If you’ve ever programmed anything in CircuitPython and understood the instructions first time, you probably have Anne Barela to thank. She’s a consulting engineer at Adafruit, where she puts her vast array of experience into helping people make cool stuff that ‘just works’. She’s had her work go into space on the Shuttle, she helped make sure the world’s computers didn’t melt when the clocks reset to zero in the year 2000, and she’s a big fan of open source. We got a bit flustered when we spoke to her to be honest – where do you start with a career that’s included Caltech, Hewlett-Packard, NASA, Boeing, and the US Diplomatic Service? So, we started with something we can all understand: CircuitPython.
You can read about Anne, her varied professions, her making trajectory and what she’s doing now in the latest HackSpace Magazine.
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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!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: CircuitPython 9.2.1, What is DMA, PyConUS 2025 and More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
