Run MicroPython CircuitPython On Your SoC

You can find the LiteX MicroPython port at: https://github.com/litex-hub/micropython/tree/litex-rebase

MicroPython port to the LiteX SoC FPGA framework

This is a port of MicroPython to the LiteX SoC FPGA framework. LiteX allows easy creation of SoCs on FPGAs and use of various CPU ISAs/Implementations (VexRiscv, Mor1kx, LM32) and peripherals. By combining the flexibility of LiteX to define the hardware and the flexibility of MicroPython to control it, very powerful and flexible systems can be created!

Supported features:

• REPL (Python prompt) over UART.
• Minimal umachine support (reset, freq, identifier).
• Minimal litex support(leds, switches).

Setting up LiteX

To install LiteX, please follow the LiteX installation guide.

Building your LiteX target

The port of MicroPython to LiteX relies on the software files generated during the target build that will provides the hardware definition and mapping to MicroPython. To build the MicroPython firmware, the LiteX target then first needs to be generated. Many FPGA boards are already available in LiteX-Boards, in this example, we'll use the Digilent Arty board:

$ python3 -m litex_boards.targets.digilent_arty --with-ethernet --with-pmod-gpio --build --load

This will build the FPGA SoC, generate the software headers, compile the BIOS/FPGA and load it to the board.

Building MicroPython for your LiteX target

To build MicroPython for your LiteX target run:

$ export BUILD_DIRECTORY=build/digilent_arty
$ make

Loading MicroPython to your LiteX target

To load MicroPython for your LiteX target run:

$ litex_term /dev/ttyUSBX --kernel=build/firmware.bin

You can also use TFTP boot from LiteX:

$ cp build/firmware.bin /tftpboot/boot.bin

And just let LiteX boot from it!...

..or use one of the other available boot methods described at https://github.com/enjoy-digital/litex/wiki/Load-Application-Code-To-CPU