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Welcome to the latest Python on Microcontrollers newsletter! insert 2-3 sentences from editor (what’s in overview, banter) - Anne Barela, Editor
We’re on Discord, Twitter, and for past newsletters - view them all here. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribe here. Here’s the news this week:
CircuitPython 9.1.4 and CircuitPython 9.2.0 Beta 0 Released
CircuitPython 9.1.4 is the latest bugfix release of CircuitPython and is a new stable release - Adafruit Blog and Release Notes.
Highlights of this release
- On nRF boards, fix programmatic resetting directly into bootloader.
- Fix BLE storage leak.
- Clear input after ctrl-C on UART REPL boards. This fixes some USB workflow issues.
CircuitPython 9.2.0-beta.0 is a beta release for 9.2.0. It has known bugs that will be fixed before the final release of 9.2.0 - Adafruit Blog and Release Notes.
Highlights of this release
- On nRF boards, fix programmatic resetting directly into bootloader.
- Fix BLE storage leak.
- Clear input after ctrl-C on UART REPL boards. This fixes some USB workflow issues.
- Update to Espressif ESP-IDF V5.3.1.
- Merge MicroPython updates from v1.23.
- Raspberry Pi RP2350 additions, fixes, and documentation.
- Espressif BLE improvements.
- Add
math.dist().
_eve updates.
TinyUSB 0.17.0 Brings Nice Enhancements
TinyUSB is an open-source cross-platform USB Host/Device stack for embedded systems, designed to be memory-safe with no dynamic allocation, and thread-safe with all interrupt events are deferred then handled in the non-ISR task function - Adafruit Blog.
The latest version has so many changes, a sampling:
- Rewrite and Generalize driver to support non-stm32 mcu such as wch
- Add support for CH32 e.g CH32V203
- MAX3421E Host support
- Video Added support for USB Video Class (UVC) with MJPEG
71 folks contributed to this release! MIT Licensed - Release Notes.
The new Pico VS Code Extension
Pico VS Code is a Microsoft Visual Studio Code extension designed to make your life easier when creating, developing, and debugging projects for Raspberry Pi Pico-series boards using C/C++ or MicroPython. If you’ve ever tried to set up an embedded development environment, you know it’s no small feat. Beginners often find themselves tangled up in the complexities of build systems, SDKs, and toolchains - Raspberry Pi and Adafruit Blog.
DroidScript - Program Your RP2040 Projects from an Android Phone
DroidScript has a new free-to-use feature which lets you program several RP2040 devices directly from your phone via a USB-C cable. Use Linux style commands like cd, ls, cat, cp, rm, mkdir etc to manage the on-board flash memory and upload files from your phone or PC over WiFi. Make apps that communicate with RP2040 based gadgets over USB, WiFi or Bluetooth, such as robots or phone powered sensor modules - DroidScript.
October is Open Hardware Month
October is Open Hardware Month! Join OSHWA by certifying hardware as open source, becoming a member, or host a small event - OSHWA.
“We are providing resources and asking the community to host small, local events (if it’s safe) in the name of open source hardware. We ask that you have followed OSHWA’s rules listed on the “Dos and Don’ts” page.”
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CircuitPython Building Open Source Businesses
Adafruit loves that the Maker community has embraced CircuitPython, for hobby and business. Five years ago, arturo182 introduced the Serpente board, a CircuitPython SAMD21 board in a Digispark form factor. His open source company, Solder Party, now makes a wide range of products. Another example is KMK firmware for keyboards. Based on CircuitPython, it powers a wide range of home build keyboards and innovative products for sale - Adafruit Blog.
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This Week’s Python Streams
Python on Hardware is all about building a cooperative ecosphere which allows contributions to be valued and to grow knowledge. Below are the streams within the last week focusing on the community.
CircuitPython Deep Dive Stream
Last Friday, Scott streamed work on {subject}.
You can see the latest video and past videos on the Adafruit YouTube channel under the Deep Dive playlist - YouTube.
CircuitPython Parsec
John Park’s CircuitPython Parsec this week is on {subject} - Adafruit Blog and YouTube.
Catch all the episodes in the YouTube playlist.
CircuitPython Weekly Meeting
CircuitPython Weekly Meeting for {date} (notes) on YouTube.
Project of the Week
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Popular Last Week
What was the most popular, most clicked link, in last week’s newsletter? Six Underrated Features and Upgrades of the Raspberry Pi 5.
New Notes from Adafruit Playground
Adafruit Playground is a new place for the community to post their projects and other making tips/tricks/techniques. Ad-free, it’s an easy way to publish your work in a safe space for free.
Prime Time Python! - Adafruit Playground.
text - Adafruit Playground.
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News From Around the Web
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BUBBY – a pocket chording keyboard based on a ESP32-S3 and programmed in CircuitPython - Keyboard Builders’ Digest and GitHub.
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11 Open Source Python Projects You Should Know in 2024 - DEV.
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Coming Soon / New
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New Boards Supported by CircuitPython
The number of supported microcontrollers and Single Board Computers (SBC) grows every week. This section outlines which boards have been included in CircuitPython or added to CircuitPython.org.
This week, there were (#/no) new boards added:
Note: For non-Adafruit boards, please use the support forums of the board manufacturer for assistance, as Adafruit does not have the hardware to assist in troubleshooting.
Looking to add a new board to CircuitPython? It’s highly encouraged! Adafruit has four guides to help you do so:
New Learn Guides
DOOM Keeb from John Park
CircuitPython Libraries
The CircuitPython library numbers are continually increasing, while existing ones continue to be updated. Here we provide library numbers and updates!
To get the latest Adafruit libraries, download the Adafruit CircuitPython Library Bundle. To get the latest community contributed libraries, download the CircuitPython Community Bundle.
If you’d like to contribute to the CircuitPython project on the Python side of things, the libraries are a great place to start. Check out the CircuitPython.org Contributing page. If you’re interested in reviewing, check out Open Pull Requests. If you’d like to contribute code or documentation, check out Open Issues. We have a guide on contributing to CircuitPython with Git and GitHub, and you can find us in the #help-with-circuitpython and #circuitpython-dev channels on the Adafruit Discord.
You can check out this list of all the Adafruit CircuitPython libraries and drivers available.
The current number of CircuitPython libraries is ###!
New Libraries
Here’s this week’s new CircuitPython libraries:
Updated Libraries
Here’s this week’s updated CircuitPython libraries:
Library PyPI Weekly Download Stats
What’s the CircuitPython team up to this week?
What is the team up to this week? Let’s check in:
Dan
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Tim
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Jeff
I’ve been going module by module to make sure the functionality of the RP2350 chip, particularly on the Pico 2, is working.
One problem I found and resolved actually affected the RP2040 as well: the timing of neopixel data in adafruit_neopxl8 was not quite right, with all pulses being somewhat shorter than they should have been. This is now fixed and an updated version of the lib will likely be released shortly.
Scott
This week I’ve fixed a number of issues on the ESP32 series of chips and one on nRF. The fixes are in 9.1.4 and 9.2.0-beta.0. Thanks to Dan for releasing those. I’m finally back to working on CircuitMatter. I starting to work on commissioning and am currently figuring out how to encrypt my reply so the commissioner can decrypt it.
Liz
This week I’ve been working on a few product guides. The first is for the Adafruit DS2482S-800 8 Channel I2C to 1-Wire Bus Adapter. This breakout lets you use up to 8 1-Wire sensors over I2C and intead of having to know the ROM address of the sensors, you can call them out by channel. I updated the CircuitPython library to be able to handle passing a ROM address or channel number to the DS18B20 temperature function.
I have also been working on the Feather RP2350 guide. I have a few more pages to take care of now that Arduino support has been merged into the Philhower Arduino BSP but it should be wrapped up and ready to show off next week.
I have also been using the new itsaSnap iOS app with Apple Shortcuts. This lets you use your phone to send data to Adafruit IO. I’ve been having a lot of fun working with shortcuts and have a few projects ideas that I’m starting to work on. If you want a sample of what you can do, check out Trevor’s new weather display guide. It uses CircuitPython on a Matrix Portal S3 with Apple Shortcuts and itsaSnap to send weather data from iOS to Adafruit IO and then display the data on the RGB matrix. I think this is a really cool use of itsaSnap because usually getting weather data can be cumbersome with API requests and API keys.
Upcoming Events
The next MicroPython Meetup in Melbourne will be on September 25th – Meetup. You can see recordings of previous meetings on YouTube. The August 2024 Roundup.
Maker Faire Bay Area returns to Mare Island Naval Shipyard on October 18-20, 2024 - Maker Faire.
Hackaday Superconference is an epic gathering of hardware hackers, makers, and tech enthusiasts happening November 1-3 in Pasadena, California - Hackaday and Eventbrite.
PyCon AU will be held from the 22nd to the 26th of November at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) in Narrm/Melbourne. Matt Trentini and Damien George will both be presennting on MicroPython - PyCon AU.
PyLadies Conference (PyLadiesCon) is a transformative event designed to promote diversity, learning, and empowerment within the Python community. December 6-8, 2024 online - PyLadies.
Send Your Events In
If you know of virtual events or upcoming events, please let us know via email to cpnews(at)adafruit(dot)com.
Latest Releases
CircuitPython’s stable release is #.#.# and its unstable release is #.#.#-##.#. New to CircuitPython? Start with our Welcome to CircuitPython Guide.
2024#### is the latest Adafruit CircuitPython library bundle.
2024#### is the latest CircuitPython Community library bundle.
v#.#.# is the latest MicroPython release. Documentation for it is here.
#.#.# is the latest Python release. The latest pre-release version is #.#.#.
#,### Stars Like CircuitPython? Star it on GitHub!
Call for Help – Translating CircuitPython is now easier than ever
One important feature of CircuitPython is translated control and error messages. With the help of fellow open source project Weblate, we’re making it even easier to add or improve translations.
Sign in with an existing account such as GitHub, Google or Facebook and start contributing through a simple web interface. No forks or pull requests needed! As always, if you run into trouble join us on Discord, we’re here to help.
NUMBER Thanks
The Adafruit Discord community, where we do all our CircuitPython development in the open, reached over NUMBER humans - thank you! Adafruit believes Discord offers a unique way for Python on hardware folks to connect. Join today at https://adafru.it/discord.
ICYMI - In case you missed it
Python on hardware is the Adafruit Python video-newsletter-podcast! The news comes from the Python community, Discord, Adafruit communities and more and is broadcast on ASK an ENGINEER Wednesdays. The complete Python on Hardware weekly videocast playlist is here. The video podcast is on iTunes, YouTube, Instagram), and XML.
The weekly community chat on Adafruit Discord server CircuitPython channel - Audio / Podcast edition - Audio from the Discord chat space for CircuitPython, meetings are usually Mondays at 2pm ET, this is the audio version on iTunes, Pocket Casts, Spotify, and XML feed.
Contribute
The CircuitPython Weekly Newsletter is a CircuitPython community-run newsletter emailed every Monday. The complete archives are here. It highlights the latest CircuitPython related news from around the web including Python and MicroPython developments. To contribute, edit next week’s draft on GitHub and submit a pull request with the changes. You may also tag your information on Twitter with #CircuitPython.
Join the Adafruit Discord or post to the forum if you have questions.
