MicroPython is an awesome little Python interpretor that can run on embedded platforms. Using the familiar Python programming language you can talk to hardware and control it, much like controlling hardware with an Arduino or other embedded board. The MicroPython board makes it easy to get started using MicroPython, but did you know you can use MicroPython on other platforms like the nifty ESP8266 WiFi module? Thanks to recent contributions to MicroPython you can turn an ESP8266 into a MicroPython device, and this guide will show you how to get started by compiling and installing MicroPython firmware for the ESP8266!
Before you get started one thing to note is that MicroPython’s support for the ESP8266 is still in very early stages of developmentand not all MicroPython board functionality is available. Currently you can access GPIO pins, connect to a WiFi network, and talk to the internet using a low-level socket-like interface with MicroPython on the ESP8266. Access to I2C, SPI, or other parts of hardware are not yet supported–consider MicroPython on the ESP8266 just for advanced users right now!
However if you’re interested in hacking on and even contributing to MicroPython for the ESP8266 this guide will show you how to setup a toolchain for building the MicroPython ESP8266 firmware. You can even use the toolchain built from this guide to create other ESP8266 projects!
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
