Circuit Playground Express Workshop w/ Kattni Rembor from Adafruit

CircuitPython - Python that runs on microcontrollers!

CircuitPython designed for learning and it's super simple to use. If you're new to programming or electronics, CircuitPython can help you get started with both. All you need to do is plug in a microcontroller board, open any code editor, and start editing. Participants will receive a Circuit Playground Express microcontroller board to use and keep. We will be using Mu as our code editor - Mu is an editor that has the serial REPL and a plotter built in, and makes getting started with CircuitPython particularly easy. This beginner-friendly workshop will introduce CircuitPython, and cover the basics. Then we will get into working with code. There will be a series of examples that utilise the various sensors, lights and switches built into the Circuit Playground Express board. We will start simply with the CircuitPython "Hello, world!" From there, we'll build on the concepts learned, combining them as we go to eventually build a light up, capacitive touch tone piano.

For those who are interested, there will be the opportunity to stay after the break for further exploration.

Attendee Instructions:

Participants are expected to bring a laptop (ideally running Windows 10, Mac OSX, or a recent version of x86 Linux) and a compatible USB Micro cable (i.e. USB-C to USB Micro if you have a newer Mac). Be sure that your USB Micro cable includes data transfer capabilities, and is NOT charge-only as it will not work if it is charge only.

About the Instructor:

Kattni Rembor is a full time contractor working as an embedded software developer, technical writer and community leader with Adafruit Industries. She began learning Python through CircuitPython in July 2017. CircuitPython is Python that runs on microcontrollers, and is designed to lower the barrier for entry to learning programming and electronics. She joined Adafruit in January 2018 as a member of the CircuitPython team. She has written the definitive Getting Started guides, the library designed to make CircuitPython super simple to use on Adafruit's premier learning board, Circuit Playground Express, as well as many project guides and tutorials. She has helped build the amazing, supportive online maker space around CircuitPython and a wide variety of other open source topics. The community was a huge part of what got her started, and she has greatly enjoyed becoming such a huge part of it.

Kattni is a board member for Linux user's group, Michigan!/usr/group.

@kattni on Twitter

@kattni on the Adafruit Discord (https://adafru.it/discord)