An RPI4 based file server

[WobblyHand]

I can provide some clock code for a Pico W, all you need to add is a display. Four wires to an Adafruit LED and Yahtzee.

Not sure which Adafruit LED you are referring to, but I do have a little 128 x 64 OLED I2C display I could hook up. You can post the link for the code, or PM me with it. The display's in a FeatherWing format, but that won't stop me from wiring it up. Three little buttons on it as well.

 

[AlanB]

I'm using some different displays - the 1.2" LED and 0.5" LED 7 or 14 segment four digit types. I also have some code for an OLED. I'll take a look later in the week and see if I have a version that would work for that.

 

[WobblyHand]

I'm using some different displays - the 1.2" LED and 0.5" LED 7 or 14 segment four digit types. I also have some code for an OLED. I'll take a look later in the week and see if I have a version that would work for that.

I don't mind if the code is as is. Gives me an excuse to start looking around for Pico drivers. I presume this is in C, rather than python?

 

[AlanB]

MicroPython. I haven't tried C on the Pico yet. Micropython is so much easier. You plug in the Pico, it shows up as a drive, you copy over the MicroPython code file, the Pico disappears when the copy is done. You fire up Thonny, tell it to find the Pico, and work with Python from there. Very little code to load in the PC (Thonny, a Python editor), and a smaller learning curve than Arduino or Platform I/O. Eventually I'll do C on the Pico, but for now I haven't. I have some things I need to finish today so let's continue tomorrow.

 

[WobblyHand]

MicroPython. I haven't tried C on the Pico yet. Micropython is so much easier. You plug in the Pico, it shows up as a drive, you copy over the MicroPython code file, the Pico disappears when the copy is done. You fire up Thonny, tell it to find the Pico, and work with Python from there. Very little code to load in the PC (Thonny, a Python editor), and a smaller learning curve than Arduino or Platform I/O. Eventually I'll do C on the Pico, but for now I haven't. I have some things I need to finish today so let's continue tomorrow.

Ah, ok. No sweat, I've played with Micropython on an M4. Also did big radar system simulations in Numpy and Scipy, (rather than MatLab) so I know what the language can do. Micropython doesn't do interrupts yet, does it?

 

[AlanB]

I believe Micropython does support interrupts and callbacks, and handlers can be written in python. It also supports multicore threads and synchronization. Generally they seem to support most of CPython that makes sense. I haven't played with these yet.

 

[lesrhorer]

I am a big fan of writing ISRs in assembly or hand optimized C. One is well served to keep any interrupt handlers as small, tight, and fast as possible. Python's ISRs are OK, but there is nothing like zero overhead, zero bloat for real time processes.

 

[AlanB]

I agree. I would like to set a Pico setup that supported MicroPython on one core, and C on the other. Add in the 8 state machine processors programmed in assembly language and you have a real powerhouse for 4-6 dollars.