Circuit Playground

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Related Itsy Bitsy, QT Py

Circuit Playground is a great microcontroller for beginners.

Three versions of the Circuit Playground

Device	Microcontroller	Code	RAM / Storage	Cost
Circuit Playground Classic	ATmega32u4	Arduino only	32KB of In-System Self-Programmable Flash	$19.95
Circuit Playground Express	ATSAMD21 ARM Cortex M0	Arduino, CircuitPython, or MakeCode	2 MB of SPI Flash storage	$24.95
Circuit Playground Bluefruit	nRF52840 Cortex M4	Arduino, CircuitPython, or MakeCode	256KB RAM, 2 MB of SPI Flash storage	$24.95

NOTE: because the Circuit Playground Classic only has 32KB of storage, it is unable to run CircuitPython.

Circuit Playground Bluefruit

Recommended: First Adafruit Hardware for Beginners

Note

A Beginner's Recommendation.

CircuitPlayground Bluefruit

Among the many Adafruit devices, the CircuitPlayground Bluefruit is a more accesible to beginners:

• Can run CircuitPython
• Alligator clips instead of soldering
• Loaded with features: tons of sensors, accelerometer, neopixels, speaker, etc
• About the size of a Ritz cracker
• Supported by many Adafruit learn guides as well as third-party online tutorials such as CircuitPython School and Bluefruit School

Source: https://learn.adafruit.com/assets/80460

Use with STEMMA QT components

Here is a cable which has alligator clips on one end and STEMMA QT on the other:

• JST SH 4-pin Cable with Alligator Clips - STEMMA QT

You can also get the following if you're using a breadboard:

• Small Alligator Clip to Male Jumper Wire Bundle - 12 Pieces

Additional References

• Adafruit Learn Guide: MakeCode for Circuit Playground Express
• Adafruit Learn Guide: Circuit Playground Bluefruit

Adafruit Blog 1/26/2022: Circuit Playground Bluefruit BLE Heart Rate Pendant with CircuitPython

Adafruit Blog 10/11/2022: Circuit Playground Bluefruit Talking Pumpkin

This page was last updated on 2022-10-12 12:51:07 -0500.