python: added two examples from community (this is so great!)

python/README.md

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+
+Using Python to control blink(1)
+================================
+
+There are two ways to get Python to access blink(1): 
+
+- Use the PyUSB library to construct USB HID requests
+- Wrap the "blink1-lib" C-library located in blink1/commandline
+
+The PyUSB is very easy to use, but creates an additional dependency for shipped code.  
+Wrapping the C-library means you need to deal with platform-specific issues.
+
+Thanks to members of the blink(1) community, both of these techniques have working examples:
+
+- Aaron Blondeau's script "blink1hid-demo.py" shows how to construct raw HID reports 
+that send commands to blink(1)
+
+- Stephen Youndt's script "blink1-ctypes.py" shows how to wrap the C library
+

python/blink1-ctypes.py

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+#/usr/bin/python
+""" 
+blink1.py -- Python interface to libblink1 through the magic of ctypes 
+
+import blink1 
+dev = blink1.open() 
+blink1.setRGB(d, 255,0,0) # Red 
+... 
+
+Do not: 
+from blink1 import * 
+or you will polute your namespace with some very common names (i.e. File I/O) 
+
+Make sure the "blink1-lib" shared library / DLL is in your path 
+for more info see: 
+https://getsatisfaction.com/thingm/topics/more_comprehensive_python_support
+
+Thanks to Stephen Youndt for this
+""" 
+
+from ctypes import *
+from ctypes.util import find_library
+import inspect, os
+import glob
+# Find the library 
+localpath = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(inspect.getfile(inspect.currentframe())))
+libname = find_library("blink1")
+if libname is None:
+    libname = find_library("Blink1")
+if libname is None:
+    libname = find_library("blink1-lib")
+if libname is None:
+    libname = glob.glob(os.path.join(localpath, '[Bb]link1-lib.so'))[-1]
+if libname is None:
+    libname = glob.glob(os.path.join(localpath, 'blink1-lib.dll'))[-1]
+if libname is None:
+    libname = glob.glob(os.path.join(localpath, 'lib[Bb]link1*'))[-1]
+# If we found the library, load it
+assert libname is not None
+libblink1 = CDLL(libname)
+vid = libblink1.blink1_vid
+vid.restype = c_int
+pid = libblink1.blink1_pid
+pid.restype = c_int
+sortPaths = libblink1.blink1_sortPaths
+sortSerials = libblink1.blink1_sortSerials
+enumerate = libblink1.blink1_enumerate
+enumerate.restype = c_int
+enumerateByVidPid = libblink1.blink1_enumerateByVidPid
+enumerateByVidPid.restype = c_int
+enumerateByVidPid.argtypes = [c_int, c_int]
+getCachedPath = libblink1.blink1_getCachedPath
+getCachedPath.restype = c_char_p
+getCachedPath.argtypes = [c_int]
+getCachedSerial = libblink1.blink1_getCachedSerial
+getCachedSerial.restype = c_wchar_p
+getCachedSerial.argtypes = [c_int]
+getCachedCount = libblink1.blink1_getCachedCount
+getCachedCount.restype = c_int
+open = libblink1.blink1_open
+open.restype = c_void_p
+openByPath = libblink1.blink1_openByPath
+openByPath.restype = c_void_p
+openByPath.argtypes = [c_char_p]
+openBySerial = libblink1.blink1_openBySerial
+openBySerial.restype = c_void_p
+openBySerial.argtypes = [c_wchar_p]
+openById = libblink1.blink1_openById
+openById.restype = c_void_p
+openById.argtypes = [c_int]
+close = libblink1.blink1_close
+close.argtypes = [c_void_p]
+write = libblink1.blink1_write
+write.restype = c_int
+write.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_void_p, c_int]
+read = libblink1.blink1_read
+read.restype = c_int
+read.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_void_p, c_int]
+getSerialNumber = libblink1.blink1_getSerialNumber
+getSerialNumber.restype = c_int
+getSerialNumber.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_char_p]
+getVersion = libblink1.blink1_getVersion
+getVersion.restype = c_int
+getVersion.argtypes = [c_void_p]
+fadeToRGB = libblink1.blink1_fadeToRGB
+fadeToRGB.restype = c_int
+fadeToRGB.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_ushort, c_ubyte, c_ubyte, c_ubyte]
+setRGB = libblink1.blink1_setRGB
+setRGB.restype = c_int
+setRGB.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_ubyte, c_ubyte, c_ubyte]
+eeread = libblink1.blink1_eeread
+eeread.restype = c_int
+eeread.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_ushort, c_void_p]
+eewrite = libblink1.blink1_eewrite
+eewrite.restype = c_int
+eewrite.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_ushort, c_void_p]
+serialnumread = libblink1.blink1_serialnumread
+serialnumread.restype = c_int
+serialnumread.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_void_p]
+serialnumwrite = libblink1.blink1_serialnumwrite
+serialnumwrite.restype = c_int
+serialnumwrite.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_void_p]
+serverdown = libblink1.blink1_serverdown
+serverdown.restype = c_int
+serverdown.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_ubyte, c_ushort]
+play = libblink1.blink1_play
+play.restype = c_int
+play.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_ubyte, c_ubyte]
+writePatternLine = libblink1.blink1_writePatternLine
+writePatternLine.restype = c_int
+writePatternLine.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_ushort, c_ubyte, c_ubyte, c_ubyte, c_ubyte]
+readPatternLine = libblink1.blink1_readPatternLine
+readPatternLine.restype = c_int
+readPatternLine.argtypes = [c_void_p, c_void_p, c_void_p, c_void_p, c_void_p, c_void_p]
+error_msg = libblink1.blink1_error_msg
+error_msg.restype = c_char_p
+error_msg.argtypes = [c_int]
+enableDegamma = libblink1.blink1_enableDegamma
+disableDegamma = libblink1.blink1_disableDegamma
+degamma = libblink1.blink1_degamma
+degamma.restype = c_int
+degamma.argtypes = [c_int]
+sleep = libblink1.blink1_sleep
+sleep.argtypes = [c_ushort]
+

python/blink1hid-demo.py

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+#!/usr/bin/python
+"""
+blink1hid-demo.py -- Low-level HID access with Python
+ 
+Thanks to Aaron Blondeau for this
+
+As he says:
+ "I am working on controlling a Blink1 from an Android.  
+ In order to understand how the set feature calls work without wearing out 
+ the usb port on my Android I have created a python script that uses the pyusb library.
+ The code is as follows if you wish to share and save some time for other folks."
+
+"""
+
+import usb # https://github.com/walac/pyusb
+          # + "brew install libusb" on osx 
+          # + libusb-win32 (inf method) on windows
+
+#Find the Blink1
+dev = usb.core.find(idVendor=0x27b8, idProduct=0x01ed)
+assert dev is not None
+
+#The Blink1 takes 8 bytes of input
+# 1=report_id (0)
+# 2=action (c = fade to rgb, n = set rgb now)
+# 3=red
+# 4=green
+# 5=blue
+# 6=th : time/cs high (T >>8)  where time 'T' is a number of 10msec ticks
+# 7=tl : time/cs low (T & 0xff)
+# 8=step (0)
+
+# once a buffer is set with these bytes, we need to do what blink1_write / hid_send_feature_report does
+# https://github.com/todbot/blink1/blob/master/commandline/blink1-lib.c
+# https://github.com/signal11/hidapi/blob/master/libusb/hid.c
+
+#set color to red
+bmRequestTypeOut = usb.util.build_request_type(usb.util.CTRL_OUT, usb.util.CTRL_TYPE_CLASS, usb.util.CTRL_RECIPIENT_INTERFACE)
+action = 0x6E # ='n' (set rgb now)
+red = 0xFF
+green = 0x00
+blue = 0x00
+dev.ctrl_transfer(bmRequestTypeOut, 0x09, (3 << 8) | 0x01, 0, [0x00, action, red, green, blue, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00])
+
+#then fade to blue
+action = 0x63 # ='c' (fade to rgb)
+red = 0x00
+green = 0x00
+blue = 0xFF
+T = 5000/10 #5 seconds worth of 10msec tics
+th = (T & 0xff00) >> 8
+tl = T & 0x00ff
+dev.ctrl_transfer(bmRequestTypeOut, 0x09, (3 << 8) | 0x01, 0, [0x00, action, red, green, blue, th, tl, 0x00, 0x00])
+
+#get version number
+import time
+import string
+action = 0x76 # ='v' (version)
+dev.ctrl_transfer(bmRequestTypeOut, 0x09, (3 << 8) | 0x01, 0, [0x00, action, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00])
+time.sleep(.05)
+bmRequestTypeIn = usb.util.build_request_type(usb.util.CTRL_IN, usb.util.CTRL_TYPE_CLASS, usb.util.CTRL_RECIPIENT_INTERFACE)
+version_raw = dev.ctrl_transfer(bmRequestTypeIn, 0x01, (3 << 8) | 0x01, 0, 8)
+version = ''.join(chr(i) for i in version_raw) # items in the array should correspond to ascii codes for something like "v 100"
+version = filter(lambda x: x in string.printable, version)
+print version #the c code must tack on an extra 0?
+