BBC micro:bit MicroPython

Build and flash a MicroPython project to a BBC micro:bit, connect to the device serial and REPL, or run your code in the built-in simulator 🐍🤖.

Works on both desktop and web versions of VS Code and compatible editors.

Extension screenshot

🚧 Extension still under construction. Most features are implemented and should be usable, if you find any issues please raise a bug, it'll be very appreciated! https://github.com/carlosperate/vscode-microbit-micropython/issues

How to use it

Write your code in main.py (or any file in your project folder).
Click the micro:bit icon in the activity bar on the side and press play on the board there, your code will run on the simulator.
To run it on a real board, plug in your micro:bit with a USB cable.
Click the Flash button.
Using non-Chromium browsers? Click on the micro:bit icon in the status bar at the bottom and choose Save Hex instead, then drag the saved file onto the MICROBIT drive that appears when you plug in the board.
To talk to the board, choose Open Serial Terminal from the same menu or the activity bar on the sidebar. Press Ctrl+C to interrupt the running program and get a MicroPython prompt.

What it does

Run in Simulator: Run your project on a simulated micro:bit in the side bar.
Direct Flash: Send the built MicroPython hex to a connected micro:bit. In a Chromium based browser this goes over WebUSB, in desktop VS Code it uses the MICROBIT USB drive.
Open Serial Terminal: And access the MicroPython REPL from the board, inside a VS Code's terminal.
Save Hex: Builds a hex from your workspace and MicroPython, the same way the micro:bit's online Python editor does, and saves it. You can copy this file onto the MICROBIT drive to run your code.

Your project folder

Every file in your micro:bit project folder goes on the board, not only main.py and not only .py files. The default exceptions are: files inside folders, dot files, and .hex files. The micro:bit internal filesystem is flat, so it cannot contain folders.

The project folder is the whole workspace by default. If your code lives in a subfolder, run the Select Project Folder command to select it.

What works where

	Simulator	Flash	Serial REPL	Save Hex
Desktop VS Code	✅	✅ copies to the `MICROBIT` drive	✅ native serial port	✅
Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers	✅	✅ WebUSB	✅ WebUSB	✅
Firefox 151+ (desktop)	✅	❌ no WebUSB, use Save Hex	❓ Web Serial (theoretically, known issue present)	✅
Safari	✅	❌ no WebUSB, use Save Hex	❌ no WebUSB or Web Serial	✅

The simulator is the one column that is a tick everywhere: it needs no board, no cable and no browser device API, only WebAssembly.

Requirements

VS Code desktop, or if used in the browser, a Chromium-based browser for WebUSB flashing and Serial Terminal.
- Firefox also supports the Serial Terminal, using Web Serial instead.
- Desktop VS Code needs no WebUSB: it copies to the MICROBIT drive.
The Eclipse Serial Monitor extension is installed automatically with this extension, used to open a serial terminal.
The MicroPython & CircuitPython IntelliSense extension is installed automatically for autocomplete, type checking, and inline documentation.

Licence

MIT, see LICENSE.

The bundled MicroPython firmware images come from bbcmicrobit/micropython (V1) and microbit-foundation/micropython-microbit-v2 (V2), both MIT licensed.

The MicroPython logo used in the extension icon comes from the MicroPython project under the MIT License.

The micro:bit simulator is built from micropython-microbit-v2-simulator, under the MIT License.