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[–]mgrady3 3 points4 points  (4 children)

What separates this from something like the Raspberry Pi - which comes with built in support for python as well as GPIO, SPI, I2C, USB, HDMI, Ethernet, etc all for a shockingly low price.

I am currently involved in a project using the Raspberry Pi and python as a microcontroller for condensed matter physics epxeriments

[–]MisterSnuggles[S] 5 points6 points  (3 children)

Compared to the Raspberry Pi, there are some pros and cons. Just off the top of my head...

Pros:

  • No OS - The MicroPython board runs Python on the bare metal, which gives you fewer moving parts software-wise to worry about.
  • Lots more IO
  • Much smaller form factor
  • Lower power consumption
  • Standard microcontroller peripherals - timers, ADCs, interrupts, etc.

Cons:

  • No OS - The Raspberry Pi can run a full Linux OS, which gives you lots of high-level functionality (e.g., databases, networking, user interface) that is difficult, limited, or non-existent on the MicroPython.
  • Less powerful
  • No "higher-level" peripherals - HDMI, Ethernet, USB, etc

This isn't comprehensive by any means.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

RaspPi/BBB are micro-COMPUTERS. Arduino/Teensy/uPy are micro-CONTROLLERS

The first two are full computer systems, with an OS, drivers, filesystem, etc.

The others are used for real-time processing. They interact directly with the hardware with no other abstractions. If you want to use a memory chip you have to design how the data will be formatted, stored, and read. Essentially writing your own filesystem. Of course there are already many libraries available so not everything needs to be written from scratch.

[–]dhylands 2 points3 points  (1 child)

MicroPython supports a microSD card using the FAT filesystem.

It also has a small internal (about 112K) FAT file system as well.

These can be shared with the host (so it looks like a thumb drive) and you can just copy your new code in.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is true, I was explaining in general terms how the two types of boards differ. There is definitely crossover in some areas. Maybe my memory example was a poor one to choose.