ESP8266 and MicroPython - Nick Moore - PyConAu 2016

Nick Moore

Slides.

• Price and feature set are a game changer for hobbyists.
• Makes for a more playful platform.
• Uses serial programming mode to flash memory
• Strict power requirements
• The easy way to use them is with a NodeMCU for only a little more.
• Tool kits:
  • esp-open-sdk.
  • esptool.
• Lua: (Node Lua).
• Javascript: Espruino.
• Forth, Lisp, Basic(?!).
• Mircopython works on the ESP8266:
  • Drives micro controllers.
  • The onboard Wifi.
  • Can run a small webserver to view and control devices.
  • WebRepl can be used to copy files, as can mpy-utils.
  • Lacks:
    • an operating system.
    • Lacks multiprocessing.
    • Debugger / profiler.
• Flobot:
  • Compiles via MicroPython.
  • A visual dataflow language for robots.

ES8266 and MicroPython provide an accessible entry into working with micro-crontrollers.