Flashing MicroPython

BeeHive is driven mostly with MicroPython — a Python 3 implementation for microcontrollers. This page gets it running on your mainboard's ESP32.

Get your ESP32 ready

You'll need two things:

1. Thonny IDE — a beginner-friendly Python editor that can flash and talk to the board. Installation is straightforward.
2. The latest ESP32 MicroPython firmware — download the .bin from the ESP32 firmware page.

Flash the firmware

1. Connect the ESP32 to your computer via USB.
2. In Thonny, go to Tools > Options > Interpreter.
3. Set the interpreter to MicroPython (ESP32).
4. For the port, choose the one labelled Silicon Labs (the USB-serial chip).
5. Click Install or update the firmware.
6. Select the .bin file you downloaded and flash it.

A detailed walkthrough is on Random Nerd Tutorials.

First program

With the firmware installed, Thonny's shell talks to the board live. A quick blink to confirm everything works:

from machine import Pin
import time

led = Pin(2, Pin.OUT)  # onboard LED on many ESP32 dev boards
while True:
    led.value(not led.value())
    time.sleep(0.5)

Learn the basics

New to programming or microcontrollers? Work through the Intro to Electronics course — it covers the fundamentals and comes with the code from BeeHive's 2022 workshop exercises.