csunwc
April 21, 2025, 6:08am
1
What is the key difference between XRP and Pico2 W MicroPython firmware?
Without looking into the Github repo of both, can some one tell me why XRP needs its own firmware rather than extra libs added to the existing Pico2 W MicroPython firmware?
I am asking this because of tool compatibility issues for XRP firmware. For example, MicroPico extension for VS Code works great with Pico2 W firmware but would not recognize XRP firmware.
opened 11:08PM - 20 Feb 25 UTC
enhancement
# Feature Request 🚀
## Is your feature request related to a problem? Please des… cribe.
This extension can't be used with most MicroPython boards.
There are hundreds of boards that run MicroPython (this list doesn't even include all the forks: https://micropython.org/download/), but only a handful of boards can be used with this extension. No SparkFun boards can be used, for example: https://micropython.org/download/?vendor=Sparkfun
## Describe the solution you'd like
Add core feature support for all MicroPython boards.
To be clear, this request is not for all features of this extension to be supported on all boards. I understand that some features are specific to particular ports or boards (eg. auto-completion), this request is not related to those features. However the core features like connecting to the REPL and accessing the file system should be the same across all ports and boards. Tools like `mpremote` for example can handle these features across all MicroPython boards, so this extension should be able to as well.
## Describe alternatives you've considered
For unsupported board types, users currently have to go elsewhere. The best alternative to my knowledge is Thonny, which is beginner-friendly, but isn't really suitable for advanced users wanting a more feature-rich IDE. No other tools I've come across handle MicroPython boards as well as Thonny and this extension, particularly with respect to REPL access, file management and editing, etc.
I personally turn to VS Code for most of my development, as do many others. I'm not aware of any other VS Code extensions that interface with MicroPython devices that are actually up to date and maintained, so this extension is really the only viable option for VS Code.
## Teachability, Documentation, Adoption, Migration Strategy
I think it would make sense to have a "generic" board support like Thonny does. Any features specific to particular ports or boards (eg. auto-completion) would obviously be missing, but that shouldn't prevent core features (REPL, file management, etc.) from being used with a "generic" board.
We at SparkFun would be interested in highlighting this extension for users as a more advanced alternative to Thonny. However since this extension can't be used on any of our boards, we can't recommend it for our customers. If generic board support is added, we will definitely reconsider that decision!
Please advise. Thank you.
1 Like
There are a few small changes between the two.
There are pin names to allow programs and our libraries to work with the different pin numbers between the beta and non beta boards
The micropython name is “SparkFun XRP Controller” instead of “Pico W”
The difference that makes micropico not work is new vendor and product IDs. The XRP board IDs are Vendor 0x1b4f and Product ID 0x46
Micropico uses the library also under Paulober called pico-mpy-com it has a file called usbids.ts. @SparkFro can we ask them to add our IDs?