Real Python Podcast Episode #161 Title Artwork

Episode 161: Resources and Advice for Building CircuitPython Projects

The Real Python Podcast

Jun 23, 2023 1h 13m

Are you looking to advance your CircuitPython projects? Would you like a collection of resources and tools to help you along your path? This week on the show, Tod Kurt is here to discuss building projects with CircuitPython.

Tod has been working with embedded electronics for a long time and has been an active member of the Arduino community. He recently started to build projects using CircuitPython, and it has become his preferred prototype method.

He shares software resources, hardware tools, and advice about working with CircuitPython and embedded electronics. We discuss several of his music hardware projects and the libraries and modules that he uses for synthesis. He also shares a powerful online prototyping tool to plan your project before spending money or plugging in a soldering iron.

Course Spotlight: Python Basics: Reading and Writing Files

In this video course, you’ll learn how to move data back and forth between your Python programs and external software by reading and writing files. You’ll practice reading and writing data stored in the CSV file format, one of the most widely supported file formats for transferring tabular data.

Topics:

00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:17 – Tod’s background and ThingM
00:06:37 – The Bootloader Podcast
00:09:58 – Why did you move from C to Python?
00:13:47 – Starting new projects with CircuitPython instead of Arduino
00:17:14 – Advantages of the Arduino language
00:21:07 – Modules that extend CircuitPython with C
00:25:23 – Synthesis and sample playback in CircuitPython
00:32:54 – Video Course Spotlight
00:34:13 – ulab for NumPy-like functionality in CircuitPython
00:39:20 – Raspberry Pi Pico as inexpensive project board
00:46:08 – STEMMA QT and breadboards
00:48:40 – Powering projects with a USB power bank
00:51:25 – Software tools - tio, circup, and discotool
00:56:55 – CircuitPython tricks GitHub repo
00:59:44 – Wokwi simulator for CircuitPython and Raspberry Pi Pico
01:01:25 – PCB board design resources
01:03:27 – todbot projects on Tindie
01:06:11 – Hardware tools for projects
01:08:21 – What are you excited about in the world of Python?
01:09:42 – What do you want to learn next?
01:11:30 – How can people follow your work online?
01:12:50 – Thanks and goodbye

Show Links:

Level Up Your Python Skills With These Courses:

MicroPython: An Introduction to Programming Hardware in Python

Getting Started With MicroPython

Python Basics: File System Operations

Python Basics: Reading and Writing Files

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