Getting began with SwiftIO – The.Swift.Dev.

The SwiftIO board

MadMachine’s SwiftIO board is an Arduino-like system, however it could possibly run Swift code natively on the {hardware}. Swift is a superb programming language for training functions, it’s a fashionable language with a JavaScript-like syntax that’s simple to study and perceive. Swift is protected and environment friendly, this mix makes it an ideal candidate for embedded techniques. The SwiftIO board permits us common Swift / iOS builders to construct IoT tasks utilizing our favourite programming language.

The board itself has a small footprint, it’s nearly 1,57” x 2,36” (4cm x 6cm) large.

It’s fairly a strong microcontroller. It’s undoubtedly essentially the most inexpensive Swift language studying gadget. It may be ideally suited for STEM training functions for college students who need to see how you can construct digital circuits and get some primary Swift programming expertise on the identical time.

The Maker Package field comprises each a 7 phase and an LCD show, a servo and a DC motor with drivers, a humiture (temperature & humidity) sensor, a buzzer module a potentiometer and a light-weight sensor and lots of extra different issues (breadboard, resistors, LEDs, buttons and cables, and so on.) that you should use to construct the starter tasks. You should have just about every little thing within the field that you simply want as a newcomer to get began and have some enjoyable time utilizing SwiftIO. 📦

Sadly you gained’t discover a working GPS, WiFi or Bluetooth module for the SwiftIO board but, however hopefully these type of equipment are only a few months away. There’s a new defend and a model new display screen module within the works. Oh by the best way a defend is one thing you could plug into your board and join exterior equipment utilizing “particular” colourful cables. 🌈

Shields are boards that may be plugged on high of the Arduino PCB extending its capabilities. The completely different shields comply with the identical philosophy as the unique toolkit: they’re simple to mount, and low-cost to supply. – ArduinoShields

The board initially went on sale in July, 2020 and many individuals introduced it from all all over the world. New plug-ins, extensions and modules are nonetheless being developed by the makers, however it is very important emphasize that the SwiftIO board {hardware} is in a steady state. 💪

Technical specs:

• i.MX RT1052 Crossover Processor with Arm® Cortex®-M7 core @600MHz
• Micro SD card slot, supporting customary and excessive capability SD playing cards
• Micro USB connector for energy
• On-board USB to UART for serial communication
• 46 GPIO on left and proper edges
• On-board GRB LED
• 12x 12-bit analog to digital (ADC) converters
• 4 UART, 2 CAN, 2 IIC, and a couple of SPI
• 14 PWM pins
• Many further superior options to fulfill the wants of superior customers

Ports, communication, structure

You may join the SwiftIO board to your laptop by way of a USB connector, the 2 units can talk by means of a serial port. The USB cable will present the required energy help, however alternatively you should use an adapter or an exterior battery by means of a defend.

You may wire up further elements utilizing the Common Objective Enter/Output pins (GPIO). You may see the precise specification on the image above, however truthfully I barely perceive this diagram.

Confession time: I don’t know shit about electronics (but). 💩

The board can be utilized with a defend and fortuitously the MakersKit arrives with a useful instruction handbook for absolute newcomers. I felt fortunate, as a result of I used to be capable of strategy this little gadget with my programmer mindset and I might focus extra on Swift as an alternative of constructing working circuits.

So what’s really underneath the hood? How can I construct & run purposes for SwiftIO?

The grey space is the {hardware} itself, on high of that within the pink-ish/purple bins there’s this Zephyr layer which I’ve by no means heard earlier than. I’m simply scratching the floor right here, however that’s tremendous, since as a Swift developer we solely care concerning the orange stuff. Lengthy story quick, there’s a customized constructed Swift toolchain for this gadget that permits us to construct and run Swift purposes on the board. 😅

If there’s a toolchain, then we are able to run Swift binaries, however how will we talk with the ports and stuff like that? Luckily the SwiftIO framework is right here for us. It gives an easy accessibility to speak with exterior {hardware} equipment. You may learn or write digital and analog alerts utilizing the communication protocol. Are you prepared for some Swift code?

The SwiftIO atmosphere

Though the {hardware} is steady, the software program just isn’t completed but. There are two choices accessible, however in case you are on a Home windows machine, you must seize the official MadMachine IDE and use that. The reason being that the Swift Package deal Supervisor just isn’t prepared for that platform but, so that you gained’t be capable of work with the instruments that I’ll present you subsequent. Sorry Home windows, no offense. 😅

So possibility A, is to go together with the IDE, it’s very easy to make use of and gives an incredible DX. Possibility B, study a bit extra concerning the underlying toolkit and comply with my information, it’s a bit extra sophisticated, however you’ll know extra concerning the technical infrastructure should you select this path. 🤔

Putting in the MadMachine SDK & CLI

As a macOS or Linux person you must know you could set up the unofficial MadMachine SDK alongside a command line software referred to as mm. As you possibly can see this MadMachine SDK is written in Swift, however you must know that I ported a python script from the unique mm-sdk undertaking with the assistance of Marcus Kida. First, he made an Xcode template by invoking the unique script contained in the official MadMachine IDE, then I assumed, it could be cool to eliminate the IDE for good, and now, right here we go, we’ve a standalone Swift model of the required construct instruments. You may set up it like this:

git clone https://github.com/EmbeddedSwift/MadMachine.git
cd MadMachine
make set up

Now you need to be prepared to make use of the mm cli app, you possibly can examine the accessible instructions contained in the README file on GitHub. I’ve not examined this on Linux but, so should you discover any points, please don’t hesitate to report or submit a PR. That is an experimental undertaking, so maintain this in thoughts. 😅

The MadMachine toolchain

In an effort to use the MadMachine SDK you’ll need a working toolchain put in in your laptop. You may seize the most recent one by working the next command:

mm toolchain --upgrade

This can seize the most recent launch from the unofficial MadMachine toolchain repository, and place it underneath your property folder contained in the .MadMachine listing. There may be one further factor that now you need to do earlier than you might begin constructing SwiftIO apps. Presently there’s one further python script that was not ported but, as a result of it is going to be fully eradicated sooner or later. For now you continue to must obtain the official MadMachine SDK from the GitHub releases web page and place the whole contents of the mm-sdk/tools_[platform]/scripts/dist/gen_isr_tables folder into the ~/.MadMachine/legacy listing. You might need to create a legacy folder. 🙈

The SwiftIO framework

The SwiftIO framework goes to be linked with the applying binary, we’ve to put in it (with the assistance of the mm-cli software) as a system library first. There’s an unofficial repo with a makefile for this:

git clone https://github.com/EmbeddedSwift/SwiftIO
cd SwiftIO
make set up

You’ll find the library reference for the SwiftIO framework, however we’ll see you may make it work, in only a few moments. Earlier than we go additional you must observe that the customized MadMachine toolchain is a modified model of the Swift 5.1 toolchain. This implies you could’t use Swift 5.3 on the board but, however hopefully the creators of SwiftIO will launch new software program elements actual quickly. 🤞

Utilizing Xcode

The SwiftIO framework may be compiled in your native machine with the native Swift toolchain (utilizing Xcode), so it’s attainable to construct purposes with out concentrating on the board, and afterward you possibly can re-compile the supply recordsdata with the mm-cli command, signal the ultimate binary and deploy it to the SwiftIO board after you’ve pressed the obtain button. That is the present workflow in a nutshell.

There may be an present Xcode template created by @kidmar that you should use as a place to begin.

Utilizing SPM

These days I want to create a Swift bundle for nearly every little thing. You should use SPM with a Makefile and your favourite editor to create SwiftIO apps. You simply must initialize a brand new executable bundle with the required dependencies, for instance:

// swift-tools-version:5.3
import PackageDescription

let bundle = Package deal(
    title: "myProject",
    merchandise: [
        .executable(name: "myProject", targets: ["myProject"]),
    ],
    dependencies: [
        .package(url: "https://github.com/EmbeddedSwift/SwiftIO", .branch("main")),
        .package(url: "https://github.com/EmbeddedSwift/SHT3x", .branch("main")),
        .package(url: "https://github.com/EmbeddedSwift/LCD1602", .branch("main")),
    ],
    targets: [
        .target(name: "myProject", dependencies: [
            .product(name: "SwiftIO", package: "SwiftIO"),
            .product(name: "SHT3x", package: "SHT3x"),
            .product(name: "LCD1602", package: "LCD1602"),
        ]),
    ]
)

Contained in the primary.swift file now you possibly can write a easy Humiture sensor app that shows the present humidity & temperature on a 16×2 LCD show like this:

import SwiftIO
import SHT3x
import LCD1602

// Get a quantity with one decimal place.
extension Float {
    func format(_ f: Int) -> Float {
        guard f > 0 else {return self}
        var mul = 10
        for _ in 1..

Now should you open the Package deal.swift file utilizing Xcode you possibly can even construct the undertaking domestically utilizing the CMD+B shortcut, however don’t attempt to run it, since your Mac just isn’t a SwiftIO board… 😅

If you wish to construct and run this undertaking you need to goal the SwiftIO board. The mm-cli can’t resolve bundle dependencies (but) so you need to set up the required dependencies (SHT3x, LCD1602) the identical method as we did with the SwiftIO library. You must clone each repositories and use the makefile to put in them as native MadMachine system libraries. This can transfer the required recordsdata underneath the ~/.MadMachine/libraries folder, all of the accessible libraries “stay” there. 🔨

After you’ve put in the libraries, you should use the next Makefile for the precise binary builds:

construct:
    mm construct --name myProject --binary-type executable --input . --output ./myProject

run: construct
    mm board --run ./myProject/swiftio.bin

clear:
    rm -r ./myProject

The mm construct command invokes the swiftc compiler from the SwiftIO toolchain with the correct search paths and library search paths. The mm board --run [binary] command will merely copy the required recordsdata to the MadMachine board whether it is in obtain mode. You must press the obtain button on the board earlier than you run this command. Urgent the obtain button will mount the SD card so we are able to deploy the signed binary to the gadget, then eject the storage, which can restart the board and the brand new utility shall be loaded & executed immediately. 🚀

The MadMachine IDE

When you don’t prefer to play with command line utilities, you possibly can all the time use the MadMachine IDE to construct and ship your tasks. It makes use of a mmp file to explain dependencies, so it could possibly resolve them on the fly, however I don’t like the truth that I’ve to make use of a brand new bundle supervisor and editor to work with Swift. I’m in a love and hate relationship with Xcode (plus I’m an old-school Chic Textual content fan). ❤️

Anyway, yow will discover actually nice examples with a devoted GitHub repository and lots of video tutorials on the official YouTube channel. You may entry all of the MakerKit pattern codes, they’re each on GitHub and you’ll clone a template with a click on utilizing the MadMachine IDE.

Conclusion

For me, the SwiftIO board was a pleasing shock. I all the time needed to play with embedded techniques, know a bit extra about {hardware} and low stage stuff, however the Raspberry PI and the Arduino felt like alien planet. As soon as I’ve tried to construct an app for a Raspberry PI at a hackaton, however it was an entire catastrophe, I used to be dissatisfied, as a result of the instruments and the developer expertise was actually unhealthy.

The promise of MadMachine is you could simply use Swift on such a tool and I consider that Andy Liu created one thing that may have a shiny future on the long run. I felt in love with SwiftIO proper after I’ve assembled my first circuit and deployed my very first Swift supply. It was a seamless (ache free) expertise and I consider that’s a extremely vital issue for builders who by no means used such units earlier than. This may be the start and the way forward for Swift on embedded techniques. 😍

You may construct some actually enjoyable stuff with SwiftIO, it’s an ideal software for studying how electrical circuits work. I can’t wait to see increasingly more sensors and libraries accessible for MadMachine. You probably have an concept or a query be happy to affix the official Discord server.