Blinka is our CircuitPython library compatibility layer. It allows many of the libraries that were written for CircuitPython to run on CPython for Linux. To learn more about Blinka, you can check out our CircuitPython Libraries on Linux and Raspberry Pi guide.

We put together a script to easily make sure your Pi is correctly configured and install Blinka. It requires just a few commands to run. Most of it is installing the dependencies.

This page is out of date for Raspberry Pi OS bookworm. Until this page is updated, refer to https://learn.adafruit.com/circuitpython-on-raspberrypi-linux/installing-circuitpython-on-raspberry-pi and that whole guide for the latest info on installing Blinka.
cd ~
sudo pip3 install --upgrade adafruit-python-shell
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/adafruit/Raspberry-Pi-Installer-Scripts/master/raspi-blinka.py
sudo python3 raspi-blinka.py

When it asks you if you want to reboot, choose yes.

Finally, once it reboots, there are just a couple CircuitPython libraries to install for the BrainCraft HAT or Voice Bonnet.

The DotStar library is for controlling the 3 on-board DotStar LEDs and the Motor library is for testing out the GPIO pins.

pip3 install --upgrade adafruit-circuitpython-dotstar adafruit-circuitpython-motor adafruit-circuitpython-bmp280

That's it for Blinka and CircuitPython libraries.

This guide was first published on Oct 28, 2020. It was last updated on Mar 16, 2024.

This page (Blinka Setup) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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