micropython/ports/esp32/README.md

MicroPython port to the ESP32
=============================

This is an experimental port of MicroPython to the Espressif ESP32
microcontroller.  It uses the ESP-IDF framework and MicroPython runs as
a task under FreeRTOS.

Supported features include:
- REPL (Python prompt) over UART0.
- 16k stack for the MicroPython task and 96k Python heap.
- Many of MicroPython's features are enabled: unicode, arbitrary-precision
  integers, single-precision floats, complex numbers, frozen bytecode, as
  well as many of the internal modules.
- Internal filesystem using the flash (currently 2M in size).
- The machine module with GPIO, UART, SPI, software I2C, ADC, DAC, PWM,
  TouchPad, WDT and Timer.
- The network module with WLAN (WiFi) support.

Development of this ESP32 port was sponsored in part by Microbric Pty Ltd.

Setting up the toolchain and ESP-IDF
------------------------------------

There are two main components that are needed to build the firmware:
- the Xtensa cross-compiler that targets the CPU in the ESP32 (this is
  different to the compiler used by the ESP8266)
- the Espressif IDF (IoT development framework, aka SDK)

The ESP-IDF changes quickly and MicroPython only supports certain versions. The
git hash of these versions (one for 3.x, one for 4.x) can be found by running
`make` without a configured `ESPIDF`. Then you can fetch only the given esp-idf
using the following command:

    $ git clone https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf.git
    $ git checkout <Current supported ESP-IDF commit hash>
    $ git submodule update --init --recursive

Note: The ESP IDF v4.x support is currently experimental.

The binary toolchain (binutils, gcc, etc.) can be installed using the following
guides:

  * [Linux installation](https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/stable/get-started/linux-setup.html)
  * [MacOS installation](https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/stable/get-started/macos-setup.html)
  * [Windows installation](https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/stable/get-started/windows-setup.html)

If you are on a Windows machine then the
[Windows Subsystem for Linux](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-au/commandline/wsl/install_guide)
is the most efficient way to install the ESP32 toolchain and build the project.
If you use WSL then follow the
[Linux guidelines](https://esp-idf.readthedocs.io/en/latest/get-started/linux-setup.html)
for the ESP-IDF instead of the Windows ones.

You will also need either Python 2 or Python 3, along with the `pyserial` and
`pyparsing` packages installed for the version of Python that you will be using
(when building you can use, eg, `make PYTHON=python2` to specify the version
used).  To install the required packages do:
```bash
$ pip install pyserial 'pyparsing<2.4'
```

It is recommended to use a Python virtual environment if your system package
manager already provides these libraries, especially as the IDF v4.x is
currently incompatible with pyparsing 2.4 and higher.

Once everything is set up you should have a functioning toolchain with
prefix xtensa-esp32-elf- (or otherwise if you configured it differently)
as well as a copy of the ESP-IDF repository. You will need to update your `PATH`
environment variable to include the ESP32 toolchain. For example, you can issue
the following commands on (at least) Linux:

    $ export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/esp/crosstool-NG/builds/xtensa-esp32-elf/bin

You can put this command in your `.profile` or `.bash_login`.

You then need to set the `ESPIDF` environment/makefile variable to point to
the root of the ESP-IDF repository.  You can set the variable in your PATH,
or at the command line when calling make, or in your own custom `makefile`.
The last option is recommended as it allows you to easily configure other
variables for the build.  In that case, create a new file in the esp32
directory called `makefile` and add the following lines to that file:
```
ESPIDF = <path to root of esp-idf repository>
BOARD = GENERIC
#PORT = /dev/ttyUSB0
#FLASH_MODE = qio
#FLASH_SIZE = 4MB
#CROSS_COMPILE = xtensa-esp32-elf-

include Makefile
```
Be sure to enter the correct path to your local copy of the IDF repository
(and use `$(HOME)`, not tilde, to reference your home directory).
If your filesystem is case-insensitive then you'll need to use `GNUmakefile`
instead of `makefile`.
If the Xtensa cross-compiler is not in your path you can use the
`CROSS_COMPILE` variable to set its location.  Other options of interest
are `PORT` for the serial port of your esp32 module, and `FLASH_MODE`
(which may need to be `dio` for some modules)
and `FLASH_SIZE`.  See the Makefile for further information.

The default ESP IDF configuration settings are provided by the `GENERIC`
board definition in the directory `boards/GENERIC`. For a custom configuration
you can define your own board directory.

The `BOARD` variable can be set on the make command line:
```bash
$ make BOARD=TINYPICO
```
or added to your custom `makefile` (or `GNUmakefile`) described above. There
is also a `GENERIC_SPIRAM` board for for ESP32 modules that have external
SPIRAM, but prefer to use a specific board target (or define your own as
necessary).

Building the firmware
---------------------

The MicroPython cross-compiler must be built to pre-compile some of the
built-in scripts to bytecode.  This can be done by (from the root of
this repository):
```bash
$ make -C mpy-cross
```

The ESP32 port has a dependency on Berkeley DB, which is an external
dependency (git submodule). You'll need to have git initialize that
module using the commands:
```bash
$ git submodule init lib/berkeley-db-1.xx
$ git submodule update
```

Then to build MicroPython for the ESP32 run:
```bash
$ cd ports/esp32
$ make
```
This will produce binary firmware images in the `build/` subdirectory
(three of them: bootloader.bin, partitions.bin and application.bin).

To flash the firmware you must have your ESP32 module in the bootloader
mode and connected to a serial port on your PC.  Refer to the documentation
for your particular ESP32 module for how to do this.  The serial port and
flash settings are set in the `Makefile`, and can be overridden in your
local `makefile`; see above for more details.

You will also need to have user permissions to access the /dev/ttyUSB0 device.
On Linux, you can enable this by adding your user to the `dialout` group,
and rebooting or logging out and in again.
```bash
$ sudo adduser <username> dialout
```

If you are installing MicroPython to your module for the first time, or
after installing any other firmware, you should first erase the flash
completely:
```bash
$ make erase
```

To flash the MicroPython firmware to your ESP32 use:
```bash
$ make deploy
```
This will use the `esptool.py` script (provided by ESP-IDF) to download the
binary images.

Getting a Python prompt
-----------------------

You can get a prompt via the serial port, via UART0, which is the same UART
that is used for programming the firmware.  The baudrate for the REPL is
115200 and you can use a command such as:
```bash
$ picocom -b 115200 /dev/ttyUSB0
```

Configuring the WiFi and using the board
----------------------------------------

The ESP32 port is designed to be (almost) equivalent to the ESP8266 in
terms of the modules and user-facing API.  There are some small differences,
notably that the ESP32 does not automatically connect to the last access
point when booting up.  But for the most part the documentation and tutorials
for the ESP8266 should apply to the ESP32 (at least for the components that
are implemented).

See http://docs.micropython.org/en/latest/esp8266/esp8266/quickref.html for
a quick reference, and http://docs.micropython.org/en/latest/esp8266/esp8266/tutorial/intro.html
for a tutorial.

The following function can be used to connect to a WiFi access point (you can
either pass in your own SSID and password, or change the defaults so you can
quickly call `wlan_connect()` and it just works):
```python
def wlan_connect(ssid='MYSSID', password='MYPASS'):
    import network
    wlan = network.WLAN(network.STA_IF)
    if not wlan.active() or not wlan.isconnected():
        wlan.active(True)
        print('connecting to:', ssid)
        wlan.connect(ssid, password)
        while not wlan.isconnected():
            pass
    print('network config:', wlan.ifconfig())
```

Note that some boards require you to configure the WiFi antenna before using
the WiFi.  On Pycom boards like the LoPy and WiPy 2.0 you need to execute the
following code to select the internal antenna (best to put this line in your
boot.py file):
```python
import machine
antenna = machine.Pin(16, machine.Pin.OUT, value=0)
```

Troubleshooting
---------------

* Continuous reboots after programming: Ensure FLASH_MODE is correct for your
  board (e.g. ESP-WROOM-32 should be DIO). Then perform a `make clean`, rebuild,
  redeploy.