The WiPy: The Internet of Things Taken to the Next Level

>>> Kickstarter campaign

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wipy/the-wipy-the-internet-of-things-taken-to-the-next

>>> The Internet Of Things

It's concept is quite simple; the idea is to provide intelligence to everything that surrounds us, connect it to the internet, bring it to life, and make lots of cool things happen. Sounds nice, but how do you that? Here is the answer...

>>> Meet the WiPy

A small, super low power, cheap, and 100% Python programmable IoT development board. The WiPy takes the wireless freedom of WiFi and combines it with the power, flexibility, and ease of use of Python. We designed the WiPy from the ground up, with one goal in mind: "Let's make IoT development fun both for beginners and professionals".

• Cheap, small and breadboard friendly.
• Super low power (850uA with the WiFi connection active)
• 100% PYTHON PROGRAMMABLE.
• Lots of GPIOs, interfaces and peripherals.
• Powerful CPU and state of the art WiFi radio.

 >>> High level language with low level control

The core of the software running in the WiPy is MicroPython, a lean and mean implementation of Python 3, specifically optimized in terms of speed and memory to be able to run efficiently on microcontrollers. 

MicroPython implements the entire Python 3.4 syntax (including exceptions, "with", "yield from", and so on). Most of the core datatypes are provided: str (including basic Unicode support), bytes, bytearray, tuple, list, dict, set, frozenset, array.array, collections.namedtuple, classes and instances. You named it, it's likely there. MicroPython is in constant development, so new features are added all the time (for example, it already has some of the features of the upcoming Python 3.5).

>>> Why Python?

Python is a novice friendly language, very often selected by many schools to teach kids the basics of computer software, and yet, it's in the core of professional applications and frameworks which drive the modern Internet (e.g: Django and Flask). Python offers high-level language features and libraries, yet it allows to go low level when fine grain control and real time behavior are needed, and MicroPython takes full advantage of all that.

>>> Infinite possibilities

MicroPython has already changed the way microcontroller programming is done, and the WiPy extends it to the realm of the Internet Of Things. We want you to be part of this revolution, and we will be right next to you on every step of the way.

The WiPy is all about openness and freedom. The whole software has been open source since the beginning, and it will always be. When this campaign gets successfully funded, we will make the hardware open source as well. You can already fork the source code directly from the MicroPython official repository.

So what about the freedom? One of the best things about the WiPy is that it works stand alone.You only need to apply power, before you can start hacking. Forget about needing cloud services to program the board, or special tools to compile your code before it can run on the hardware. The WiPy executes your Python scripts in real time. The only thing you need to start having fun with the WiPy is... a WiFi connection. You can use any independent cloud service to interconnect your devices, there are no strings attached, the only limit is your imagination. What you do with the WiPy, is completely up to you! 

>>> Developing is now FUN

How do you start developing with the WiPy? Very simple. Apply power to the board (almost any 3.6 - 5.5V source would do), the WiPy will boot the complete WiFi subsystem and the Python interpreter in less than a second. You will see a new wireless network called "wipy-wlan". Connect to it, the default password is: www.wipy.io. Enjoy the ride!

>>> Wireless programming

• Start a telnet session, and get access to the Python interactive shell, which is perfect for testing your code on the fly.

• Open your favorite FTP client and connect to the WiPy's full blown FTP server, which gives you complete access to the file system. You can add and remove files or directories, and of course upload your Python scripts.

>>> OTA updates

Over The Air updates are super easy via the FTP server. Upload the new firmware to the WiPy and reset it, that's it. You can even try your own tweaks on the MicroPython interpreter. You don't have to worry about bricking the WiPy, because the factory firmware is always preserved and you can always roll back using the safe boot pin. 

>>> Everything you already love, in a shinny new package

Other WiFi boards have appeared during the last year directed to IoT. And you might think, "yet another platform...", guess what? it's not. Because it runs Python, and it works just like the Python you are used to work with on a computer, so the learning curve is minimal, if there's any at all. Simply put, the WiPy is all about Python and the internet, but taken to the next level.

>>> Flexible stack-able design

>>> Top notch hardware

• Size: 25mm x 45mm (1.0" x 1.77")  
• MCU: Cortex-M4 @ 80MHz (TI CC3200)
• WiFi: 802.11b/g/n 16Mbps (AP, Station and WiFi-Direct)
• RAM: 256 KBytes
• Flash: 2 MBytes
• GPIO: Up to 25
• Interfaces: UART (x2), SPI, I2C, I2S, SD card
• Analog channels: 3x12 bit ADCs
• Timers: 4x16 bit with PWM and input capture
• RTC: Of course
• Hash and encryption engines: SHA, MD5, DES, AES
• DMA: All over the place
• 3.3V output: Capable of sourcing up to 250mA

The heart of the WiPy hardware is the CC3200 from TI, a powerful Cortex-M4 MCU combined with a state of the art WiFi network processor. The CC3200 is also the first system on chip to have achieved chip-level WiFi certification. 

The CC3200 is fully loaded with features, including SSL, and TLS, meaning that you connect everything to the cloud, safely and reliably.

The WiPy is also breadboard friendly, and there is an ultra low noise voltage regulator that provides a 3.3V output that you can use to power external components. The supply input has a reverse voltage protection, to make your life easier.

>> Pin-out

>>> Ultra-Low Power (with WiFi still connected!)

The WiPy has some impressive low power modes, being capable to maintain the WiFi connection active while only consuming 850uA. When in suspended mode, the WiPy can wake up when receiving internet data, or because a client has connected. This means you can even build an ultra low power server.

A battery powered device built with the WiPy can wake from suspended mode in less than 5 ms, send a bunch of internet packets, and go back to sleep immediately, all that within a second. An application using such a scheme can run with a single battery charge for years.

>>> State of the art WiFi

The WiPy comes with WiFi 802.11b/g/n and can be configured as an Access Point, a Station or in WiFi-Direct mode.

>>> HTTP, XMPP, MQTT, SMTP, FTP and so on

Out of the box the WiPy supports BSD sockets, and everything else can be easily built on top of that using Python. We are preparing a nice set of Python libraries customized for Micro Python to support HTTP, SMTP, XMPP, FTP and MQTT among other network protocols which are essential for the Internet Of Things.

>>> HTTPS? 

You got it! Connecting everything to the internet is super fun, as long as it's safe. The WiPy has you covered with complete SSL and TLS support.

>>> Master or slave

Most likely you will use the WiPy as the brains of your project, but if you want it to behave as a WiFi shield for another board (like an Arduino for instance), you can easily write a Python script that will make the WiPy act as the bridge between your device and the Internet.

>>> Beautiful Python API

All those hardware specs are nice, but the coolest part is that they are super easy to use, because we have written an powerful and intuitive Python API to take advantage of every feature of the hardware. Here are a few examples:

• Controlling GPIO pins:

• Configuring I2C:

• ...and SPI:

• Setting up interrupts is a piece of cake:

Interrupts can wake the device from suspended mode, including WiFi interrupts (current in this mode is only 850uA, wicked! isn't it?)

• How about connecting to the internet?

• Want to send an email?

>>> Things you can build with the WiPy

• Internet connected lights.
• WiFi controlled robots.
• Cloud connected sensors.
• Smart fridge magnets.
• WiFi remote controls.
• Smart power sockets.
• Security systems.
• And much more!

>>> Because of popular demand, we do have an expansion board

The image shows 3 PCBs, but it will me manufactured as a single unit, and the breadboard areas on the sides are breakaway panels, that can be easily removed if desired.  

SPECIFICATIONS

• Micro USB connector and battery connector.  
• FT234XD USB to serial converter.  
• BQ24040 LiPo battery charger.  
• TPS2115A power switch, so you can power the system through the USB port and charge the battery at the same time.  
• MicroSD card socket.  
• JST style battery connector.  
• Reverse voltage protection.  
• 2 user LEDs.  
• 1 User switch.  
• Power LED and charge status LED.  
• 2 extra female headers a 2 extra male headers.  
• 2 Mounting holes.
• Lots of jumpers to enable/disable features and change pin selection.
• Solder mask color will be beautiful matte black just like the WiPy.

How to select my reward to get the expansion board? Very easy, simply add 10 EURO to any pledge for every expansion board you want. Or, select one of the rewards that come pre-configured with expansion boards.

>>> The Team

• Daniel: C/C++ developer and big time Python fan.
• Tim: Analog and digital electronics guru.
• Marta: Logistics and purchasing specialist.