MicroPyton, Android and serial

[MrTinkerman]

Hi,

I would like to ask if the following is possible and if so, how to go about it.

I would like to connect a MicroPython device to an Android phone on the USB port, read serial data and send commands over serial.
I'm looking at Kivy(MD) to build the Android app.

I asked Perplexity AI if it can be done and 'the computer says yes' (see attached pdf's).
But I value human input more :)

So does the info from Perplexity make any sense? Has anyone tried this before?

Thanks for reading.

micropython-android-kivy_perplexity_01.pdf
micropython-android-kivy_perplexity_02.pdf

[andrewleech]

Most micropython devices connect over a USB serial connection. Devices with built in USB all use the standard CDC serial drivers. Other devices (like many esp32's) use a uart and separate usb-serial chip, some of which use the standard driver, others require a custom driver.

My understanding of Android is that yes it supports the standard USB CDC serial driver as long as the phone / tablet in particular supports USB host mode.

For devices with separate usb-serial chip most will likely work but not necessarily all of them.

[shariltumin]

You can first try an Android application called "Micro REPL" from the Google Play Store.

If your board can connect to your Android phone and you get a REPL, then your app will most likely work too.

[steveh127]

Thanks for pointing out the Micro REPL app. Works very nicely on my Android tablet with both an ESP32-S3 module and a RP2040 module which are what I had to hand with a USB C connector.

It should prove a useful tool for quick fixes in remote locations. Not just a REPL as it includes script editing and running including scripts already on device.

[MrTinkerman]

Thanks for the info.

I'm pretty busy so it might be a while before I report back but I'll investigate my options.

[2dof]

see:
https://code.google.com/archive/p/android-serialport-api/wikis/android_to_rs232_guideline.wiki
and:
https://www.crazydanishhacker.com/category/hardware-hacking/