The use of MicroPython is not limited to DIY engineers. MicroPython fits the bill quite nicely for engineering teams that are looking to develop a rapid prototype or proof of concept. The MicroPython kernel abstracts out the low-level microcontroller hardware, which allows developers to start developing application code or even test code from the first day of a development cycle. This makes it particularly well suited for prototyping.

In a prototyping environment, developers could assemble hardware components for their system and develop scripts to show that the end system that they want to create is actually viable. From the issues that they encounter when prototyping in MicroPython, they should then be able to extrapolate the potential issues they will encounter during development. This will then help them to get a handle on issues such as the following:

• Development costs
• Time to market
• Major engineering hurdles
• Resources that are required

With these types of activities worked out, the development of production code can go much smoother, and the schedule and project costs will be far more accurate.

In addition to proving that a product concept is viable, developers can also use MicroPython to interface with new sensors and devices that need to be understood for development. For example, if I need to write a C driver for an I2C I/O expander chip, I will often create or buy a development board for the chip and connect it to one of my MicroPython boards. I can then write simple Python scripts to interact with the chip, which allows me to do the following:

• Explore the chip registers.
• Exercise the device's peripherals.
• Monitor I2C bus communication to understand what good communication looks like.

Utilizing MicroPython in this manner provides us with an in-depth understanding of the device that we are interfacing with. The result is a better-written driver that is created faster because we can utilize a working example to compare our production driver with. Having that working example dramatically decreases the time spent on debugging.