Allowing you to create electronic projects through programming, the Raspberry Pi Pico is a remarkably small microcontroller. Notably, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has developed its own RP2040 chip to power this device, marking the foundation’s entry into silicon manufacturing.

For those unfamiliar, microcontrollers are designed to manage and control other hardware components or devices. While a standard Raspberry Pi can also accomplish similar tasks, microcontrollers are specifically engineered for direct interaction with the physical world.

These devices are characterized by their low cost, compact size, and minimal power consumption. Project development can begin easily with a breadboard, eliminating the need for soldering initially. When powered by a small battery, a project can operate for weeks or even months. Unlike conventional computers, microcontrollers execute code directly on the chip itself, without a full operating system.

Similar to other microcontrollers, the Raspberry Pi Pico features numerous input and output pins along its edges. These pins serve as the crucial connection points for interfacing with external components. For example, you can use these pins to control an LED, gather data from sensors, or display information on a screen.

At the heart of the Raspberry Pi Pico is the RP2040 chip. It includes a dual-core Arm processor operating at 133MHz, 264KB of RAM, 26 GPIO pins—including three analog inputs—a micro-USB port, and an integrated temperature sensor. It does not include built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity, and it is available for $4.

Programming the Raspberry Pi Pico is a straightforward process. Simply connect the device to your computer using the micro-USB port. While holding down the button on the Pico, power it on. It will then appear on your computer as a removable storage device.

Alongside C, you can utilize MicroPython as a programming language. This is a microcontroller-focused language inspired by Python. The Raspberry Pi Foundation has created extensive documentation and a detailed datasheet for the Pico to assist developers.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation intends to enable others to leverage its chip design. They have collaborated with companies like Adafruit, Arduino, Pimoroni, and Sparkfun, allowing them to create their own boards based on the RP2040 chip. This will foster a broad ecosystem of RP2040-based products.

This represents a significant step for the Raspberry Pi Foundation, opening the possibility of refining its chip design and developing more powerful versions in the future. This approach offers two key benefits: complete control over the board’s components and cost-effectiveness.