Espruino


Espruino is an open-source JavaScript interpreter for microcontrollers. It is designed for devices with small amounts of RAM.

Overview

Espruino was created by Gordon Williams in 2012 as an attempt to make microcontroller development truly multiplatform. Though initially not open-source, the Espruino firmware was offered as a free download for STM32 microcontrollers. It was made open-source in 2013 after a successful Kickstarter campaign for a development board running the software. Since the original Espruino board, there have been a number of new official development boards including the small USB thumb-drive-sized Espruino Pico, the Wifi-equipped Espruino WiFi, the Puck.js with built-in Bluetooth and the Pixl.js with a built-in LC display and Arduino shield compatibility. In addition to the official boards, Espruino runs on approximately 40 other types of development boards including the ESP8266.
There is a large body of reference material for Espruino including over 100 tutorials as well as the book Making Things Smart which contains a selection of hardware projects that can be created with Espruino-based microcontrollers.

Hardware

The first official development board was the Original Espruino. Later boards are available in a variety of form factors. The Original Espruino was followed by the Espruino Pico, Espruino WiFi, Puck.js and Pixl.js. A breakout board featuring the MDBT42Q Bluetooth LE module, the same used in the Puck.js and Pixl.js, is also available.

Software

Espruino programs are written using JavaScript. The Espruino IDE is available as a web-based app, a Google Chrome App and as a native Windows application. There are also alternative methods of programming Espruino boards using other terminal programs. For example, Windows users can program their boards with PuTTY.

License

All of Espruino is Open Source. The different parts are licensed as follows: