CircuitPython


CircuitPython is an open source derivative of the MicroPython programming language targeted towards the student and beginner. Development of CircuitPython is supported by Adafruit Industries. It is a software implementation of the Python 3 programming language, written in C. It has been ported to run on several modern microcontrollers.
CircuitPython is a full Python compiler and runtime that runs on the microcontroller hardware. The user is presented with an interactive prompt to execute supported commands immediately. Included are a selection of core Python libraries. CircuitPython includes modules which give the programmer access to the low-level hardware of Adafruit compatible products as well as higher level libraries for beginners.
CircuitPython is a fork of MicroPython, originally created by Damien George. The MicroPython community continues to discuss forks of MicroPython into variants such as CircuitPython.
CircuitPython is targeted to be compliant with CPython, the reference implementation of the Python programming language. Programs written for CircuitPython compatible boards may not run unmodified on other platforms such as the Raspberry Pi.

Usage

CircuitPython is being used as an emerging alternative solution for microcontroller programming, which is usually done with C, C++ or Arduino. The language has also seen uptake in making small, handheld video game devices. Developer Chris Young has ported his infrared receive/transmit software to CircuitPython to provide interactivity and to aid those with accessibility issues.

Community

The user community support includes a Discord chat room and product support forums. A Twitter account dedicated to CircuitPython news was established in 2018.

Availability

The current stable version is 5.1.0 with support for the Microchip Technology Atmel SAMD21 and SAMD51 microcontrollers and the Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 microcontroller. Previous versions supported the ESP8266 microcontroller, but support was dropped in version 4.