CircuitPython on Raspberry Pi: UPDATED GUIDES for DRV2605, SI4713, LSM303, FXAS21002C, and FXOS8700
That’s right! It’s CircuitPython on Raspberry Pi! Wire up your favorite sensors and use the same great CircuitPython code you’ve been using with microcontrollers right on your Raspberry Pi!
We’ve got tons of projects, libraries and example code for CircuitPython on microcontrollers, and thanks to the flexibility and power of Python it’s easy to get it working with micro-computers like Raspberry Pi or other ‘Linux with GPIO pins available’ single board computers.
We’ve written a special library called Adafruit Blinka to provide the layer that translates the CircuitPython hardware API to whatever library the Linux board provides.
We’ve added all the libraries to PyPi so installation is super simple via pip. We’ve also updated the CircuitPython guides! They now have sections for wiring up the sensor to and installing the libraries on your Raspberry Pi. The CircuitPython code works exactly the same way it works on microcontrollers, so the code examples will work on your Raspberry Pi too!
We have over 80 guides to update, so watch for updates to the Adafruit Learning System in batches. Here’s the next five (the last one is two together on one board):
Adafruit DRV2605L Haptic Motor Controller – The DRV2605 from TI is a fancy little motor driver. Rather than controlling a stepper motor or DC motor, its designed specifically for controlling haptic motors – buzzers and vibration motors. Normally one would just turn those kinds of motors on and off, but this driver has the ability to have various effects when driving a vibe motor. For example, ramping the vibration level up and down, ‘click’ effects, different buzzer levels, or even having the vibration follow a musical/audio input.
Adafruit Stereo FM Transmitter with RDS/RBDS Breakout – Si4713 – Yaaar! Become your very own pirate radio station with this FM radio transmitter. This breakout board, based on the best-of-class Si4713, is an all-in-one stereo audio FM transmitter that can also transmit RDS/RBDS data!
Triple-axis Accelerometer+Magnetometer (Compass) Board – LSM303 – Inside are two sensors, one is a classic 3-axis accelerometer, which can tell you which direction is down towards the Earth (by measuring gravity). The other is a magnetometer that can sense where the strongest magnetic force is coming from, generally used to detect magnetic north. By combining this data you can then orient your project!
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 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
