CircuitPython Board Advice!

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gallaugher
 
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CircuitPython Board Advice!

Post by gallaugher »

Adafriends,
I know about the Feather & other board overview pages on Adafruit, but really appreciate advice from others before I put in an order for 80 boards for Fall University Intro Physical Computing course (first time taught). Thanks *so* much for helping me surface any ideas in advance of the order & helping me make a final choice.
Must:
- CircuitPython
- Bluetooth
- Wifi
- Small form factor (feather or smaller)
Nice to have:
- STEMMA QT/Qwiic (nearly a 'must')
- Pass-through charging would be nice.

This board would fill gap between CircuitPlayground Bluefruits (which I already have), and Raspberry Pi 3A+ (which I hope to order with Adafruit Crickits). Thinking Unexpected Maker FeatherS2 (currently out of stock - likely to be replenished given chip shortages?). Any folks use this - how is compatability/support?

Also considering Arduino Connect RP2040 - is there a way to add STEMMA QT to this board? Is there a simple add-on for Stemma support? Could I just use a cable like product 4397 (STEMMA QT / Qwiic JST SH 4-pin Cable with Premium Female Sockets - 150mm Long) and then have all of the advantages of a board that would have Stemma-connector included? How is CircuitPython support on the Arduino Connect RP2040? Any gotchas or surprises worth knowing about?

Am thinking a simple mobile-phone battery will work fine for mobile projects, and can help make up for not having a charge-through port.

All comments/suggests are very much welcome. Thanks for helping me thinking through this more clearly!

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jerryn
 
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Re: CircuitPython Board Advice!

Post by jerryn »

I do not represent Adafruit -- these are just comments from my experience.

I have not tried these combinations myself, but they may be worth considering:
Adafruit Feather RP2040 https://www.adafruit.com/product/4884
with an Airlift Featherwing https://www.adafruit.com/product/4264
that gives you Stemma, Wifi and BLE

also for a smaller form factor:
ItsyBitsy Rp2040 https://www.adafruit.com/product/4888
with the ItsyBitsy Airlift Add on https://www.adafruit.com/product/4363
you would need to add Stemma with the cable you mentioned above

I would definitely recommend trying one set before purchasing 80 ;-)


Regarding your other questions.
I have been using the umfeathers2 and have had no issues with its support. It does have some different pinouts than the Adafruit feather boards so some care is need when configuring. I have not tried using BLE on it.
I have only done minimal testing with the Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect. Wifi seems to work, I have not tried BLE. .

The Stemma/QWIIC cable should work fine. https://www.adafruit.com/product/4209 or https://www.adafruit.com/product/4397

Good luck with your choices and classes!

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jerryn
 
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Re: CircuitPython Board Advice!

Post by jerryn »

Ah -- just realized, the UMFeatherS2 does not support BLE....
the esp32s2 is WiFi only.
The ESP32 has both WiFi and BLE but is only used as a "co processor" for CircuitPython (Airlift)

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gallaugher
 
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Re: CircuitPython Board Advice!

Post by gallaugher »

Oh this might work out great. I didn't know the RP2040 had Stemma QT, or the Airlift Feather Wing supported both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Anyone know if the chip shortages impact this product? The Feather RP2040 is currently out of stock. Reasonable to assume that 80 more will come in by start of class end-of-August?
Thanks!
John

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: CircuitPython Board Advice!

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

We can't make any promises of availability.. there are too many parts of the supply chain we can't control, and *way* too many people on the internet who think 'estimate' means 'guarantee'.

If you have a deadline, check our resellers like Digikey and Mouser to see if they have any boards in stock, and make at least a couple of fallback plans with 'pull the trigger' dates early enough to keep you from getting stuck by bad news at the last minute.

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kevinjwalters
 
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Re: CircuitPython Board Advice!

Post by kevinjwalters »

If MicroPython is a possibility, I stumbled across Imperial College London - BANNED School of Design Engineering: DE 1.3 Electronics 1 (1 May to 26 June 2020) a few days ago. I'd never heard of it but it's using some very inexpensive components including the Heltec WiFi Kit 32.

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gallaugher
 
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Re: CircuitPython Board Advice!

Post by gallaugher »

Thanks, Kevin, This looks like a great resource. I've decided on an Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect. Have tried things out & CircuitPython code we start with on the CPB will carry over well, plus give us lots more to do with WiFi access (API/JSON, time-based projects, MQTT, etc). I was able to breadboard a STEMMA QT connector & that works well enough & will let me minimize breadboard wiring. Kind of you to share this. Cheers!

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