Python

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DUE Link Pre-Setup

DUE Link allows devices to be connected to a PC that is programmed is any programming language, including python. To prep you BrainPad to work with Python, it needs to be loaded with DUE Link software.

Visit the DUE Link Console and click firmware option in the top menu.

Note that you do not need to use the console. You are only using it for the firmware update feature. This step is only necessary if the board is not already loaded with the latest DUE Link firmware and only needs to be once. Come back here to continue with Python.

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Blink LED

Python programs are codded in a development software (IDE) that helps coders in writing and debugging code. There several options for Python, too many actually! Some options are very simple and beginner friendly, like Thonny.

We like Thonny because it is a very small download and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It look us 5 minutes to download, install, and run a single line of code print(“Hello BrainPad”)

Another good options is Microsoft Visual Studio Code. VC Code is very powerful and support many languages. There is a more setup needed for starter but it is worth the investment in the long run.

We will show you how to get started with both IDEs but you can use any other IDE similarly.

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Thonny

Start by visiting thonny.org website to download and install the latest version. Open Thonny and add this simple line of code print(“Hello BrainPad”) then run the program by clicking the green circle with next to the “bug”! If all is good, you should see Hello BrainPad show in the shell window.

Go ahead and save the file as test.py. Now we need to install the needed libraries to access the BrainPad, which you loaded by the DUE Link firmware earlier. Go to Tools ⮞ Open system shell…

In the shell, type pip install DUELink

Close the shell and modify the code. Make sure your BrainPad is plugged in and run the program. The LED will blink 10 times. Can you modify the code to make the LED blink faster, or make it blink 20 times instead? Note that Python is case sensitive. This mean BrainPad is not the same as brainpad.

from DUELink.DUELinkController import DUELinkController
print("Hello BrainPad!")
availablePort = DUELinkController.GetConnectionPort()
BrainPad = DUELinkController(availablePort)
# Flash the LED 20 times (on for 200ms and off for 800ms)
BrainPad.Led.Set(200,800,10)
print("Bye BrainPad!")

Debugging is the process of running the program step by step to try to find programming errors. If you haven’t yet, save the file as test.py and click on the “bug” icon. This will bring execution to the first line of code. Start now clicking on step over till you reach the line that starts with BrainPad. Open the variables window from View ⮞ Variables.

The variable availablePort at this point will hold the name of the current available port where the BrainPad is connected to. In our case it is COM4 but yours maybe different.

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VS Code

This is a full-blown IDE with an ever-growing list of features. Please note that VS Code can be used with many other languages. A simple IDE, like Thonny, will only work with Python.

Instead of listing detailed instructions here that can change quickly, please visit code.visualstudio.com to download and install. Then create a file called blinky.py in a folder. Open the file or the folder in VS Code and modify the code to print(“Hello BrainPad”) and run it. The web has hundreds of videos and and tutorials in case you have any problems. Here is one of the options code.visualstudio.com/docs/python/python-tutorial

Run the program and observe Hello BrainPad showing in the terminal window.

Run pip install DUELink command in the terminal window to install the DUE Link library and modify the code.

from DUELink.DUELinkController import DUELinkController
print("Hello BrainPad!")
availablePort = DUELinkController.GetConnectionPort()
BrainPad = DUELinkController(availablePort)
# Flash the LED 20 times (on for 200ms and off for 800ms)
BrainPad.Led.Set(200,800,10)
print("Bye BrainPad!")

Run the program to verify the system is set properly. The LED will blink 10 times.

Start modifying the code and try debugging, which is stepping through code and inspecting variables. Familiarize yourself with VS Code before continuing.

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Get Coding!

At this point, your PC, your BrainPad, and you are ready to start venturing into Python coding, especially physical coding things. And while you are at it, why not learn C# as well?