Building MicroPython firmware

[JumpZero]

Hello,

After having unsuccessfully tried to get this “cron-like” scheduler: https://github.com/rguillon/schedule running and got many memory errors, I understood that the only way was frozen module.
And it works! Very nice, I can now program my plant watering system with smart commands like:

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schedule.every().wednesday.at("13:15").do(job)

So I’m happy with that.
To freeze modules, I have installed the Espressif SDK and MicroPython following buid instructions here: https://github.com/micropython/micropyt ... ts/esp8266
Everything worked as described, excepted I didn’t buid the MicroPython cross-compiler with

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$ make -C mpy-cross 

as instructed, I forgot, but despite that I do have the mpy-cross executable and my modules are successffully pre-compiled.
Is this step not anymore nececessary? Is the cross-compiler built with MicroPython?
And last question: I undrestand that from time to time I must update the Espressif sdk and the MicroPython source code how do I do that: a

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git pull 

command from within the respective directory? Nothing more?

Thanks
--
Jmp0

[SpotlightKid]

$ make -C mpy-cross

as instructed, I forgot, but despite that I do have the mpy-cross executable and my modules are successffully pre-compiled.
Is this step not anymore nececessary? Is the cross-compiler built with MicroPython?

The "mpy-cross" cross-compiler is built by default by the "all" target of the Makefile of some ports (e.g the "stm32" port), so you might have built "mpy-cross" already earlier by building the firmware for some other port.

git pull

command from within the respective directory? Nothing more?

To be totally sure you've updated everything, you should do:

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git pull
git pull --tags
git submodule update --init
make clean

And then do the normal build process (i.e. "make").

Please take note that after a "make clean" it takes a long time (>30 min on my laptop) to rebuild the toolchain.

[pythoncoder]

My understanding is that updating the Espressif toolchain is only necessary when the MicroPython maintainers do so. This is done infrequently and in a controlled fashion and is announced.

In the early days it was a regular chore.

[JumpZero]

@SpotlightKid & @pythoncoder: Thanks for your answers
I'll keep my Espressif sdk + MicroPython source code up to date
cheers

[pythoncoder]

By all means update the MicroPython source but use the same version of the SDK as the maintainers, not Espressif's hot-off-the-press latest. See https://github.com/micropython/micropyt ... /README.md.

[JumpZero]

Thanks for pointing this out, pythoncoder. I'll do.

[zedtech]

Kindly enlighten me, what changes did you make to this module to make it usable with MicroPython before freezing it?