CircuitPython 7.0.0 Alpha 3 Released! @adafruit @circuitpython

This is CircuitPython 7.0.0-alpha.3, an alpha release for CircuitPython 7.0.0. It is relatively stable, but contains a number of issues still to be addressed for 7.0.0. The Python API’s it presents may change.

Notable additions to 7.0.0 include run-time customization of USB devices, merging in of MicroPython fixes and enhancements as of MicroPython 1.15, simplifications to the RGB status LED codes, and a clocking fix for a few samples of RP2040 boards.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in our new Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of “ports” that are the core implementations for different microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, atmel-samd, cxd56 (Spresense), nrf, and stm for the F4 family are stable. esp32s2, raspberrypi, and stm for other STM chip families are being actively improved but may be missing functionality and have bugs. litex and mimxrt10xx are in an alpha state and will have bugs and missing functionality.

Changes since 6.3.0

The full commit log is here.

Fixes and enhancements

  • Fix .bit_length() to work with longint 0. #4845. Thanks @t-ikegami.
  • Update frozen libraries. #4843. Thanks @dhalbert.
  • Merge in upstream MicroPython changes from MicroPython 1.10 through 1.15. #4646, #4649, #4690, #4693, #4744, #4749. Thanks @tannewt.
  • Support for run-time customization of USB devices. #4848, #4689, #4720, #4725, #4730, #4734, #4746, #4798, #4800, #4819. Thanks @dhalbert.
  • OnDiskBitmap can now use Palettes. #4823. Thanks @jepler.
  • Correct comment in persistentcode.c. #4806. Thanks @lesamouraipourpre.
  • Fix error message for ipaddress. #4804. Thanks @bergdahl.
  • Fix return values from ipaddress.IPv4Address. #4792. Thanks @Neradoc.
  • Don’t print “hard crash” on USER_SAFE_MODE. #4790. Thanks @Neradoc.
  • Fix usb_hid error messges. #4745. Thanks @ajs256.
  • Simplify the RGB status LED codes for clarity and to save power. #4743. Thanks @tannewt.
  • Fix native module examples, added during MicroPython merge. #4732. Thanks @jepler.
  • Avoid casts in qstr code. #4707. Thanks @tyomitch.
  • Implement supervisor_workflow_active() internally. #4698. Thanks @tyomitch.
  • Do not include pulseio on small builds. #4696. Thanks @dhalbert.
  • Remove PWMOut from pulseio. It is now only in pwmio. #4694. Thanks @dhalbert.
  • Handle subclasses in instance_subscr(). #4688. Thanks @jepler.
  • Add wifi.AuthMode. #4685. Thanks @microDev1.
  • Fix uses of type-checking macros after MicroPython 1.11 merge. #4684. Thanks @hierophect.
  • Wrap values from PulseIn when maximum length is exceeded. #4683. Thanks @DavePutz.
  • Increased possible PulseIn length to about 65 ms. #4688. Thanks @DavePutz.
  • Fix buffer indexing in PulseIn. #4666. Thanks @DavePutz.
  • Add wifi access point modes. #4650. Thanks @anecdata.
  • Autocomplete builtin modules in REPL. #4548, #4608. Thanks @tyomitch.
  • Improve internal API for sleep. #4606. Thanks @hierophect.
  • BLE: assume maximum characteristic size when a client. #4604. Thanks @tannewt.
  • Remove specfic references to CircuitPython or MicroPython in errors. #4589. Thanks @hugodahl.
  • Separate hash and length info from strings to allow overlapping. #4583. Thanks @tyomitch.
  • Fix and refactor rotaryio implementations. #4559, #4580. Thanks @jepler.
  • Don’t block serial output during an interrupt. #4579. Thanks @tannewt.
  • Improve PacketBuffer. #4578. Thanks @tannewt.
  • Check for overflow errors in re. #4572. Thanks @jepler.
  • Simplify qstr compression heuristic. #4564. Thanks @tyomitch.
  • Fix bug in message decompression. #4553. Thanks @jepler.
  • Fix displayio.BitMap when modified via buffer protocol. #4549. Thanks @jepler.
  • Update ulab. #4533, #4547. Thanks @jepler.
  • Improve confusing error messages. #4543. Thanks @bergdahl.
  • Update tinyusb to fix MIDI issue. #4538. Thanks @hathach.
  • BLE: Fix pairing and a crash. #4522. Thanks @tannewt.

Port and board-specific changes

ESP32S2

  • Add RGBMatrix support. #4755. Thanks @jepler.
  • Validate PWMOut frequency. #4702. Thanks @rsbohn.

i.MX

  • Enable adafruit_bus_device. #4570. Thanks @jepler.
  • Enable basic PWMOUT. #4530. Thanks @jepler.

NRF

  • Implemented light and deep sleep. #4236. Thanks @jun2sak.
  • Add countio. #4609. Thanks @Neradoc.

RP2040

  • Fix status LED on Pimoroni Tiny 2040 and PicoSystem. #4796. Thanks @Neradoc.
  • Fix RP2040 safe mode. #4783. Thanks @tannewt.
  • Implement PulseOut for RP2040. #4773. Thanks @DavePutz.
  • Lengthen crystal oscillator startup time on RP2040. adafruit/pico-sdk#4, #4847. Thanks @dhalbert.
  • Add PIO state-machine deinit. #4662. Thanks @dhalbert.

SAMx

  • Support DEBUG UART on ATSAME5x. #4772. Thanks @EmergReanimator.
  • Correct SAMD21 PulseOut timing. #4655. Thanks @DavePutz.
  • Add `ParallelImageCapture for ATSAME5x. #4635. Thanks @jepler.
  • Enable specific modules based on chip family. #4591. Thanks @jepler.

Spresense

  • Fix USB CDC and MS on Spresense. #4774. Thanks @kamtom480.

Trinkeys

  • Update pins and features. #4765. Thanks @dhalbert.

Individual Boards.

  • MagTag: Remove board.SPI() and rename display-only pins. #4695. Thanks @dhalbert.
  • Add pins to Wio Terminal. #4679. Thanks @t-ikegami.
  • Improve DotStar pin names. #4674. Thanks @kattni.
  • Release display on FunHouse when entering deep sleep. #4673. Thanks @makermelissa.
  • Fix “QT Py” naming. #4577. Thanks @dglaude.

New boards Since 6.3.0

  • ATMegaZero ESP32-S2. #4634. Thanks @eddiespinal.
  • Adafruit MacroPad RP2040. #4770. Thanks @ladyada.
  • Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect. #4802. Thanks @BlitzCityDIY.
  • CP Sapling Rev B. #4677. Thanks @skerr92.
  • Cytron Maker Pi RP2040. #4824. Thanks @CytronTechnologies.
  • Muselab nanoESP32-S2 WROVER. #4834. Thanks @reppad.
  • senseBox MCU. #4576. Thanks @felixerdy.
  • SparkFun MicroMod SAMD51. #4852. Thanks @stonehippo.

Documentation

  • Fix typos in usb_hid. #4840. Thanks @jepler.
  • Update documentation about incompatible .mpy files. #4805. Thanks @lesamouraipourpre.
  • Improve Design Guide. #4643, #4652, #4678, #4709, #4767. Thanks @jposada202020.
  • Fix struct_time documentation. #4741. Thanks @lesamouraipourpre.
  • Fix typo in gamepadshift. #4721. Thanks @dhalbert.
  • Unify naming of “CircuitPython” without a space between words. #4716. Thanks @tyomitch.
  • Fixes in displayio. #4650, #4651. Thanks @lesamouraipourpre.
  • Add module filtering field in Support Matrix in readthedocs. #4617. Thanks @Neradoc.
  • Remove RP2040 PIO colocate reference. #4566. Thanks @tannewt.
  • Add aliased boards and modules to the Support Matrix. #4539. Thanks @Neradoc.
  • Improve stubs package. #4844. Thanks @FoamyGuy.

Build and infrastructure changes

  • Remove Adafruit boards that did not turn into products. #4812. Thanks @dhalbert.
  • Generate mpy-cross builds for MacOS M1 machines. #4835, #4836. Thanks @jepler.
  • Add trial CI Windows builds with MSYS2. #4826. Thanks @jepler.
  • Print more firmware memory information on ESP32-S2. #4763. Thanks @jepler.
  • Fix builds to support cp1252 code pages. #4751. Thanks @jepler.
  • Fix stray warning on MacOS builds. #4740. Thanks @jepler.
  • Make .mpy version info include origin as CircuitPython. #4713. Thanks @jepler.
  • Add aarch64 version of mpy-cross for use on RPi 64-bit OS’s. #4712. Thanks @jepler.
  • Ensure all appropriate code files are being consider for reformatting. #4692. Thanks @jepler.
  • Correct builds with USB turned off. #4619. Thanks @tyomitch.
  • Extract failed builds into a convenient list. #4605. Thanks @tannewt.
  • Remove unstable release from circuitpython.org when superseded by stable release. #4594. Thanks @Neradoc.

Translation additions and improvements

  • Translation additions and improvements. Thanks:
    • @bergdahl (Swedish)
    • @Edrig (French)
    • @fede2cr (Spanish)
    • @hexthat (Chinese – Pinyin)
    • @hugodahl (French)
    • @jposada202020 (Spanish)
    • @rezaalmanda (Indonesian)
    • @wtuemura (Portuguese – Brazil)

Breaking changes since 6.x

  • OnDiskBitmap can now use Palettes. #4823. Thanks @jepler.
  • The RGB status LED codes have changed for clarity and to save power. #4743. Thanks @tannewt.
  • PWMOut is now only in pwmio, and is no longer in both pulseio and pwomio. #4694. Thanks @dhalbert.

Known issues

  • See https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/issues for other issues.

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, and contributed since 6.2.0, including the contributors above, and many others on GitHub and Discord. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

This release is based on MicroPython 1.15. Support upstream MicroPython by purchasing a PyBoard (from Adafruit here) or sponsoring MicroPython on GitHub.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in our new Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

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Filed under: CircuitPython, USB —
Tags: — by Dan Halbert

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