Raspberry Pi Pico - Vilros.com

Raspberry Pi Pico

Raspberry Pi Pico

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SKU: RPPICO
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The Raspberry Pi Pico is built around the RP2040 microcontroller, making it ideal for automation, robotics, sensors, and custom electronics. With flexible GPIO and low power consumption, it's a versatile platform for learning and prototyping.

Board Type: Non Wireless-No Header
Package Type: Board Only

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The Raspberry Pi Pico is a low-cost, high-performance microcontroller board with flexible digital interfaces.

The Raspberry Pi Pico is minimalistic and simple. It comes equipped with a single green LED, boot select button, and power supply converter to make sure you don't fry your board at the wrong voltage.

The Pico measures 0.825" x 2", which makes it perfect for attaching to a breadboard or perfboard. For permanent installation, it has headers that can be soldered in place. There are 40 pads in total with 20 pads on each side. It has groups of general-purpose input-and-output (GPIO) pins incorporated with plenty of ground pins - you can find more information about the GPIO setup here.

Board Specifications:

  • RP2040 microcontroller chip designed by Raspberry Pi in the United Kingdom
  • Dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ processor, flexible clock running up to 133 MHz
  • 264KB of SRAM, and 2MB of on-board Flash memory
  • The castellated module allows soldering directly to carrier boards
  • USB 1.1 with device and host support
  • Low-power sleep and dormant modes
  • Drag-and-drop programming using mass storage over USB
  • 26 × multi-function GPIO pins
  • 2 × SPI, 2 × I2C, 2 × UART, 3 × 12-bit ADC, 16 × controllable PWM channels
  • Accurate clock and timer on-chip
  • Temperature sensor
  • Accelerated floating-point libraries on-chip
  • 8 × Programmable I/O (PIO) state machines for custom peripheral support

How Does the Raspberry Pi Pico Work?

In contrast to other processors that have specific hardware built-in for serial data and SDIO peripherals, the RP2040 uses PIO state machines as a unique way of creating custom logic blocks. For example, NeoPixels often need timing-specific protocols for bit-banging on software; in this processor, we run them off of their object which does perfect accuracy without taking up any CPU time.

Inside the RP2040 is a 'permanent ROM' USB UF2 bootloader. This means that when you want to program new firmware, instead of plugging it into your computer like any other USB drive, hold down the BOOT SEL button while plugging in and turn on power from either an external power supply or battery pack (or pulling down RUN/Reset pin to ground).

You can then drag-and-drop firmware files onto this device for programming! However, unlike most devices which take double clicks during reset time before entering into their respective operating systems; there's no need.

The RP2040 might not have built-in flash memory, but it comes with an external QSPI chip that has 2MB. When using either MicroPython or CircuitPython the whole of that space is shared between the program and any file storage used by a user. Those who use C/C++ get access to all of the board's available 256KB RAM as well as its Flash Memory (2 MB) which can be accessed through SPI0 pins for programming in Python; while users will only get 1 MB left on their own when running code written in Python programs like Pygame or Blinky Lite.

Raspberry Pi Pico and RP2040 FAQ

Should I buy a Raspberry Pi Pico or a Raspberry Pi Zero?

Raspberry Pi Zero is more of a multifunctional device, whereas Raspberry Pi Pico plugs into one task. A microcontroller can be plugged in for specific tasks or as the controller on an embedded system; while microcomputers are meant to run your operating systems and applications like Windows 10/Linux Mint. The two devices have different purposes - but what's interesting about them isn't just their capabilities, it's how they perform those functions at very different levels of power consumption: with less than half the energy usage!

What OS does it run?

The chip doesn't run an OS by default, but it does come with a rich library of functions to help you use the hardware/features. You can write “bare metal” C or C++ applications easily using its SDK and higher-level functionality like that found in an operating system is available too - MicroPython for beginners who want something simpler!

Is it open-source?

The Raspberry Pi Pico board is a circuit board with the latest microcontroller technology to put your unique ideas into action. The design files are open-source, along with all the provided software and documentation so you can start programming right away! The internal design of the RP2040 microcontroller itself is not open-source.

Does it support Arduino/Blockly/other programming environments?

No, however some third parties have portedtheir systems over to make them available for the Pico.

Is RP2040 5V tolerant?

No. RP2040 microcontrollers use 3.3V for GPIO.

I've accidentally connected +5V to my Raspberry Pi Pico or other RP2040-based microcontroller. Is the pin dead?

It depends; often RP2040 will survive, but it is not recommended and can reduce the life of the microcontroller.

What low-power modes are there?

To reduce power consumption, you can do several things. For example, slowing down the system clock and powering some memories off will help to extend battery life. There are two specific modes for turning off parts of the device when not being used:

SLEEP mode is when processors are in wifi/wife and DMA is inactive, so you can shut off most system clocks, including things like bus fabric.

DORMANT mode is when you shut down all oscillators, and so is lower power still, but then you have fewer options for waking.

I’m using VSCode. How do I set a breakpoint on the second core?

At the moment you need to use the command window in VSCode to set a gdb breakpoint.

GCC 10.2 is available. Why aren’t you using it by default?

Development work has been using the more common versions of GCC as supplied with various distributions. Builds using major gcc versions from 6.3.1 to 10.2 have been checked, so all of those should work.

What is the maximum flash size for the RP2040 chip?

The RP2040 chip has 16 MiB of flash (2^24 bytes).

Can I overclock the Raspberry Pi Pico?

The maximum clk_sys clock speed is 133MHz at a normal core voltage (1.1V ±10%), but it can be overclocked by increasing the power and supplying a higher core voltage to your device, which may shorten its life expectancy. No warranties are given when running outside of the limits specified in the datasheet.

Raspberry Pi Pico Resources:

Raspberry Pi Pico Board Specifications:

  • RP2040 microcontroller chip designed by Raspberry Pi in the United Kingdom
  • Dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ processor, flexible clock running up to 133 MHz
  • 264KB of SRAM, and 2MB of on-board Flash memory
  • The castellated module allows soldering directly to carrier boards
  • USB 1.1 with device and host support
  • Low-power sleep and dormant modes
  • Drag-and-drop programming using mass storage over USB
  • 26 × multi-function GPIO pins
  • 2 × SPI, 2 × I2C, 2 × UART, 3 × 12-bit ADC, 16 × controllable PWM channels
  • Accurate clock and timer on-chip
  • Temperature sensor
  • Accelerated floating-point libraries on-chip
  • 8 × Programmable I/O (PIO) state machines for custom peripheral support
Warranty & Support

Products manufactured by Vilros are covered by a one-year limited warranty against manufacturing defects from the date of purchase.

Raspberry Pi products are covered by a one-year manufacturer's warranty (link).

Arduino products are covered by a one-year manufacturer's warranty (link).

What’s Covered
  • Manufacturing defects in included hardware components
  • Power supply and accessory functionality issues
  • Missing or damaged items upon delivery
  • Technical support for setup and starter guidance
Customer Support

If you believe your product is defective, please submit a warranty claim through the RMA process: https://vilros.com/a/service/returns

After reviewing the claim, Vilros may:

  • Provide a replacement product, or
  • Issue a refund where appropriate
Beginner-Friendly Confidence

Whether you're learning programming, building electronics projects, creating retro gaming systems, or experimenting with home automation, our support team is here to answer your questions and support your projects!

Description

The Raspberry Pi Pico is a low-cost, high-performance microcontroller board with flexible digital interfaces.

The Raspberry Pi Pico is minimalistic and simple. It comes equipped with a single green LED, boot select button, and power supply converter to make sure you don't fry your board at the wrong voltage.

The Pico measures 0.825" x 2", which makes it perfect for attaching to a breadboard or perfboard. For permanent installation, it has headers that can be soldered in place. There are 40 pads in total with 20 pads on each side. It has groups of general-purpose input-and-output (GPIO) pins incorporated with plenty of ground pins - you can find more information about the GPIO setup here.

Board Specifications:

  • RP2040 microcontroller chip designed by Raspberry Pi in the United Kingdom
  • Dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ processor, flexible clock running up to 133 MHz
  • 264KB of SRAM, and 2MB of on-board Flash memory
  • The castellated module allows soldering directly to carrier boards
  • USB 1.1 with device and host support
  • Low-power sleep and dormant modes
  • Drag-and-drop programming using mass storage over USB
  • 26 × multi-function GPIO pins
  • 2 × SPI, 2 × I2C, 2 × UART, 3 × 12-bit ADC, 16 × controllable PWM channels
  • Accurate clock and timer on-chip
  • Temperature sensor
  • Accelerated floating-point libraries on-chip
  • 8 × Programmable I/O (PIO) state machines for custom peripheral support

How Does the Raspberry Pi Pico Work?

In contrast to other processors that have specific hardware built-in for serial data and SDIO peripherals, the RP2040 uses PIO state machines as a unique way of creating custom logic blocks. For example, NeoPixels often need timing-specific protocols for bit-banging on software; in this processor, we run them off of their object which does perfect accuracy without taking up any CPU time.

Inside the RP2040 is a 'permanent ROM' USB UF2 bootloader. This means that when you want to program new firmware, instead of plugging it into your computer like any other USB drive, hold down the BOOT SEL button while plugging in and turn on power from either an external power supply or battery pack (or pulling down RUN/Reset pin to ground).

You can then drag-and-drop firmware files onto this device for programming! However, unlike most devices which take double clicks during reset time before entering into their respective operating systems; there's no need.

The RP2040 might not have built-in flash memory, but it comes with an external QSPI chip that has 2MB. When using either MicroPython or CircuitPython the whole of that space is shared between the program and any file storage used by a user. Those who use C/C++ get access to all of the board's available 256KB RAM as well as its Flash Memory (2 MB) which can be accessed through SPI0 pins for programming in Python; while users will only get 1 MB left on their own when running code written in Python programs like Pygame or Blinky Lite.

Raspberry Pi Pico and RP2040 FAQ

Should I buy a Raspberry Pi Pico or a Raspberry Pi Zero?

Raspberry Pi Zero is more of a multifunctional device, whereas Raspberry Pi Pico plugs into one task. A microcontroller can be plugged in for specific tasks or as the controller on an embedded system; while microcomputers are meant to run your operating systems and applications like Windows 10/Linux Mint. The two devices have different purposes - but what's interesting about them isn't just their capabilities, it's how they perform those functions at very different levels of power consumption: with less than half the energy usage!

What OS does it run?

The chip doesn't run an OS by default, but it does come with a rich library of functions to help you use the hardware/features. You can write “bare metal” C or C++ applications easily using its SDK and higher-level functionality like that found in an operating system is available too - MicroPython for beginners who want something simpler!

Is it open-source?

The Raspberry Pi Pico board is a circuit board with the latest microcontroller technology to put your unique ideas into action. The design files are open-source, along with all the provided software and documentation so you can start programming right away! The internal design of the RP2040 microcontroller itself is not open-source.

Does it support Arduino/Blockly/other programming environments?

No, however some third parties have portedtheir systems over to make them available for the Pico.

Is RP2040 5V tolerant?

No. RP2040 microcontrollers use 3.3V for GPIO.

I've accidentally connected +5V to my Raspberry Pi Pico or other RP2040-based microcontroller. Is the pin dead?

It depends; often RP2040 will survive, but it is not recommended and can reduce the life of the microcontroller.

What low-power modes are there?

To reduce power consumption, you can do several things. For example, slowing down the system clock and powering some memories off will help to extend battery life. There are two specific modes for turning off parts of the device when not being used:

SLEEP mode is when processors are in wifi/wife and DMA is inactive, so you can shut off most system clocks, including things like bus fabric.

DORMANT mode is when you shut down all oscillators, and so is lower power still, but then you have fewer options for waking.

I’m using VSCode. How do I set a breakpoint on the second core?

At the moment you need to use the command window in VSCode to set a gdb breakpoint.

GCC 10.2 is available. Why aren’t you using it by default?

Development work has been using the more common versions of GCC as supplied with various distributions. Builds using major gcc versions from 6.3.1 to 10.2 have been checked, so all of those should work.

What is the maximum flash size for the RP2040 chip?

The RP2040 chip has 16 MiB of flash (2^24 bytes).

Can I overclock the Raspberry Pi Pico?

The maximum clk_sys clock speed is 133MHz at a normal core voltage (1.1V ±10%), but it can be overclocked by increasing the power and supplying a higher core voltage to your device, which may shorten its life expectancy. No warranties are given when running outside of the limits specified in the datasheet.

Raspberry Pi Pico Resources:

Board Specification

Raspberry Pi Pico Board Specifications:

  • RP2040 microcontroller chip designed by Raspberry Pi in the United Kingdom
  • Dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ processor, flexible clock running up to 133 MHz
  • 264KB of SRAM, and 2MB of on-board Flash memory
  • The castellated module allows soldering directly to carrier boards
  • USB 1.1 with device and host support
  • Low-power sleep and dormant modes
  • Drag-and-drop programming using mass storage over USB
  • 26 × multi-function GPIO pins
  • 2 × SPI, 2 × I2C, 2 × UART, 3 × 12-bit ADC, 16 × controllable PWM channels
  • Accurate clock and timer on-chip
  • Temperature sensor
  • Accelerated floating-point libraries on-chip
  • 8 × Programmable I/O (PIO) state machines for custom peripheral support
Warranty
Warranty & Support

Products manufactured by Vilros are covered by a one-year limited warranty against manufacturing defects from the date of purchase.

Raspberry Pi products are covered by a one-year manufacturer's warranty (link).

Arduino products are covered by a one-year manufacturer's warranty (link).

What’s Covered
  • Manufacturing defects in included hardware components
  • Power supply and accessory functionality issues
  • Missing or damaged items upon delivery
  • Technical support for setup and starter guidance
Customer Support

If you believe your product is defective, please submit a warranty claim through the RMA process: https://vilros.com/a/service/returns

After reviewing the claim, Vilros may:

  • Provide a replacement product, or
  • Issue a refund where appropriate
Beginner-Friendly Confidence

Whether you're learning programming, building electronics projects, creating retro gaming systems, or experimenting with home automation, our support team is here to answer your questions and support your projects!

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  • 5 stars: 77 (97%)
  • 4 stars: 1 (1%)
  • 3 stars: 1 (1%)
  • 2 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 1 star: 0 (0%)
Some of the reviews shown are from related products the merchant grouped with this one.
D
David (Blue Bell, US)

My first order from Vilros because they where the only people with a PI Pico in stock. Easy order experience and part arrived quickly.

David review photo
O
Oleh

Works well

a
alex

Good

N
NR

Great as always.
(:

M
Michael

I don't know how they make money off selling these. Four bucks with free shipping for something so useful is a bargain.

K
Kevin H. (Corona, US)
Non Wireless-No Header / Board Only
Did what I needed it to do

I used this to get my EEPROM from my original Xbox since my original hard drive died. This was one of the only ways to get that key. I used a few programs from GitHub and a nice YouTube tutorial which led me through how to do it. Used the soldering iron and some jumper cables and connected it to the motherboard of the original Xbox. This little thing did it’s job well.

The most impressive thing is the price. I searched on Amazon and they had two of these Raspberry Pie Pico’s for $14! No way! Here, for four dollars and free shipping anywhere in the US? It was a no brainer. I did not have to go to Micro Center 40 minutes away to grab this item. Although I could’ve gotten it the same day if I did that, it just saved the hassle of having to leave my house and create time in my day to do something like that. I think I’m going to be using this site much more often for my PC hardware needs.

S
Sami

For free shipping and only $4 its good

K
Killian

Great deal

N
NR

Worked perfectly for my 360 modding projects. (;

D
Davis

As expected.

R
Rick D. (Albuquerque, US)
Non Wireless-No Header / Vilros Basic Starter Kit
Great product for the "tinkerer" in you

I consider more of a "tinkerer" with electronics especially microcontrollers. I've used a range of Arduino and raspberry pi boards but wanted to expand a bit into the Pico series. Since I've used Vilros before I consider them a trusted source. I decided to pick up a couple of the basic, and original, Pico boards along with a starter kit since the price was right and I had a couple of projects in mind. I haven't been disappointed especially with the variety of sources outlining, step by step, how to actually start using the devices. My only advice is the Pico operated differently than both Arduino Uno and most other Raspberry Pi series boards. Use the links provided on the Vilros pages to get started for a painless introduction.

p
parry T. (Monroe, US)
title

It's good for small coding things and other stuff. But make sure you don't brick the pico because it is useless after you do that.

B
B D. (Colorado Springs, US)
An excellent place for the Pico and Pico 2

I love the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 with it's excellent set of features, especially the 12 state machines with a simple assembler interface and free compiler. I consider it as a state of the art micro-controller at a very low price and it has a very inexpensive hardware debugger for extremely low cost. I am looking forward to the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W with wireless included.

D
David I. (Murphys, US)
sweet little board.

Pretty easy to get started. Excited to see where it goes

D
David V. (Cedar Rapids, US)
Order fulfilled promptly with all components arriving as expected.

Order fulfilled promptly with all components arriving as expected.

B
Brendan D. (Austin, US)
Great little microcontroller

This is a great microcontroller for hobbyist use. The bare metal C toolchain is easily driven from a Pi 400 (although I question the adoption of cmake over something more ubiquitous although cryptic like make). Can't beat the price for the power and flexibility of these.

T
Talt B. (Cincinnati, US)
Love it, it's so tiny!

This rounds out my set. I have a raspberry pi 4B, a Zero W and now the Pico W. I'll use it either as a weather station or robotics control unit.

W
William C. (Eustis, US)

Very pleased repeat customer!

A
Anthony R. (El Cajon, US)
A MUST have device!!

There is no easier way to start learning python and about the world of microcontrollers. I just plugged this puppy in, uploaded the firmware, installed rshell on my workstation, and I was off to the races!!

Great quality product, fast shipping, and good customer service. I plan on buying more!

T
Tim M. (Chicago, US)
Raspberry Pico

Cool little board nice to do projects with your kids or grandkids.
Arrived in a timely manner as well!
Great company to buy from

R
R.H. (Everett, US)
Great supplier

I have bought several SBC's and kits from Vilros and they are prompt and reliable. Never a disappointment. I have a good supply of Pico W's now and am enjoying experimenting and building several projects.

N
Norman B. (Macedon, US)
Difficult to get this version

I've been trying to get the Pico W since I first read about it. It was always sold out from the different suppliers. Now I have one!

M
Michael

Fast shipping and amazing product

M
Michael

Fast shipping and awesome product

T
Thomas

Even without the wifi capability the Pico is a great board.

T
Thomas

I read so much about the Pico W and I'm totally enjoying it. Very versatile

S
Sanjaya K.
Fast shipping delivery

Timely shipping and delivery

D
Diego

Amazing

D
Diego

Amazing price and specs of this microcontroller

T
Trey L. (Pittsburgh, US)
Exactly as advertised

Have not implemented them but all 4 pieces I received look well soldered.

B
Blake R.A.
Got exactly what I wanted

Got a couple well-soldered Picos ready to go. Shipped fast, no complications, good price 👍👍

J
Jeffrey B.O. (Marietta, US)
Awesome

This was just what I was looking for: and inexpensive IOT device with wireless and easy to use. Vilross was great. Unavailable parts were delivered well completely unobtanium. Thanks a lot!

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