adafruit/circuitpython 2.1.0

on GitHub

We're pleased to bring you CircuitPython 2.1.0, with many new features and many bugfixes. Notably, Trinket M0 and Gemma M0 now include pulseio (PWM) support.

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, contributed, helped out, and participated on GitHub and/or discord: @asherlie, @kattni , @caternuson, @KurticusMaximus (Kurt H), @jerryneedell, Sigafoos, @fabitencourt, @hukuzatuna, scruffynerf, Janisku7, ogredrew, @mrmcwethy, NorthernPike, cascade, @ntoll, CGrover, Pyrrhis Productions, TitiMoby, dastels, jramsdale, @tdicola, brad, Surrend, microwattbott, Becky Button, @dglaude, ATMakers, Instinctive, histo, Wolf, siddacious, @deshipu, caitlinsdad, smartRF, HappyDay, @deanm1278, @jedgarpark, Noe, Andon, adafruit, @ladyada, @tannewt, @dhalbert, dobra-dobra, Factory Factory, Mr. Certainly, and surely more we have missed. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.

Notable New Features

• All boards, including Trinket M0, Gemma M0, and Feather M0 Basic, now support pulseio, which provides PWM and other other pulse based input/output.
• The touch/no-touch threshold computation for TouchIn pins has been adjusted to be more sensitive. Added .raw_value and .threshold value access. Thanks to @ladyada for finding and testing.
• ESP8266: Updated built-in neopixel support and library to match M0 boards. Thanks @jerryneedell.
• The Circuit Playground Express release now includes several libraries built into the firmware. This saves considerable RAM when they are imported. To enable, remove the library .mpy files from your sys.path (e.g., from your lib/ directory). To override, put a newer version on your sys.path. The modules included are:
  • NeoPixel
  • adafruit_thermistor
  • adafruit_lis3dh (accelerometer)
  • adafruit_bus_device (base library for many drivers)
• New gamepad module scans pins for debounced button presses regularly in the background. Thanks to @deshipu.
• Added names for analog pins on Trinket M0. Update by @jerryneedell.
• M0 boards: Turned on higher current drive capability for DigitalOut pins.
• Status NeoPixel or DotStar brightness is now adjustable (#246). Thanks to @asherlie.
• Switched to using a smaller version of the math library to make room for other features. Complex number support is also turned off on non-Express boards to make room.
• Support added for hacked Trinket M0 with added SPI flash (Trinket M0 Haxpress). Thanks to @deshipu.

Notable Bugfixes

• Pin A0 is no longer available as a TouchIn pin on Circuit Playground Express. It is unreliable because it is also connected to the on-board speaker
• All ...io objects (AnalogIn, DigitalInOut, etc.) now raise an exception if you try to reuse them after they are deinitialized (deinit()). Previously, reuse might cause crashes. Thanks to @tdicola for uncovering.
• Reset PDIMIn pins after deinit(). Thanks @tdicola for finding this problem.
• ESP8266: Fixed problems with SPI.
• Reinitialize the ADC before every use. Thanks @ladyada for reporting erratic ADC results.
• If CircuitPython restarts in safe mode, it does not attempt to re-create the SPI or internal flash filesystem if it appears to be damaged or missing. @tdicola noticed that this may occur when a battery runs down.

Known Issues

• If you use the gamepad module and then do a soft-reset, CircuitPython will crash. This will be fixed in the next release.

Documentation

Documentation is available here.

Here are all the changes since 2.0.0.

This release is based on MicroPython 1.9.2. Support upstream MicroPython by purchasing a PyBoard (from Adafruit here).

Installation

Have a Feather M0 Express, Metro M0 Express, Gemma M0, Trinket M0 or Circuit Playground Express? Download a .uf2 and follow these instructions. To install our libraries:

• For Express boards, simply download the bundle for your release and copy the lib folder onto your CIRCUITPY drive. A new 2.1.0 bundle will be available shortly, with updated and additional libraries. The current 2.0.0 bundle is completely compatible with CircuitPython 2.1.0.
• For Gemma M0 and Trinket M0, the library bundle is too large. Download a smaller set of 2.0.0 libraries and files that are shipped with the boards: Gemma M0 files; Trinket M0 files.

To install on legacy boards, download a .bin file and follow the guide here for M0 and here for ESP8266. All builds except ESP8266 are available as both UF2 and bin files here along with test builds.