Presto Help - Black screen on start

Support
1

Hi there,

I’m a programmer but new to Presto and Python. So hopefully I can get a few quick pointers on the basics to get me going.

When I first powered it on, I got a screen telling me that MicroPython was pre-installed. I managed to figure out that powering it on into “BOOT” mode allowed me to access the RP2350 drive on my Mac / Linux laptop. After trying to save a simple .py file there, I noticed it would vanish on reboot.

From there, it didn’t show anything on the display again - it is backlit but always black. I was also unable to get anything to work or appear on the screen. So I tried to “flash” it by copying the “presto-v0.0.5-micropython-with-filesystem.uf2” file to the drive, it would then automatically restart but again, black screen.

Can anyone give me any pointers here? If I could get something to appear and figure out the basics of having it load something to the screen, I should be able to pick up the programming side fairly quickly after that.

Thanks! :)

2

OK - made some progress. I figured out how to make a script run via Thorny. At least I know the hardware works now :)

My main is how can I make a specific python script run automatically when starting the Presto?

Thanks!

3

You don’t save to it via Boot Mode. Let it boot up not in boot mode, then connect to it via an IDE. I like most here, use Thonny.

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4

If you save your py file to the rp2350 file as main.py it will run automatically on boot up. That’s the way it works with Micro Python on a Pico.

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5

Ah, thanks!

I was trying to copy a file called “main.py” via USB transfer, but you need to do it through Thonny for it to work.

Thanks for the help - much appreciated! :)

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6

Yeah, it’s not exactly intuitive is it. ;)

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7

Haha, definitely not! :)

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8

Thonny is fine but a bit picky. If you want to actually ‘do things’ with micropython, try rshell. A bit more ‘nuts and bolts’ woking from CLI.

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9

wow, wasn’t aware of rshell. Thanks for sharing.

This seems to be handy to actually push data files like images, RSS feeds, light eBooks, etc. automatically to a pico on USB connect, as they could be too huge to retrieve wirelessly or the PICO just doesn’t have wireless option as the Pico W…

A shell script could do the job and on disconnect all data on the PICO is always up-to-date…

Does rshell also exist for iPad? I couldn’t find it after a brief internet search… This would make PICO development really portable…

Again, thanks for sharing.

10

Have a look at this link. The answer seems to be yes!

https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/h7rdhi/ashell_an_actual_terminal_for_the_ipad/

11

Actually, I know a-shell and used it in the past already. I am wondering how the Pico registers to the USB port to be accessable via scp…I thought this would be special to rshell?!
What I saw is scping a file via USB, but this was anyway under CircuitPython, not micropython. Thus, the Pico is anyways connected as USB drive and the filestructure is accessable…so, no real magic and nothing special to rshell…

As of now, I cannot see how to make the Pico accessable as a USB-connected device under micropython, because there is not only a terminal emulation needed but something capable to speak to the Pico natively…

Is there a step-by-step guide (for dummies) out there…? 😉

12

For the Presto, my idea ( waiting on delivery of device ) is to use a I2C to USB adapter. These seem to be available readily, but the prices range widely. I gather that Pimoroni had such a device in mind with the only external IO connector being the chainable I2C.

BTW an answer to an unrelated question is to get a right-angle USB cable. Another help client was commenting on the USB cable sticking out from the Presto. A right-angle cable does reduce this issue.