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Welcome to the latest Python on Microcontrollers newsletter! Python on hardware appears to be gaining in popularity. In the news and on social media, I was finding a great amount of material for this week’s newsletter. And not all in English: a number of projects below are being done in Japan. The more the merrier in this community!
Be sure to save the date for CircuitPython Day, just over two weeks away. Are you ready for WiFi 8? No one is, my gear is still on WiFi 6. Learn about overclocking the Pico 2 with MicroPython. All of this and much more in today’s issue. And remember: if you’re doing great things in this space, send your project write-up links to cpnews(at)adafruit(dot)com for future newsletters consideration. Anne Barela, Editor
We’re on Discord, Twitter/X, BlueSky and for past newsletters – view them all here. If you’re reading this on the web, please subscribe here. Here’s the news this week:
CircuitPython Day 2025 is August 15th
In mid-August each year, Adafruit holds CircuitPython Day. During the day there are broadcasts, there’s likely a discount code, and staff highlight community work on CircuitPython projects. This year it’s Friday, August 15th. Please mark your calendars and keep an eye on the Adafruit Blog for additional information. And let us know how you might be celebrating CircuitPython Day by tagging social media with #CircuitPythonDay2025.
Next-Gen WiFi 8 is Coming
The next-generation WiFi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn) specification is not meant to improve performance, but rather to boost reliability of wireless connections as they become even more ubiquitous. Since improving reliability is a pretty vague description, the IEEE has issued a scope document that quantitatively defines the enhancements. According to a new post by Qualcomm (which is a contributor to the standard), the IEEE wants WiFi 8 devices to offer a 25% improvement across a number of metrics, under the umbrella of Ultra High Reliability, or UHR – Tom’s Hardware.
Zephyr 4.2 Released
Zephyr RTOS 4.2 is now available. It introduces Renesas RX Support, MQTT 5.0, USB Video Class, an improved Devicetree developer experience, and more with 96 board additions and 810 contributions in total – Zephyr Blog and YouTube. Via LinkedIn.
Overclocking the Raspberry Pi Pico 2
Pimoroni looks at overclocking the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 using a MicroPython script to see how fast it’ll go and still be stable – DigiKey.
Software vs. Firmware: the Unending Debate
Editorial: What is software vs. firmware? In the old days, firmware was in ROM, software loaded into RAM. Now? We have chip bootloaders booting Python interpreters running our user code and at what stage is it not firmware? It’s all in Flash (likely). I think the dividing line has shifted in the embedded environment in the last 20 years. You can check this older thread I found for their takes which still hold – Embedded Related.
The CircuitPython Online IDE 2.1 Released
River Wang has released the independently developed CircuitPython Online IDE (integrated development environment) version 2.1 which runs in a modern web browser – circuitpy.dev. Via X.
Highlights of this Release
- Serial Console rewritten with Xterm
- Progressive Web App
- Performance improvement and bug fixes
This Week’s Python Streams
Python on Hardware is all about building a cooperative ecosphere which allows contributions to be valued and to grow knowledge. Below are the streams within the last week focusing on the community.
CircuitPython Deep Dive Stream
Last Friday, Tim streamed testing old MagTag projects with new hardware.
You can see the latest video and past videos on the Adafruit YouTube channel under the Deep Dive playlist – YouTube.
CircuitPython Parsec
John Park’s CircuitPython Parsec this week is on GPIO switch to input – Adafruit Blog and YouTube.
Catch all the episodes in the YouTube playlist.
Project of the Week: An LED Hexagon Family Tracker
This Raspberry Pi project is an experiment in creating a dynamic family location tracker using MQTT, Node-RED, Folium, and Adafruit’s NeoPixel library – XDA, Medium, YouTube and GitHub.
Popular Last Week
What was the most popular, most clicked link, in last week’s newsletter? AI Cheat Sheet.
Did you know you can read past issues of this newsletter in the Adafruit Daily Archive? Check it out.
Adafruit Playground Notes
Adafruit Playground is a new place for the community to post their projects and other making tips/tricks/techniques. Ad-free, it’s an easy way to publish your work in a safe space for free.
News From Around the Web
Need to get data from one microcontroller to another using CircuitPython? There are many ways, as chronicled by CircuitPythonista anecdata – GitHub. Via Mastodon.
Python 3.14.0rc1 is the penultimate release preview. Entering the release candidate phase, only reviewed code changes which are clear bug fixes are allowed. The second candidate (and the last planned release preview) is scheduled for Tuesday, 2025-08-26, while the official release of 3.14.0 is scheduled for Tuesday, 2025-10-07 – Python Insider Blog.
StamPLC by M5Stack is a compact programmable logic controller (PLC) with WiFi, relays, and opto-isolated inputs for industrial-grade projects, programmable in Arduino, UIFlow Ver. 2, MicroPython, ESP-IDF, or PlatformIO – hackster.io.
The many and varied uses of photography on Raspberry Pi – Raspberry Pi News.
Andy Warburton’s HellSplit is a hand-wired, asymmetric 40% split ortholinear keyboard with vertical column stagger and two rotary encoders. It’s powered by a pair of Raspberry Pi Pico’s RP2040 and KMK (CircuitPython) firmware – Mastodon.
Bradán Lane’s 2025 eChallengeCoin will make its first appearance at DEFCON this year. It runs CircuitPython and includes a text adventure game – aosc.cc. Via X.
SparkFun MicroPython for Beginners: Flash Firmware, Upload Code & Run – YouTube and Tutorial.
A mini airplane radar with Raspberry Pi, Python and an ADS-B receiver – sozorablog (Japanese). Via X.
This year’s Python Software Foundation (PSF) Board Election nomination period opens on Tuesday, July 29th, 2:00 pm UTC and closes on Tuesday, August 12th, 2:00 pm UTC. Who runs for the board? People who care about the Python community, who want to see it flourish and grow, and also have a few hours a month to attend regular meetings, serve on committees, participate in conversations, and promote the Python community – Python Blog.
CircuitPython SD I2S audio demo: play multiple WAVs off an SD card to an I2S DAC – YouTube. Via Mastodon.
Using WIZnet’s Ethernet module with CircuitPython installed on Pico/Pico 2 (not W) for SSL communication – Akkiesoft (Japanese).
A new book: I want to make a simple synth with Raspberry Pi by Yuppon. It covers using a Raspberry Pi Pico and CircuitPython to make a synthesizer. Chapters are free online and the book is priced at 200 yen – Zenn (Japanese).
Bernhard Bablok writes about using buzzers with Pi Pico and his CircuitPython library – MakerSpace Online and GitHub.
This Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W project startles everyone who visits with an PIR sensor and audio, programmed in Python – XDA.
Alcoclock is a Raspberry Pi Zero & Python project that checks where in the world it’s 5PM – hackster.io. Via PCguide.
Roland Schulz built a giant colorful LEGO Raspberry Pi 4 robot powered by the official Raspberry Pi Magazine Build HAT. The battery pack is hidden under the platform – Mastodon.
Manabu Otsu made a weather display with a long e-ink display, ESP32 and MicroPython – GitHub (Japanese). Via X.
PyEdit for kintone: Easily customize kintone with MicroPython – ProtoPedia (Japanese).
Building an RFID-controlled MP3 player based on the ESP32 and MicroPython – hackster.io.
Create an e-ink information center with a Raspberry Pi Pico W and Python – MakerSpace Online.
Tom Beraducci’s SensorNode for adding low-cost smart home sensors. A Raspberry Pi Pico W running MicroPython is a standardized interface between a variety of sensors and Home Assistant – hackster.ioe.
Booting your Raspberry Pi off an SD card isn’t ideal – here’s what you can do instead – XDA.
New
The Luckfox Lyra Pi is a new single-board computer (SBC) which comes with cellular connectivity, making it suitable for projects far from a WiFi network – NotebookCheck.
Unexpected Maker introduces the new Series[D] range of microcontroller boards – YouTube and Unexpected Maker. Via X.
New Boards Supported by CircuitPython
The number of supported microcontrollers and Single Board Computers (SBC) grows every week. This section outlines which boards have been included in CircuitPython or added to CircuitPython.org.
This week there was one new board added:
Note: For non-Adafruit boards, please use the support forums of the board manufacturer for assistance, as Adafruit does not have the hardware to assist in troubleshooting.
Looking to add a new board to CircuitPython? It’s highly encouraged! Adafruit has four guides to help you do so:
Adafruit Learn Guides
The Adafruit Learning System has over 3,200 free guides for learning skills and building projects including using Python.
CircuitPython Libraries
The CircuitPython library numbers are continually increasing, while existing ones continue to be updated. Here we provide library numbers and updates!
To get the latest Adafruit libraries, download the Adafruit CircuitPython Library Bundle. To get the latest community contributed libraries, download the CircuitPython Community Bundle.
If you’d like to contribute to the CircuitPython project on the Python side of things, the libraries are a great place to start. Check out the CircuitPython.org Contributing page. If you’re interested in reviewing, check out Open Pull Requests. If you’d like to contribute code or documentation, check out Open Issues. We have a guide on contributing to CircuitPython with Git and GitHub, and you can find us in the #help-with-circuitpython and #circuitpython-dev channels on the Adafruit Discord.
You can check out this list of all the Adafruit CircuitPython libraries and drivers available.
The current number of CircuitPython libraries is 533!
New Libraries
Here are this week’s new CircuitPython libraries:
Updated Libraries
Here are this week’s updated CircuitPython libraries:
What’s the CircuitPython team up to this week?
What is the team up to this week? Let’s check in:
Dan
I added the full Mozilla SSL root certificate list to all builds now, so Pico W and similar boards should be able to connect to any host. I am continuing to work on the CircuitPython 10.0.0 issue list.
Tim
This week I finished the guide for the HSTX DVI CowBell. After that I started getting back into Fruit Jam mode, I’ve been working on adding support for portalbase library features to the adafruit_fruitjam library. So far I’ve got it working and have successfully run two older PyPortal projects with a few tweaks. I still need to add a handful of the helper functions that are used by some of the more advanced projects and keep testing different ones to find things that aren’t working.
Scott
This week I’ve been in e-paper land. I’ve gotten the new screen for the MagTag working in CircuitPython’s build. It will auto-detect which screen is connected. Next, I’m going to add support for the new quad color e-paper that is in the shop.
Liz
In the past week, there were quite a few new product guides. The first was the Simple Soil Moisture Sensor. This is a resistive moisture sensor that generates an analog signal. I have examples for CircuitPython, Arduino, MicroPython and MakeCode. There was also the LM73100 Ideal Diode Breakout, which can be used in your project for stable power and power monitoring. And finally, the Pi Stemma QT Breakout. This smol board fits onto the first 6 GPIO on your Raspberry Pi to give you a STEMMA QT port.
Upcoming Events
HOPE_16 is a welcoming place for hackers of all types: makers, artists, educators, experimenters, tinkerers, and more! If you’re interested in playing with technology, coming up with new ideas, learning from others, and sharing your knowledge, then this is the place for you. August 15-17, 2025 at St. John’s University Queens, New York City US – HOPE.
The next MicroPython Meetup in Melbourne will be on August 27th – Meetup. You can see recordings of previous meetings on YouTube.
KiCad conferences (KiCon) to be held this year include 19 – 20 Sept 2024 in Bochum, Germany, and November 21-23 in China (more details forthcoming) – KiCad.
PyCon UK will be at CONTACT in Manchester from Friday 19th September to Monday 22nd September 2025 – PyCon UK 2025.
Maker Faire Bay Area 2025 will be Sep 26 – 28, 2025 in Vallejo, California, US – Maker Faire.
PyLadiesCon returns December 5–7, 2025. 100% online conference designed for our global community. Talks, workshops, panels, and community fun – PyLadies.
Send Your Events In
If you know of virtual events or upcoming events, please let us know via email to cpnews(at)adafruit(dot)com.
Latest Releases
CircuitPython’s stable release is 9.2.8 and its unstable release is 10.0.0-beta.0. New to CircuitPython? Start with our Welcome to CircuitPython Guide.
20250725 is the latest Adafruit CircuitPython library bundle.
20250720 is the latest CircuitPython Community library bundle.
v1.25.0 is the latest MicroPython release. Documentation for it is here.
3.13.5 is the latest Python release. The latest pre-release version is 3.14.0rc1.
4,305 Stars Like CircuitPython? Star it on GitHub!
Call for Help – Translating CircuitPython is now easier than ever
One important feature of CircuitPython is translated control and error messages. With the help of fellow open source project Weblate, we’re making it even easier to add or improve translations.
Sign in with an existing account such as GitHub, Google or Facebook and start contributing through a simple web interface. No forks or pull requests needed! As always, if you run into trouble join us on Discord, we’re here to help.
39,063 Thanks
The Adafruit Discord community, where we do all our CircuitPython development in the open, reached over 39,063 humans – thank you! Adafruit believes Discord offers a unique way for Python on hardware folks to connect. Join today at https://adafru.it/discord.
ICYMI – In case you missed it
Python on hardware is the Adafruit Python video-newsletter-podcast! The news comes from the Python community, Discord, Adafruit communities and more and is broadcast on ASK an ENGINEER Wednesdays. The complete Python on Hardware weekly videocast playlist is here. The video podcast is on iTunes, YouTube, Instagram), and XML.
The weekly community chat on Adafruit Discord server CircuitPython channel – Audio / Podcast edition – Audio from the Discord chat space for CircuitPython, meetings are usually Mondays at 2pm ET, this is the audio version on iTunes, Pocket Casts, Spotify, and XML feed.
Contribute
The CircuitPython Weekly Newsletter is a CircuitPython community-run newsletter emailed every Monday. The complete archives are here. It highlights the latest CircuitPython related news from around the web including Python and MicroPython developments. To contribute, edit next week’s draft on GitHub and submit a pull request with the changes. You may also tag your information on Twitter with #CircuitPython.
Join the Adafruit Discord or post to the forum if you have questions.
