Welcome to the MicroPython Drivers Workshop!
This workshop will walk you through the steps to create a MicroPython driver for the MMA8653FC accelerometer built-in into the BBC micro:bit.
- 🚀 How to use this repository
- 📌 Requirements
- 📚 Documentation You Will Need
- 📑 Datasheets
- 🔨 Troubleshooting
If you are running the workshop in person there was an introductory presentation explaining basic concepts and the general workflow for embedded development.
The presentation Power Point can be found at the root of this repository. There is also a PDF version that can rendered within GitHub, so you can view it online.
The workshop folder contains the instructions and files for the workshop.
The easiest way to follow the workshop is to read the contents directly from GitHub, so there is no need to clone it in your computer.
You will need:
- A computer
- A BBC micro:bit v1.3 (v1.5 uses a different accelerometer)
- A Micro-B USB cable (the kind most phones used to have before USB-C)
- Make sure this is not a charge-only cable
- A local micro:bit editor in your computer:
- Mu: https://codewith.mu
- Online Editor (Chrome preferred for WebUSB): https://python.microbit.org/v/beta
- Windows 7 or 8 users will need to use Mu and install this serial driver: https://os.mbed.com/docs/mbed-os/v5.13/tutorials/windows-serial-driver.html
- The contents of this repository
- A copy of the MMA8653FC datasheet (linked below)
The micro:bit MicroPython documentation can be found here:
Specifically the micro:bit MicroPython I2C documentation:
MicroPython upstream documentation:
- http://docs.micropython.org/en/v1.9.2/pyboard/library/index.html
- http://docs.micropython.org/en/v1.9.2/pyboard/reference/index.html
- Product Page: https://www.nxp.com/products/sensors/motion-sensors/3-axis/2g-4g-8g-low-g-10-bit-digital-accelerometer:MMA8653FC
- Datasheet: https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/data-sheet/MMA8653FC.pdf
Note: You will NOT need to look into this datasheet to complete the workshop, it is here only for additional information.
- Product Page: https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Low-power-short-range-wireless/nRF51822
- Product Specification: https://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/pdf/nRF51822_PS_v3.1.pdf
- nRF51 Series Reference Manual (datasheet): https://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/pdf/nRF51_RM_v3.0.pdf
If you are on Windows 7 or 8 you will need to install this driver: https://os.mbed.com/docs/mbed-os/v5.13/tutorials/windows-serial-driver.html
If you are on Linux, you might have to add yourself to the correct permissions
group (usually the dialout or uucp groups).
If you are on Linux, make sure the MICROBIT drive is mounter. If your distribution doesn't mount the drive automatically you might have to manually mount it.
WebUSB is not is necessary to complete the workshop, is a lot more convenient and quicker.
You can still access the REPL with any serial terminal in your computer and program the micro:bit by downloading the hex file from the Online Editor and copying it into the MICROBIT drive.
You will need to use Chrome (or a Chromium based browser) for WebUSB support.
Make sure the micro:bit firmware is at version 0249 or newer. Follow the instructions from this page to update the micro:bit firmware: https://microbit.org/guide/firmware/
Follow the troubleshooting section from this micro:bit support article: https://support.microbit.org/support/solutions/articles/19000084059-beta-testing-web-usb#troubleShooting