playing with micropython and a raspberry pi pico today, this is maybe the most fun I've ever had for $4
I got neopixels to work using PIO + DMA from scratch, which feels really satisfying! It's very cool to be able to program the IO controller to specify precise timings, tell it where the data is, and let it rip loose.
I'm using my own code instead of the pre-existing libraries as a learning exercise to understand how to program PIO+DMA on the pico, so that when I switch back over to writing C, it'll be easier to port and get precise control over timings and behavior instead of using the existing ecosystem libraries.
My current prototype code below the fold: