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adafruit-blinka

library9.1.0pypypi✓ verified 84d ago

Adafruit Blinka provides CircuitPython APIs for non-CircuitPython versions of Python, primarily CPython on Linux. It allows users to run CircuitPython code on single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi, Jetson Nano, and others. The library is actively maintained with frequent releases (multiple per month) to add support for new boards, fix board-specific import paths, and address underlying system library interactions. The current version is 9.0.4.

devops

pip install adafruit-blinka

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · ADAFRUIT-BLINKA

adafruit-blinka

devopspythonv9.1.0

Install

2.7s avg

Import

36ms

Disk

26MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v9.1.0 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

py 3.10–3.920 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 0.038s · 27.4MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.920 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 2.7s · import 0.034s · 28MB

26MB installed

● package 26MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

board

✓ import board

digitalio

✓ import digitalio

busio

✓ import busio

microcontroller

✓ import microcontroller

This quickstart demonstrates how to blink an LED using Blinka's CircuitPython-like API. It initializes a digital output pin and toggles its state. Users must ensure Blinka is properly set up for their specific single-board computer, including installing necessary system dependencies and configuring user permissions for GPIO access. The `LED_PIN` variable must be adjusted to a valid pin name for the target board.

import board import digitalio import time # Blinka requires an initial setup for your specific board. # On a Raspberry Pi, ensure you've run the setup script or installed dependencies. # Example: curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/adafruit/Raspberry-Pi-Installer-Scripts/master/raspi-blinka.py | sudo python3 # Choose a pin appropriate for your board. For Raspberry Pi, GPIO4 (physical pin 7) is common. # Refer to your board's pinout or Blinka documentation for available pins. # Common options: board.D4, board.D18, board.D21 LED_PIN = board.D4 # IMPORTANT: Adjust this to a valid GPIO pin for your specific board try: # Initialize the digital output pin led = digitalio.DigitalInOut(LED_PIN) led.direction = digitalio.Direction.OUTPUT print(f"Blinking LED on pin {LED_PIN} (adjust pin for your board). Press Ctrl+C to exit.") while True: led.value = True # Turn LED on time.sleep(0.5) led.value = False # Turn LED off time.sleep(0.5) except AttributeError as e: print(f"Error accessing pin '{LED_PIN}': {e}") print("Ensure Blinka is correctly configured for your board and the pin exists.") print("Example: For Raspberry Pi, run 'export BLINKA_BOARD=RASPBERRY_PI_ZERO' before execution.") except RuntimeError as e: print(f"Runtime error: {e}") print("This often indicates missing system dependencies or incorrect permissions.") print("Ensure libgpiod-dev, python3-libgpiod are installed and your user is in the 'gpio' group.") print("Try: 'sudo usermod -a -G gpio $(whoami)' and reboot.") except KeyboardInterrupt: print("\nBlinking stopped.") finally: # Clean up GPIO if necessary (DigitalInOut handles this on exit but explicit is good) if 'led' in locals() and isinstance(led, digitalio.DigitalInOut): led.deinit()

Debug

Known issues

gotchaBlinka requires system-level dependencies for GPIO access, such as `libgpiod-dev` and `python3-libgpiod`, and build tools like `build-essential` and `python3-dev`. These are not installed by `pip` and must be manually installed using your system's package manager (e.g., `apt-get` on Debian/Ubuntu).

fix

Install required packages: `sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y python3-pip libgpiod-dev python3-libgpiod build-essential python3-dev` (for Debian/Ubuntu based systems).

affects: All versions

gotchaAccessing GPIO pins typically requires elevated permissions. Running as root (`sudo`) is one way, but a safer approach is to add your user to the `gpio` group and reboot. Without correct permissions, you'll encounter `PermissionError`.

fix

Add your user to the `gpio` group: `sudo usermod -a -G gpio $(whoami)` then reboot your system (`sudo reboot`).

affects: All versions

breakingVersion 9.0.0 introduced a significant restructure by moving board and microcontroller definitions to JSON files instead of Python modules. While core API usage (`import board; board.D4`) largely remains the same, users developing custom board support or relying on introspection of `board` as a Python module might experience issues. Initial releases (9.0.0, 9.0.1) also had packaging issues where these JSON files were not included.

fix

For general users, ensure you are on `9.0.2` or newer to resolve packaging issues. For custom board developers, consult the Blinka GitHub repository for updated guidelines on board definitions.

affects: >=9.0.0, particularly 9.0.0, 9.0.1

gotchaPin names and availability are highly board-specific. Using a pin name (e.g., `board.D4`) that is not supported or incorrectly configured for your specific board will lead to `AttributeError` or `RuntimeError`. Blinka relies on correctly identifying your board, sometimes via environment variables (`BLINKA_BOARD`).

fix

Consult your board's specific Blinka setup guide (e.g., on learn.adafruit.com). Ensure `export BLINKA_BOARD=<YourBoardName>` is set if required for your board (e.g., `BLINKA_BOARD=RASPBERRY_PI_ZERO`). Double-check the pinout for your hardware.

affects: All versions

Errors

Common errors & fixes

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'libgpiod_pin'

The underlying C library `libgpiod` or its Python bindings `python3-libgpiod` are not installed or correctly linked.

fix

Install `libgpiod-dev` and `python3-libgpiod`: `sudo apt-get install -y libgpiod-dev python3-libgpiod`.

RuntimeError: Failed to initialize PINS: No pins found for board 'YourBoardName'

Blinka could not automatically identify your board, or the board definition is missing/incorrect, or the required JSON configuration files were not installed.

fix

Ensure you are on `adafruit-blinka>=9.0.2`. If the issue persists, explicitly set the board with an environment variable (e.g., `export BLINKA_BOARD=RASPBERRY_PI_ZERO`) and check your board's specific Blinka setup guide.

PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/dev/gpiomem'

Your user account does not have the necessary permissions to access GPIO hardware.

fix

Add your user to the `gpio` group: `sudo usermod -a -G gpio $(whoami)` and then reboot the system (`sudo reboot`).

AttributeError: module 'board' has no attribute 'D18'

The specific pin name (e.g., `D18`) is not recognized or available for the board Blinka believes it's running on, or Blinka failed to correctly initialize board support.

fix

Verify the pin name against your board's official pinout and Blinka's documentation for that board. Ensure your board is correctly identified (see `BLINKA_BOARD` environment variable in warnings). If using a custom board, check its JSON definition.

Upgrade

Version history

9.1.0latest on PyPI · released Apr 21, 2026

Audit

Dependencies

libgpiod-devrequiredRequired for GPIO access on Linux-based systems.

python3-libgpiodrequiredPython bindings for libgpiod, essential for GPIO operations.

build-essentialrequiredRequired for compiling some underlying C components.

python3-devrequiredRequired for Python header files necessary for building extensions.

Agent activity

45 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_Blinka ↗

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/adafruit-blinka/ ↗

homepagehttps://circuitpython.org ↗