Python has taken the coding world by storm. Alongside the rise of this new language, the DIY electronics scene has also flourished. Development boards and single board computers from companies like ArduinoWhat Is Arduino & What Can You Do With It?What Is Arduino & What Can You Do With It?The Arduino is a remarkable little electronics device, but if you've never used one before, just what exactly are they, and what can you do with one?Read More and Raspberry PiRaspberry Pi: The Unofficial TutorialRaspberry Pi: The Unofficial TutorialWhether you're a current Pi owner who wants to learn more or a potential owner of this credit-card size device, this isn't a guide you want to miss.Read More have changed the way people create home brewed electronics. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could program an Arduino with Python?
There is no better feeling than combining two cool things. Sadly, it is impossible to directly program an Arduino with Python, as the boards have no option for onboard interpretation of the language. What is possible however, is direct control over USB using a Python program.
This article will show you how to set up an Arduino UNO (though any Arduino compatible boardArduino Buying Guide: Which Board Should You Get?Arduino Buying Guide: Which Board Should You Get?There are so many different kinds of Arduino boards out there, you'd be forgiven for being confused. Which should you buy for your project? Let us help, with this Arduino buying guide!Read More can work here) to be programmed and controlled from the command line using Python programs. This tutorial is written for Windows 10, but also works for Mac and Linux. You could even use this workflow to control an Arduino directly from a Raspberry PiHome Automation Guide With Raspberry Pi and ArduinoHome Automation Guide With Raspberry Pi and ArduinoThe home automation market is flooded with expensive consumer systems, incompatible with one another and costly to install. If you have a Raspberry Pi and an Arduino, you can basically achieve the same thing at..Read More for the ultimate double-down-DIY experience.
Run a Python Script as a File. Generally programmers write stand alone scripts, that are independent to live environments. Then they save it with a '.py' extension, which indicates to the operating system and programmer that the file is actually a Python program.
Setting Up Your Arduino for Python
For today’s project we will be using an Arduino Uno, along with the pyFirmata interface for Python. You can use almost any Arduino-compatible board for this, though at the time of writing only the Arduino Uno, Mega, Due and Nano are supported by the pyFfirmata interface. If you are already a Python guru, you can add your own board support to pyFirmata — be sure to update their GitHub if you do!
If you haven’t already, install the Arduino IDE. If you are completely new to the world of microcontrollers, our beginner’s guide to ArduinoGetting Started With Arduino: A Beginner's GuideGetting Started With Arduino: A Beginner's GuideArduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.Read More will help you get everything in place.
Connect your Arduino board, and open up the IDE. Make sure you have the correct board and port selected in the Tools menu. Load up the StandardFirmata example sketch and upload it to the board. This will allow you to control the Arduino directly so long as it is connected to the computer via USB. Provided the sketch uploads to your board without any errors, you are ready to move on.
Python and Command Line Control
We’ll use Python 3.4 to control our Arduino, as the module you will be installing specifies this as the latest compatible version. Any version before this should work fine, and later versions have been reported to work. You can download Python 3.4 for Windows 10 from the Python Software Foundation site. If you want to run multiple version of Python, our guide to Python virtual environmentsLearn How to Use the Python Virtual EnvironmentLearn How to Use the Python Virtual EnvironmentWhether you are an experienced Python developer, or you are just getting started, learning how to setup a virtual environment is essential for any Python project.Read More will be able to help you.
Once you have installed Python, we want to add it to your system’s PATH variable. This will let us run Python code directly from the Command Line without needing to be in the directory it was installed in. You can do this by opening the Control Panel, searching for Environment and click on Edit the system environment variables. At the bottom of the window select Environment Variables. This will bring up this window:
If you already see PATH in the list, click edit, and add your Python and Python/Scripts directory. If you don’t have a PATH variable, click new and add it. Note that Python was installed directly into the C: here. If you installed it elsewhere you’ll need to modify it to reflect this. Click OK back down the chain of windows, and you’re almost ready to control your Arduino with Python!
The Magic Grease
You’ll need one final piece of the puzzle to get Python talking nicely with our Arduino. This comes in the form of a Python interface called pyFirmata. This interface, created by Tino de Bruijn is available to download from github, though you can install it straight from the command line by typing:
All being well, it should install and look like this:
If it fails, go over adding Python to the Environment Variable section and make sure you’ve given the right path to your Python directory.
Making It Happen
Now everything is set up, and you can create a Python program for your Arduino to test it. Open up an IDE of your choice. We will be using Eclipse8 Eclipse Keyboard Shortcuts Essential for Beginners8 Eclipse Keyboard Shortcuts Essential for BeginnersAs newbie-friendly as the Eclipse IDE (interface) is, you owe it to yourself to learn these keyboard shortcuts.Read More today, but you could just as easily use any text editorText Editors vs. IDEs: Which One Is Better For Programmers?Text Editors vs. IDEs: Which One Is Better For Programmers?Choosing between an advanced IDE and a simpler text editor can be hard. We offer some insight to help you make that decision.Read More, or even an IDE in the cloudCodenvy IDE: An Online IDE for Ruby, HTML, Java, Python, & MoreCodenvy IDE: An Online IDE for Ruby, HTML, Java, Python, & MoreRead More.
Create a new script, and save it as blink.py. Breaking tradition with the standard blinking LED program, you are going to create a program which prompts the user for the amount of times they want the LED to flash before carrying it out. It’s a short program, which you can download here if you want to get straight to it, but let’s break it down.
Firstly, you’ll want to import what you need from the pyFirmata module, along with the standard Python Time module.
Now you’ll want to set up the Arduino board. This article assumes you are using an Arduino Uno board, though several other Arduino boards are supported. Refer to the pyFirmata github for details on board support.
Check which COM port you are using in the Arduino IDE, and enter it into your code as the variable board.
Now you’ll set up the user prompt. Those familiar with Python will recognize everything here. You print a question to the screen using the input function, and store the answer as a variable. Once the user has provided a number, the program reports back how many times the LED will blink.
To make the LED blink the appropriate number of times, you use a for loop. If you are new to Python10 Basic Python Examples That Will Help You Learn Fast10 Basic Python Examples That Will Help You Learn FastThis article of basic python examples is for those who already have some programming experience and simply want to transition to Python as quickly as possible.Read More, take care with the indentation, as unlike other languages the spaces are part of the syntax. Note that pin 13 is the onboard LED for the Arduino Uno, you will need to modify this if your board is different.
You’ll cast the loopTimes variable to an integer here, as the input from the user will be automatically stored as a string. In this simple demo, we are assuming the user will input a numerical value. Any other entry such as ‘eight’ will throw an error.
Save your script, and open up the Command Prompt.
Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
Everything is ready to go, all you need to do is navigate to where the script is and run it. Do this by typing cd [path to the script’s directory] and then typing python blink.py.
All being well, your program will start with a slight delay as the Arduino initializes, prompt you for a number, and then flash that many times using the onboard LED.
The program output should look like this:
As soon as you press enter after your chosen number of blinks, the Arduino should carry out your orders.
How To Save Python Programs On Mac
Small Beginnings
This project has been a barebones start to communicating between Python and an Arduino board. This approach is very different to the usual workflow of uploading scripts to the Arduino itself, yet it opens a whole new way of working with the platform, especially if you like the Python programming language.
If you use a Linux server12 Best Linux Server Operating Systems and Who Should Use Them12 Best Linux Server Operating Systems and Who Should Use ThemBuilding a server? Linux is ideal, typically offering enhanced permissions, increased flexibility, and stability. But which one should you choose? Check out the 12 best Linux server operating systems and who should use them.Read More at home, this method of communicating with Arduino boards could extend that server into a fully fledged DIY Home Automation system. By combining Python scripts controlling the microcontroller with a DIY automation circuitArduino Project Ideas for an Automated HomeArduino Project Ideas for an Automated HomeWouldn't it be great to water your greenhouse without leaving your chair? An Arduino can be engaged as the key component of some home automation projects - here's five!Read More, Your NAS storage box could take on a whole new set of useful functions.
To make it the ultimate DIY experience, why not build your own NAS boxNeed Network Storage? Here’s How To Build Your Own NAS BoxNeed Network Storage? Here’s How To Build Your Own NAS BoxNAS stands for Network Attached Storage. As Windows became easier to use with network attached devices, and hardware prices fell, this term started to be used in the consumer market. Today there’s a wide variety..Read More and use it to also control your appliances? Imagine how cool it would be to press play on your Plex Your Guide To Plex - The Awesome Media CenterYour Guide To Plex - The Awesome Media CenterIf you have a lot of locally-saved movies and TV shows, you need to install Plex. And this is the only guide to getting started with Plex you'll ever need to read.Read Moreserver and have the lights turn themselves off automatically!
Are you already controlling Arduino using Python? Are there amazing workarounds we just don’t know about yet? Let us know in the comment section below!
Explore more about: Arduino, Home Automation, Python.
- I have an error every time I cd the location of the program in CMD. I get an error 'The directory name is invalid', I have tried changing the properties of CMD as well as the PATH in Environment in the Control Panel.
I can see the program I want to run when I 'dir' my programs folder. however, I cannot seem to run it in the command prompt.
Can someone please help? - I'm keen to try this, but I'm wondering what will happen with the existing sketch loaded into the arduino. Will that still run or does the firmata module wipe it away first and replace it with something that can handle commands from python? I'm assuming the latter.
- how can i use servo motor using this packageNo thesaurus Like WPS Office Free, provides analogs for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint (TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations respectively). As with all the free office suites in this roundup, there's support for Microsoft file formats from 1997 onwards. If that’s not enough space, you can connect Polaris Office to Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, Microsoft OneDrive and Amazon Cloud Drive – or save work locally to your device. Upgrading to gives you access to extra features including a PDF editor, removes ads, and the ability to search within a document.
- what to do in mac
board = Arduino('COM3')
in this place there is no COM3 in mac- I have no direct experience of using a mac with Arduino, but this stack exchange post might help: https://arduino.stackexchange.com/questions/12133/mac-osx-yosemite-no-serial-ports-showing-for-uno-r3You can also try checking from the terminal, I have used the lusb command before and after attaching an Arduino on Linux to find the port name and someone made a mac version here https://stackoverflow.com/questions/17058134/is-there-an-equivalent-of-lsusb-for-os-xLet me know if that helps!
- Hi,
I tried the python code in written in your article to Arduino Uno and it does not seem to work. Every time I run the code, only the Rx indicator LED blinks the number of times stated in the loop. I am using Python 3.7 (64-bit). Did I miss out anything?from pyfirmata import Arduino, util
import time
board = Arduino('COM3')
for x in range(10):
board.digital[13].write(1)
time.sleep(0.2)
board.digital[13].write(0)
time.sleep(0.2) - Open up your Arduino IDE and on the top, there should be a tools section. Click on the tools section and keep your cursor at 'port', notice the com options and click on the one which says it has an Arduino connected to it.For example, if the port section says 'COM4 (Arduino Genuino/Uno)' change the value of board to 'Arduino('COM4')'
Hope this helps
- Thank you! It was a great success! Nice to finally find an example of using python 3 with Arduino for beginners.