softusbduino is a Python package and Arduino firmware library. They can be used together to control the Arduino board over USB in Python.

Links:

• home: https://github.com/ponty/softusbduino
• documentation: http://ponty.github.com/softusbduino

Hierarchy:

Python Application -> softusbduino python library -> PyUSB -> libusb -> USB cable -> V-USB hardware -> Arduino -> V-USB library -> softusbduino firmware

Features:

• Possible usage: prototyping or creating simple low speed USB devices.
• firmware should be load only once to the Arduino board.
• 1 low level call takes 2 ms in tests

• python library functions:

  • read or write all registers
  • call arduino functions
  • read many defines (example: F_CPU)

• Python USB back-end: PyUSB library (0.4 API)
• Arduino USB back-end: V-USB library
• It would be possible to create libraries for other programming languages (Java, C, ..) using the same firmware.

Known problems:

• tested only on Linux + arduino 0022 + ATmega88,8 boards
• pull-up read is not implemented
• PWM read is not implemented
• PWM config is hardcoded

similar projects:

• https://github.com/HashNuke/Python-Arduino-Prototyping-API
• http://code.google.com/p/vusb-for-arduino/
• http://code.google.com/p/pyduino/
• https://github.com/thearn/Python-Arduino-Command-API
• https://github.com/nanpy/nanpy

Basic usage of prototyping

from softusbduino.protoapi import *

def setup():
    pinMode(13, OUTPUT);   

def loop():
    digitalWrite(13, HIGH);   
    delay(1000);              
    digitalWrite(13, LOW);    
    delay(1000);              

sketch = Sketch(setup, loop)
sketch.run()

Installation

General

• install Python
• install pip
• install arduino
• install libusb

• install SoftUsb subdirectory as arduino library

  • Manual installation: http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/Environment#libraries

  • Automatic installation:

    • install confduino
    • install the library: python -m confduino.libinstall https://github.com/ponty/softusbduino/zipball/master

• install python package:

  # as root
  pip install https://github.com/ponty/softusbduino/zipball/master    

Ubuntu

sudo apt-get install arduino python-pip libusb-1.0-0 python-usb
sudo pip install confduino
sudo pip install https://github.com/ponty/softusbduino/zipball/master
sudo python -m confduino.libinstall https://github.com/ponty/softusbduino/zipball/master
# optional for examples
sudo apt-get install python-matplotlib python-traitsui python-traits
sudo pip install http://github.com/petervizi/python-eeml/zipball/master

Upload firmware

1. start Arduino
2. open examples > SoftUsb > Simple
3. upload to board

Set permission (Linux)

The permission should be changed:

$sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/60-objdev.rules

add this line:

ATTRS{idVendor}=="16c0", GROUP="users", MODE="0666"

update rules:

$sudo udevadm trigger