Using MicroPython for Microcontroller Development
This article explains how MicroPython, a lightweight Python 3 implementation, enables programming on microcontrollers with limited resources, outlines hardware requirements, showcases example I2C code, and discusses its growing ecosystem alongside traditional C development.
MicroPython is a lightweight implementation of Python 3 designed to run on microcontrollers (MCU) and other constrained environments, providing a subset of the standard library optimized for limited memory and processing power.
It retains Python’s readability while reducing code size and execution speed, enabling development on popular boards such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP32, and the MicroPython pyboard.
The typical hardware requirements are modest – at least 16 KB RAM and 256 KB Flash – and no specific operating system or peripherals are mandatory.
Example code demonstrates creating an I2C bus, scanning devices, and performing read/write operations:
from machine import Pin, I2C
# create an I2C bus
i2c = I2C(scl=Pin('X1'), sda=Pin('X2'))
# scan for list of attached devices
dev_list = i2c.scan()
# write to and read from a device
i2c.writeto(0x42, b'4')
data = i2c.readfrom(0x42, 4)
# memory transactions
i2c.writeto_mem(0x42, 0x12, b'')
data = i2c.readfrom_mem(0x42, 0x12, 2)Although MicroPython’s ecosystem is growing, C remains the dominant language for microcontroller development in the market.
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