Meet Raspberry Pi Pico 2: Your Ultimate $5 Microcontroller

The Raspberry Pi Pico 2 is here, and it’s a game-changer for makers and developers who loved the original Pico.

The original Pico, along with its first microcontroller, the RP2040, was launched three years ago and took the electronics community by storm. Later, they introduced a WiFi version called the Pico W. Given the huge success of these boards, a successor was anticipated.

The Pico 2 can be programmed in C/C++/Arduino, CircuitPython, and MicroPython.

Pico 2 Specs and Features

Let’s look at the specifications of Pico 2 in detail:

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Pico 2 Pinout diagram

Given below is the official pinout of the RPi pico 2:

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What’s new in Pico 2

Despite its small size and simplicity, the Pico 2 packs a lot of power, thanks to its new RP2350 chip.

Meet the new RP2350 Microcontroller

First up, the heart of the Pico 2 is the new dual-core, dual-core architecture RP2350 microcontroller. You have the option to choose either the ARM cortex M33 cores or the RISC V cores while creating projects with it.

This chip takes everything that was great about the RP2040 in the original Pico and ramps it up.

We’re talking about a faster clock frequency of 150 MHz, up from 133 MHz in the original. Plus, it doubles the SRAM from 264 KB to 520 KB and increases the flash memory from 2 MB to 4 MB. That’s a significant boost in performance and memory capacity.

What does RP2350 mean?

decoding

The ‘RP’ stands for Raspberry Pi. The first two digits give us a hint about the processor- digit ‘2’ represents the two cores, and ‘3’ indicates the type of core: ARM Cortex M33 core.

Next the digit ‘5’ represents the volatile memory calculated using a formula that gives us the number 5 by inserting the RAM value 520 KB.

Finally, the last digit indicates the internal flash memory which is not available in this microcontroller, hence it’s 0. But worry not, the Pico has an onboard flash memory of 4 MB external to the microcontroller.

Dimensions

The Pico 2 maintains the same form factor and software ecosystem as the original Pico, which means it’s fully compatible with existing projects. The dimensions of the Pico 2 are 51mm X 21mm:

There are still 26 GPIO pins. However, it adds an extra analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for a total of 4, and it increases the number of PWM channels from 16 to 24.

These additions make the Pico 2 even more versatile for various applications.

More PIO

The Pico 2 is packed with three Programmable I/O (PIO) block. For those new to the concept, PIO stands for Programmable I/O, a feature that lets you create custom hardware interfaces using the GPIO pins on the board.

Yes, the Pico supports SPI and I2C communication protocols. But what happens when you want to use unsupported tech, or multiple SPI devices? That’s where Programmable I/O, or PIO, comes in.

It is a flexible system that allows you to design your own communication protocols, such as custom serial interfaces or timing-specific tasks, without needing dedicated hardware.

The original Pico featured two PIO blocks, which provided access to 8 state machines. The Pico 2 adds a third PIO block, giving you a total of 12 state machines.

New RISC-V cores in Pico 2

The Pico 2 comes with two Hazard3 RISC-V cores in addition to the two ARM Cortex-M33 cores But, what is RISC-V and how can it benefit makers like us?

Imagine you’re building a house. You could use a pre-designed kit from a specific company like ARM, or you could design your own from scratch. Hence, RISC-V is like the blueprint for designing your own house.

So, RISC-V is an open-source instruction set architecture (ISA). Think of it as the basic rules and instructions that a computer can follow.

Unlike other ISAs that are proprietary and controlled by specific companies like ARM, RISC-V is freely available for anyone to use. This means anyone can design, manufacture, and use RISC-V processors without paying licensing fees.

So, RISC-V allows you to be more creative and independent in your hardware projects. It’s a game-changer for makers who want to design and build their own unique devices.

Enhanced Security Features

Security is a big focus with the Pico 2. It includes ARM TrustZone for secure code and data, SHA-256 acceleration, and 8 KB of one-time programmable (OTP) storage, a hardware true random number generator (TRNG), and fast glitch detectors.

So, whether you’re working on a personal project or something more professional, you can integrate the Pico 2 with confidence, knowing your data is secure.

Power Consumption

Despite the increased performance, the Pico 2 is more power-efficient. It reduces idle power consumption from 100 mW in the original Pico to 80 mW.

This improvement means longer battery life for portable projects. And while deep sleep power consumption has improved, it still has some room for enhancement.

Price

Price-wise, the Pico 2 is only about $1 more than the original Pico- around $5. Considering the significant upgrades, it’s still incredibly affordable and offers great value for money.

After considering all these points, we believe that it’s better to buy a Pi Pico 2 instead of the original Pico if you are confused between the two.

Some downsides

Same old micro USB

One of the biggest disappointments for some might be that the Pico 2 still uses a micro-USB connector instead of the more modern USB-C.

While this keeps compatibility with existing peripherals and enclosures, many were hoping for an upgrade to USB-C, which has become the new standard.

No Reset Button! 

Like the original Pico—there’s no reset button on the Pico 2. Yes, there’s an onboard button- called “BOOTSELECT” but it’s for programming purposes.

So, if you need to reset the board, you’ll still have to unplug and re-connect the power. It’s a minor inconvenience but something to keep in mind.