CircuitPython 9.0.0 Alpha 6

This is CircuitPython 9.0.0-alpha.6, an alpha release for 9.0.0. It has significant known bugs, and will have further additions and fixes before the final release of 9.0.0.

NOTE: CircuitPython 9.0.0-alpha.4 and later use a new internal dynamic storage mechanism ("split heap"), which is being tuned. You may find that some CircuitPython programs fail with MemoryError. If you encounter programs that work in 8.x.x but get MemoryError exceptions, consider filing an issue with details.

WARNING for nRF52 boards only: If your board has an nRF52 UF2 bootloader whose version is before 0.6.1, you will not be able to load CircuitPython 8.2.0 and later, due to increased size of the firmware. See these instructions for updating your bootloader.

Notable changes to 9.0.0

• New split-heap internal dynamic storage mechanism.
• Merge updates from MicroPython v1.19.1, v1.20.0, and v1.21.0.
• Espressif: update to ESP-IDF v5.1.2.
• Reorganize and split displayio. 8.x.x naming structure is available in 9.x.x, but will be removed in 10.0.0.
• CIRCUITPY drives now mount on Android.
• Increased file capacity on CIRCUITPY drives <= 128kB.
• Further USB host support, on i.MX and RP2040.
• Remove 8.x.x deprecations: displayio.*.show(), I2CPeripheral renamed to I2CTarget.
• Add jpegio JPEG decoder support.
• Add repl.py, which runs just before the REPL starts up.
• Add OrderedDict.move_to_end().
• Add synthio.Synthesizer.note_state.
• Add warnings module, similar to what is in CPython.
• Add locale.getlocale().
• Add I2S MCLK support on Espressif.
• Add mDNS TXT record support.
• Add synthio.Note .loop_start and .loop_end properties.
• Allow signed amplitude in synthio.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in the Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of "ports" that are the core implementations for different microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, these ports are consider stable (but see Known Issues below):

• atmel-samd: Microchip SAMD21, SAMx5x
• cxd56: Sony Spresense
• espressif: Espressif ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3
• nrf: Nordic nRF52840, nRF52833
• raspberrypi: Raspberry Pi RP2040
• stm: ST STM32F4 chip family

These ports are considered alpha and will have bugs and missing functionality:

• broadcom: Raspberry Pi boards such as RPi 4, RPi Zero 2W
• litex: fomu
• mimxrt10xx: NXP i.MX RT10xxx
• silabs: Silicon Labs MG24 family
• stm: ST non-STM32F4 chip families

Changes since 9.0.0-alpha.5

Fixes and enhancements

• Update frozen libraries. #8717. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Remove same-line comments in mpconfigboard.mk that interfered with settings checks. #8702, #8669. Thanks @dhalbert.
• dotclockframebuffer: round up internal size to multiple of 16 pixels. #8698. Thanks @jepler.
• Add jpegio JPEG decoder support. #8696. Thanks @jepler.
• Enable builts.compile() for all boards. #8687. Thanks @bill88t.
• Process input during websocket operation. #8668. Thanks @tannewt.
• Improve web workflow error handling. #8667. Thanks @tannewt.
• Allow signed amplitude in synthio. #8642. Thanks @jepler.
• Add synthio.Note .loop_start and .loop_end properties. #8629. Thanks @dcooperdalrymple.
• Fix signature for SSLContext.load_verify_locations. #8624. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Add W25Q16JVxQ as alternative flash chip for a number of boards. #8622, #8621. Thanks @dhalbert.

Port and board-specific changes

Broadcom

Espressif

• Fix operation as a simple BLE Central on ESP32-S3. #8645. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Fix IO32 pin AnalogIn. #8622, #8607. Thanks @dhalbert.

i.MX

nRF

RP2040

• Use DMA for PIO when transfer size exceeds FIFO size. #8702, #8700. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Add wifi.stop_ap(). #8622, #8590. Thanks @eightycc.

SAMx

SiLabs

Spresense

STM

Individual boards

• Adafruit HalloWing M0: Add support for 2MB flash chip shipped by mistake on a few boards. #8702, #8669, #8646. Thanks @dhalbert and @jepler.
• Arduino Nano ESP32-S3: Correct USB PID. #8702, #8634. Thanks @dhalbert.
• MakerFabs TFT7: Updates. #8644, #8625. Thanks @RetiredWizard.

Documentation changes

• Document that time monotonic values are only guaranteed to be monotonic per VM instantiation. #8685. Thanks @jepler.

Build and infrastructure changes

• Document decompress_vstr() assumption. #8666. Thanks @jepler.
• Unset D_FORTIFY_SOURCE globally. #8663. Thanks @jepler.
• Share UTF-8 conversion code to save flash. #8655. Thanks @jepler.
• Add branch and PR number to uploaded build filenames (needs more work). #8648. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Fix build error when frozen modules are updated. #8633. Thanks @jepler.
• Fix git version for unified submodule cloning. #8620. Thanks @dhalbert.

Translation additions and improvements

• Thanks for translations:
  • @bill88t (Greek)
  • ChaeYeon Han (Korean)
  • @deepserket (Italian)
  • gfbdrgng (Russian)
  • @hexthat (Chinese - Pinyin)
  • @jessyjones (French)
  • @wtuemura (Portugese - Brazil)
• Do not offer strings contain only %-escapes for translation. #8640. Thanks @jepler.
• Improve synthetic.pot mechanism for strings that do not need translation. #8619, #8617. Thanks @jepler.

New or removed boards since 9.0.0-alpha.5

• Adafruit ESP32-S2 Camera: Removed; never released. #8671. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Breadstick Innovations Raspberry Breadstick. #8636. Thanks @mrangen.
• Cytron Maker Zero SAMD21: Removed; never released. #8689. Thanks @noqman (@CytronTechnologies).
• Cytron Maker UNO RP2040. #8649. Thanks @noqman (@CytronTechnologies).
• DFRobot FireBeetle 2 ESP32-S3. #8623. Thanks @bill88t.
• Facts Engineering P1AM-200. #8665. Thanks @AdamCummick.
• Flipper Zero Wi-Fi Dev. #8673. Thanks @maewolfsky.
• PCTEL WSC-1450. #8656. Thanks @hendriclinden.
• Unexpected Maker TinyC6. #8626. Thanks @UnexpectedMaker.
• WisdPi Tiny RP2040. #8670. Thanks @wisdpi.
• WisdPi Ardu2040M. #8670. Thanks @wisdpi.

Known issues

• See https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/issues for other issues, including issues still to be addressed for:
  • 8.2.x
  • 9.0.0
  • long term

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, and contributed since 9.0.0-alpha.5, including the contributors above, and many others on GitHub and Discord. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.

CircuitPython 8.2.9

This is CircuitPython 8.2.9, the latest bugfix revision of CircuitPython, and is a new stable release.

WARNING for nRF52 boards only: If your board has an nRF52 UF2 bootloader whose version is before 0.6.1, you will not be able to load CircuitPython 8.2.0 and later. The 8.2.0 firmware is larger than what the bootloader can handle. See these instructions for updating your bootloader.

Notable changes to 8.2.9 since 8.2.8

• PIO DMA fix for RP2040.
• New and removed boards.
• Individual board fixes.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in the Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of "ports" that are the core implementations for different microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, these ports are consider stable (but see Known Issues below):

• atmel-samd: Microchip SAMD21, SAMx5x
• cxd56: Sony Spresense
• espressif: Espressif ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3
• nrf: Nordic nRF52840, nRF52833
• raspberrypi: Raspberry Pi RP2040
• stm: ST STM32F4 chip family

These ports are considered alpha and will have bugs and missing functionality:

• broadcom: Raspberry Pi boards such as RPi 4, RPi Zero 2W
• litex: fomu
• mimxrt10xx: NXP i.MX RT10xxx
• silabs: Silicon Labs MG24 family
• stm: ST non-STM32F4 chip families

Changes since 8.2.8

Fixes and enhancements

• Remove same-line comments in mpconfigboard.mk that interfered with settings checks. #8669. Thanks @dhalbert.

Port and board-specific changes

Broadcom

Espressif

i.MX

nRF

RP2040

• Use DMA for PIO when transfer size exceeds FIFO size. #8700. Thanks @dhalbert.

SAMx

SiLabs

Spresense

STM

Individual boards

• Adafruit HalloWing M0: Add support for 2MB flash chip shipped by mistake on a few boards. #8669, #8646. Thanks @dhalbert and @jepler.
• Arduino Nano ESP32-S3: Correct USB PID. #8634. Thanks @dhalbert.

Documentation changes

Build and infrastructure changes

Translation additions and improvements

New or removed boards since 8.2.8

• Adafruit ESP32-S2 Camera: Removed; never released. #8671. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Cytron Maker Zero SAMD21: Removed; never released. #8691. Thanks @noqman (@CytronTechnologies).
• WisdPi Tiny RP2040. #8670. Thanks @wisdpi.
• WisdPi Ardu2040M. #8670. Thanks @wisdpi.

Known issues

• ESP32-S3 has significant issues with I2C devices that sleep or use clock stretching. Retry operations on these devices as necessary, or use ESP32-S2 boards.
• Espressif boards have ESP-IDF storage leaks and occasionally crash after extended WiFi use.
• See https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/issues for other issues, including issues still to be addressed for:
  • 8.2.x
  • 9.0.0
  • long term

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, and contributed since 8.2.8, including the contributors above, and many others on GitHub and Discord. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.

CircuitPython 8.2.8

This is CircuitPython 8.2.8, the latest bugfix revision of CircuitPython, and is a new stable release.

WARNING for nRF52 boards only: If your board has an nRF52 UF2 bootloader whose version is before 0.6.1, you will not be able to load CircuitPython 8.2.0 and later. The 8.2.0 firmware is larger than what the bootloader can handle. See these instructions for updating your bootloader.

Notable changes to 8.2.8 since 8.2.7

• Add alternative flash chips for many boards. Fixes issue with new-production Adafruit Metro M4 AirLift boards.
• Add wifi.stop_ap() for Pico W.
• Fix ESP32 AnalogIn on pin IO32.
• Fix race condition in RP2040 PulseIn.
• New boards.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in the Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of "ports" that are the core implementations for different microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, these ports are consider stable (but see Known Issues below):

• atmel-samd: Microchip SAMD21, SAMx5x
• cxd56: Sony Spresense
• espressif: Espressif ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3
• nrf: Nordic nRF52840, nRF52833
• raspberrypi: Raspberry Pi RP2040
• stm: ST STM32F4 chip family

These ports are considered alpha and will have bugs and missing functionality:

• broadcom: Raspberry Pi boards such as RPi 4, RPi Zero 2W
• litex: fomu
• mimxrt10xx: NXP i.MX RT10xxx
• silabs: Silicon Labs MG24 family
• stm: ST non-STM32F4 chip families

Changes since 8.2.7

Fixes and enhancements

• Add W25Q16JVxQ as alternative flash chip for a number of boards. #8621. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Fix off-by-one multiple-block flash reads when read starts at MBR. #8565. Thanks @eightycc.

Port and board-specific changes

Broadcom

Espressif

• Fix IO32 pin AnalogIn. #8607. Thanks @dhalbert.

i.MX

nRF

RP2040

• Add wifi.stop_ap(). #8590. Thanks @eightycc.
• Fix pulseio.PulseIn race condition. #8505. Thanks @Snipeye.

SAMx

SiLabs

Spresense

STM

Individual boards

Documentation changes

• Fix busio example. #8568. Thanks @dhalbert.

Build and infrastructure changes

• Update some scripts for Python 3.12. #8568. Thanks @dhalbert.

Translation additions and improvements

New boards since 8.2.7

• Unexpected Maker BLING! #8495. Thanks @UnexpectedMaker.
• Unexpected Maker TinyWATCH S3. #8501, #8495. Thanks @UnexpectedMaker.

Known issues

• ESP32-S3 has significant issues with I2C devices that sleep or use clock stretching. Retry operations on these devices as necessary, or use ESP32-S2 boards.
• Espressif boards have ESP-IDF storage leaks and occasionally crash after extended WiFi use.
• See https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/issues for other issues, including issues still to be addressed for:
  • 8.2.x
  • 9.0.0
  • long term

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, and contributed since 8.2.7, including the contributors above, and many others on GitHub and Discord. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.

CircuitPython 9.0.0 Alpha 5

This is CircuitPython 9.0.0-alpha.5, an alpha release for 9.0.0. It has significant known bugs, and will have further additions and fixes before the final release of 9.0.0.

NOTE: CircuitPython 9.0.0-alpha.4 and later use a new internal dynamic storage mechanism ("split heap"), which is being tuned. You may find that some CircuitPython programs fail with MemoryError. 9.0.0-alpha.5 includes fixes which make this less likely. If you encounter programs that work in 8.x.x but get MemoryError exceptions, consider filing an issue with details.

WARNING for nRF52 boards only: If your board has an nRF52 UF2 bootloader whose version is before 0.6.1, you will not be able to load CircuitPython 8.2.0 and later, due to increased size of the firmware. See these instructions for updating your bootloader.

Notable changes to 9.0.0

• New split-heap internal dynamic storage mechanism.
• Merge updates from MicroPython v1.19.1, v1.20.0, and v1.21.0.
• Espressif: update to ESP-IDF v5.1.
• Reorganize and split displayio. 8.x.x naming structure is available in 9.x.x, but will be removed in 10.0.0.
• CIRCUITPY drives now mount on Android.
• Increased file capacity on CIRCUITPY drives <= 128kB.
• Further USB host support, on i.MX and RP2040.
• Remove 8.x.x deprecations: displayio.*.show(), I2CPeripheral renamed to I2CTarget.
• Add repl.py, which runs just before the REPL starts up.
• Add OrderedDict.move_to_end().
• Add synthio.Synthesizer.note_state.
• Add warnings module, similar to what is in CPython.
• Add locale.getlocale().
• Add I2S MCLK support on Espressif.
• Add mDNS TXT record support.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in the Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of "ports" that are the core implementations for different microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, these ports are consider stable (but see Known Issues below):

• atmel-samd: Microchip SAMD21, SAMx5x
• cxd56: Sony Spresense
• espressif: Espressif ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3
• nrf: Nordic nRF52840, nRF52833
• raspberrypi: Raspberry Pi RP2040
• stm: ST STM32F4 chip family

These ports are considered alpha and will have bugs and missing functionality:

• broadcom: Raspberry Pi boards such as RPi 4, RPi Zero 2W
• litex: fomu
• mimxrt10xx: NXP i.MX RT10xxx
• silabs: Silicon Labs MG24 family
• stm: ST non-STM32F4 chip families

Changes since 9.0.0-alpha.4

Fixes and enhancements

• _asyncio: Fix ticks to match adafruit_ticks. #8609. Thanks @jepler.
• Add locale.getlocale(). #8608. Thanks @jepler.
• Fix split-heap pystack allocation. #8598. Thanks @tannewt.
• Remove remaining obsolete code and documentation about reserved PSRAM and supervisor allocations. #8596. Thanks @jepler.

Port and board-specific changes

Broadcom

Espressif

• Fix split heap storage allocation to include PSRAM. #8605. Thanks @tannewt.
• Fix WiFI on ESP32-C6. Thanks @bill88t.

i.MX

nRF

RP2040

SAMx

SiLabs

• Work around intermittent build failures. #8615. Thanks @silabs-ChatNguyen.
• Allow local write to characteristic without read property being set. #8601. Thanks @silabs-ChatNguyen.
• Fix pwmio deinit crash. #8591. Thanks @silabs-ChatNguyen.

Spresense

STM

Individual boards

• Adafruit QT Py ESP32-S3 4MB Flash 2MB PSRAM: Fix build. #8611. Thanks @dhalbert.

Documentation changes

Build and infrastructure changes

• Merge fetch-submodules.sh into ci_fetch_deps.py and use the latter in makefiles. #8589. Thanks @jepler.

Translation additions and improvements

• Fix untranslatable error string. #8613. Thanks @elpekenin.

New boards since 9.0.0-alpha.4

• Heltec ESP32-S3 WiFi LoRa V3. #8583. Thanks @imnotjames.
• Keeb.io Elite-Pi. #8541. Thanks @alextremblay.
• Oxocard Artwork. #8600. Thanks @supcik.
• Oxocard Connect. #8600. Thanks @supcik.
• Oxocard Galaxy. #8600. Thanks @supcik.
• Oxocard Science. #8600. Thanks @supcik.

Known issues

• See https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/issues for other issues, including issues still to be addressed for:
  • 8.2.x
  • 9.0.0
  • long term

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, and contributed since 9.0.0-alpha.4, including the contributors above, and many others on GitHub and Discord. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.

CircuitPython 9.0.0 Alpha 4

This is CircuitPython 9.0.0-alpha.4, an alpha release for 9.0.0. It has significant known bugs, and will have further additions and fixes before the final release of 9.0.0.

(9.0.0-alpha.3 was discarded due to a build problem, fixed by #8587.)

NOTE: Starting with 9.0.0-alpha.4, CircuitPython uses a new internal dynamic storage mechanism ("split heap"), which will need to be tuned. You may find that some CircuitPython programs fail with MemoryError or RuntimeError: PYSTACK exhausted exceptions. Adjusting the settings.toml value CIRCUITPY_HEAP_START_SIZE may help. Please file issues with examples of programs that no longer load, and whether you were able to fix the problem by adjusting CIRCUITPY_HEAP_START_SIZE.

WARNING for nRF52 boards only: If your board has an nRF52 UF2 bootloader whose version is before 0.6.1, you will not be able to load CircuitPython 8.2.0 and later, due to increased size of the firmware. See these instructions for updating your bootloader.

Notable changes to 9.0.0

• New split-heap internal dynamic storage mechanism.
• Merge updates from MicroPython v1.19.1, v1.20.0, and v1.21.0.
• Espressif: update to ESP-IDF v5.1.
• Reorganize and split displayio. 8.x.x naming structure is available in 9.x.x, but will be removed in 10.0.0.
• CIRCUITPY drives now mount on Android.
• Increased file capacity on CIRCUITPY drives <= 128kB.
• Further USB host support, on i.MX and RP2040.
• Remove 8.x.x deprecations: displayio.*.show(), I2CPeripheral renamed to I2CTarget.
• Add repl.py, which runs just before the REPL starts up.
• Add OrderedDict.move_to_end().
• Add synthio.Synthesizer.note_state.
• Add warnings module, similar to what is in CPython.
• Add I2S MCLK support on Espressif.
• Add mDNS TXT record support.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in the Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of "ports" that are the core implementations for different microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, these ports are consider stable (but see Known Issues below):

• atmel-samd: Microchip SAMD21, SAMx5x
• cxd56: Sony Spresense
• espressif: Espressif ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3
• nrf: Nordic nRF52840, nRF52833
• raspberrypi: Raspberry Pi RP2040
• stm: ST STM32F4 chip family

These ports are considered alpha and will have bugs and missing functionality:

• broadcom: Raspberry Pi boards such as RPi 4, RPi Zero 2W
• litex: fomu
• mimxrt10xx: NXP i.MX RT10xxx
• silabs: Silicon Labs MG24 family
• stm: ST non-STM32F4 chip families

Changes since 9.0.0-alpha.2

Fixes and enhancements

• Increased file capacity on CIRCUITPY drives <= 128kB. #8567. Thanks @eightycc.
• Use auto-growing split heap. #8582, #8553. Thanks @tannewt.
• CIRCUITPY drives now mount on Android. #8580. Thanks @eightycc.
• Update frozen libraries. #8577. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Fix off-by-one multiple-block flash reads when read starts at MBR. #8575, #8565. Thanks @eightycc.
• Fix incorrect type object declarations, restoring access to native class properties. #8560, #8535. Thanks @dhalbert and @deshipu.
• Add mDNS TXT record support. #8262. Thanks @thzinc.

Port and board-specific changes

Broadcom

Espressif

• I2S MCLK support on Espressif. #8586, #8571. Thanks @lookfwd.

i.MX

nRF

RP2040

• Fix pulseio.PulseIn race condition. #8575, #8505. Thanks @Snipeye.

SAMx

SiLabs

Spresense

STM

Individual boards

• Adafruit ESP32-S3 Camera: Update pins to Rev D. #8557, #8528. Thanks @ladyada.

Documentation changes

• Fix busio I2C scan example. #8575, #8568. Thanks @dhalbert.

Build and infrastructure changes

• Add lib/tlsf to ci_fetch_deps.py to fix release builds. #8587. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Updates to handle Python 3.12. #8584, #8575, #8568. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Switch to gcc 13.2. #8546. Thanks @tannewt.
• Use MP_ERROR_TEXT() instead of translate() everywhere. #8452. Thanks @jepler.
• Use mp_rom_error_text_t instead of compressed_string_t. #8531, #8519. Thanks @tannewt and @jepler.

Translation additions and improvements

• Thanks for translations:
  • @andibing (English - UK)
  • @hexthat (Chinese - Pinyin)
  • @jessyjones (French)
  • @MuskoM (Polish)
  • @supcik (French)
  • @wtuemura (Portugese - Brazil)

New boards since 9.0.0-alpha.2

• LILYGO T-Deck. #8563. Thanks @rgrizzell.
• Unexpected Maker BLING! #8575, #8495. Thanks @UnexpectedMaker.
• Unexpected Maker TinyWATCH S3. #8575, #8495. Thanks @UnexpectedMaker.
• WeAct C6 N4. #8550. Thanks @bill88t.
• WeAct C6 N8. #8550. Thanks @bill88t.

Known issues

• See https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/issues for other issues, including issues still to be addressed for:
  • 8.2.x
  • 9.0.0
  • long term

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, and contributed since 9.0.0-alpha.2, including the contributors above, and many others on GitHub and Discord. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.

CircuitPython 9.0.0 Alpha 2

This is CircuitPython 9.0.0-alpha.2, an alpha release for 9.0.0. It has significant known bugs, and will have further additions and fixes before the final release of 9.0.0.

WARNING for nRF52 boards only: If your board has an nRF52 UF2 bootloader whose version is before 0.6.1, you will not be able to load CircuitPython 8.2.0 and later, due to increased size of the firmware. See these instructions for updating your bootloader.

Notable changes to 9.0.0

• Merge updates from MicroPython v1.19.1, v1.20.0, and v1.21.0.
• Espressif: update to ESP-IDF v5.1.
• Remove 8.x.x deprecations: displayio.*.show(), I2CPeripheral: now I2CTarget.
• Add repl.py, which runs just before the REPL starts up.
• Add OrderedDict.move_to_end().
• Add synthio.Synthesizer.note_state.
• Further USB host support, on i.MX and RP2040.
• Reorganize and split displayio.
• Add warnings module, similar to what is in CPython.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in the Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of "ports" that are the core implementations for different microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, these ports are consider stable (but see Known Issues below):

• atmel-samd: Microchip SAMD21, SAMx5x
• cxd56: Sony Spresense
• espressif: Espressif ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3
• nrf: Nordic nRF52840, nRF52833
• raspberrypi: Raspberry Pi RP2040
• stm: ST STM32F4 chip family

These ports are considered alpha and will have bugs and missing functionality:

• broadcom: Raspberry Pi boards such as RPi 4, RPi Zero 2W
• litex: fomu
• mimxrt10xx: NXP i.MX RT10xxx
• silabs: Silicon Labs MG24 family
• stm: ST non-STM32F4 chip families

Changes since 8.2.x split from main

Note: The tags 9.0.0-alpha.0 and 9.0.0-alpha.1 exist, but there are no releases for those tags because their .mpy file formats differ from 9.0.0-alpha.2 and later. 9.0.0-alpha.0 tags the first commit after 8.2.x was branched from main.

Fixes and enhancements

• Add warnings module and warn about displayio deprecations. #8524. Thanks @tannewt.
• Merge MicroPython v1.21.0. #8523, #8508. Thanks @dhalbert and @tannewt.
• Merge MicroPython v1.20.0. #8481. Thanks @dhalbert and @tannewt.
• Merge MicroPython v1.19.1. #8310, #8281. Thanks @dhalbert and @jepler.
• Fix subscript operator on subclasses of native classes. #8522. Thanks @tannewt.
• Raise explanatory error when some_display.show() is used. #8517. Thanks @tannewt.
• Support for GRB status LEDs. #8497. Thanks @Axeia.
• Merge fixes from 8.2.x. #8494, #8395, #8342, #8317. Thanks @tannewt, @dhalbert, @jepler.
• Split off parts of displayio into multiple modules: busdisplay, fourwire, epaperdisplay, i2cdisplaybus, paralleldisplaybus. The existing displayio hierarchy will still be available 9.x.x, but is deprecated, and will be removed in 10.0.0. #8493. Thanks @tannewt.
• Add qrio.QRDecoder.fin() to locate QR codes without decoding. #8467. Thanks @deshipu.
• Remove 8.x.x deprecations: displayio.*.show(), I2CPeripheral: now I2CTarget. #8456. Thanks @tannewt.
• Add dotclock display support. #8440, #8430, #8401, #8351. Thanks @jepler.
• Do not start web workflow if no password is given. #8367. Thanks @bill88t.
• Do not add dotfiles to CIRCUITPY on boards without native USB. #8346. Thanks @bill88t.
• Add repl.py, which runs just before the REPL starts up. #8344. Thanks @jepler.
• Add .Trash-1000 file so Linux will not store trash files on CIRCUITPY. #8339. Thanks @bill88t.
• Fix zlib gzip decompression. #8335. Thanks @BJap.
• Fix FATFS support for non-512-byte block sizes. #8304. Thanks @ccattuto.
• Fix displayio display layout when logo is disabled. #8300. Thanks @deshipu.
• Reset current directory before running code.py and other files. #8295. Thanks @deshipu.
• Update TinyUSb to improve abort handling. #8292. Thanks @tannewt.
• Improve bitmaptools alphablend features. #8270. Thanks @makermelissa.
• Add OrderedDict.move_to_end(). #8258. Thanks @jepler and @elpekenin.
• Update ulab. #8256, #8126. Thanks @jepler.
• Cache USB configuration descriptor. #8254. Thanks @tannewt.
• Raise exception when creating a USB device when host isn't initalized. #8242. Thanks @tannewt.
• Improve displayio error reporting about too many busses. #8231, #8229. Thanks @elpekenin.
• Align FATFS window buffer for TinyUSB. #8222. Thanks @tannewt.
• Update frozen modules. #8211. Thanks @FoamyGuy.
• Fix ssl_context.load_verify_locations(cadata=None). #8192. Thanks @gaweng.
• Add displayio.Bitmap.bits_per_value. #8191. Thanks @gaweng.
• Add synthio.Synthesizer.note_state. #8186. Thanks @jepler.
• Make usb_host.Port be a singleton. #8182. Thanks @tannewt.
• Fix OrderedDict.fromkeys() to return correct type. #8175. Thanks @kbsriram.
• Raise exception if os.getenv() is used when settings.toml is not supported. #8169. Thanks @jepler.
• USB host keyboard map control and other improvements. #8161. Thanks @jepler.
• More USB host support and keyboard workflow. #8155. Thanks @tannewt.
• Suppoort multiple data pins with shared clock and latch in keypad.ShiftRegisterKeys. #8143. Thanks @kolkmvd.
• Add bitmap.blit() skip_self_index parameter. #8136. Thanks @FoamyGuy.
• Reimplement and improve watchdog. #7718. Thanks @microdev1.

Port and board-specific changes

Broadcom

• Use CIRCUITPY_CONSOLE_UART_BAUDRATE to set console baudrate. #8331. Thanks @RetiredWizard.
• Fix kernel and stack addresses. #8305. Thanks @cleverca22.

Espressif

• Update to ESP-IDF 5.1. #8462, #8461, #8447, #8435, #8424. Thanks @tannewt.
• Update to ESP-IDF 5.0. #8411. Thanks @tannewt.
• Deinit pins when de-initing camera. #8388. Thanks @bill88t.
• Set size of reserved PSRAM for camera. #8259. Thanks @jepler.
• Increase synthio channels from 2 to 12. #8189. Thanks @todbot.

i.MX

• Add I2S MCLK support. #8291. Thanks @tannewt.
• Allocate heap in 32-byte chunks to match cache line size. #8187. Thanks @tannewt.
• Move some qstr function wrappers to TCM. #8187. Thanks @tannewt.

nRF

RP2040

• Improve audiobusio error message. #8466. Thanks @heygauri.
• Fix 8-bit WAV playback. #8436. Thanks @PaintYourDragon.
• Disconnect WiFi after reload or soft reset. #8371. Thanks @bill88t.
• Improve control of Wifi access points and station mode. Allow open access points. #8326. Thanks @bill88t.
• Support memorymap. #8357. Thanks @eightycc.
• Allow building without audio support. #8271. Thanks @JohnAZoidberg (@FrameworkComputer).
• Mark RP2040 dtcm_bss as not needing to be loaded. #8242. Thanks @tannewt.
• Add rp2pio.StateMachine features. #8223. Thanks @jepler.
• Fix setting of WiFi hostname. #8150. Thanks @microdev1.
• Update pico-skd to 1.5.1. #8091. Thanks @bill88t.

SAMx

• Make it possible to enable async/await on SAMD21. #8338. Thanks @deshipu.
• Handle RUNMODE_UF2. #8264. Thanks @bcr.
• Support external clock sources on SAMx5x. #8183. Thanks @Qyriad.

SiLabs

• Fix watchdog code crash. Add status LEDs. Add flash Makefile target. Reduce build verbosity. #8484. Thanks @tannewt.
• Change system clock from 39 MHz to 78 MHz. #8458. Thanks @silabs-BelaV.

Spresense

STM

• Fix cache use. #8253, #8235. Thanks @elpekenin.

Individual boards

• 42. Keebs Frood: Update for Rev7. #8154. Thanks @piit79.
• Adafruit MakerPortal S3: Fix pins for Rev C. #8137. Thanks @makermelissa.
• Adafruit Metro M7 1011 AirLift: Change name, rename pins. #8127. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Adafruit Metro RP2040: Handle 16MB flash. #8181. Thanks @jepler.
• Adafruit QT Py ESP32S3 No PSRAM: Remove frozen libraries. #8130. Thanks @dhalbert.
• BPI Leaf S3: Support double-clicking reset to enter UF2 bootloader. #8404. Thanks @Wind-stormger (@BPI-STEAM).
• BrainBoardz Neuron: Fix pins. #8251. Thanks @BrainBoardz.
• DFRobot Beetle ESP32-C3: Fix sdkconfig. #8240. Thanks @kbsriram.
• Espressif ESP32S3 Box and Box Lite: Fix PSRAM. #8129. Thanks @Neradoc.
• UnexpectedMaker FeatherS3: Add second I2C bus and additional pins. #8174. Thanks @UnexpectedMaker.
• Waveshare ESP32-S3 Pico: Fix pins. #8464. Thanks @tirtharajsinha.

Documentation changes

• Do not build the support matrix PDF: ReadTheDocs only wants one PDF. #8527. Thanks @tannewt.
• Fix typo in test README. #8526. Thanks @daanzu.
• Split support matrix out of PDF doc. #8493. Thanks @tannewt.
• Improve rotaryio documentation. #8453. Thanks @heygauri.
• Improve canio documentation. #8298. Thanks @jepler.
• Fix synthio documentation. #8260. Thanks @jepler.
• Fix bitmaptools.blit documentation. #8252. Thanks @jepler.
• Redirect index.html to README.html. #8247. Thanks @jepler.
• Add circuitpython_typing to intersphinx configuration. Resolve TypeAliased references. Thanks @kbsriram.
• Note that `wifi.radio.ipv4_address...

CircuitPython 8.2.7

This is CircuitPython 8.2.7, the latest bugfix revision of CircuitPython, and is a new stable release.

WARNING for nRF52 boards only: If your board has an nRF52 UF2 bootloader whose version is before 0.6.1, you will not be able to load CircuitPython 8.2.0 and later. The 8.2.0 firmware is larger than what the bootloader can handle. See these instructions for updating your bootloader.

Notable changes to 8.2.7 since 8.2.6

• Improve RGBMatrix memory allocation tracking to prevent leaks.
• Reset MDNS after turning off WiFi.
• Three new boards.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in the Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of "ports" that are the core implementations for different microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, these ports are consider stable (but see Known Issues below):

• atmel-samd: Microchip SAMD21, SAMx5x
• cxd56: Sony Spresense
• espressif: Espressif ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3
• nrf: Nordic nRF52840, nRF52833
• raspberrypi: Raspberry Pi RP2040
• stm: ST STM32F4 chip family

These ports are considered alpha and will have bugs and missing functionality:

• broadcom: Raspberry Pi boards such as RPi 4, RPi Zero 2W
• litex: fomu
• mimxrt10xx: NXP i.MX RT10xxx
• silabs: Silicon Labs MG24 family
• stm: ST non-STM32F4 chip families

Changes since 8.2.6

Fixes and enhancements

• Improve RGBMatrix memory allocation tracking to prevent leaks. #8446. Thanks @tannewt.
• Allow display.Bitmap value_count to be 65536. #8434. Thanks @rimwolf-redux.
• Fix espcamera pin deinit (backport from main). #8393. Thanks @bill88t.

Port and board-specific changes

Broadcom

Espressif

• Reset MDNS after turning off WiFi. #8418. Thanks @tannewt.

i.MX

nRF

RP2040

SAMx

• On SAMD51G19 boards, which don't have I2S, turn audiobusio off by default. #8414. Thanks @dhalbert.

SiLabs

Spresense

STM

Individual boards

• Adafruit Metro S3: correct pins for Rev B. #8459. Thanks @tannewt.
• Adafruit Monster M4SK: correct microcontroller chip. #8414. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Waveshare ESP32 S3 Pico: correct available pins. #8465, #8463, #8396. Thanks @tirtharajsinha.

Documentation changes

• Improve rgbmatrix documentation. #8400. Thanks @jepler.

Build and infrastructure changes

Translation additions and improvements

New boards since 8.2.6

• MagiClick S3 n4r2: #8445, #8427. Thanks @MakerM0.
• Unexpected Maker Blizzard S3. #8480. Thanks @UnexpectedMaker.
• Waveshare RP2040 Touch LCD 1.28. #8475. Thanks @minordemon.

Known issues

• ESP32-S3 has significant issues with I2C devices that sleep or use clock stretching. Retry operations on these devices as necessary, or use ESP32-S2 boards.
• Espressif boards have ESP-IDF storage leaks and occasionally crash after extended WiFi use.
• See https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/issues for other issues, including issues still to be addressed for:
  • 8.2.x
  • 9.0.0
  • long term

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, and contributed since 8.2.6, including the contributors above, and many others on GitHub and Discord. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.

CircuitPython 8.2.6

This is CircuitPython 8.2.6, the latest bugfix revision of CircuitPython, and is a new stable release.

WARNING for nRF52 boards only: If your board has an nRF52 UF2 bootloader whose version is before 0.6.1, you will not be able to load CircuitPython 8.2.0 and later. The 8.2.0 firmware is larger than what the bootloader can handle. See these instructions for updating your bootloader.

Notable changes to 8.2.6 since 8.2.5

• Updated TLS root certificates to support servers using Let's Encrypt.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in the Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of "ports" that are the core implementations for different microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, these ports are consider stable (but see Known Issues below):

• atmel-samd: Microchip SAMD21, SAMx5x
• cxd56: Sony Spresense
• espressif: Espressif ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3
• nrf: Nordic nRF52840, nRF52833
• raspberrypi: Raspberry Pi RP2040
• stm: ST STM32F4 chip family

These ports are considered alpha and will have bugs and missing functionality:

• broadcom: Raspberry Pi boards such as RPi 4, RPi Zero 2W
• litex: fomu
• mimxrt10xx: NXP i.MX RT10xxx
• silabs: Silicon Labs MG24 family
• stm: ST non-STM32F4 chip families

Changes since 8.2.5

Fixes and enhancements

• Add TLS root certificate to handle servers using Let's Encrypt. #8386. Thanks @dhalbert.
• Make SSLContext.load_verify_locations() not require keyword argument. #8392. Thanks @dhalbert.

Port and board-specific changes

Broadcom

Espressif

i.MX

nRF

• Revert #8089: nRF UART sleep power saving. #8391. Thanks @dhalbert.

RP2040

SAMx

SiLabs

Spresense

STM

Individual boards

Documentation changes

Build and infrastructure changes

Translation additions and improvements

New boards since 8.2.5

Known issues

• ESP32-S3 has significant issues with I2C devices that sleep or use clock stretching. Retry operations on these devices as necessary, or use ESP32-S2 boards.
• Espressif boards have ESP-IDF storage leaks and occasionally crash after extended WiFi use.
• See https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/issues for other issues, including issues still to be addressed for:
  • 8.2.x
  • 9.0.0
  • long term

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, and contributed since 8.2.5, including the contributors above, and many others on GitHub and Discord. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.

CircuitPython 8.2.5

This is CircuitPython 8.2.5, the latest bugfix revision of CircuitPython, and is a new stable release.

WARNING for nRF52 boards only: If your board has an nRF52 UF2 bootloader whose version is before 0.6.1, you will not be able to load CircuitPython 8.2.0 and later. The 8.2.0 firmware is larger than what the bootloader can handle. See these instructions for updating your bootloader.

Notable changes to 8.2.5 since 8.2.4

• Updated TLS root certificates.
• Tuning of RGBMatrix.
• New and updated boards.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in the Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of "ports" that are the core implementations for different microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, these ports are consider stable (but see Known Issues below):

• atmel-samd: Microchip SAMD21, SAMx5x
• cxd56: Sony Spresense
• espressif: Espressif ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3
• nrf: Nordic nRF52840, nRF52833
• raspberrypi: Raspberry Pi RP2040
• stm: ST STM32F4 chip family

These ports are considered alpha and will have bugs and missing functionality:

• broadcom: Raspberry Pi boards such as RPi 4, RPi Zero 2W
• litex: fomu
• mimxrt10xx: NXP i.MX RT10xxx
• silabs: Silicon Labs MG24 family
• stm: ST non-STM32F4 chip families

Changes since 8.2.4

Fixes and enhancements

• Further tuning of protomatter library, used by RGBMatrix. #8376. Thanks @PaintYourDragon and @dhalbert.
• Update TLS root certificates. #8374. Thanks @dhalbert.

Port and board-specific changes

Broadcom

Espressif

• Forbidden pins are now always in use. #8345. Thanks @tannewt.

i.MX

nRF

RP2040

SAMx

SiLabs

Spresense

STM

Individual boards

• Adafruit FunHouse: remove frozen libraries. #8356, #8348. Thanks @jepler and @makermelissa.
• BrainBoardz Neuron: update pins. #8343. Thanks @BrainBoardz.
• Unexpecter Maker FeatherS3: add second STEMMA port and improve pin names. #8375. Thanks @UnexpectedMaker.

Documentation changes

• Fix ReadTheDocs theme specification. #8322. Thanks @jepler.

Build and infrastructure changes

• Don't rebuild all boards if conf.py changes. #8325. Thanks @jepler.

Translation additions and improvements

New boards since 8.2.4

• Arduino Nano ESP32-S3. #8373. Thanks @makermelissa.
• Waveshare ESP32-S3-Pico. #8372. Thanks @tirtharajsinha.

Known issues

• ESP32-S3 has significant issues with I2C devices that sleep or use clock stretching. Retry operations on these devices as necessary, or use ESP32-S2 boards.
• Espressif boards have ESP-IDF storage leaks and occasionally crash after extended WiFi use.
• See https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/issues for other issues, including issues still to be addressed for:
  • 8.2.x
  • 9.0.0
  • long term

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, and contributed since 8.2.4, including the contributors above, and many others on GitHub and Discord. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.

CircuitPython 8.2.4

This is CircuitPython 8.2.4, the latest bugfix revision of CircuitPython, and is a new stable release.

WARNING for nRF52 boards only: If your board has an nRF52 UF2 bootloader whose version is before 0.6.1, you will not be able to load CircuitPython 8.2.0 and later. The 8.2.0 firmware is larger than what the bootloader can handle. See these instructions for updating your bootloader.

Notable changes to 8.2.4 since 8.2.3

• New and fixed boards.
• Improved messages and documentation.

Notable changes to 8.2.4 since 8.1.0

• Continued enhancement of synthio.
• RP2040 alarm.sleep_memory.

Download from circuitpython.org

Firmware downloads are available from the downloads page on circuitpython.org. The site makes it easy to select the correct file and language for your board.

Installation

To install follow the instructions in the Welcome to CircuitPython! guide. To install the latest libraries, see this page in that guide.

Try the latest version of the Mu editor for creating and editing your CircuitPython programs and for easy access to the CircuitPython serial connection (the REPL).

Documentation

Documentation is available in readthedocs.io.

Port status

CircuitPython has a number of "ports" that are the core implementations for different microcontroller families. Stability varies on a per-port basis. As of this release, these ports are consider stable (but see Known Issues below):

• atmel-samd: Microchip SAMD21, SAMx5x
• cxd56: Sony Spresense
• espressif: Espressif ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3
• nrf: Nordic nRF52840, nRF52833
• raspberrypi: Raspberry Pi RP2040
• stm: ST STM32F4 chip family

These ports are considered alpha and will have bugs and missing functionality:

• broadcom: Raspberry Pi boards such as RPi 4, RPi Zero 2W
• litex: fomu
• mimxrt10xx: NXP i.MX RT10xxx
• silabs: Silicon Labs MG24 family
• stm: ST non-STM32F4 chip families

Changes since 8.2.3

Fixes and enhancements

• Add protocol and multicast constant definitions to SocketPool. #8306. Thanks @jepler.
• Fix displayio crash when CIRCUITPY_REPL_LOGO is disabled. #8301. Thanks @deshipu.
• Improve hard-fault safemode message. #8297. Thanks @dhalbert.

Port and board-specific changes

Broadcom

Espressif

i.MX

nRF

RP2040

SAMx

SiLabs

Spresense

STM

Individual boards

• Pimoroni Pico DVI Base: fix display initialization. #8309. Thanks @dhalbert.

Documentation changes

• Document RGBMatrix constructor arguments. #8319. Thanks @jepler.

Build and infrastructure changes

• Fix Sphinx build issue. #8312. Thanks @jepler.

Translation additions and improvements

New boards since 8.2.3

• Adafruit Metro ESP32-S3. #8287, #8280, #8215. Thanks @makermelissa, @dglaude, @kattni.
• Pajenicko PicoPad. #8279, #8241, #8214. Thanks @lynt-smitka, @dglaude.

Known issues

• ESP32-S3 has significant issues with I2C devices that sleep or use clock stretching. Retry operations on these devices as necessary, or use ESP32-S2 boards.
• Espressif boards have ESP-IDF storage leaks and occasionally crash after extended WiFi use.
• See https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/issues for other issues, including issues still to be addressed for:
  • 8.2.x
  • 9.0.0
  • long term

Thanks

Thank you to all who used, tested, and contributed since 8.2.3, including the contributors above, and many others on GitHub and Discord. Join us on the Discord chat to collaborate.