Quickstart - Raspberry Pi RP2040 with BLE and CircuitPython

published March 26, 2021, last edited January 22, 2025
last major update March 31, 2021

posted in Raspberry Pi CircuitPython Internet of Things - IOT/ Bluefruit / BLE

Beginner

Project guide

NeoPixel Color

This page is designed for use with the Adafruit Feather RP2040. The Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040 does not include an onboard NeoPixel LED.

The Bluefruit LE Connect app has a Color Picker that allows you to easily set the color of NeoPixels connected to your Adafruit Feather RP2040. In this example, we'll change the color of the onboard NeoPIxel using CircuitPython and the Bluefruit LE Connect app.

Save the following as code.py on your CIRCUITPY drive and then connect to the board using the Bluefruit LE Connect app.

Download Project Bundle

Copy Code

# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2021 Brent Rubell for Adafruit Industries
#
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

import board
import neopixel

from adafruit_bluefruit_connect.packet import Packet
from adafruit_bluefruit_connect.color_packet import ColorPacket


from adafruit_ble import BLERadio
from adafruit_ble.advertising.standard import ProvideServicesAdvertisement
from adafruit_ble.services.nordic import UARTService

from adafruit_airlift.esp32 import ESP32


# If you are using an AirLift FeatherWing or AirLift Bitsy Add-On,
# use the pin settings below.
# If you are using an AirLift Breakout, check that these
# choices match the wiring to your microcontroller board,
# or change them as appropriate.
esp32 = ESP32(
    reset=board.D12,
    gpio0=board.D10,
    busy=board.D11,
    chip_select=board.D13,
    tx=board.TX,
    rx=board.RX,
)

adapter = esp32.start_bluetooth()

ble = BLERadio(adapter)
uart_service = UARTService()
advertisement = ProvideServicesAdvertisement(uart_service)

pixels = neopixel.NeoPixel(board.NEOPIXEL, 10, brightness=0.1)

while True:
    # Advertise when not connected.
    ble.start_advertising(advertisement)
    while not ble.connected:
        pass

    while ble.connected:
        if uart_service.in_waiting:
            packet = Packet.from_stream(uart_service)
            if isinstance(packet, ColorPacket):
                print(packet.color)
                pixels.fill(packet.color)

# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2021 Brent Rubell for Adafruit Industries
#
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

import board
import neopixel

from adafruit_bluefruit_connect.packet import Packet
from adafruit_bluefruit_connect.color_packet import ColorPacket


from adafruit_ble import BLERadio
from adafruit_ble.advertising.standard import ProvideServicesAdvertisement
from adafruit_ble.services.nordic import UARTService

from adafruit_airlift.esp32 import ESP32


# If you are using an AirLift FeatherWing or AirLift Bitsy Add-On,
# use the pin settings below.
# If you are using an AirLift Breakout, check that these
# choices match the wiring to your microcontroller board,
# or change them as appropriate.
esp32 = ESP32(
    reset=board.D12,
    gpio0=board.D10,
    busy=board.D11,
    chip_select=board.D13,
    tx=board.TX,
    rx=board.RX,
)

adapter = esp32.start_bluetooth()

ble = BLERadio(adapter)
uart_service = UARTService()
advertisement = ProvideServicesAdvertisement(uart_service)

pixels = neopixel.NeoPixel(board.NEOPIXEL, 10, brightness=0.1)

while True:
    # Advertise when not connected.
    ble.start_advertising(advertisement)
    while not ble.connected:
        pass

    while ble.connected:
        if uart_service.in_waiting:
            packet = Packet.from_stream(uart_service)
            if isinstance(packet, ColorPacket):
                print(packet.color)
                pixels.fill(packet.color)

Then, connect to your board using the Bluefruit LE Connect application. From the controller page, navigate to the Color Picker page.

Connect to your board using the Bluefruit LE Connect application.

From the Device page, navigate to the Controller page.

On the controller page, tap the Color Picker.

Selecting a color and tapping the "Send Selected Color" button should send the red, green, and blue values from the Bluefruit Connect App to the RP2040.