View this email in your browser. Warning: Flashing Imagery
Welcome to the latest Python on Microcontrollers newsletter! This week, I thought Raspberry Pi had an April Fool’s joke about raising prices again. But it was no joke. I have posted some related content about the memory situation as it exists this week. Try finding a Pi 5 16GB or a Mac Mini in your favorite shop. All out? Everyone is running OpenClaw 🦞 or similar on them. And Jeff Geerling sees a major shift in the single board computer (SBC) market, perhaps one that is not so good for hobbyists.
Well, we can call up and get poetry on a telephone or see Artemis II statistics on displays, all powered by Python on hardware. Making things continues at a good pace and a new version of MicroPython being at hand will help. Ad Astra, Per Aspera 💫 – 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:
MicroPython v1.28.0 Release Imminent
All issues for MicroPython v1.28.0 have been completed, so expect a new release soon – GitHub.
The (Confidential) 2025 Arduino Open Source Report
The 2025 Arduino Open Source Report cover page contains the text “STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL” in 11.5pt RobotoMono-Regular, colored #9e9e9e (medium gray), positioned in the lower-right quadrant of page 1. You can’t see it when viewing the PDF because the gray text sits on top of the cover photograph and blends in. But select-all on the page and there it is. (Someone probably set up the presentation template with a gray “STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL” watermark for internal review, the cover photo went behind it, the text became invisible, and nobody thought to remove it before publishing.)
Of course, the big news is Arduino is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm. The acquisition closed in late 2025, and since then the new ownership rewrites the Terms of Service to include perpetual irrevocable content licenses, ban reverse engineering (on a platform built on hackability), integrate user data into Qualcomm’s corporate data infrastructure, and require contributors to agree to a 6,000-word Qualcomm privacy policy just to submit a bug fix – Adafruit Blog (analysis and commentary), Arduino Blog and PDF.
Raspberry Pi 4 3GB Launched for $83.75, Further Price Increases Announced Across the Board for 4GB+ RAM Hardware
This may sound like an April Fool’s joke, but the Raspberry Pi 4 with 3GB RAM is real and now offered for $83.75. Raspberry Pi also announced another round of price increase for Raspberry Pi 4/5/CM4/CM5 due to a “seven-fold increase over the last year in the price of LPDDR4 DRAM“ – CNX and Raspberry Pi News.
“We’ve said a number of times now that memory prices won’t remain at their current very high level indefinitely; the circumstances in which we find ourselves are challenging, but in the future they will abate. When they do, we will reverse our price increases, and until they do, we will continue to work hard to limit their impact in every way we can.” – Raspberry Pi
DRAM Pricing is Killing the Hobbyist SBC Market
“Unless the DRAM pricing situation changes radically, I think the hobbyist SBC market is dying—or at least on life support. And I don’t just mean Raspberry Pis, but all SBC vendors. LPDDR chips now account for the majority of board cost from the vendors I’ve checked with.” – Jeff Geerling and YouTube.
New Report Shows the Memory Crisis May be Subsiding as ‘DDR5 Retail Prices Pullback’
After months of devastating price hikes, the cost of RAM is starting to fall. Trendforce reports that U.S. DDR5 RAM prices have dropped by over 20% in the last month – although other prices seem to not be going down significantly. There are several indicators to watch: The OpenAI “rug pull”, Google’s recently announced TurboQuant – able to compress AI’s working memory by at least 6x and make it 8x faster, and people do not wish to pay absurd prices. A current trend: the popularity of OpenClaw has put pressure on obtaining high memory systems, especially Mac Minis – Tom’s Guide and TechRadar.
A Poetry Phone in the Key of Banana
Mario Cruz created an interactive art installation for the O, Miami Poetry Festival. Dial a number on a real phone keypad, hear ringing, then listen to a poem through the earpiece. Every number leads to a poem — but some numbers hide surprises. Built with a Raspberry Pi Pico, DFPlayer Mini MP3 module, CircuitPython and a salvaged phone handset – MarioTheMaker.
Velxio – an Arduino and Embedded Board Emulator
David Montero Crespo has released Velxio, a fully local, open-source multi-board emulator. Write Arduino, C++ or Python, compile it, and simulate it with real CPU emulation and 48+ interactive electronic components — all running in a browser – Velxio and GitHub.
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, Scott streamed work on CircuitPython ESP-IDF6 and Zephyr updates.
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 making a CLUE Magnet Polarity Finder – Adafruit Blog and YouTube.
Catch all the episodes in the YouTube playlist.
Deep Dive with Tim
Last week, Tim streamed work on a Fruit Jam Egg Hunt Game.
You can see the latest video and past videos on the Adafruit YouTube channel under the Deep Dive playlist – YouTube.
Abby Bergman and Esha Patel, graduate students at Boston College, join the show and share their experience taking Professor John Gallaugher’s Physical Computing – Interactive Art, Robotics, & Tech for Good course. They share their motivations for taking the course, how they learned in a flipped classroom, and share the projects they worked on in the class. – The CircuitPython Show.
CircuitPython Weekly Meeting
CircuitPython Weekly Meeting for March 30, 2026 (notes) on YouTube.
Project of the Week: Artemis II Live Tracker on Matrix Portal M4
The Artemis II Live Tracker is a CircuitPython project for the Adafruit Matrix Portal M4 + 64×32 RGB LED matrix that displays real-time Artemis II mission status. The display automatically transitions through mission phases: Pre-launch countdown, Live in-flight telemetry (AROW data), and Post-mission splashdown messages – Adafruit Forums and GitHub.
Popular Last Week
What was the most popular, most clicked link, in last week’s newsletter? Four actually useful Python programs I use on my phone.
Did you know you can read past issues of this newsletter in the Adafruit Daily Archive? Check it out.
New Notes from Adafruit Playground
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.
Homebridge Plugin for Adafruit IO Feeds – Adafruit Playground.
A NeoTrinkey “Small Friend” Morse code blinker – Adafruit Playground.
News From Around the Web
CircuitPython is now supported in Lopaka editor – X and lopaka.app.
“I made a Kibo-journal terminal for post-apocalypse. It charges the battery from solar panels and boots up the Raspberry Pi 400. The UI uses the textual-tui library with Python. You can keep a survival journal (the software itself was also made on the terminal)” – X. (Japanese)
build123d is a Python-based, parametric boundary representation (BREP) modeling framework for 2D and 3D CAD. Built on the Open Cascade geometric kernel, it provides a clean, fully Pythonic interface for creating precise models suitable for 3D printing, CNC machining, laser cutting, and other manufacturing processes – GitHub.
CircuitBambu: monitor your Bambu Labs 3D printer using CircuitPython, updated with the code from the Qualia example – GitHub. Via Mastodon.
Build a medications reminder box which lights up when it’s time to take prescription medications or supplements. This is a simple build with a potentially big impact that can be created with less than $20 in parts. Uses a Raspberry Pi Pico W (any WiFi capable Pico, including Pico 2W will work) and CircuitPython – YouTube and GitHub.
I stopped treating my Raspberry Pi like a tiny server — and it finally clicked – XDA.
Arduino dropped 7 new tools for the UNO Q: the UNO Media Carrier, Bug Hopper debugger, a USB-C hub, and the Modulino LED Matrix – hackster.io.
I built a DIY automation keypad for under $20, and it replaced three devices on my desk (it also shows you can use CircuitPython) – XDA.
Bailey Townsend made a badge with Pimoroni Badger 2350 and MicroPython – Bailiey’s Retrospective.
Catode32, a cat tamagochi with an ESP32, 128×64 OLED display and MicroPython – YouTube.
MicroPython/LVGL – a Round Touch LCD using ESP32-C3 SuperMini – YouTube and GitHub.
How to train a custom YOLO computer vision model for Raspberry Pi (from scratch) with Python – Instructables.
Making a MIDI controller with a Raspberry Pi Pico and CircuitPython – YouTube.
Claude just turned Python from confusing into actually intuitive with one feature – XDA.
We put dice on a Microcontroller (and it slaps) with a Raspberry Pi Pico and MicroPython – Pishup.
Broadcasting a live Bitcoin transaction using Mesh Radio with Meshtastic and Python – GitHub.
New
Toradex has launched two new ultra-compact (30x30mm) System-on-Module (SoM) families: OSM and Lino, powered by NXP i.MX 91 or i.MX 93 Arm Cortex-A55 SoC for Edge industrial and IoT applications – CNX.
Stamp-P4 is a high-performance embedded module based on the ESP32-P4NRW32 chip. Stamp-AddOn C6 For P4 is a Wi-Fi expansion module based on the ESP32-C6-MINI-1-N4, supporting 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 6 – M5Stack Shop. Via X.
The ESP32-P4-Pi-VIEWE is a Raspberry Pi-inspired development board equipped with a VIEWE ESP32-P4C6-Core module, combining a 400 MHz ESP32-P4 dual-core RISC-V MCU with an ESP32-C6 chip for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connectivity, as well as 32MB PSRAM and 16MB NOR flash.
The board also offers 10/100Mbps Ethernet connectivity, MIPI DSI, and CSI connectors for display and/or camera, two onboard microphones, a speaker output, a USB 2.0 port, a micro SD card slot, and a 40-pin GPIO header, all in a familiar 85 x 56 mm (Pi-sized) form factor – CNX.
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 were no new boards 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:
New Adafruit Learning System Guides
The Adafruit Learning System has over 3,200 free guides for learning skills and building projects including using Python.
Egg Hunt Maze Game on Fruit Jam from Tim C
Updated Learn Guides
PyPortal Astronauts in Space
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 569!
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’ve gotten the MicroPython v1.27 merge into CircuitPython to compile and run. I now need to run and correct any failing tests.
Tim
This week I wrote a guide for an egg hunt maze game on the Fruit Jam. I also ran some infrastructure patches on the CircuitPython libraries. I converted the Arduino hardware tests for the APDS9999 breakout to CircuitPython and worked through testing them on hardware and tweaking some parts of the driver library based on the results. My next guide will cover using a Raspberry Pi as a network router. I’ve done lots of experimenting and begun writing pages for it.
Scott
This week I’m back after a short vacation and churning through testing and reviewing piles of LLM generated code. Dan approved and merged in some flash logic fixes for the Zephyr port. It was blocking some other changes (because the bugs made it hard to test.) So, now I’ve got a few more PRs out for review: adding I2S support, builds for the variety of Picos and adding the Feather nRF52840 Sense.
The testing time needed after prompting for the code has me thinking about automating on device testing. Limor and Tim have started to play with this too. Getting hardware “in the loop” of an LLM will be super helpful.
Liz
This week I wrote up a Playground note documenting an experiment I did with Homebridge. I wrote a plugin that lets your Adafruit IO feeds send data to Apple Home. I set it up so that each feed can be seen as a HomeKit service type. This means that if you were using, for example, an AHT20 temperature and humidity sensor, you could setup a feed for each parameter and then with the plugin have a Temperature Sensor and Humidity Sensor appear in your Apple Home.
I’ve also started researching and prototyping my next project guide which will involve ESP-NOW and audio.
Upcoming Events
PyCon DE & PyData 2026 will be 13 April 2026 – 17 April 2026 in Darmstadt, Germany
The next MicroPython Meetup in Melbourne will be on April 22nd – Luma. You can see recordings of previous meetings on YouTube.
Other Events This Year
- PyCon US is May 13 – May 19, 2026 in Long Beach, California
- The Open Source Hardware Association Open Hardware Summit is coming to Berlin, Germany on May 23rd and 24th, 2026.
- EuroPython 2026 is coming to Kraków, Poland 13-19 July, 2026.
- PyOhio 2026 is from 25 July through 26 July, 2026 this year in Cleveland, USA.
- HOPE 26 Conference is from August 14th through 16th at the New Yorker Hotel, NY, NY.
- PyCon AU 2026 will be 26 Aug. 2026 – 30 Aug. 2026 in Brisbane, Australia
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 10.1.4 and its unstable release is 10.2.0-alpha.1. New to CircuitPython? Start with our Welcome to CircuitPython Guide.
20260402 is the latest Adafruit CircuitPython library bundle.
20260402 is the latest CircuitPython Community library bundle.
v1.27.0 is the latest MicroPython release. Documentation for it is here.
3.14.3 is the latest Python release. The latest pre-release version is 3.15.0a7.
4,477 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.
39,027 Thanks
The Adafruit Discord community, where we do all our CircuitPython development in the open, reached over 39,027 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. To contribute your content, please email your news to cpnews (at) adafruit (dot) com with information and link(s) to your content.
Join the Adafruit Discord or post to the forum if you have questions.
