April 2026 Meetup
Damien covers the recently-released MicroPython v1.28, Matt delivers the news roundup
News Round-up
Headlines
MicroPython v1.28
Damien covered all the important details - but we experimented with MicroPython v1.28 Interactive Release Notes and I’d love to get some feedback! Please check it out and let me know what you think.
Another World
Eric Chahi’s groundbreaking 1991 game, now available on MicroPython!
This was a long-term goal for me, I’ve wanted to port the game engine for Another World to MicroPython for a long time. The game is implemented as a bytecode virtual machine and is pretty compact - and the power of 1990’s cutting-edge hardware is now available in microcontrollers!
Using Claude to vibe-code this one was great fun, and seeing the intro sequence render for the first time was pure nostalgia joy!
It’s not yet finished - rendering is a tad slow in places and sound is still a WIP - but it’s playable on an ESP32.
You’ll need to get your hands on the game data but it’s on sale at GOG at the moment for A$3. Give it a try!
Matts New Hardware
PocketPD
We briefly covered Centy Labs’ Crowd Supply project PocketPD some time ago; it’s a DC supply based around the concept of using the Programmable Power Supply (PPS) extension of the USB Power Delivery (PD) standard. PPS allows a host to negotiate 3.3-21V in 20 mV steps, and max current specified in 50 mA steps up to 100W, depending on the source capabilities. PocketPD allows you to plug in a modern laptop power supply to provide the source for what’s effectively a DC bench supply.
The PocketPD is built around an RP2040 and an AP33772 (USB PD/PPS negotiation) and an INA226 for power measurement. There’s also a rotary dial, a couple of buttons and a display for the UI. And so, while the original firmware is perfectly fine, we figured it wouldn’t be too hard to replace it with MicroPython…
Let me introduce you to micropython_pocketpd!
As well as providing similar features to the original firmware, there’s also a simulator built-in which allows experimentation against the unix port without hardware connected. It includes a websocket renderer of the display; so the UI experiments are easy.
STM32 NUCLEO-C5A3ZG
We covered the STM32C5 last month and I managed to get my hands on the ‘biggest’ Nucleo in this family. The NUCLEO-C5A3ZG has 1MB flash and 256KB RAM as well as Ethernet.
Updating MicroPython to support the C5 has been challenging; ST have overhauled their HAL, starting with the C5, and quite a few things have changed. But it’s close…
STM32 NUCLEO-H5E5ZJ
Although the H5 family has been around for a couple of years now, the H5E and H5F range is new and updates some features.
Upgrades to 1.5MB RAM and up to 4MB flash are generous but the PLAY (Programmable Logic Array) peripheral is most interesting to me. It brings independent, configurable hardware to STs micros and, though they’re a different design, it’ll be interesting to see how it compares to the RP2 PIOs.
M5NanoH2
This tiny M5NanoH2 arrived yesterday. The ESP32-H2 that powers it is Espressif’s low-power BLE/Thread/Matter/Zigbee micro-of-choice.
Hardware News
WeAct Studio STM32U585
CNX recently covered the WeAct Studio STM32U585 Core Mini. The STM32U5 is an excellent low-power micro and this particular board is very affordable. And it has MicroPython support (since v1.28).
- STM32U585CIU6
- Cortex M33 @ 160MHz
- 768KB RAM, 2MB flash
- External flash
- USB-C
- 2x20 pins, most are GPIO
US$8
Maker Go STM32U575
Seems like the U5 is flavour of the month…CNX also covered the Maker Go STM32U575. Breaking out more pins, adding external flash, a microSD socket and an FPC port to connect a display, the Maker Go is slightly more expensive and large but a little more feature-packed.
No specific MicroPython board definition…yet.
- STM32U575VGT6
- Cortex M33 @ 160MHz
- 768KB RAM, 1MB Flash
- 8MB external flash
- microSD
- 2x48 pins broken out
- FPC port for a display
US$15
M5Stamp ESP32P4 Module
M5Stack released the M5Stamp ESP32P4 and the M5Stamp Add-on C6 for P4. This stamp is a small, powerful, system-on-a-board and it’s castellated to make it simple to solder to your own PCBs. Many pins are broken out, including MIPI ports (CSI and DSI), and there is 16MB flash and 32MB PSRAM.
There’s also the add-on which is a small plug-in board that sits over the top, adds an ESP32-C6 and provides Wifi and BLE to the stamp.
It’s a lot of hardware for the size and cost.
M5Stamp ESP32P4 US$13 M5Stamp Add-on C6 for P4 US$7
VIEWE ESP32-P4-Pi Development Board
PocketMage
There’s a new Crowd Supply project: PocketMage. It’s a palm-top device with a small tactile keyboard, an e-paper display and a smaller OLED, it’s designed to be a ‘personal digital assistant’. Powered by an ESP32-S3, it looks like it could be a useful distraction-free device!
No pricing yet.
Other news
SAM ported to MicroPython
Kevin McAleer recently ported the old Software Automatic Mouth to MicroPython. SAM was originally written for the Commodore 64 is a well-known text-to-speech algorithm and library. Kevin’s implementation was designed to take advantage of the PIO peripheral of the RP2 but falls back to a SW renderer:
Although the output quality has long been surpassed using modern techniques (and gobs of compute), SAM was quite sophisticated back in the day - and it works quite well on microcontrollers!
Even better, he has a brilliant video that explains the concepts, challenges and implementation:
Claude Meets MicroPython
Andrew Leech has a fantastic write-up on how to connect Claude to the ViperIDE via an MCP Server:
Claude Meets MicroPython: Hands-On with the ViperIDE Extension
This allows you to ask Claude to create MicroPython code and update a device directly. Very neat!
Quick Bytes
micropython-usunfish
We covered the usunfish chess port last month but it’s worth noting that Peter Hinch has already integrated it into his micropython-touch chess demo.
WebSerial has landed in Firefox Nightly
baloob, in a Mastodon Post shared that Firefox Nightly recently added the WebSerial API. This opens the possibility that Firefox might soon be able to make connections to devices over the serial port. 🤞
(via Andy Piper)
Note that the WebSerial ticket in Bugzilla has been open for 12 years.
Final Thoughts
Robot Golf
Air Powered Segment Display
Midjourney fun
