Getting started with WiFi on Raspberry Pi Pico W board

Raspberry Pi Pico W UART serial console

Raspberry Pi Trading announced the Raspberry Pi Pico W board basically based on the same design as the original Raspberry Pi Pico board with RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller but adding a wireless module with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5.2, although the latter is not enabled on the board at this time. The company sent me a sample for review/evaluation, and I’ll focus on the WiFi part since the Raspberry Pi Pico W supports the same MicroPython and C/C++ SDKs as for the Raspberry Pi Pico board plus additional APIs for wireless connectivity. Raspberry Pi Pico W unboxing The board I received was cut from a 480-unit reel, and I also got a one-meter long micro USB to USB cable, which should probably not be included by default for people ordering the $6 board. Just like its predecessor, the board is tiny, and The pinout is the same as the […]

Raspberry Pi Pico W – A $6 Raspberry Pi Pico board with WiFi 4

Raspberry Pi Pico W

I was expecting the next official Raspberry Pi board to be either an update of Raspberry Pico with WiFi and Bluetooth or with a machine learning accelerator and the new $6 Raspberry Pi Pico W delivers that wish through the addition of 2.4GHz WiFi 4. Having said that, I was actually expecting a competitor to ESP8266 or ESP32 with a new Raspberry Pi wireless microcontroller, but it did quite happen that way as the Raspberry Pi Pico W features the same Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller found in Raspberry Pi Pico board coupled with an Infineon CYW43439 chip that’s supposed to support both 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5.2. Bluetooth is not enabled right now, but may be at a later stage. Raspberry Pi Pico W specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ 133 MHz with 264KB SRAM Storage – 2MB QSPI flash Connectivity […]

Iono RP D16 industrial IO module features Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU

Iono RP D16 industrial IO module Raspberry Pi RP2040

Sfera Labs has launched another Raspberry Pi RP2040-based hardware platform with the Iono RP D16 industrial IO module following the Exo Sense RP multi-sensor module we covered last month. The Iono RP D16 module provides sixteen digital 24V I/O lines, an RS-485 serial interface, a wide range 12-28V power supply input, and its DIN-rail case enables installation in electrical cabinets and automation control systems. Iono RP D16 specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ 133MHz with 264kB on-chip SRAM Storage – 16MB SPI flash Inputs/Outputs via terminal blocks Up to 16x 24V 640mA outputs driven by high-side switches that can also be configured as push-pull drivers for high-speed switching (via MAX14912 chips) Up to 16x 24V IEC 61131-2 compliant current-sinking inputs (via MAX22190 chips) 4x TTL level I/Os (1-Wire, I2C, Wiegand support) Serial  –  RS-485 interface to the RP2040 serial lines via terminal block with electrostatic […]

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3E (CM3E) features Raspberry Pi RP3A0 SiP found in Pi Zero 2 W

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3E

After the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4S which we discovered in April, it appears Raspberry Pi Trading has launched another Compute Module for their industrial and commercial customers with the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3E (CM3E) equipped with the same Raspberry Pi RP30A0 SiP found in Raspberry Pi Zero 2W and an 8GB eMMC flash. The new system-on-module (SoM) has not been officially announced but was discovered by Twitter user “Pi 0 in your Pocket” inside an electric vehicle (EV) charger by Wallbox. Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3E specifications (preliminary): SiP – Raspberry Pi RP3A0 with Broadcom BCM2710A1 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.0 GHz with VideoCore IV GPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0 graphics, 512MB RAM Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (other capacities might also be available TBC) 200-pin edge connector with: 48x GPIO 2x I2C, 2x SPI, 2x UART 2x SD/SDIO, 1x NAND interface (SMI) 1x HDMI 1x USB […]

Raspberry Pi RP2040 board comes with 0.42-inch display, Qwicc I2C connector

Raspberry Pi RP2040 board 0.42-inch LCD

We’ve recently written about ESP32-C3-0.42LCD board with ESP32-C3 wireless microcontroller, a 0.42-inch display, and a Qwicc connector for expansion. But it turns out the developer, 01Space, has also launched an almost identical board, RP2040-0.42LCD, with Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU replacing the ESP32-C3 WiFi and Bluetooth MCU. RP2040-0.42LCD board specifications: SoC – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller at up to 125 MHz, with 264KB SRAM Storage – 2 MB SPI flash Display – 0.42-inch OLED USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and programming Expansion Qwiic I2C connector 7-pin and 8-pin headers with up to 11x GPIOs, 2x SPI, 2x I2C, 4x ADC, 1x UART, 5V, 3.3V, VBAT, GND Misc Reset and Boot buttons RGB LED, power LED Power Supply 5V via USB-C port or Vin VBAT pin for battery input 3.3V regulator with 500mA peak output Dimensions – 23.5 x 18 mm Weight – About 2.5 grams The […]

Exo Sense RP – A Raspberry Pi RP2040-based multi sensor module

Raspberry Pi RP2040 multi-sensor module

Sfera Labs Exo Sense RP is a multi-sensor module with a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller and various sensors to report temperature, humidity, air quality (VOC), light intensity, audio, and motion. The module can work as a standalone unit but can also communicate with a host through RS485 and USB interfaces, and supports expansion via surge-protected digital inputs and outputs. The Exo Sense RP is designed for indoor residential and commercial applications such as environmental monitoring and data logging, people and assets tracking, room management, access control, and more. Exo Sense RP specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ @ 133 MHz with 264KB SRAM Storage – 16MB flash memory Communication ports RS485 half-duplex up to 115200 bps, with surge protection Micro USB 1.1 Type-B connector Sensors Sensirion SHT40 temperature and humidity sensor Sensirion SGP40 air quality (VOC) sensor Texas Instruments OPT3001 light intensity sensor TDK ICS-43432 digital […]

PikaScript – A lightweight Python implementation that runs on STM32 and other low-end MCUs

PikaScript Python STM32 MCU

PikaScript is an ultra-lightweight Python engine that can run on microcontrollers with as little as 4KB of RAM and 32KB of Flash, while the more popular MicroPython requires at least 256kB of code space and 16kB of RAM. PikaScript was initially developed to run on STM32G030C8 and STM32F103C8 MCUs, meaning, for example, it works on the BluePill board, but it has also been ported to other platforms like WCH CH582 RISC-V MCU, WinnerMicro W806 C-Sky microcontroller, as well as other like Raspberry Pi RP2040, ESP32-C3, etc… but those are not quite as well supported with some features missing. PikaScript also permits the binding C function to a Python module through Pika Pre-compiler. PikaScript can run bare metal on the microcontroller, but also supports real-time operating systems such as RT-Thread and VSF (Versaloon Software Framework), as well as Linux. Just like MicroPython, it’s using a subset of Python 3, but I’d […]

Mini keyboards launched with ESP32-C3 or Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU

Tiny Keyboards Raspberry Pi RP2040 or ESP32-C3

Last week, when I saw LilyGO T-Keyboard based on ESP32-C3, I didn’t think much of it and did not expect many people to be interested, so I skipped it. But earlier today I also noticed Solder Party launched a very similar-looking product – the BB Q20 Keyboard with Trackpad – based on Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU. So after all, it might be worthwhile to look into those mini keyboards for makers. LilyGO T-keyboard Hardware specifications: SoC – ESP32-C3 single-core RISC-V processor with Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity Display – 0.99-inch TFT color LCD QWERTY keyboard Battery – 400mAh built-it battery Power Supply – 5V via USB port Dimensions – 6.9 x 5.3 x 1.7 cm The company promotes it as a mini Bluetooth keyboard for iOS and Android smartphones, as well as Windows machines, but also has plans to make it work with their T-Echo LoRa messaging hardware.  […]

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