Getting Started with MicroPython

Introducing MicroPython

Learning MicroPython is very easy even for those who have not had any

programming experience. Indeed, all you need to learn MicroPython is a bit of patience

and a little time to get used to the syntax and the mechanisms unique to working with

MicroPython, the boards, and the electronics. As we will see, there is a lot you can do with

just a little knowledge.

So let's start with the MicroPython, why it was created and how it works?

Getting Started 

     The use of the Python language for controlling hardware has been around for some time.

Users of the Raspberry Pi, pcDuino, and other low-cost computers and similar boards

have had the advantage of using Python for controlling hardware. In this case, they used

full versions of the Python programming language on the native Linux-based operating

system.

However, this required special libraries built to communicate with the hardware.

These libraries were designed to interface with the general-purpose input output (GPIO)

pins. The GPIO pins normally appear on the board in one or more rows of male pins on

the board. Some boards used female header pins.

While these boards made it possible for those who wanted to develop electronics

projects, it required users to buy the board as well as peripherals like a keyboard, mouse,

and monitor. Not only that, but users also had to learn the operating system. For those not

used to Linux, this can be a challenge in and of itself.

You may be wondering about microcontrollers such as the wildly popular Arduino

(arduino.cc) or Espressif, also known as ESP boards (espressif.com). For those boards,

you must use a C-like language1 to program them, which may be more than some are

willing to learn.

The vision for MicroPython was to combine the simplicity of learning Python with

the low cost and ease of use of microcontroller boards, which would permit a lot more

people to work with electronics for art and science projects. Beginners would not have to

learn a new operating system or learn one of the more complex programming languages.

MicroPython was the answer.

MicroPython3 was created and is maintained by Damien P. George, Paul Sokolovsky, and

other contributors. It was designed to be a lean, efficient version of the Python 3 language

and installed on a small microcontroller. Since Python is an interpreted language and

thus slower (in general) than compiled languages, MicroPython was designed to be as

efficient as possible so that it can run on microcontrollers that normally are slower and

have much less memory than a typical personal computer.

MicroPython Features

  The biggest advantage of MicroPython is 

• Easy to understand
• Easy to program
• of course,it runs python
• This permits you to create simple and efficient     

What can I do with MicroPython?

      

 The answer is quite alot! You can control hardware connected to the MicroPython board, write code modulesto expand the features of your program storing them on an SD card for later retrieval

(just like you can in Python on a PC), and much more. The hardware you can connect

to include turning LEDs on and off, drive servos, read sensors, and even display text

on LCDs. Some boards also have networking support in the form of WiFi radios. Just

about anything you can do with the other microcontroller boards, you can do with a

MicroPython board.

What Does MicroPython Run On?

Due to the increasing popularity of MicroPython, there are more options for boards to run

MicroPython being added regularly. Part of this is from developers building processor- and

platform-specific compiled versions of MicroPython that you can download and install

on the board. This is the fastest growing category.

There are two categories of boards you can use to run MicroPython. First are the

boards that have MicroPython loaded from the factory and run only MicroPython. These

include the Pyboard (the original MicroPython board) and WiPy. Next are the boards

that have available firmware options to install MicroPython on the board including the

ESP8266, Teensy, and more.                                  

MicroPython is a lean and efficient implementation of the Python programming language

that includes a small subset of the Python standard library and is optimised to run on

microcontrollers and in constrained environments.

We can deploy MicroPython on ESP8266 boards. For instance, you can deploy on these

boards

NodeMCU v2 board:

SparkFun ESP8266 Thing.

    

Adafruit HUZZAH ESP8266 Breakout.

Adafruit Feather HUZZAH with ESP8266 WiFi.