CircuitPython 6.2.0 Beta 0 Released, with Support for Raspberry Pi RP2040! @adafruit @circuitpython #RP2040 #RaspberryPiPico

This is the first beta release of CircuitPython 6.2.0. Most notably, this release, 6.2.0-beta.0, provides preliminary support for the Raspberry Pi RP2040 chip, including the Raspberry Pi Pico and Adafruit’s own RP2040 boards. See Port status below for details on port stability for each port, and Known issues for known problems. If you find any issues with this release, please file an issue. If no significant issues are found within a few days, we’ll release this version as stable.

Download from circuitpython.org

Downloads are available from circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board. The downloads page is here. Downloads are no longer available from the GitHub release pages because of the large number of files for each release.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in our new 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).

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of “ports” that are the core implementation for a variety of microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, atmel-samd, nrf, and stm for the F4 family are stable. cxd56, esp32s2, raspberrypi, and stm for other STM chip families are being actively improved but may be missing functionality and have bugs. litex and mimxrt10xx are in an alpha state and will have bugs and missing functionality.

Changes since 6.1.0

Fixes and enhancements

• Update built-in help output for localization. #3911. Thanks @hugodahl.
• Enhance msgpack module. #4022. Thanks @iot49.

Board- and port-specific changes

• ESP32-S2:
  • Add TCP Server support. #3854. Thanks @hierophect.
  • Improve wifi checking about whether already connected when trying to connect. #4017. Thanks @anecdata.
  • Do not go into safe mode on watchdog reset. #4011. Thanks @dheera.
  • Initialize touch in proper order. Fixes TouchIn and TouchAlarm. #4021. Thanks @dhalbert.
  • Revert FeatherS2 status DotStar due to LDO2 issues. #4013. Thanks @jerryneedell.
• STM32 BlackPill: Add additional board build that supports an external SPI chip. #4028. Thanks @djix123.
• ItsyBitsy M4: Fix erroneous comment in mpconfigboard.h. #4019. Thanks @mrangen.
• raspberrypi:
  • Initial port of CircuitPython to the RP2040. #4031. Thanks @tannewt!
  • Enable longints. #4044. Thanks @DavePutz.

Build and infrastructure changes

(none)

Documentation

• Translation additions and improvements. Thanks:
  • @oonid (Indonesian)
  • @wtuemura (Brazilian Portugese)
  • @HugoDahl (French)
  • @bergdahl (Swedish)
  • @tawez (Polish)

New boards since 6.1.0

• Raspberry Pi RP2040: Raspberry Pi Pico, Adafruit Feather RP2040. #4031. Thanks @tannewt.

Full commit log is here.

Breaking changes since 5.x

• i2cslave is now i2cperipheral and the class in it is changed as well.
• The stop kwarg has been removed from I2C.writeto(). If no stop is desired, then use writeto_then_readfrom.
• The default speed of busio.I2C and board.I2C is now 100khz, not 400khz as before. Use busio.I2C to set the speed explicitly. #3471 Thanks @caternuson, @ladyada, @hierophect and @tannewt.
• _bleio.ConnectionError has be removed. Code will now raise the native ConnectionError instead.

Known issues

• ESP32-S2: Crash when repeatedly creating and destroying busio.I2C object on ESP32-S2. #3846.
• Built-in adafruit_bus_device has been disabled due to issues (#3859, #3856), please install the version from the Library Bundle
• Writing several larger files to CIRCUITPY when there is no serial connection to the board can take a long time or hang. To speed up copying, open a serial (REPL) connection. #3986.
• See https://ift.tt/2j1euBi for other issues.

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, and contributed since 6.1.0, including @DavePutz, @dhalbert, @dheera, @djix123, @hierophect, @iot49, @jepler, @jerryneedell, @mrangen, @tannewt, and many others on Discord. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

This release is based on MicroPython 1.9.4 @25ae98f. Support upstream MicroPython by purchasing a PyBoard (from Adafruit here) or sponsoring MicroPython on GitHub.

Translations

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!

Troubleshooting

Check out this guide for info on common problems with CircuitPython. If you are still having issues, then post to the Adafruit Support Forums and join Discord.

Assets

Builds are no longer stored as assets on this release page, because there are too many of them. Please see the Download from circuitpython.org section above.