Re: [DIYbio] Micropython vs C++ for microcontrollers

On Wed, Mar 13, 2019 at 10:35 AM Simon Quellen Field <sfield@scitoys.com> wrote:
>
> I don't wish to hijack this thread, so I changed the subject line.
>
> John didn't say why he preferred micropython to C++ (which he called "the arduino language"). But the compactness and speed of C++ code over an interpreted subset of Python gives it a substantial advantage on small processors, where both CPU execution speed and memory space are both limited.

I think the bigger reasoning for choosing Micropython to deploy on
programmable lab gear is the end-users often lack reasonable coding
skills. For example many biologists I knew in my undergrad stuggled
with email and Excel spreadsheets... biologists John and I have tried
interfacing with as beta testers for the open-source electroporator
have struggled with deleting and copying files from a github clone to
a Micropython 'drive'.

So I don't have a sliver of hope that the **average** biologist or
chemist would be able to handle hacking on C++ to automate or alter
lab gear. Now after some thought, maybe these folks wouldn't be able
to handle Python either... but I think there's certainly less barrier
and an easier ramp to climb.

As you said, Micropython itself is written in C++... so performance
really isn't an issue since their documentation provides good examples
of writing C modules for Micropython.
This is exactly what I did to use the DMA feature of the
microcontroller John chose for the culture-shock electroporator, when
I wanted to collect ADC samples from the High-Voltage output while
actively pulsing, and to start working on an automated solution to
voltage-limiting (so the user didn't have to specify the low-level
pulse-width timings, which is unlike any existing electroporation
protocol which just deal with overall time-scale and max voltage).

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