optimised to run on microcontrollers and in constrained environments.

The MicroPython pyboard is a compact electronic circuit board that runs MicroPython on the bare metal, giving you a low-level Python operating system that can be used to control all kinds of electronic projects.

MicroPython is packed full of advanced features such as an interactive prompt, arbitrary precision integers, closures, list comprehension, generators, exception handling and more. Yet it is compact enough to fit and run within just 256k of code space and 16k of RAM.

MicroPython is a full Python compiler and runtime that runs on the bare-metal. You get an interactive prompt (the REPL) to execute commands immediately, along with the ability to run and import scripts from the built-in filesystem. The REPL has history, tab completion, auto-indent and paste mode for a great user experience.

MicroPython strives to be as compatible as possible with normal Python (known as CPython) so that if you know Python you already know MicroPython. On the other hand, the more you learn about MicroPython the better you become at Python.

MicroPython is written in C99 and the entire MicroPython core is available for general use under the very liberal MIT license. Most libraries and extension modules (some of which are from a third party) are also available under MIT or similar licenses.

All of that changed in 2013 when Damien George launched a Kickstarter campaign. Damien, an undergraduate at Cambridge University, was an avid robot programmer. He wanted to move the Python world from machines that worked with capacities in the gigabytes down to the kilobytes. His Kickstarter campaign was an attempt to back his development while he turned his proof of concept into a finished implementation.

Finally, Python had moved off of desktops and servers and into the world of sensors, actuators, motors, LCD displays, buttons, and circuits. While this presented many challenges, there were also copious opportunities. Desktop and server hardware requires gigahertz processors, gigabytes of RAM, and terabytes of storage. They also need fully-fledged operating systems, device drivers, and true multitasking.

In the microcontroller world, however, MicroPython is the operating system. Essentially, it sits on top of the processors with clock speeds harking back to the 1980s and 90s. MicroPython has no help to deal with all the intricacies of code execution, IO, storage, booting, and so on. If you want to interface with hardware, then you need all code to enable that.

MicroPython is supported by a diverse community of Pythonistas who have a deep interest in seeing the project succeed. Along with testing and supporting the codebase itself, developers contribute tutorials, code libraries, and hardware ports, taking the project far beyond what Damien could have achieved alone.

Over the years, MicroPython has attracted professionals and hobbyists from other platforms who see the potential and convenience of the language. These developers may have come from more mature platforms, like Arduino or PIC. Many came to realize the benefits of using MicroPython, as well as specifying Python and MicroPython together, not least for rapid prototyping and faster time-to-market.

STEM subjects have been under the education microscope for several years, which has led to an explosion of projects and products targeting the classroom. Python and MicroPython are both well-placed for teachers and students alike. The basic syntax and bundled interpreter lend these languages to an effective learning environment. The fact that no development environment is required is only an added bonus!

A few years ago, the BBC launched its Micro:Bit project to get more kids into computing beyond office-style applications. Their goal was to get a microcontroller board into the hands of every school student in the UK. Damien, through his neighbor, acquired one of these boards and quickly got his code running. Thousands of classrooms suddenly had the option to run Python in their lessons!

Microcontrollers do relatively simple things day after day, reliably, and in a compact package. They compress a CPU, memory, and IO into one general-purpose chip, rather than requiring a whole board of chips that team up to perform a task. The code that they run is called firmware, which is flashed or burned onto writeable memory before executing.

While those who grew up with early microcomputers (like the ZX81 and Commodore Vic20) may find these chips unbelievably powerful, technically, you have way more power available in your smartwatch. Still, microcontrollers are extremely useful, even if their processing power and memory capabilities are limited. A great deal can be done with these little guys!

First, the language is more accessible to beginners than competing languages, while still being powerful enough for industrial use cases. You can go from learning the basics to doing real work, and quickly.

Second, Python allows for rapid feedback. This is because you can interactively enter commands and get a response using the REPL. You could even tweak your code and run it right away, rather than iterating through code-compile-upload-execute cycles.

Last, the wealth of Python code and experience out there means that you can do some things more quickly and easily as a Python programmer. I find the Python requests library, string handling, and tools for dealing with JSON much easier to use in the MicroPython world than C++, for example.

If you were to switch on one of those old microcomputers from back in the day, then they would almost certainly have booted into BASIC. At the very least, they would have had a dialect of BASIC on hand. This language served as an introduction to programming for a whole generation. This includes Elon Musk, who apparently learned to code on a Vic 20.

Today, the shine of BASIC has dulled somewhat. Python and other block-based languages have replaced it in educational spaces, and it hardly makes a dent in the tech industry. Python has all the advantages of BASIC, with none of the limitations.

However, that last aspect can actually be a reason not to choose the Pi and go for a microcontroller board instead! The ability to run desktop applications and multimedia is fantastic, especially when your projects might need that raw power. This might be the case for AI, video streams, and database projects, for example.

If you want analog input, then the Pi would require additional hardware. In contrast, most microcontrollers capable of running MicroPython have at least one analog input, and maybe even more. In addition, the Pi is not quite as robust, and it can be more expensive. Because of this, it might make more financial sense to leave a microcontroller in your project, rather than a whole Pi.

The ESP32 is the big brother to the ESP8266. It increases the power and capabilities while adding Bluetooth to the feature set, for a small additional cost. One of the best versions of these boards is the M5 Stack. This unit comes with a peizo speaker, a battery, a card reader, and a color screen.

The Micro:Bit is a compact board based around the Nordic nRF51822 microcontroller. It has built-in Bluetooth LE and temperature sensing, plus an accelerometer, a couple of action buttons, and a 5x5 LED grid.

One is that CircuitPython offers support for the Adafruit range of hardware. Another difference is the fact that most Adafruit implementations feature the board appearing as a USB-connected drive. In these cases, adding your code is as simple as dragging it to the disk.

Once you have a REPL connection, you can enter commands just like you would from your Python interactive session. In MicroPython, this interface is also where you might want to do simple OS-style work, such as deleting files or creating folders.

For the Micro:Bit and CircuitPython boards, the best editor right now is the Mu Editor from Nicholas Tollervey. Otherwise, keep an eye on uPyCraft, which looks to have a lot of promise and is already pretty useful.

You import time, which lets you insert time delays. You also import machine, a module that gives you easy access to the IO pins on your board. You use this module to set up an object called blueled, which you define as being Pin 2. (On other boards, it may be possibly Pin 16). Then, you set it as an output pin. You should see the following output:

In the previous example, you used a for loop, but your hardware can actually blink the LED itself. To do this, set the pin output as PWM, which stands for Pulse Width Modulation (PWM).

Chris is a Marketing Technologist by day, and a maker by night. He has been programming since age 9, when he learned BASIC by poring over the spiral-bound guide book that came with his Commodore Vic 20.

Using MicroPython is a great way to get the most of your ESP8266 board. Andvice versa, the ESP8266 chip is a great platform for using MicroPython. Thistutorial will guide you through setting up MicroPython, getting a prompt, usingWebREPL, connecting to the network and communicating with the Internet, usingthe hardware peripherals, and controlling some external components.

The first thing you need is a board with an ESP8266 chip. The MicroPythonsoftware supports the ESP8266 chip itself and any board should work. The maincharacteristic of a board is how much flash it has, how the GPIO pins areconnected to the outside world, and whether it includes a built-in USB-serialconverter to make the UART available to your PC.

If your board has a USB connector on it then most likely it is powered throughthis when connected to your PC. Otherwise you will need to power it directly.Please refer to the documentation for your board for further details.

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