Hello! If you are here you probably want to know how to install the EV3 MicroPython. Though there are instructions on the LEGO Education website, I will write them here as well with a bit more detail:)
Prerequisites:
• Balena Etcher software: download here for mac and here for windows.
• microSDHC card with minimum 4GB size, try not to go too high since the EV3 CPU is not very powerful (~900MHz, like computers in the early 2000s). Aim for Performance Class A1 (not necessary though).
• Visual Studio Code: download here for mac and here for windows.
• SD Card image: download here.
• Admin Access for installation (not needed for running programs)
• microSD card slot or adapter.
• miniUSB to USB cable for running programs
• EV3 brick (not SPIKE).
Start by preparing your SD card and put a piece of tape at the end of it like so:
This makes it much easier to remove from the brick.
Now, launch Balena Etcher from the Disk Image (on Mac) or install it (on Windows), and flash the image you downloaded onto the SD Card by following the instructions of the app.
Do not remove the SD Card while it is being flashed; it should take about ~5-10min.
Once the SD Card is flashed, remove it and place it into the EV3 brick as shown:
Boot up the EV3 by pressing and holding the center button. You should see an EV3dev screen open and then a list unfold with [OK] on the side and text on the right. This is the boot-up process for the Linux-like system running on the Brick from the SD Card. DO NOT REMOVE THE SD CARD WHEN BOOTED FROM IT!!! You will harm the brick and SD card.
To turn off the EV3 brick, hit the back button until you see the window with “Shutdown…” at the top, and then choose “Power Off”. Once the light of the brick is off, you can take out the SD Card. Simply boot up normally without the SD Card to go back to normal EV3.
Once you are comfortable with that, proceed to the VScode installation.
Open and install the VSCode package you downloaded, and then open the extensions tab and search “EV3 microPython”. It should look like this:
Once that is installed, lets walk through how to create a sample project.
Click on the microPython tab and choose “Create a new project”. Enter a project name of your choice and hit enter.
There will be a file called main.py which is popped up, and this is where you will write your program.
To connect the ev3 brick, click on the EV3DEV device browser, and click “Click here to connect…” and then search for your brick.
To Run your program, click on the green arrow. To stop, the red square.
Thanks for reading! Now your installation is complete, and it is time to start learning how to use it to program your brick.
If you like this content, please like and subscribe to our mailchimp newsletter to be notified when new articles are published!
© The RoboMentors (Marc and Anne-Sarah)