Pico Getting Started

Firmware Download

Basic Introduction

Raspberry Pi Pico Basics

MicroPython Series

Install Thonny IDE

In order to facilitate the development of Pico/Pico2 boards using MicroPython on a computer, it is recommended to download the Thonny IDE

• Download Thonny IDE and follow the steps to install, the installation packages are all Windows versions, please refer to Thonny's official website for other versions
  • Thonny IDE official download link
  • Thonny IDE download link
  • Thonny official website
• After installation, the language and motherboard environment need to be configured for the first use. Since we are using Pico/Pico2, pay attention to selecting the Raspberry Pi option for the motherboard environment
  

• Configure MicroPython environment and choose Pico/Pico2 port
  
  • Connect Pico/Pico2 to your computer first, and in the lower right corner of Thonny left-click on the configuration environment option --> select Configture interpreter
  • In the pop-up window, select MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico), and choose the corresponding port

Flash Firmware

• Click OK to return to the Thonny main interface, download the corresponding firmware library and burn it to the device, and then click the Stop button to display the current environment in the Shell window
• Note: Flashing the Pico2 firmware provided by Micropython may cause the device to be unrecognized, please use the firmware below or in the package
  • Pico firmware library
  • Pico2 firmware library
• How to download the firmware library for Pico/Pico2 in windows: After holding down the BOOT button and connecting to the computer, release the BOOT button, a removable disk will appear on the computer, copy the firmware library into it
• How to download the firmware library for RP2040/RP2350 in windows: After connecting to the computer, press the BOOT key and the RESET key at the same time, release the RESET key first and then release the BOOT key, a removable disk will appear on the computer, copy the firmware library into it (you can also use the Pico/Pico2 method)
  

MicroPython Series Tutorials

【MicroPython】 machine.Pin class function details
【MicroPython】machine.PWM class function details
【MicroPython】machine.ADC class function details
【MicroPython】machine.UART class function details
【MicroPython】machine.I2C class function details
【MicroPython】machine.SPI class function details
【MicroPython】rp2.StateMachine class function details

C/C++ Series

For C/C++, it is recommended to use Pico VSCode for development. This is a Microsoft Visual Studio Code extension designed to make it easier for you to create, develop, and debug projects for the Raspberry Pi Pico series development boards. No matter if you are a beginner or an experienced professional, this tool can assist you in developing Pico with confidence and ease. Here's how to install and use the extension.

• Official website tutorial: https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/pico-vscode-extension/
• This tutorial is suitable for Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico2 and the RP2040 and RP2350 series development boards developed by Waveshare
• The development environment defaults to Windows11. For other environments, please refer to the official tutorial for installation

Install VSCode

1. First, click to download pico-vscode package, unzip and open the package, double-click to install VSCode
   
   Note: If vscode is installed, check if the version is v1.87.0 or later
   
   
   

Install Extension

1. Click Extensions and select Install from VSIX
   
   
2. Select the package with the vsix suffix and click Install
   
   
3. Then vscode will automatically install raspberry-pi-pico and its dependency extensions, you can click Refresh to check the installation progress
   
   
4. The text in the right lower corner shows that the installation is complete. Close VSCode
   
   

Configure Extension

1. Open directory C:\Users\username and copy the entire .pico-sdk to that directory
   
   
2. The copy is completed
   
   
3. Open vscode and configure the paths for the Raspberry Pi Pico extensions
   
   The configuration is as follows:

   Cmake Path:
   ${HOME}/.pico-sdk/cmake/v3.28.6/bin/cmake.exe
   
   Git Path:
   ${HOME}/.pico-sdk/git/cmd/git.exe    
   
   Ninja Path:
   ${HOME}/.pico-sdk/ninja/v1.12.1/ninja.exe
   
   Python3 Path:
   ${HOME}/.pico-sdk/python/3.12.1/python.exe             
   

New Project

1. The configuration is complete, create a new project, enter the project name, select the path, and click Create to create the project
   To test the official example, you can click on the Example next to the project name to select
   
   
2. The project is created successfully
   
   

Compile Project

1. Select the SDK version
   
   
2. Select Yes for advanced configuration
   
   
3. Choose the cross-compilation chain, 13.2.Rel1 is applicable for ARM cores, RISCV.13.3 is applicable for RISCV cores. You can select either based on your requirements
   
   
4. Select Default for CMake version (the path configured earlier)
   
   
5. Select Default for Ninjaversion
   
   
6. Select the development board
   
   
7. Click Complie to compile
   
   
8. The uf2 format file is successfully compiled
   
   

Flash Firmware

Here are two methods for flashing firmware

1. Flash firmware using the pico-vscode plugin
   Connect the development board to the computer, click Run to flash the firmware directly
   
   
2. Flash the firmware manually

   1. Press and hold the Boot button
   2. Connect the development board to the computer     
   3. Then the computer will recognize the development board as a USB device.
   4. Copy the .uf2 file to the USB drive, and the device will automatically restart, indicating successful program flashing.
   

Import Project

1. Select the project directory and import the project
   
   
2. The Cmake file of the imported project cannot have Chinese (including comments), otherwise the import may fail
3. To import your own project, you need to add a line of code to the Cmake file to switch between pico and pico2 normally, otherwise even if pico2 is selected, the compiled firmware will still be suitable for pico
   
   

   set(PICO_BOARD pico CACHE STRING "Board type")
   

Update Extension

1. The extension version in the offline package is 0.15.2, and you can also choose to update to the latest version after the installation is complete
   
   

Arduino IDE Series

Install Arduino IDE

1. First, go to Arduino official website to download the installation package of the Arduino IDE.
   
   
2. Here, you can select Just Download.
   
   
3. Once the download is complete, click Install.
   
   Notice: During the installation process, it will prompt you to install the driver, just click Install

Arduino IDE Interface

1. After the first installation, when you open the Arduino IDE, it will be in English. You can switch to other languages in File --> Preferences, or continue using the English interface.
   
   
2. In the Language field, select the language you want to switch to, and click OK.
   
   

Install Arduino-Pico Core in Arduino IDE

1. Open the Arduino IDE, click on the file in the top left corner, and select Preferences
   
   
2. Add the following link to the attached board manager URL, and then click OK
   This link already includes board versions such as RP2040 and RP2350. Please visit arduino-pico for the latest version files

   https://github.com/earlephilhower/arduino-pico/releases/download/4.5.2/package_rp2040_index.json

   
   Note: If you already have an ESP32 board URL, you can use a comma to separate the URLs as follows:

   https://dl.espressif.com/dl/package_esp32_index.json,https://github.com/earlephilhower/arduino-pico/releases/download/4.5.2/package_rp2040_index.json

3. Click Tools > Development Board > Board Manager > Search pico, as my computer has already been installed, it shows that it is installed
   
   

Upload Demo at the First Time

1. Press and hold the BOOTSET button on the Pico board, connect the pico to the USB port of the computer via the Micro USB cable, and release the button after the computer recognizes a removable hard disk (RPI-RP2).
   
2. Download the program and open D1-LED.ino under the arduino\PWM\D1-LED path
3. Click Tools --> Port, remember the existing COM, do not click this COM (the COM displayed is different on different computers, remember the COM on your own computer)
   
   
4. Connect the driver board to the computer using a USB cable. Then, go to Tools > Port. For the first connection, select uf2 Board. After uploading, when you connect again, an additional COM port will appear
   
   
5. Click Tools > Development Board > Raspberry Pi Pico > Compatible versions (Raspberry Pi Pico, Raspberry Pi Pico 2, etc.)
   
   
   
6. After setting it up, click the right arrow to upload the program
   
   

• If issues arise during this period, and if you need to reinstall or update the Arduino IDE version, it is necessary to uninstall the Arduino IDE completely. After uninstalling the software, you need to manually delete all contents within the C:\Users\[name]\AppData\Local\Arduino15 folder (you need to show hidden files to see this folder). Then, proceed with a fresh installation.

Open Source Demos

MircoPython video demo (github)
MicroPython firmware/Blink demos (C)
Raspberry Pi official C/C++ demo (github)
Raspberry Pi official micropython demo (github)
Arduino official C/C++ demo (github)