ClockworkPi has made several Linux handheld terminals over the years such as the GameShell or DevTerm, but the PicoCalc Kit is quite different since it relies on the Raspberry Pi Pico board plus an STM32 microcontroller to handle its built-in keyboard.
The PicoCalc Kit is based on the ClockworkPi v2.0 mainboard that takes an RP2040-based Pi Pico H board, connects to a 4-inch IPS display with 320×320 resolution and stereo speakers, integrates a backlit QWERTY keyboard, and ships with a 32GB SD card with an optimized BASIC firmware.
PicoCalc Kit specifications:
- ClockworkPi v2.0 mainboard
- Compatible boards – Headers for Raspberry Pi Pico H/WH, and Raspberry Pi Pico 2 / 2W
- MCU – STM32 for keyboard and backlight programmable with the Arduino IDE or STM32 official development tools
- Storage – SD card slot
- Display – Screen connector (SPI)
- Audio
- 2x speaker connectors
- 3.5mm audio jack
- 67-key QWERTY keyboard (I2C)
- Expansion
- Connector for core GPIOs (Raspberry Pi Pico)
- Connector for STM32 GPIOs
- Misc
- Power Key
- Volume knob
- Power and Charging LED
- Power Supply
- USB-C charging port
- Battery holder for 2x 18650 batteries
- Board – Raspberry Pi Pico H (as part of the kit)
- Storage – 32GB SD card preloaded with BASIC firmware
- Display – 4-inch IPS screen with a 320×320 resolution (SPI interface)
- Audio – Dual speaker
- Misc – 2.5mm Hex key for assembly
- Dimensions – 167 x 97 mm
- Materials – ABS plastic shell & tempered glass cover
Besides the pre-loaded BASIC firmware, the company claims support for LISP, UNIX v7 clone, an MP3 player, and the Raspberry Pi Pico SDK and Arduino, and a host of other programming languages. We’re told that “the schematics and related design materials are released under the GPL v3 license, and you can find them on our GitHub”. But I don’t see anything related to PicoCalc on the company’s GitHub account. Maybe we just need to be patient.
The PicoCalc Kit can be purchased for $75 on the ClockworkPi store with everything you need minus the two 18650 batteries that should be purchased locally. The product page may also have a few more details, but sadly documentation does not seem to be quite ready. In the meantime, you can browse the Hal_clockwork account on X, to check out the capabilities of the terminal (photos only).
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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