tooling: Add firmware build and deploy targets. by nedseb · Pull Request #246 · steamicc/micropython-steami-lib

nedseb · 2026-03-25T14:53:31Z

Summary

Add Makefile targets for building, deploying, and running MicroPython firmware with current drivers.

Closes #245

New targets

Target	Description
`make firmware`	Clone micropython-steami (if absent), pull latest, symlink local drivers, build firmware
`make deploy`	Flash firmware via OpenOCD (requires clone to exist)
`make run SCRIPT=...`	Run a script on the board with live output via `mpremote run`
`make deploy-script SCRIPT=...`	Copy a script as `main.py` for autonomous execution
`make run-main`	Re-execute the deployed `main.py` and capture output
`make firmware-clean`	Clean firmware build artifacts

Architecture

The firmware source is cloned into .build/micropython-steami/ (gitignored). A symbolic link replaces the submodule lib/micropython-steami-lib with the local working directory. This means the firmware always includes the latest driver changes — even uncommitted ones — without needing to commit or push first.

.build/
└── micropython-steami/
    └── lib/
        └── micropython-steami-lib -> /path/to/micropython-steami-lib  (symlink)

Configuration

Variables in env.mk (all overridable):

MICROPYTHON_REPO ?= https://github.com/steamicc/micropython-steami.git
MICROPYTHON_BRANCH ?= stm32-steami-rev1d-final
BOARD ?= STEAM32_WB55RG
BUILD_DIR ?= .build

Typical workflow

# First time
make firmware        # Clone + build (~5 min)
make deploy          # Flash to board

# Development cycle
# ... modify a driver ...
make firmware        # Rebuild (incremental, ~30s)
make deploy          # Flash

# Test an example
make run SCRIPT=lib/steami_config/examples/show_config.py

# Deploy for autonomous use (without USB)
make deploy-script SCRIPT=lib/steami_config/examples/calibrate_magnetometer.py
make run-main        # Re-execute later

Requirements

arm-none-eabi-gcc toolchain
OpenOCD for flashing
mpremote for running scripts

Review feedback addressed

mkdir -p before clone to handle missing parent directories
Symlink instead of git fetch for submodule (includes uncommitted changes)
deploy depends on $(MPY_DIR) (clone must exist, but no forced rebuild)
Clarified run vs deploy-script vs run-main roles
Quoted $(BUILD_DIR) in rm -rf for safety
Updated CONTRIBUTING.md with mpremote requirement and symlink docs

Copilot

Pull request overview

Adds a local firmware workflow to this repository so developers can build MicroPython firmware with the repo’s drivers frozen in, flash it via OpenOCD, and push a main.py to the board for quick iteration.

Changes:

Introduces Makefile targets for firmware clone/build, deploy (OpenOCD), run (copy script + reset), and firmware-clean.
Adds firmware-related configuration variables to env.mk (repo/branch/board/build dirs).
Documents the workflow in CONTRIBUTING.md and gitignores the local build directory.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 3 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated 6 comments.

File	Description
`env.mk`	Adds firmware build configuration variables (repo/branch/board/build paths).
`Makefile`	Adds `firmware`, `deploy`, `run`, `firmware-clean` targets and extends `deepclean` to remove firmware build dir.
`CONTRIBUTING.md`	Documents the new firmware build/deploy/run workflow and requirements.
`.gitignore`	Ignores `.build/` where firmware sources/artifacts are cloned/built.

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Copilot · 2026-03-25T14:57:44Z


+# --- Firmware ---
+
+$(MPY_DIR):


git clone ... $(MPY_DIR) will fail on a fresh checkout if $(BUILD_DIR) (default .build) doesn’t exist, because git clone won’t create missing parent directories. Create $(BUILD_DIR) first (e.g., mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)) before cloning, or set MPY_DIR to a path whose parents are guaranteed to exist.

Suggested change

$(MPY_DIR):

$(MPY_DIR):

@mkdir -p $(dir $(MPY_DIR))

Fixed in 95028ee. Added mkdir -p before clone.

Copilot · 2026-03-25T14:57:44Z

+	@echo "Updating submodule to current HEAD..."
+	cd $(MPY_DIR)/lib/micropython-steami-lib && \
+		git fetch origin && \
+		git checkout $$(cd $(CURDIR) && git rev-parse HEAD)


The “update submodule to current HEAD” logic is unlikely to work for local/unpushed commits: the submodule fetches only from its own origin, then tries to checkout a SHA from the parent repo. If that SHA isn’t present in the submodule clone, this will fail and it also won’t include uncommitted local changes. Consider fetching from the local working tree path (or setting the submodule URL to the local repo) and clarify whether users must commit changes before building firmware.

Suggested change

@echo "Updating submodule to current HEAD..."

cd $(MPY_DIR)/lib/micropython-steami-lib && \

git fetch origin && \

git checkout $$(cd $(CURDIR) && git rev-parse HEAD)

@echo "Updating submodule to current committed HEAD from local repo (uncommitted changes are not included)..."

cd $(MPY_DIR)/lib/micropython-steami-lib && \

git fetch "$(CURDIR)" HEAD && \

git checkout FETCH_HEAD

Fixed in 95028ee. Replaced git fetch origin with a symlink: rm -rf ... && ln -s $(CURDIR) .... This way the firmware includes all local changes — even uncommitted ones — without needing to fetch or push.

Copilot · 2026-03-25T14:57:45Z

+	@echo "Firmware ready: $(MPY_DIR)/ports/stm32/build-$(BOARD)/firmware.hex"
+
+.PHONY: deploy
+deploy: ## Flash firmware to the board via OpenOCD


deploy assumes $(MPY_DIR) already exists; running make deploy in a clean repo will fail because the clone hasn’t happened yet. Make deploy depend on $(MPY_DIR) (and likely firmware if you expect a freshly built hex) so it works from a fresh checkout.

Suggested change

deploy: ## Flash firmware to the board via OpenOCD

deploy: firmware ## Flash firmware to the board via OpenOCD

Fixed in 95028ee. deploy now depends on $(MPY_DIR) — ensures the clone exists but doesn't force a rebuild. Use make firmware deploy for a full build+flash.

Copilot · 2026-03-25T14:57:45Z

+.PHONY: run
+run: ## Copy and run a script on the board (SCRIPT=path/to/file.py)
+	@if [ -z "$(SCRIPT)" ]; then \
+		echo "Error: SCRIPT is required. Usage: make run SCRIPT=lib/.../example.py"; exit 1; \
+	fi
+	mpremote connect $(PORT) cp $(SCRIPT) :main.py
+	mpremote connect $(PORT) reset
+	@echo "Script deployed as main.py and board reset."


This run implementation uses mpremote ... cp directly and does not implement the “wait for PORT” step or the REPL chunked-write workaround described in issue #245 / #244. If the intent is to close #245, the target should match that workflow (or the docs/issue closure should be adjusted).

Clarified in 95028ee. make run now uses mpremote run for live output (no copy needed). The chunked-write workaround was only needed for mpremote cp with large files — tracked separately in #244. Added deploy-script for the autonomous copy-as-main.py use case.

Copilot · 2026-03-25T14:57:45Z

-deepclean: clean ## Remove everything including node_modules
+deepclean: clean ## Remove everything including node_modules and firmware
 	rm -rf node_modules
+	@if [ -d "$(BUILD_DIR)" ]; then rm -rf $(BUILD_DIR); fi


In .ONESHELL mode, prefer quoting $(BUILD_DIR) in rm -rf (and you can usually drop the -d guard since rm -rf is already idempotent). Unquoted paths can behave unexpectedly if the variable is overridden with spaces or glob characters.

Suggested change

@if [ -d "$(BUILD_DIR)" ]; then rm -rf $(BUILD_DIR); fi

rm -rf "$(BUILD_DIR)"

Fixed in 95028ee. Quoted $(BUILD_DIR) in rm -rf.

Copilot · 2026-03-25T14:57:46Z

+The firmware source is cloned into `.build/micropython-steami/` (gitignored). The submodule `lib/micropython-steami-lib` is pointed to the current HEAD of your local branch, so the firmware always includes your latest driver changes.
+
+**Requirements**: `arm-none-eabi-gcc` toolchain and OpenOCD for flashing.


The docs say the firmware submodule is pointed to “the current HEAD of your local branch” and list requirements only as GCC + OpenOCD, but the Makefile currently fetches from the submodule’s origin (so local/unpushed commits won’t be available) and make run requires mpremote to be installed. Please align this section with the actual behavior and list mpremote as a requirement for deploy/run.

Fixed in 95028ee. Updated CONTRIBUTING.md: added mpremote to requirements, clarified symlink behavior (local working directory, includes uncommitted changes), and documented all new targets (run, deploy-script, run-main).

semantic-release-updater · 2026-03-26T06:40:46Z

🎉 This PR is included in version 0.1.1 🎉

The release is available on GitHub release

Your semantic-release bot 📦🚀

tooling: Add firmware build and deploy targets.

3bc8e16

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings March 25, 2026 14:53

github-actions Bot assigned nedseb Mar 25, 2026

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of nedseb March 25, 2026 14:54 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Mar 25, 2026

View reviewed changes

nedseb added 5 commits March 25, 2026 16:00

tooling: Fix firmware targets using absolute paths.

b667072

tooling: Fix firmware targets using absolute paths.

a3dfae2

tooling: Auto-install npm deps in husky hooks after deepclean.

5b85f45

tooling: Address PR review feedback on firmware targets.

95028ee

tooling: Separate firmware-update from firmware build.

94a2d0d

nedseb merged commit ecc704b into main Mar 26, 2026
3 checks passed

nedseb deleted the tooling/firmware-build-deploy branch March 26, 2026 06:40

semantic-release-updater Bot added the released label Mar 26, 2026

This was referenced Mar 26, 2026

fix(steami_config): Simplify examples for frozen driver imports. #248

Closed

fix(steami_config): Simplify calibrate_temperature for frozen drivers. #249

Merged

	deploy: ## Flash firmware to the board via OpenOCD
	deploy: firmware ## Flash firmware to the board via OpenOCD

	@if [ -d "$(BUILD_DIR)" ]; then rm -rf $(BUILD_DIR); fi
	rm -rf "$(BUILD_DIR)"

		The firmware source is cloned into `.build/micropython-steami/` (gitignored). The submodule `lib/micropython-steami-lib` is pointed to the current HEAD of your local branch, so the firmware always includes your latest driver changes.

		Requirements: `arm-none-eabi-gcc` toolchain and OpenOCD for flashing.

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Summary

New targets

Architecture

Configuration

Typical workflow

Requirements

Review feedback addressed

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nedseb commented Mar 25, 2026 •

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