Software setup

In this section we'll set up the software we need for this project, and we'll make the built-in LED blink. The hardware equivalent of Hello world!.

Downloads

• Mu Editor The IDE we'll use to program our macropad
• CircuitPython runtime The CircuitPython runtime for our board
• CircuitPython Essentials Grab the latest release here and unzip it on your PC. Make sure you get the 8.x-mpy version.

Initial Setup

Follow the guide here until you can blink the built-in LED. After this you should be able to get new code on your board and run it.

You'll have to reset the board using the two _tiny buttons, then drag the downloaded runtime onto the board (it shows up as an external drive). It should reboot immediately and show up as a drive called CIRCUITPY. If this worked, you're ready to open up the Mu editor!

Try to run the code from the tutorial, and hopefully, watch the blinking lights!

Installing libraries from CircuitPython essentials

To install some of the libraries we're going to use, drag them into the lib folder on the CIRCUITPY external drive. You can find them in the CircuitPython Essentials folder you've unzipped previously. We'll need two libraries:

• The adafruit_hid folder
• The neopixel.mpy file

Next up Wiring and programming the rotary encoder!