BigTreeTech SKR Pico Controller

Raspberry Pi and 3D Printing Controller Boards are the two ingredients for a glorious Makerhood innovation. Makers have marveled at the incredible computing power these mini computers provide to 3D Printers that match no other in functionality and speed. The Voron V0.1 is one of these incredibly fast and efficient 3D Printers that allows you to print an ABS Benchy in less than 5 minutes. The fascinating combination of the Raspberry Pi and BigTreeTech motherboard provides the brainpower to make this possible in such a small machine. While we included the BTT SKR mini E3 v2 in our LDO Voron V0.1 Kit, this BigTreeTeh SKR Pico Controller is the perfect replacement with an optimized and compact design that neatly saves space in the V0.1 and other mini 3D Printer builds.

With mounting holes to match the Raspberry Pi 4, The BigTreeTeh SKR Pico Controller is only 85 x 56mm in size but competes with the giants. The 32-bit control chip is the same PR2040 found on the Raspberry Pi Pico which is fully integrated in the Controller Board. This BigTreeTeh SKR Picomotherboard is a truly unique addition to the BigTreeTech SKR Motherboard range, designed for efficiency with all the essentials you need.

What are the Key Features of the BigTreeTech SKR Pico Controller Board?

The BigTreeTech SKR Pico Controller achieves all the same essential functions as the BBT SKR mini E3, but with a smaller form factor and a focus on fully harnessing the power of Raspberry Pi. Because of this specific intention, the BBT SKR Pico had no need to waste space on display ports or bulky MicroSD card readers. With the Klipper system, you are easily able to monitor and begin your prints remotely with a wireless connection.

While we can’t in good time go into depth about the array of cool features on this tiny Controller Board, these 3 key features are what made us most excited:

• 133MHz Raspberry Pi PR2040 dual-core ARM processor – The BBT SKR Pico Controller received its name from its own dual-core processor which Makers may recognise as the Raspberry Pi Pico Microcontroller. This PR2040 chip is integrated straight into the 32-bit controller board and provides a fantastic processing power of 133MHz! We are adoring the boost in functionality this union gives us with support for TMC2209 drivers in UART mode and native support for Klipper.
• Optimised Heat Sink – Providing both a modern look and superior heat dissipation, the optimised heat sink sits other 4 Motor Drivers on the BTT SKR Pico Motherboard. Keeping your Electronics cool is a necessary priority for all Tinkerers, as losing precious components to overheating is always a sad moment. During heavy computations, any heat from the BTT SKR Pico drivers will be efficiently dissipated before affecting the rest of the board or Raspberry Pi in close proximity. Although most controller boards include overheat protection, this heat sink addition is a welcome precaution that ensures your 3D Printer runs smoothly during intense prints.
• Compact and Clever Design – the size of this SKR Pico makes it perfect to integrate into most printer builds, especially the Voron V0.1. BigTreeTech facilitates this by having connections lateral for its integration with Raspberry Pi and improving access and general cooling. The BTT SKR Pico Motherboard is the same dimensions as the Raspberry Pi 4 B Model, with matching mounting holes. The Raspberry Pi Zero is also a great choice to mount over a smaller section of the motherboard, leaving additional hookups more accessible such as the RGB LED Lighting and BLTouch ports.

On top of this, the SKR Pico includes a USB Type-C port for another option to connect your Raspberry Pi or computer. These thoughtful details show the utmost care placed in BigTreeTech designs. The SKR Pico includes the best the BigTreeTech SKR boards have to offer, such as an SMD Fuse, Sensorless Homing, Murata Capacitors, 5 motor interfaces, and filament run-out detection circuit, proximity sensor port and BLTouch compatibility. The amount packed into this convenient and impressive controller makes the BTT SKR Pico Motherboard worth the upgrade!

Please Note: This board can operate on both the main DC power input as well as USB power, and you need to choose between the power inputs by using a jumper over the 3 onboard pins labelled “IN | VCC | USB” in order to avoid causing unexpected damage. However, it must be noted that this board cannot actually print from USB power, which means that the USB power select is primarily just for interfacing with the board when setting up or flashing firmware.

Additional Note: Currently, the BTT SKR Pico Controller only supports Klipper firmware, although a specialised Marlin version is in development to accommodate its unique features.

Additional Resources:

• With this board being quite a complex model compared to most, we highly encourage you to take a look through the official BigTreetech SKR Pico GitHub Page, where you can find the user manual, resources for installation and setup, as well as some handy extras.
• Next up, this is the fantastic BigTreeTech Thingiverse List, which offers awesome STL files for enclosures that incorporate the BTT SKR Controllers and BTT Displays into popular 3D Printers, with designs that cater to all kinds of machines, styles and tastes.

For a visual look at the BTT SKR Pico Controller Board, we recommend this review video from Nerd 3D, who does a fantastic job to explain not only the unique functions of the SKR Pico board but also how to connect and set it up with your Raspberry Pi:

Although many people may not quite recognise the name, BIQU is a fantastic brand that originated as BigTreeTech, and began their journey in the 3D Printing world by creating motherboards and other electronics that were made to enhance the functionality, ease of use and overall capabilities of other 3D Printers. However, after gaining a firm popularity as some the leaders in 3D Upgrades, they have also now branched off and created BIQU, a brand dedicated to creating entire 3D Printers for hobbyists like us.

Compared to many of the brands on the market, what we particularly love about BIQU is the way that their models come fully equipped with all of the exciting BigTreeTech controller boards, stepper drivers and other awesome components that are typically installed into other 3D Printers as powerful upgrades. These include the popular SKR motherboards, the BTT TMC Drivers, BTT TFT displays and other minor (but still valuable) upgrades that are often installed on Creality 3D Printers, but since these “upgrades” come stock on BIQU 3D Printers, you can enjoy even more reliable operations and functionality due to the fact that their machines are built specifically with their own boards and components in mind. This has resulted in BIQU creating some of the leading 3D Printers on the market, which don’t need any upgrades or improvements to match the quality of leading brands, and with many of the BIQU models actually surpassing the quality and capabilities of most other Hobbyist 3D Printers on the market.

If you love the idea of upgrading 3D Printers with all kinds of fun and functional upgrades, but aren’t too interested in getting a basic model that you have to actually upgrade yourself, the BIQU range of 3D Printers is the answer, bringing excellent quality coupled with all of the current best features available to 3D Makers.