1. Getting started with MicroPython on the Renesas RA — MicroPython latest documentation (original) (raw)
This is the documentation for the latest development branch of MicroPython and may refer to features that are not available in released versions.
If you are looking for the documentation for a specific release, use the drop-down menu on the left and select the desired version.
This tutorial will guide you through setting up MicroPython, getting a prompt, using the hardware peripherals, using internal flash file system, reset and boot modes, and Factory reset the internal file system.
1.1. Requirements¶
You need a board. For the information of available boards, please refer to the general information about Renesas RA port: General information about Renesas RA port.
You need a USB-Serial conversion cable to connect the board and your PC. Please get a type with separate signal pins so that you can connect to the UART TX and RX pins on the board.
1.2. Flashing the MicroPython image with J-Link OB¶
The board has a builtin programmer interface called J-Link OB. Using the J-Link Software, you can flash the binary image “firmware.hex” of MicroPython on the board via J-Link OB.
You can download the J-Link Software and Documentation pack from https://www.segger.com/downloads/jlink/.
After installing J-Link Software, start J-Flash-Lite program. Then specify following device in Device select menu in J-Flash-Lite.
| Board | Device |
|---|---|
| EK-RA4M1 | R7FA4M1AB |
| EK-RA4W1 | R7FA4W1AD2CNG |
| EK-RA6M1 | R7FA6M1AD |
| EK-RA6M2 | R7FA6M2AF |
| RA4M1 CLICKER | R7FA4M1AB |
Select a firmware hex file in Data File of J-Link-Lite, and push Program Device button to flash the firmware.
1.3. Getting a prompt of MicroPython¶
Cross connect USB-Serial conversion cable RX/TX/GND pins to TX/RX/GND pins on the board.
| Board | USB Serial RX | USB Serial TX |
|---|---|---|
| EK-RA4M1 | P411 | P410 |
| EK-RA4W1 | P205 | P206 |
| EK-RA6M1 | P411 | P410 |
| EK-RA6M2 | P411 | P410 |
| RA4M1 CLICKER | P401 | P402 |
Access the MicroPython REPL (the Python prompt) via USB serial or UART with 115200 baud rate, 1 stop bit and no parity bit using your favorite terminal software, picocom on Linux or Tera Term on Windows. You can try on Linux:
You can see the MicroPython REPL prompt like below:
MicroPython v1.20.0 on 2023-04-27; EK-RA6M2 with RA6M2 Type "help()" for more information.