CHANGELOG.md

Changelog

Unreleased

3.3.0b6 - 2023-06-02

Added

• Enabled builtin set type (except on BOOST Move hub) (support#402).

Changed

• Updated BTStack to v1.5.5.

Fixed

• Fixed BLE broadcast not working on City hub.
• Fixed crash on BTStack hubs when program stopped during call to ble.broadcast().
• Fixed BLE broadcast not working on Technic hub when not connected (support#1086).
• Fixed delayed sensor sync on boot on City hub (support#747).

3.3.0b5 - 2023-05-16

Added

• Enabled the gc module (except on BOOST Move hub).
• Added hub.ble attribute for broadcasting/observing (pybricks-micropython#158).

Changed

• Updated MicroPython to v1.20.0.

Fixed

• Fixed stdin containing 0x06 command byte (support#1052).
• Fixed motor process causing delays on ev3dev (support#1035).

3.3.0b4 - 2023-04-21

Fixed

• Fixed gyro on Technic Hub occasionally giving a bad value, which made it not calibrate properly (support#1026).
• Fixed discrepancy in heading value across hubs by accounting for sampling time (support#1022).
• Fixed iterator for Matrix objects giving bad values.
• Fixed Bluetooth sometimes locking up on Technic/City hubs (support#567).
• Fixed GyroDriveBase being slow to respond to heading perturbations when driving at high speed (support#1032).

Added

• Added pybricks.tools.cross(a, b) to get a vector cross product.
• Added experimental implementation of hub.imu.heading() (support#912).
• Added support for reading single-axis rotation, which is useful in applications like balancing robots, where full 3D orientation is not required, or even undesired.
• Added hub.imu.ready() to check that the IMU has been calibrated and is ready for use.
• Added GyroDriveBase class to control drivebase steering with the gyro.
• Added optional window parameter to Motor.speed to specify the differentiation window size that determines the average speed. This lets the user choose smaller values to get a more responsive (but noisier) or higher values to get a smoother (but more delayed) speed signal.

Removed

• Removed positive_direction from DriveBase initializer. This was temporarily added in the previous beta release to facilitate gyro support, but made it more complicated than needed (support#992).
• Removed pybricks.geometry in an effort to reduce the number of modules with just a few elements. Matrix and vector have moved to tools. The Axis enum was moved to parameters. Each item can still be imported from its original location for backwards compatibility.

3.3.0b3 - 2023-03-28

Added

• Added positive_direction to DriveBase initializer. It defaults to clockwise to ensure this is not a breaking change. Users can now change it to counterclockwise, which is more common in engineering (support#989).
• Added support for setting drivebase acceleration and deceleration separately using a tuple, consistent with single motors (support#881).

Fixed

• Fixed allocator interfering with motor control when memory usage is high (support#977).
• Fixed Stop.NONE not working properly for some drivebase geometries (support#972).
• Fixed reading programs larger than 65535 bytes on boot on SPIKE hubs. ([support#996).
• Various Bluetooth stability and reliability improvements on BOOST Move hub (support#320, support#324, support#417).
• Fixed Bluetooth random address not changing on City and Technic hubs (support#1011).

Changed

• Methods like control.limits() now check the user input and raise a ValueError if a value is out of bounds (support#484). This affects only settings setters, which are usually used as a one-off. Nothing changes to speed values set at runtime. These are still capped to valid numbers without raising exceptions.
• Renamed precision_profile to profile in the Motor initializer.
• In DriveBase, wheel_diameter and axle_track now accept decimal values for increased precision (support#830).

Removed

• Removed DriveBase.left and DriveBase.right properties (support#910).

3.3.0b2 - 2023-03-08

Added

• Added precision_profile parameter to Motor initializer. This can be used to reduce control gains to get smoother motions for heavy loads or heavily gear applications where precision is less relevant.

Changed

• Changed how the PID values are initialized for each motor. This may lead to slightly altered performance.

Fixed

• Fixed move hub crashing on boot.
• Fixed position based commands starting from the wrong position if the previous command was a time based command that could not hit its target (support#956).
• Fixed EV3 motors getting out of date with the updated motor controllers (support#941) and (support#955).
• Fixed long delay when connecting to remote on SPIKE hubs (support#466).

3.3.0b1 - 2023-02-17

Added

• Added support for frozen modules when building from source (support#829).
• Added close() method to DCMotor and Motor so they can be closed and re-initialized later (support#904).
• Fixed workaround for motor hold drifting away under external input movement (support#863).
• Added Motor.model object to interact with the motor state estimator.
• Added Stop.BRAKE_SMART as then option for motors. It works just like SMART_COAST, but with passive electrical braking.
• Added logging support for control stall and pause state.

Fixed

• Fixed Light controlling wrong ports on Move hub (support#913).
• Reduced motor motion while holding position and added configurable setter and getter for this deadzone.
• Fixed type checking optimized out on Move hub (support#950).
• Fixed end-user stall flag coming up too early in position based control.
• Further reduced stutter at low motor speeds (support#366).

3.2.2 - 2023-01-06

Fixed

• Fixed some objects do not implement __hash__ (support#876).
• Fixed Motor.run_time not completing under load (support#903).

3.2.1 - 2022-12-26

Fixed

• Fixed imu.angular_velocity returning the values of imu.acceleration.

3.2.0 - 2022-12-20

Changed

• Buffered stdout is flushed before ending user program.

Fixed

• Fixed SPIKE/MINDSTORMS hubs advertising after disconnect while user program is still running (support#849).
• Fixed Essential hub hanging on boot when bootloader entered but USB cable not connected (support#821).
• Fixed button needs debouncing on City/Technic/Essential hubs (support#716).
• Fixed motor hold drifting away under external input movement (support#863).

3.2.0c1 - 2022-12-09

Fixed

• Fixed motor.control.limits() not working if acceleration was None.
• Fixed crash on calling methods on uninitialized objects (support#805).
• Fixed crash on calling methods in __init__(self, ...) before calling super().__init(...) on uninitialized objects (support#777).
• Reverted Pybricks Code stop button raises SystemAbort instead of SystemExit (support#834).
• Improved stop message raised on SystemExit and SystemAbort (support#836).
• Fixed Technic Hub and City Hub sometimes not shutting down when a Bluetooth operation is busy (support#814).
• Fixed hub.system methods not working (support#837).

Changed

• Changed default XYZ orientation of the Technic Hub and the Essential Hub to match the SPIKE Prime Hub and Move Hub (support#848).

3.2.0b6 - 2022-12-02

Added

• Added support for PBIO_PYBRICKS_COMMAND_REBOOT_TO_UPDATE_MODE Pybricks Profile BLE command.
• Implemented Motor.load() which now measures load both during active conditions (run) and passive conditions (dc).

Changed

• The Pybricks Code stop button will force the program to exit even if the user catches the SystemExit exception (pybricks-micropython#117).
• Changed PrimeHub.display.image() to PrimeHub.display.icon() and renamed its kwarg from image to icon (support#409).
• Deprecated Control.load(), Control.stalled(), and Control.done() methods, but they will continue to exist in the firmware until further notice (support#822). New scripts are encouraged to use the (improved) variants available directly on Motor objects.

Fixed

• Fixed connecting Remote on BOOST move hub (support#793).

Removed

• Removed hub.system.reset() method.
• Disabled micropython module on Move Hub.

3.2.0b5 - 2022-11-11

Added

• Added DriveBase.stalled() for convenient stall detection.
• Added DriveBase.done() for convenient completion detection, which is practical when combined with wait=False.
• Added Motor.done() for convenient completion detection, which is practical when combined with wait=False. Especially on Move Hub, which does not have the control attribute enabled.

Fixed

• Fixed brief hub freeze on pybricks.common.Logger.save() when not connected to the computer (support#738).
• Fixed drive base stall flags being set while not stalled (support#767).
• Fixed Motor.run_target raising exception for short moves (support#786).

3.2.0b4 - 2022-10-21

Added

• Indicate that the hub is shutting down by quickly flashing the hub light for half a second. This makes it easier to see when you can stop pressing the button.
• Indicate that the SPIKE Prime hub is booting and shutting down by fading the stop sign in and out.
• Implemented iterator protocol on geometry.Matrix class.
• Added support for multi-file projects (pybricks-micropython#115).
• Added new System.storage() API (support#85).

Changed

• Battery full indication (green light) comes on earlier (support#647).
• New indication for over-charging battery (blinking green light).
• On Move Hub, City Hub, and Technic Hub, programs can now be restarted with the button after downloading them. They are saved on shutdown.
• Improved program download process. Reduces the likelihood of getting errors about incompatible .mpy files when accidentally entering characters in the terminal window when no program is active.
• On Prime Hub and Essential Hub, there is no longer a wait time after boot before you can start programs.
• On Prime Hub and Essential Hub, the user program is now stored in a section of the external flash that is not used by any file system of other known firmwares, in order to avoid compatibility issues when changing firmware.
• Restored the Motor.speed() method and DriveBase equivalent to provide speed as a numerical derivative of the motor position, instead of a model-based estimate. For most use cases, this is a more intuitive result because this speed value is not affected by mechanical load.
• When using the REPL, everything from all Pybricks modules was automatically imported for convenience. Now, MicroPython modules are also automatically imported (support#741).
• Updated Bluetooth to Pybricks Profile v1.2.0.
• Bluetooth now uses random private address instead of static public address (support#600).

Fixed

• Fixed motors going out of sync when starting program (support#679).
• Fixed motor torque signal overflowing under load (support#729).
• Fixed city hub turning back on after shutdown (support#692).
• Fixed IMU I2C bus lockup on SPIKE hubs (support#232).
• Fixed REPL history corrupt after soft reset (support#699).
• Fixed "ValueError: incompatible .mpy file" when pressing the button when there is no program yet (support#599).

3.2.0b3 - 2022-07-20

Fixed

• Fix integral control not working properly due to mistakes introduced while converting the controllers to use millidegrees.

Changed

• Motor.run_time no longer raises an exception for negative time values. Negative times are now treated as zero, thus producing a stationary trajectory.

3.2.0b2 - 2022-07-06

Added

• Added Motor.stalled(). It can detect stall during speed and position control (run, run_angle, ...) just like Motor.control.stalled(), but it also detects stall for dc() command when the user controls the voltage directly.

Fixed

• Fixed motor not stopping at the end of run_until_stalled (support#662).
• Fixed incorrect battery current reading on Technic hub (support#665).
• When the motor was pushed backwards while stalled, the control.stalled() was inadvertently cleared because a nonzero speed was detected. This is fixed by checking the intended direction as well.
• Fixed I/O devices not syncing at high baud rate.
• Fixed ENODEV error while device connection manager is busy (support#674).

Changed

• Reworked internal motor model that is used to estimate speed. This results in better speed estimation at low speeds, which makes PID control smoother.
• The Motor.speed() method and DriveBase equivalents now provide the estimated speed instead of the value reported by the motor. This is generally more responsive.
• Overhauled the control code to make it smaller and more numerically robust while using higher position resolution where it is available.
• Changed drive base default speed to go a little slower.
• Updated MicroPython to v1.19.

3.2.0b1 - 2022-06-03

Added

• Added Stop.NONE as then option for motors. This allows subsequent motor and drive base commands to transition without stopping.
• Added Stop.COAST_SMART as then option for motors. This still coasts the motor, but it keeps track of the previously used position target. When a new relative angle command is given (e.g. rotate 90 degrees), it uses that position as the starting point. This avoids accumulation of errors when using relative angles in succession.
• Made motor deceleration configurable separately from acceleration.
• Enabled ujson module.
• Added ability to use more than one DriveBase in the same script.
• Added support for battery charging on Prime and essential hubs.

Changed

• Changed how DriveBases and Motor classes can be used together. Previously, an individual motor could not be used when a drive base used it. From now on, devices can always be used. If they were already in use by something else, that other class will just be stopped (coast).
• Changed how unexpected motor problems are handled, such as a cable being unplugged while it was running. Previously, this raised a SystemExit no matter which motor was unplugged. Now it will return an OSError with ENODEV, which is consistent with trying to initialize a motor that isn't there. The Motor class must be initialized again to use the motor again.
• Changing settings while a motor is moving no longer raises an exception. Some settings will not take effect until a new motor command is given.
• Disabled Motor.control and Motor.log on Move Hub to save space.
• Changed LED color calibration on Prime hub to make yellow less green.
• Updated to upstream MicroPython v1.18.
• Changed imu.acceleration() units to mm/s/s (pybricks-micropython#88) for Move Hub, Technic Hub, and Prime Hub.

Fixed

• Fixed color calibration on Powered Up remote control (support#424).
• Fixed 3x3 Light Matrix colors with hue > 255 not working correctly (support#619).

3.1.0 - 2021-12-16

Changed

• Renamed new DCMotor.dc_settings() method to DCMotor.settings() (support#536).

Fixed

• Fixed direction for DriveBase.turn() and Drivebase.curve() for some arguments (support#535).
• Fixed then=Stop.COAST not working in DriveBase methods (support#535).

3.1.0c1 - 2021-11-19

Added

• Added DriveBase.curve() method to drive an arc segment.
• Added then and wait arguments to DriveBase methods (support#57).

Changed

• Dropped integral_range argument from Control.pid(). This setting was ineffective and never used. When set incorrectly, the motor could get stuck for certain combinations of kp and ki.
• Improved motor behavior for cases with low-speed, low-load, but high inertia (support#366).
• Changed how the duty cycle limit is set for Motor and DCMotor. It is now set as a voltage limit via a dedicated method, instead of Motor.control.

Fixed

• Fixed then=Stop.COAST being ignored in most motor commands.
• Fixed brake()/light.off() not working on Move hub I/O port C (support#501).
• Fixed Remote() failing to connect when hub is connected to 2019 or newer MacBooks (support#397).
• Fixed intermittent improper detection of hot-plugged I/O devices (support#500).
• A program now stops when a Motor is unplugged while it is running, instead of getting in a bad state.

3.1.0b1 - 2021-09-21

Added

• Support for LEGO Technic Color Light Matrix (support#440).
• Support for LEGO UART devices with a new battery power flag. This is required to support the new LEGO Technic Color Light Matrix (support#440).
• Support for the SPIKE Essential hub/Technic Small hub (support#439).

Fixed

• Fixed Ultrasonic Sensor and Color Sensor turning off when a user script ends (support#456).
• Hub reset due to watchdog timer when writing data to UART I/O device (support#304).
• City/Technic hubs not connecting via Bluetooth on macOS 12 (support#489).

Changed

• Updated to MicroPython v1.17.

3.1.0a4 - 2021-08-30

Added

• Enabled builtin bytearray (pybricks-micropython#60).
• Enabled ustruct module (pybricks-micropython#60).
• Added alpha support for dual boot installation on the SPIKE Prime Hub.
• Added pybricks.experimental.hello_world function to make it easier for new contributors to experiment with Pybricks using C code.
• Added ability to import the main.mpy that is embedded in the firmware from a download and run program (support#408).
• Added pybricks.iodevices.LWP3Device to communicate with a device that supports the LEGO Wireless Protocol 3.0.00 (pybricks-micropython#68)

Changed

• Move Hub Bluetooth optimizations to reduce firmware size (pybricks-micropython#49).
• Disabled pybricks.iodevices module on Move Hub to reduce firmware size.
• Improvements to pybricks.pupdevices.Remote:
  • Check if a remote is already connected before attempting to create a new connection.
  • Rename first argument from address to name to match documentation.
  • Implement connecting by name.
  • Add name() method.
  • Add light attribute.

3.1.0a3 - 2021-07-19

Added

• Added reset_angle=False keyword argument to Motor() class. This makes resetting the angle optional, allowing to maintain absolute positioning for robots with gears (support#389).

Changed

• Moved MicroPython math module to umath to be consistent with other MicroPython modules.

Fixed

• Fixed City hub not always powering off on shutdown (support#385).
• Fixed Move hub turning back on after shutdown (support#386).

3.1.0a2 - 2021-07-06

Added

• Support for reading button state on Technic Hub, City Hub, and Move Hub.
• Support for reading hub name on all Powered Up hubs.
• Enable MicroPython slicing feature on Technic Hub, City Hub, Prime Hub.
• Added pystone benchmark tests for all hubs.
• Added hub.system.shutdown() for graceful shutdown (support#58).

Changed

• Move Remote class from experimental to pupdevices.
• Move Remote.pressed() to Remote.buttons.pressed().
• Remove pybricks.experimental module on Move Hub.
• Increased Move Hub heap from 6K to 7K due to recently freed RAM (pybricks-micropython#57).
• Changed hub.system.reset(action) to accept 2 only (support#379). This is technically a breaking change, although this method was never officially released or documented. With this change, entering firmware update mode remains possible for backwards-compatibility, but unsafe power off methods are removed.

Fixed

• Fix Bluetooth not disconnecting when shutting down and button is still pressed.
• Fix I/O ports not powering off when shutting down and button is still pressed.
• Fix version number only showing git hash and not v3.x.

3.1.0a1 - 2021-06-23

Added

• Added PnP ID characteristic to Device Information Service and to advertising data (pybricks-micropython#49).
• Added special location in firmware for storing hub name (support#52). Note: Support will need to be added to tools separately to make use of this.
• Added configuration option to run a simplified version of motor PID control. It is activated on the Move Hub to reduce build size. Motor performance on the other hubs is unaffected.
• Experimental support for the Powered Up remote control (support#186).

Changed

• Updated MicroPython to v1.16.
• Simplified the Powered Up UART Protocol host implementation. Unused device properties are no longer stored in order to reduce flash and RAM usage (pybricks-micropython#57).

3.0.0 - 2021-06-08

Added

• Added Hub.system attribute (support#321).

Changed

• Hub.reset() moved to Hub.system.reset() (support#321).
• Motor methods now raise OSError with uerrno.EBUSY instead of uerrno.EPERM if the motor is currently being used and the operation cannot be completed.

Fixed

• Fixed resetting motor angle while holding position causes movement (support#352).
• Fixed DriveBase not resetting during initialization (pybricks-micropython#21).
• Fixed Ctrl+C stopping REPL when first started (support#347).
• Fixed UART I/O devices retuning uninitialized data (support#361).

Prerelease

Prerelease changes are documented at support#48.