Unit 1: Getting Started
Welcome to your first unit! In this unit you’ll write your very first programs, learn what variables and data types are, and discover how to control the built-in RGB LED on your ESP32-S3 — all before connecting a single external wire.
Lessons in This Unit
| Lesson | Title | Key Concepts |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson 1 | Hello MicroPython | print(), comments, the REPL, first NeoPixel |
| Lesson 2 | Variables and Data Types | variables, int, float, bool, str, type() |
| Lesson 3 | Working with Strings | concatenation, f-strings, .upper(), .lower(), .find(), len(), slicing, input() |
| Lesson 4 | Expressions and Type Conversion | arithmetic operators, precedence, int(), float(), str() |
What Hardware You’ll Use
Just your ESP32-S3 development board — specifically its built-in NeoPixel RGB LED, which is connected to GPIO 48 on the board. No breadboard or extra wiring needed for this unit.
What You’ll Be Able to Do by the End
- Use Thonny to write and run Python programs on the ESP32-S3
- Control the NeoPixel LED (colour, brightness, patterns)
- Create variables to store numbers, text, and true/false values
- Manipulate text (strings) using built-in Python tools
- Perform calculations and convert between data types
By the end of this unit, you’ll have real programs running on real hardware. That’s genuinely exciting — most people never get this far!