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Getting Started

This section takes you from "box of parts" to "my code is running on the board". It takes about 20 minutes, and you only have to do it once.

  1. What You Need: the board, parts and cable.
  2. Install Thonny & MicroPython: one free app does everything: editing code, loading MicroPython onto the board, and running your programs.
  3. Your First Program: talk to the board and blink an LED.
  4. Saving Programs to the Board: make your code run by itself whenever the board powers on.

What's a microcontroller, anyway?

A microcontroller is a tiny computer on a single chip. It doesn't run apps or have a screen. Instead, it runs one program over and over, reading inputs (buttons, knobs, sensors) and controlling outputs (lights, speakers, motors, screens). They're inside microwaves, cars, game controllers and almost every other electronic gadget.

The ESP32 is a popular, low-cost microcontroller with built-in Wi-Fi. MicroPython is a version of the Python programming language made to run on chips like it, so you can program hardware in one of the most beginner-friendly languages there is.