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RP2040 Programming - Firmata

This method allows you to control the RP2040's GPIO pins directly from a Python script running on your LattePanda Iota. It provides a "Firmata-like" capability for real-time control.

There are some third-party Firmata solutions that support RP2040. In this chapter, we uses the telemetrix-rpi-pico library as an example. This solution consists of two parts:

  • Server Firmware: A pre-compiled .uf2 file that runs on the RP2040 to listen for commands.
  • Client Library: A Python library installed on your OS to send commands.

This approach is ideal for building interactive applications, creating GUI-based controls, or for rapid prototyping without needing to re-flash the RP2040 for every logic change.

Preparation

This section covers installing the server firmware onto the RP2040 and the client library on your OS.

Refer to the Uploading new Firmware to RP2040 section, copy the downloaded Telemetrix4PriPico.uf2 file to the RP2040's drive.

  • Download and install Python

  • Install the client library

    Windows: 

    pip install telemetrix-rpi-pico
    Linux/macOS: 
    sudo pip3 install telemetrix-rpi-pico

Run the Script

Now let's run a Python script to control the RP2040's LED(pin 25).

  • Download the blink.py

  • Run the blink.py script 

    python blink.py

  • The script will automatically find and connect to the RP2040, let the blue LED on the Iota board begin to flash.

Language Reference

telemetrix-rpi-pico library

Telemetrix User's Guide For Raspberry Pi Pico

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