MicroPython PyBoard v1.1 Python programming development board

Description

MicroPython is 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 aims to be as compatible with normal Python
as possible to allow you to transfer code with ease from the desktop to a
microcontroller or embedded system.
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. In
addition to implementing a selection of core Python libraries,
MicroPython includes modules such as “machine” for accessing low-level
hardware.
The pyboard is a compact and powerful electronics development board
that runs MicroPython. It connects to your PC over USB, giving you a USB
flash drive to save your Python scripts, and a serial Python prompt (a
REPL) for instant programming. Requires a micro USB cable. Works with
Windows, Mac and Linux.
MicroPython is a complete re-write of the Python (version 3.4)
programming language so that it fits and runs on a microcontroller. It
includes many optimisations so that it runs efficiently and uses very
little RAM.
MicroPython runs bare-metal on the pyboard, and essentially gives you a
Python operating system. The built-in pyb module contains functions and
classes to control the peripherals available on the board, such as
UART, I2C, SPI, ADC and DAC. Watch
this video
for an overview of the pyboard.
There are 3 main ways to control the pyboard:
REPL:
Connecting to your PC via USB, the board
appears as a USB virtual comms port (CDC VCP) and you can use any serial
program to connect and get a Python REPL prompt. This allows you to
instantly type and execute Python commands, just like you would when
running Python on your PC. You can also redirect the REPL to any of the
UARTs on the pyboard.
Remote script:
You can change from REPL to raw REPL
mode by sending ctrl-A, and then in raw REPL mode you can send an
arbitrary Python script to the board for it to execute immediately. A
Python script is available which makes using this mode very simple: you
just run
python pyboard.py script_to_run.py
and this will execute
script_to_run.py
on the pyboard, returning any output.
From file:
The pyboard has a small, built-in
filesystem which lives in part of the flash memory of the
microcontroller. It also has an SD card slot if you want to extend the
available storage. When you connect the pyboard to your PC, it appears
as a USB flash storage device and you can access (mount) the internal
filesystem and the SD card this way. If you copy a Python script to the
filesystem and call it
main.py
then the board will execute this script when it starts up. This way you can run scripts without being connected to a PC.
Main features of the hardware:
STM32F405RG microcontroller
168 MHz Cortex M4 CPU with hardware floating point
1024KiB flash ROM and 192KiB RAM
Micro USB connector for power and serial communication
Micro SD card slot, supporting standard and high capacity SD cards
3-axis accelerometer (MMA7660)
Real time clock with optional battery backup
24 GPIO on left and right edges and 5 GPIO on bottom row, plus LED and switch GPIO available on bottom row
3x 12-bit analog to digital converters, available on 16 pins, 4 with analog ground shielding
2x 12-bit digital to analog (DAC) converters, available on pins X5 and X6
4 LEDs (red, green, yellow and blue)
1 reset and 1 user switch
On-board 3.3V LDO voltage regulator, capable of supplying up to 250mA, input voltage range 3.6V to 16V
DFU bootloader in ROM for easy upgrading of firmware
The two mounting tabs on the pyboard have perforations so that you can snap them off cleanly if needed.
This pyboard comes in a small plastic ESD (anti-static) box.
Differences between PYBv1.0 and PYBv1.1: high-speed crystal changed
from 8MHz to 12MHz; LDO changed from MCP1802 to MCP1703; USB VBUS power
diode replaced with silicon diode; JST battery connector pads added with
protection FET.