CircuitPython over Arduino

[llgcode]

Hi,
really interesting project.

I work on a footswitch controller with a remote board with buttons and led that fit my "musician" workflow on bitwig.
I like your use of capacitive button, how to you make it ?

I've seen that you've tried a program with arduino framework, why did you choose circuitPython over arduino ?
Is better or easier to dev ?

[Tod Kurt]

Hi!
Yes, in general doing initial development is much faster in CircuitPython than Arduino. Since you're editing a text file directly on the board and saving that file causes it to be run means the iteration cycle can be much faster than reprogramming the board. There is also many modern useful libraries either built directly into CircuitPython or easily available via the Adafruit and Community Library Bundles.

The capacitive buttons are just small areas of copper on the PCB. This is really how all capacitive buttons work. The cleverness is in the firmware on the board. (CircuitPython has a touchio library to help with this)

You can mock up capacitive buttons using copper tape cut into the shapes you want. (This is what I do when I'm trying out a new idea). The sizes of these copper pads shouldn't be too big (i.e. no more approximately 50mm x 50mm), since larger pads take longer to read.

[llgcode]

Thanks for the tape tips, it gives me some idea of a prototype board where I could stick some tape on a piece of wood and some wires connected to it ^^.

For python code I understand that it's easier to dev. So the CPP code that you developed work as expected.