Has anyone measured how fast a pico can do things running Python?
Like, to start, wiggling a port pin as fast as possible?

I think the micro Python is an interpreter.

john larkin <jl@650pot.com> wrote:
>Has anyone measured how fast a pico can do things running Python?
>Like, to start, wiggling a port pin as fast as possible?

>I think the micro Python is an interpreter.
Yes, Python is interpreted.
I found https://wellys.com/posts/board-language_speed/
I think the performance of Micropython and Circuitpython should be
almost equal.
The nice thing is that you can test your code interactively in the
Python interpreter.

--
Dipl.-Inform(FH) Peter Heitzer, peter.heitzer@rz.uni-regensburg.de

On 8 Feb 2024 08:10:20 GMT, "Peter Heitzer"
<peter.heitzer@rz.uni-regensburg.de> wrote:

>john larkin <jl@650pot.com> wrote:
>>Has anyone measured how fast a pico can do things running Python?
>>Like, to start, wiggling a port pin as fast as possible?
>
>>I think the micro Python is an interpreter.
>Yes, Python is interpreted.
>I found https://wellys.com/posts/board-language_speed/
>I think the performance of Micropython and Circuitpython should be
>almost equal.
>The nice thing is that you can test your code interactively in the
>Python interpreter.

Cool. We just did a MicroPython loop to raise and lower a port pin 4
times, brute force inline code, as fast as we could. One up/down cycle
takes about 14 microseconds on a Pico, with some jitter.

We'll repeat it in c. I'm guessing that will be 20x faster.

On 2/8/2024 19:19, john larkin wrote:
> On 8 Feb 2024 08:10:20 GMT, "Peter Heitzer"
> <peter.heitzer@rz.uni-regensburg.de> wrote:
>
>> john larkin <jl@650pot.com> wrote:
>>> Has anyone measured how fast a pico can do things running Python?
>>> Like, to start, wiggling a port pin as fast as possible?
>>
>>> I think the micro Python is an interpreter.
>> Yes, Python is interpreted.
>> I found https://wellys.com/posts/board-language_speed/
>> I think the performance of Micropython and Circuitpython should be
>> almost equal.
>> The nice thing is that you can test your code interactively in the
>> Python interpreter.
>
> Cool. We just did a MicroPython loop to raise and lower a port pin 4
> times, brute force inline code, as fast as we could. One up/down cycle
> takes about 14 microseconds on a Pico, with some jitter.
>
> We'll repeat it in c. I'm guessing that will be 20x faster.
>

A little off topic, but do you have any suggestions as to good "I don't
know squat and I'm old and it doesn't make sense" learn MicroPython
resources?

john larkin <jl@650pot.com> wrote:
>On 8 Feb 2024 08:10:20 GMT, "Peter Heitzer"
><peter.heitzer@rz.uni-regensburg.de> wrote:

>>john larkin <jl@650pot.com> wrote:
>>>Has anyone measured how fast a pico can do things running Python?
>>>Like, to start, wiggling a port pin as fast as possible?
>>
>>>I think the micro Python is an interpreter.
>>Yes, Python is interpreted.
>>I found https://wellys.com/posts/board-language_speed/
>>I think the performance of Micropython and Circuitpython should be
>>almost equal.
>>The nice thing is that you can test your code interactively in the
>>Python interpreter.

>Cool. We just did a MicroPython loop to raise and lower a port pin 4
>times, brute force inline code, as fast as we could. One up/down cycle
>takes about 14 microseconds on a Pico, with some jitter.

>We'll repeat it in c. I'm guessing that will be 20x faster.
I did a quick test yesterday evening using this few lines of code:

from machine import Pin
led=Pin(0,Pin.OUT)
switch=Pin(1,Pin.IN,Pin.PULL_UP)
while switch.value(): led.toggle()

GPIO0 was an output driving a LED. On GPIO1 I connected a momentary switch
to ground. On the output pin I got about 41 kHz until the switch was
pressed. With an endless loop:
while True: led.toggle()
I got 83 kHz.
I used Micropython v. 1.20; the Pico run at 125 MHz.
I also noticed some jitter. Normally one would not create a rectangle signal
this way but use a PWM channel for that task.

--
Dipl.-Inform(FH) Peter Heitzer, peter.heitzer@rz.uni-regensburg.de

Peter Heitzer wrote:

> john larkin wrote:
>
>> Cool. We just did a MicroPython loop to raise and lower a port pin 4
>> times, brute force inline code, as fast as we could. One up/down cycle
>> takes about 14 microseconds on a Pico, with some jitter.
>
>> We'll repeat it in c. I'm guessing that will be 20x faster.
>
> I did a quick test yesterday evening using this few lines of code:
> I got 83 kHz.

I think if you want the fastest cycle time, you'd use the RP2040's PIO
state machine, and probably get 62MHz without overclocking, but then
that's not really testing MicroPython ...

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
>Peter Heitzer wrote:

>> john larkin wrote:
>>
>>> Cool. We just did a MicroPython loop to raise and lower a port pin 4
>>> times, brute force inline code, as fast as we could. One up/down cycle
>>> takes about 14 microseconds on a Pico, with some jitter.
>>
>>> We'll repeat it in c. I'm guessing that will be 20x faster.
>>
>> I did a quick test yesterday evening using this few lines of code:
>> I got 83 kHz.

>I think if you want the fastest cycle time, you'd use the RP2040's PIO
>state machine, and probably get 62MHz without overclocking, but then
>that's not really testing MicroPython ...
Although the PIO code could be written in MicroPython with the
decorator @rp2.asm_pio().

--
Dipl.-Inform(FH) Peter Heitzer, peter.heitzer@rz.uni-regensburg.de

Peter Heitzer wrote:

> the PIO code could be written in MicroPython with the decorator
> @rp2.asm_pio().

I should get a Pico to play with ...

On 09/02/2024 12:36, Andy Burns wrote:
> Peter Heitzer wrote:
>
>> the PIO code could be written in MicroPython with the decorator
>> @rp2.asm_pio().
>
> I should get a Pico to play with ...
>
>
The worst part is getting a toolchain working: and understanding the
APIs. If you don't want to use Python.

Coding the little fuckers is pretty simple after that.

--
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"I don't."
"Don't what?"
"Think about Gay Marriage."