Raspberry Pi Pico Guide

About Raspberry Pi Pico

Raspberry Pi Pico is a low-cost, high-performance microcontroller board with flexible digital interfaces. Built around the RP2040 microcontroller chip designed by Raspberry Pi, it features:

• Dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ processor, up to 133 MHz
• 264KB of SRAM and 2MB of flash memory
• 26 GPIO pins, 3 analog inputs
• USB 1.1 with device and host support
• Programmable I/O (PIO) for custom peripherals

Available variants:

• Pico: Base model without wireless connectivity
• Pico H: Pico with pre-soldered headers
• Pico W: Adds 2.4GHz WiFi
• Pico WH: Pico W with pre-soldered headers

What you'll need

• Raspberry Pi Pico (any variant)
• Micro-USB cable (for power and programming)
• Computer (Windows, macOS, or Linux) for programming
• Optional: Pin headers (if your Pico doesn't have pre-soldered headers), breadboard, jumper wires, LEDs, and components for projects

First connection

1. Hold the BOOTSEL button: On the Pico, locate the white BOOTSEL button on the board.
2. Connect while holding BOOTSEL: While holding the BOOTSEL button, connect the Pico to your computer with a micro-USB cable. Keep holding until the Pico is fully connected.
3. Release BOOTSEL: The Pico will appear as a USB mass storage device named "RPI-RP2" on your computer.

This boot mode allows you to drag-and-drop UF2 firmware files directly to the Pico for programming.

Programming options

Raspberry Pi Pico supports multiple programming languages and environments:

1. MicroPython (recommended for beginners)

Python for microcontrollers, ideal for learning and rapid prototyping.

• Download the MicroPython UF2 file from raspberrypi.com/documentation/microcontrollers
• Drag the UF2 file onto the RPI-RP2 drive (while in BOOTSEL mode)
• Use Thonny IDE (free) to write and run MicroPython code

2. C/C++ SDK

For advanced users requiring maximum performance and low-level hardware control.

• Install the Pico C/C++ SDK from the Raspberry Pi GitHub
• Use CMake and a cross-compiler toolchain
• Build UF2 binaries and flash to Pico

3. Arduino IDE

Program Pico using the familiar Arduino environment and libraries.

• Install Arduino IDE 2.0 or later
• Add Pico board support via Boards Manager
• Write sketches and upload via USB

See our detailed Pico programming guide for step-by-step instructions for each method.

Your first program

Blink the onboard LED (MicroPython)

1. Install MicroPython UF2 firmware (see above).
2. Open Thonny IDE and connect to the Pico.
3. Enter this code:

   from machine import Pin
   import time
   
   led = Pin(25, Pin.OUT)
   
   while True:
       led.toggle()
       time.sleep(1)

4. Click Run. The Pico's onboard LED should blink on and off every second.

Next steps:

• Try connecting external LEDs, buttons, and sensors to GPIO pins
• Explore the MicroPython documentation for Pico-specific modules
• Build projects: temperature sensors, servo control, displays, or WiFi connectivity (Pico W)