This week saw a couple important releases related to MicroPython and CircuitPython.  The first was a small update to MicroPython with a new 1.9.1 release.  This release is mainly for small bug fixes from the previous 1.9.0 release, in particular some improvements for the pyboard’s USB drive behavior on the latest version of Windows 10.  Be sure to check it out and see all the changes in the changelog here.

CircuitPython is moving closer to an initial 1.0 release with a 1.0-rc2 release candidate.  This release has what should be a final form of the API’s for accessing I/O and other CircuitPython board components.  Check out the releases page on the CircuitPython repository to grab the latest release, and the documentation to learn about the API.  If you really want to live on the bleeding edge grab the code from CircuitPython’s master branch and build the firmware to have a cutting edge release using the latest MicroPython 1.9 upstream codebase (be warned this code might not be booting succesfully yet :).

Finally a great MicroPython project with the BBC micro:bit is this bike emoji taillight project from Alex Glow.  One micro:bit is attached to the back of a bike and displays an emoji on the board’s LED matrix.  Another micro:bit is attached to the handlebars and uses radio signals to change the emoji displayed on the back of the bike.  This is perfect for a basic turn signal on a bike, and it’s all powered by MicroPython code on both devices!  Check out the project for all the details on how to build it yourself.