Using Python to enter the world of Microcontrollers
summary
Demonstrates running real Python runtimes on modern chips and actually decoding household meters: MicroPython on Pico W and ESP32 handle parsing D0 and SML streams from an IR photo‑transistor, outputting kWh values and timestamps to a logger; a small 3D‑printed mount and MPremote workflow make deployment trivial. Shows compute-heavy tasks (Mandelbrot) finishing in ~0.1s on these MCUs, warns that Wi‑Fi reconnection costs power, and stresses deep sleep microamp strategies plus monitoring battery voltage to avoid hidden resistor drain.
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chapters (10)
- 0:00Python for microcontrollers
- 1:11What is a microcontroller
- 5:50Coding microcontrollers past
- 10:40Modern microcontrollers
- 12:03MicroPython programming
- 13:29Energy efficiency in MCUs
- 16:44Home lab with MCUs
- 19:15Reading power meters
- 23:10Key takeaways
- 25:40Q&A
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