adafruit/circuitpython 9.0.0-alpha.2

CircuitPython 9.0.0 Alpha 2

on GitHub

This is CircuitPython 9.0.0-alpha.2, an alpha release for 9.0.0. It has significant known bugs, and will have further additions and fixes before the final release of 9.0.0.

WARNING for nRF52 boards only: If your board has an nRF52 UF2 bootloader whose version is before 0.6.1, you will not be able to load CircuitPython 8.2.0 and later, due to increased size of the firmware. See these instructions for updating your bootloader.

Notable changes to 9.0.0

• Merge updates from MicroPython v1.19.1, v1.20.0, and v1.21.0.
• Espressif: update to ESP-IDF v5.1.
• Remove 8.x.x deprecations: displayio.*.show(), I2CPeripheral: now I2CTarget.
• Add repl.py, which runs just before the REPL starts up.
• Add OrderedDict.move_to_end().
• Add synthio.Synthesizer.note_state.
• Further USB host support, on i.MX and RP2040.
• Reorganize and split displayio.
• Add warnings module, similar to what is in CPython.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in the Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of "ports" that are the core implementations for different microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, these ports are consider stable (but see Known Issues below):

• atmel-samd: Microchip SAMD21, SAMx5x
• cxd56: Sony Spresense
• espressif: Espressif ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3
• nrf: Nordic nRF52840, nRF52833
• raspberrypi: Raspberry Pi RP2040
• stm: ST STM32F4 chip family

These ports are considered alpha and will have bugs and missing functionality:

• broadcom: Raspberry Pi boards such as RPi 4, RPi Zero 2W
• litex: fomu
• mimxrt10xx: NXP i.MX RT10xxx
• silabs: Silicon Labs MG24 family
• stm: ST non-STM32F4 chip families

Changes since 8.2.x split from main

Note: The tags 9.0.0-alpha.0 and 9.0.0-alpha.1 exist, but there are no releases for those tags because their .mpy file formats differ from 9.0.0-alpha.2 and later. 9.0.0-alpha.0 tags the first commit after 8.2.x was branched from main.

Fixes and enhancements

• Add warnings module and warn about displayio deprecations. #8524. Thanks @tannewt.
• Merge MicroPython v1.21.0. #8523, #8508. Thanks @dhalbert and @tannewt.
• Merge MicroPython v1.20.0. #8481. Thanks @dhalbert and @tannewt.
• Merge MicroPython v1.19.1. #8310, #8281. Thanks @dhalbert and @jepler.
• Fix subscript operator on subclasses of native classes. #8522. Thanks @tannewt.
• Raise explanatory error when some_display.show() is used. #8517. Thanks @tannewt.
• Support for GRB status LEDs. #8497. Thanks @Axeia.
• Merge fixes from 8.2.x. #8494, #8395, #8342, #8317. Thanks @tannewt, @dhalbert, @jepler.
• Split off parts of displayio into multiple modules: busdisplay, fourwire, epaperdisplay, i2cdisplaybus, paralleldisplaybus. The existing displayio hierarchy will still be available 9.x.x, but is deprecated, and will be removed in 10.0.0. #8493. Thanks @tannewt.
• Add qrio.QRDecoder.fin() to locate QR codes without decoding. #8467. Thanks @deshipu.
• Remove 8.x.x deprecations: displayio.*.show(), I2CPeripheral: now I2CTarget. #8456. Thanks @tannewt.
• Add dotclock display support. #8440, #8430, #8401, #8351. Thanks @jepler.
• Do not start web workflow if no password is given. #8367. Thanks @bill88t.
• Do not add dotfiles to CIRCUITPY on boards without native USB. #8346. Thanks @bill88t.
• Add repl.py, which runs just before the REPL starts up. #8344. Thanks @jepler.
• Add .Trash-1000 file so Linux will not store trash files on CIRCUITPY. #8339. Thanks @bill88t.
• Fix zlib gzip decompression. #8335. Thanks @BJap.
• Fix FATFS support for non-512-byte block sizes. #8304. Thanks @ccattuto.
• Fix displayio display layout when logo is disabled. #8300. Thanks @deshipu.
• Reset current directory before running code.py and other files. #8295. Thanks @deshipu.
• Update TinyUSb to improve abort handling. #8292. Thanks @tannewt.
• Improve bitmaptools alphablend features. #8270. Thanks @makermelissa.
• Add OrderedDict.move_to_end(). #8258. Thanks @jepler and @elpekenin.
• Update ulab. #8256, #8126. Thanks @jepler.
• Cache USB configuration descriptor. #8254. Thanks @tannewt.
• Raise exception when creating a USB device when host isn't initalized. #8242. Thanks @tannewt.
• Improve displayio error reporting about too many busses. #8231, #8229. Thanks @elpekenin.
• Align FATFS window buffer for TinyUSB. #8222. Thanks @tannewt.
• Update frozen modules. #8211. Thanks @FoamyGuy.
• Fix ssl_context.load_verify_locations(cadata=None). #8192. Thanks @gaweng.
• Add displayio.Bitmap.bits_per_value. #8191. Thanks @gaweng.
• Add synthio.Synthesizer.note_state. #8186. Thanks @jepler.
• Make usb_host.Port be a singleton. #8182. Thanks @tannewt.
• Fix OrderedDict.fromkeys() to return correct type. #8175. Thanks @kbsriram.
• Raise exception if os.getenv() is used when settings.toml is not supported. #8169. Thanks @jepler.
• USB host keyboard map control and other improvements. #8161. Thanks @jepler.
• More USB host support and keyboard workflow. #8155. Thanks @tannewt.
• Suppoort multiple data pins with shared clock and latch in keypad.ShiftRegisterKeys. #8143. Thanks @kolkmvd.
• Add bitmap.blit() skip_self_index parameter. #8136. Thanks @FoamyGuy.
• Reimplement and improve watchdog. #7718. Thanks @microdev1.

Port and board-specific changes

Broadcom

• Use CIRCUITPY_CONSOLE_UART_BAUDRATE to set console baudrate. #8331. Thanks @RetiredWizard.
• Fix kernel and stack addresses. #8305. Thanks @cleverca22.

Espressif

• Update to ESP-IDF 5.1. #8462, #8461, #8447, #8435, #8424. Thanks @tannewt.
• Update to ESP-IDF 5.0. #8411. Thanks @tannewt.
• Deinit pins when de-initing camera. #8388. Thanks @bill88t.
• Set size of reserved PSRAM for camera. #8259. Thanks @jepler.
• Increase synthio channels from 2 to 12. #8189. Thanks @todbot.

i.MX

• Add I2S MCLK support. #8291. Thanks @tannewt.
• Allocate heap in 32-byte chunks to match cache line size. #8187. Thanks @tannewt.
• Move some qstr function wrappers to TCM. #8187. Thanks @tannewt.

nRF

RP2040

• Improve audiobusio error message. #8466. Thanks @heygauri.
• Fix 8-bit WAV playback. #8436. Thanks @PaintYourDragon.
• Disconnect WiFi after reload or soft reset. #8371. Thanks @bill88t.
• Improve control of Wifi access points and station mode. Allow open access points. #8326. Thanks @bill88t.
• Support memorymap. #8357. Thanks @eightycc.
• Allow building without audio support. #8271. Thanks @JohnAZoidberg (@FrameworkComputer).
• Mark RP2040 dtcm_bss as not needing to be loaded. #8242. Thanks @tannewt.
• Add rp2pio.StateMachine features. #8223. Thanks @jepler.
• Fix setting of WiFi hostname. #8150. Thanks @microdev1.
• Update pico-skd to 1.5.1. #8091. Thanks @bill88t.

SAMx

• Make it possible to enable async/await on SAMD21. #8338. Thanks @deshipu.
• Handle RUNMODE_UF2. #8264. Thanks @bcr.
• Support external clock sources on SAMx5x. #8183. Thanks @Qyriad.

SiLabs

• Fix watchdog code crash. Add status LEDs. Add flash Makefile target. Reduce build verbosity. #8484. Thanks @tannewt.
• Change system clock from 39 MHz to 78 MHz. #8458. Thanks @silabs-BelaV.

Spresense

STM

• Fix cache use. #8253, #8235. Thanks @elpekenin.

Individual boards

• 1. Keebs Frood: Update for Rev7. #8154. Thanks @piit79.
• Adafruit MakerPortal S3: Fix pins for Rev C. #8137. Thanks @makermelissa.
• Adafruit Metro M7 1011 AirLift: Change name, rename pins. #8127. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Adafruit Metro RP2040: Handle 16MB flash. #8181. Thanks @jepler.
• Adafruit QT Py ESP32S3 No PSRAM: Remove frozen libraries. #8130. Thanks @dhalbert.
• BPI Leaf S3: Support double-clicking reset to enter UF2 bootloader. #8404. Thanks @Wind-stormger (@BPI-STEAM).
• BrainBoardz Neuron: Fix pins. #8251. Thanks @BrainBoardz.
• DFRobot Beetle ESP32-C3: Fix sdkconfig. #8240. Thanks @kbsriram.
• Espressif ESP32S3 Box and Box Lite: Fix PSRAM. #8129. Thanks @Neradoc.
• UnexpectedMaker FeatherS3: Add second I2C bus and additional pins. #8174. Thanks @UnexpectedMaker.
• Waveshare ESP32-S3 Pico: Fix pins. #8464. Thanks @tirtharajsinha.

Documentation changes

• Do not build the support matrix PDF: ReadTheDocs only wants one PDF. #8257. Thanks @tannewt.
• Fix typo in test README. #8526. Thanks @daanzu.
• Split support matrix out of PDF doc. #8493. Thanks @tannewt.
• Improve rotaryio documentation. #8453. Thanks @heygauri.
• Improve canio documentation. #8298. Thanks @jepler.
• Fix synthio documentation. #8260. Thanks @jepler.
• Fix bitmaptools.blit documentation. #8252. Thanks @jepler.
• Redirect index.html to README.html. #8247. Thanks @jepler.
• Add circuitpython_typing to intersphinx configuration. Resolve TypeAliased references. Thanks @kbsriram.
• Note that wifi.radio.ipv4_address_ap is read-only. @8180. Thanks @anecdata.
• Improve WiFi documentation. #8165. Thanks @anecdata.
• Fix zlib.decompress documentation. #8125. Thanks @jimmo.

Build and infrastructure changes

• Fix compile error when turning off CIRCUITPY_WEB_WORKFLOW. #8513. Thanks @RetiredWizard.
• Allow adjustment of message compression effort, to save time. #8492. Thanks @jepler.
• Switch to gcc 12.3 for ARM32 builds. #8485. Thanks @tannewt.
• Fix mpy-cross uploads. #8483. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Fix ci_set_matrix.py. #8442. Thanks @jepler.
• Fix codespace support. #8419. Thanks @reppad.
• Ensure qstr generation. #8340. Thanks @jepler.
• Use qstrs to improve message compression. #8327. Thanks @jepler.
• Remove remaining u prefix use internally. #8318. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Consolidate some error messages. #8187. Thanks @tannewt.
• Add test for empty settings.toml file. #8144. Thanks @jepler.

Translation additions and improvements

• Speed up translation data creation. #8514. Thanks @eightycc.
• Thanks for translations:
  • @andibing (English - UK)
  • @bergdahl (Swedish)
  • @elpekenin (Spanish)
  • @gfghjjk (Russian)
  • @hexthat (Chinese - Pinyin)
  • @jepler (French)
  • @jposada202020 (Spanish)
  • @lynt-smitka (Czech)
  • @Saentis (German)
  • @wtuemura (Portugese - Brazil)

New boards since 8.2.x split from main

• Adafruit ESP32-S3 Camera. #8245, #8218. Thanks @jepler.
• Adafruit Metro ESP32-S3. #8286, #8215. Thanks @makermelissa and @kattni.
• Adafruit Metro M7 1011 SD. #8127. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Adafruit Metro RP2040. #8035. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Adafruit QT Py ESP32S3 4MB Flash 2MB PSRAM. #8130. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Adafruit Qualia ESP32-S3. #8464, #8422, #8387. Thanks @jepler and @makermelissa.
• Arduino Nano ESP32-S3. #8190. Thanks @makermelissa.
• Czech maker ES3Ink Maker badge. #8133. Thanks @dronecz.
• Datanoise PicoADK. #8166, #8156. Thanks @DatanoiseTV.
• Espressif ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1-N8R8-with-HACKTABLET. #8491. Thanks @RetiredWizard.
• Luatos Core-ESP32C3. #8164. Thanks @madcitygeek.
• M5Stack AtomS3. #8474. Thanks @jins-tkomoda.
• M5Stack AtomS3U. #8384. Thanks @n3o59hf.
• M5Stack M5Paper. #8293. Thanks @fonix232.
• M5Stack Stick C Plus. #8118. Thanks @n0xa.
• MakerDiary nRF52840 Connect Kit. #8142. Thanks @makerdiary.
• MakerFabs ESP32-S3 Parallel TFT with Touch 7 inch. #8491. Thanks @RetiredWizard.
• Pajenicko Picopad. #8241, #8214. Thanks @lynt-smitka (@MakerClassCZ).
• Pimoroni PICO DV Base W. #8323. Thanks @RetiredWizard.
• Radomir Dopieralski uGame22. #8332. Thanks @deshipu.
• splitkb.com Liatris. #8152. Thanks @splitkb.
• SuperMini NRF52840. #8476. Thanks @Axeia.
• Waveshare ESP32-S2 Pico. #8352. Thanks @tirtharajsinha.
• Waveshare ESP32-S3 Zero. #8497. Thanks @Axeia.
• Waveshare RP2040-Plus. #7151. Thanks @fonix232.

Known issues

• ESP32-S3 may have significant issues with I2C devices that sleep or use clock stretching. Retry operations on these devices as necessary, or use ESP32-S2 boards. This needs to be re-tested.
• See https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/issues for other issues, including issues still to be addressed for:
  • 8.2.x
  • 9.0.0
  • long term

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, and contributed since the start of 9.0.0, including the contributors above, and many others on GitHub and Discord. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.