Hardware Podcasts

295: In the Key of Lime

Embedded.fm · 18 Jul 2019 · 1h 11m · Episode 295

What this episode covers

Kattni Rembor and Scott Shawcroft from Adafruit explain CircuitPython, a derivative of MicroPython designed to lower the barrier to entry for beginners by prioritizing ease of use over raw performance. They detail the technical differences between CircuitPython and MicroPython, including the decision to fork the project to maintain a consistent API and hide complex hardware features. The guests discuss the architecture of CircuitPython, such as its interpreter model, memory management challenges on low-RAM chips like the SAMD21, and the use of the Blinka library to run CircuitPython libraries on Linux single-board computers.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Adafruit
Products
CircuitPython, MicroPython, Circuit Playground Express, Blinka, PyPortal
Chips
SAMD21, NRF52832, SAMD51, i.MX RT

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 45m

    An Interview with Scott Shawcroft

    Chris Gammell, a software engineer at Adafruit, explains the architecture and philosophy behind CircuitPython, the fork of MicroPython designed for beginners. He details the technical differences between interpreted and compiled languages, the use of a virtual machine to execute byte code, and the uniform API that allows drivers to work across different microcontroller families like the SAMD21 and SAMD51. Gammell also walks through the low-level debugging process using J-Link and GDB, explaining how hardware breakpoints and the Micro Trace Buffer help troubleshoot firmware issues.

    Embedded firmwareMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    5 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 06m

    An Interview with Tony DiCola

    Tony DiCola from Adafruit explains how MicroPython brings high-level, interpreted Python to memory-constrained microcontrollers like the ESP8266 and BBC micro:bit. He details the technical trade-offs, including the use of a virtual machine, the ability to mix C extensions for performance, and the benefits of an interactive REPL for rapid prototyping. DiCola highlights how this approach lowers the barrier to entry for beginners while offering advanced users the flexibility to handle IoT logic and hardware access on a single chip.

    Embedded firmwareMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    7 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 23m

    Embedded Hardware with the Raspberry Pi Team

    James Adams, Liam Fraser, and Luke Renn from Raspberry Pi Trading discuss the development of the RP2040 microcontroller and the Pico board. They explain the architectural decisions behind the chip, including the use of programmable IO (PIO) state machines, the choice of Cortex-M0+ cores, and the strategic decision to use external flash to maximize SRAM and minimize cost. The conversation also covers the company's flat engineering culture, their low-cost manufacturing strategy, and the integration of the Compute Module 4 (CM4) into industrial applications.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsPricing, margins & unit economics
    10 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 09m

    Rubber Duck Incarnate

    Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the recent public falling out between SparkFun and Adafruit, which resulted in Adafruit losing the right to resell the Teensy microcontroller board designed by Paul Stoffregen. They analyze the technical implications of the Teensy's proprietary NDA-protected bootloader and explore how the RP2350 chip's Programmable IO (PIO) state machines offer a versatile alternative for custom hardware. The conversation also covers Chris's use of the Zephyr RTOS for embedded development, AI-assisted coding tools, and portable debugging via terminal apps on mobile devices.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsEmbedded firmware
    8 chapters

  • Hackaday Podcast · 1h 10m

    Ep 387: Superhuman Clocks, CAN in USB-C, and the Joys of Bare Metal

    Hackaday editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi discuss recent community hacks, including Mikey Sklar's work to bring MicroPython's Viper and empy cross speedups to CircuitPython, and Bas Bottberg's reverse engineering of a Bluetooth printer using bleak. They also cover Ben's complete firmware rewrite of an E-grooter in Rust, which involved discovering CAN bus over USB-C, and Egg Karate Singh's complex mechanical clocks like Ovodio. The episode concludes with Hackaday Europe talks: Sylvain's bare metal 'Minimacy' virtual machine for security-critical applications, and Janelle Wellen's presentation on space mission hacks and troubleshooting.

    Embedded firmwareDebugging & failure analysis
    10 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Embedded.fm. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.