Blinka supports several types of boards. These include:

• MicroPython boards, such as the Raspberry Pi Pico
• Linux Single Board Computers, like the Raspberry Pi
• Attached devices like a FT232H

The Linux SBCs and Attached devices are similar, but I'll cover each the different uses in more details.

MicroPython Boards

Blinka was originally written to run on MicroPython as a compatibility layer so that CircuitPython libraries could be run on MicroPython, making maintaining the libraries much easier. Only the ESP8266 and STM32F405 were originally supported. Since then, the line of Raspberry Pi Pico boards are now supported.

Linux Single Board Computers

Shortly after, Raspberry Pi boards were added, along with a handful of other Linux boards. Since then, the library of Single Board Computers far surpasses any of the other types. This includes many of the Orange Pi, ODROID, and Rock Pi computers as well as all of the Raspberry Pi computers that have been added since. This guide primarily focuses on this type of board.

Attached Devices

At some point, somebody was thinking "Wouldn't it be nice to be able to add GPIOs directly to my desktop computer?" and support for attached devices was added. It started with the FT232H and eventually the Raspberry Pi U2IF boards were added, which greatly expanded the number of boards that could run attached to a desktop computer. These boards still run with CPython, but the code is run directly from the computer. Adding these boards, varies mostly in detection and supporting libraries needed to access the board.