After 3 years since the release of the original Pi Pico, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has upgraded its microcontroller board to a new version. The new Raspberry Pi Pico 2 Microcontroller offers double the memory at 520KB SRAM, a boost in performance, and new security features. With the same pinout arrangement and form factor, the Pico 2 can swap places with your older Pico and upgrade your project performance or start new with compatibility to your favourite Pico accessories. This Pico 2 Microcontroller can be programmed with C/C++ and Python using the help of Raspberry Pi’s incredible documentation and online resources. Microcontrollers like these are a perfect option when you don’t need the enormous power of an SBC but still want to cater for small to intermediate projects that add fun and functionality to our lives.
New Features of the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 Microcontroller:
The Raspberry Pi Pico 2 Microcontroller features the new RP2350 chip, which contains a dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 processor with double the speed and makes an array of new features possible. This new processor chip clocks 150MHz and can achieve more than the original Pico ever could. In a surprising twist, Raspberry Pi also includes the RISC-V dual-core, an open-hardware Hazard3 core that you can optionally choose to experiment with on your Pico 2 board. This interesting addition to the RP2350 chip makes the Pico 2 even more versatile, as you can switch processors and optimise certain tasks. Raspberry Pi also boasts better power efficiency for the Pico 2, solving an issue that now makes this microcontroller a wonder to use for anything with limited power, like portable battery projects.
Another huge difference comes with the TrustZone for Cortex-M security features on the Pico 2 Microcontroller. This new security architecture allows you to isolate code and data from the rest of the application and helps you keep things away from prying eyes. For Makers, this means you can hide away any private information, like authentication tokens, API keys, and WiFi credentials. Along with that advancement, additional security features give you fast glitch detectors, SHA-256 acceleration, true random number generation, and 8KB one-time programmable storage.
The Raspberry Pi Pico 2 Microcontroller is a fantastic refresh on a beloved board for our Raspberry Pi projects. With all the same GPIO and pin outputs, the Pico 2 is ready to interface with an exceptionally wide range of protocols for UART, SPI, I2C, ADC, and PWM channels. As a cherry on top, the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 comes with an increased 12 PIO state mechines for some extra applications. All the same interfaces with increased functionality make the Pico 2 Microcontroller a no brainer for an awesome Pico upgrade.
Raspberry Pi Pico 2 RP2350 Microcontroller – Technical Specifications: |
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– Dual Arm Cortex-M33 or Dual Hazard3 RISC-V |
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– PIO |
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– RP2350 |
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– 1.8V to 5.5V DC |
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– 18mA |
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– 150MHz |
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– 4MB |
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– 520KB |
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– Micro USB |
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– 26 x Multipurpose GPIO with 4 ADC |
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– 2 × UART – 2 × SPI Controllers – 2 × I2C Controllers – 24 × PWM Channels – 1 × USB 1.1 Controller and PHY, with Host and Device Support – 12 × PIO State Machines |
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– ARM TrustZone for Cortex-M – Optional Boot Signing, Enforced by On-Chip Mask ROM, With Key Fingerprint In OTP – Protected OTP Storage for Optional Boot Decryption Key – Global Bus Filtering Based on Arm Or RISC-V Security/Privilege Levels – Peripherals, Gpios, And DMA Channels Individually Assignable to Security Domains – Hardware Mitigations for Fault Injection Attacks – Hardware SHA-256 Accelerator |
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– C/C++ SDK | MicroPython |
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– -20°C to 85°C |
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– ±3g |
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– 21 x 51mm |
Additional Resources:
- If you want to find out more about the Raspberry Pi Pico, with all of the key features, pin mapping and other documentation that you might need as a Maker, be sure to browse through the official Raspberry Pi Pico Getting Started Page.
- If you enjoy a visual explanation and review, this wonderful YouTube video from Core Electronics gives you the rundown on what makes the Pico 2 so great in comparison to the original Pico board:
The primary aim of The Raspberry Pi Foundation is to enable people from all walks of life to understand, learn and develop our digital world with ideas that actually matter to them. Their single-board computers are designed with an open-source style, while being both easy to use and versatile. This allows people to build their own systems to cater to unique problems within their environment, while allowing them to share with and learn from others who are building similar types of systems – growing and developing the open-source movement in every step of the way.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation also takes their initiative a step further by building accessories like cameras, control interfaces and other products that can be seamlessly integrated into projects, made with high quality components but without the unnecessary frills that many brands choose to add on for “extra value”. This “no frills” approach makes their products more affordable while catering to consumers throughout the world, regardless of their financial condition. In doing so, people in almost any situation can use these products to improve their lives, better the world around them, and help develop both their local communities, as well as online communities of Makers.
Finally, like the cherry (or perhaps raspberry) on top of an already-great Sundae, The Raspberry Pi Foundation utilises the profits that they make to sponsor and host outreach and education efforts, with the intent to help people by making computing and digital development more accessible. They train educators and offer free resources online for people to learn from, giving consumers the power to change the world around them, and ultimately do their small part in developing the ever-expanding digital world too.
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