v1.8.0

v1.8.0 is a WiFi-and-tuning release: it speeds up the WINC SPI bus, fixes a batch of WINC socket bugs, caps the maximum FPS reduction, and changes the default auto-gain ceiling to 8x. The gain-ceiling default change is a behavior change — read the breaking changes below.

Highlights

  • Faster WiFi — higher WINC SPI baud rate, with socket fixes.

  • FPS cap — the maximum FPS reduction is capped at 1/2 FPS (30 FPS).

  • Breaking: the default auto-gain ceiling changed to 8x — see the breaking changes.

New features

  • Added an FPS test script.

Other changes and improvements

  • Raised the WINC SPI baud rate / speed for faster WiFi; capped the maximum FPS reduction at 1/2 FPS (30 FPS); cleaned up the debug logging and the MJPEG streaming example.

Bug fixes

  • Fixed the default framebuffer state, WINC socket accept info, WINC socket_send, and cleaned up the socket / async-request error handling.

Breaking API changes

User-visible API breaks between v1.7.0 and v1.8.0. Scope: Python C-modules in modules/ and Python libraries in scripts/libraries/.

The breaking change is a behavior change (same API, different result) — re-check affected scripts. Each commit hash links to its diff on GitHub.

Default auto-gain ceiling changed to 8x (behavior)

The default auto-gain ceiling was changed to 8x. Scripts that relied on the previous default gain ceiling will see different image brightness/noise under auto-gain — set an explicit gain ceiling if you need the old behavior.

Commits: bdafca5a7

Migration checklist

Set an explicit gain ceiling if your script depended on the previous default (the gain-ceiling change). All other scripts run unchanged.