Getting Started with Raspberry Pi Pico: An Exciting Introduction to Hardware Specifications and Features

Meet the Raspberry Pi Pico!

• What is it? A tiny, super cool single-board microcontroller developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
• Nickname: We’ll call it “Pico” for short!

Pico Hardware Module: Special Features

Feature	Description
Cost:	Only $4!
Brains:	Powered by the RP2040 microcontroller chip with a dual Cortex-M0+ processor.
Size:	Small but mighty with a 7×7 mm chip.

Cool Components on the Raspberry Pi Pico Board:

Component	Description
GPIO Pins:	40 shiny, gold-coloured pins for connecting the Pico to other gadgets. Numbering starts from 1 at the top left and goes up to 40 at the top right.
Breadboard-Compatible:	0.1-inch pin spacing, perfect for plugging into a breadboard with jumper wires!
Micro-USB B Port:	Provides power and lets you program the Pico.
On-board User LED:	Helpful during programming to see if your code works!
BOOTSEL Button:	Next to LED, Essential for programming the Pico.
Debug Connectors:	there are 3 connectors, Located next to the Raspberry Pi logo, used for debugging your programs.

Fun Facts:

• Breadboard-Ready: Plug and play with your breadboard projects!
• User-Friendly: Even beginners can get started with Pico easily.

Let’s dive into the exciting world of Pico and discover all the amazing things we can do with it! 🚀

Pico Hardware Specifications

Let’s explore the awesome features of the Pico hardware module!

Pico’s Superpowers

Specification	Details
Processor	32-bit RP2040 Cortex-M0+ dual core at 133 MHz
Flash Memory	2 Mbyte Q-SPI Flash
SRAM Memory	264 Kbyte
GPIO Pins	26 (3.3V compatible)
ADC Pins	3× 12-bit
Debug Port	Serial Wire Debug (SWD)
USB Port	Micro-USB (USB 1.1) for power (+5V) and data (programming)
Bus Interfaces	2× UART, 2× I2C, 2× SPI
PWM Channels	16
Timer	1× Timer (with 4 alarms)
Real-Time Counter	Yes
Temperature Sensor	On-board
LED	On-board (on port GP25)
Programming Languages	MicroPython, C, C++
Programming Method	Drag & drop using mass storage over USB

Important Note

• GPIO Voltage: The Pico’s GPIO hardware is +3.3 V compatible. Be careful not to exceed this voltage when connecting external input devices to the GPIO pins.

Voltage Conversion

• Need to Connect Devices with +5 V outputs to the Pico GPIO pins.? Use +5 V to +3.3 V logic converter circuits or resistive potential divider circuits. Figure below shows a resistive potential divider circuit that can be used to lower +5 V to +3.3 V.

Operating Conditions

Condition	Details
Temperature	-20ºC to +85ºC
VBUS Voltage	+5 V ±10%
VSYS Voltage	1.8V to 5.5V

How to Power Your Pico

Your Pico needs 3.3V to run, but it can take power from different sources:

1. Using a USB Port:
   • The easiest way is to plug your Pico into a computer’s USB port or a USB power adapter.
   • This provides around 5V, which the Pico converts to the needed 3.3V.
2. Using Batteries:
   • You can use batteries that provide between 1.8V and 5.5V.
   • For example, 3 AA batteries provide 4.5V, which is perfect for the Pico.

Important Details:

• VSYS and VBUS: When you power the Pico through the USB, it uses a small part called a Schottky diode to control the power. This slightly reduces the voltage but helps keep the power stable.:USB Port will provide power to the VSYS input through a Schottky diode. The voltage at the VSYS input is therefore VBUS voltage minus the voltage drop of the Schottky diode (about +0.7 V).VSYS voltage is fed to the SMPS through the RT6150 which generates fixed +3.3 V for the MCU and other parts of the board. VSYS is divided by 3, and is available at analogue input port GPIO29 (ADC3) which can easily be monitored. GPIO24 checks the existence of VBUS voltage and is at logic HIGH if VBUS is present.
• Power Monitoring:
  • The Pico has special pins to check the voltage:
    • GPIO29: Can be used to monitor VSYS.
    • GPIO24: Can check if the USB power (VBUS) is present.

Dual Power Sources:

• You can also power the Pico using both a USB port and batteries together. If you do this, use a Schottky diode with the battery to prevent power conflicts.

That’s it! Your Pico is flexible and can be powered in multiple ways, making it easy to use in different projects.