

Micro Python store is now open and taking pre-orders - momentofinertia
https://micropython.org/store/

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rcarmo
I have one of these. It's great, especially because you can just fire up a
serial session to it and get a REPL.

Here's a little video:
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruicarmo/14877450055/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruicarmo/14877450055/)

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pdknsk
I wish there was more detailed technical information on the page. I've been
trying to figure out how precise the timer is, or at what frequency you can
read from the pins. The answer seems to be provided on pages 112+ in the
datasheet of the micro controller, but in a not very easy to understand format
for the aspiring programmer without EE knowledge.

[http://www.st.com/web/catalog/mmc/FM141/SC1169/SS1577/LN1035...](http://www.st.com/web/catalog/mmc/FM141/SC1169/SS1577/LN1035/PF252144)

~~~
prattmic
If I recall correctly, at least some of the STM32F4 timers can be clocked at
the same frequency as the system clock, so 168MHz maximum.

The GPIOs can be configured with a maximum 100MHz clock, though your software
likely cannot read the registers that quickly if it is going to do much else.

EDIT: The reference manual actually contains a lot of the peripheral details,
with the datasheet containing the chip specific details, like clock speed and
which peripherals are present.

[http://www.st.com/stonline/stappl/resourceSelector/app?page=...](http://www.st.com/stonline/stappl/resourceSelector/app?page=fullResourceSelector&doctype=reference_manual&LineID=1035)

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lasmogbord
Python for embedded? How micro is micro? What kind of memory footprint are we
talking about compared to C? Garbage collection on an embedded controller?

~~~
choffee
It's a micro version of python so that it can run on embedded devices, this is
just a demo board. You can play with the code on your local machine.
Differences from CPython are here:
[https://github.com/micropython/micropython/wiki/Differences](https://github.com/micropython/micropython/wiki/Differences)

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donatj
I can get a full raspberry pi for less than one of these though and run linux
with python. Seems less useful/practical for a hobbyist.

~~~
matmann2001
The micro python board has a way smaller footprint and consumes less power
than a pi. And sometimes, there are projects where a full OS and all the
peripherals of the pi are just overkill.

Don't discount this board as useless just because you in particular have no
need for it.

~~~
donatj
I didn't say useless, I said less useful to a hobbyist.

~~~
deckiedan
Depends on the hobby. As a controller for a model railway signal box, for
instance, or "arduino, but with an easier language" this could be perfect.

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brokentone
This is way cool for weekend hackers. I think I'm most excited about the
python prompt. Using arduinos, writing code, compiling and uploading just to
debug an input is super annoying. A live console is way cool.

~~~
thearn4
I have a small python library that does this for stock Arduino boards:
[https://github.com/thearn/Python-Arduino-Command-
API](https://github.com/thearn/Python-Arduino-Command-API)

Not quite as cool as the micro python boards though!

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unwind
Those are some seriously expensive pin headers. Almost comical when compared
to the price of the Micro Python board itself, which seems pretty reasonable!

~~~
codehero
Cheap pin headers are just punched and shoved into nylon housing. They have
very little contact with a male connector.

These pin headers are machined and have far better contact with anything
plugged in.

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dang
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8177695](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8177695)

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tdicola
Very cool board. I wonder how difficult it would be to port the software to
other ARM boards like an Arduino Due or Teensy 3.1.

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TeeWEE
Its cool. But a language like Go would be much better suitable for these
microcontrollers.

~~~
hyperbovine
Why?

~~~
TeeWEE
I'm a python developer myself. I just started with Go. I'm just saying that Go
fits microcontrollers better. Its cool to use Python. It doesn't matter much.

I'm just saying that cool would also have been a good fit.

~~~
jpetersonmn
Actually you said "much better suitable for these microcontrollers" which you
haven't explained yet. I think that's why you're getting these comments. I
don't use GO, and think the Rasberry Pi is better than this thing anyway.

