Raspberry Pi Pico

The Raspberry Pi Pico is a microcontroller board designed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in the United Kingdom. This RPI Pico is powered by the RP2040 chip, which has a dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ processor, 264kB of internal RAM, and supports up to 16MB of off-chip flash memory. This makes it an excellent and affordable alternative for embedded systems, automation, and DIY electronics applications.

One of the most significant features of the Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller is programming flexibility, it supports both C and MicroPython. Getting started with the RP2040 Pico is as simple as dragging and dropping a file, but more experienced developers can make use of its extensive peripheral set, which includes I2C, SPI, and eight Programmable I/O (PIO) state machines for customized hardware interfacing.

The Raspberry Pi Pico board is perfect for home automation, industrial control, robotics, and other applications due to its low power consumption and excellent performance.

Raspberry Pi Pico Pinout

Also check Raspberry Pi Pico Ultimate Kit with Manual. 

Features:

• Microcontroller Chip: Raspberry Pico has RP2040, designed by Raspberry Pi.
• Processor: Dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ processor, up to 133 MHz.
• Memory: 264kB of SRAM and 2MB of on-board flash memory.
• Connectivity: USB 1.1 with device and host support.
• GPIO Pins: RasPi Pico has 26 multi-function GPIO pins.
• Interfaces:
  2 × SPI
  2 × I2C
  2 × UART
  3 × 12-bit ADC
  16 × PWM channels
• Programming: Supports drag-and-drop programming using mass storage over USB, and can be programmed in C and MicroPython.

Raspberry Pi Pico Vs. Arduino

Feature	Raspberry Pi Pico	Arduino Uno
Microcontroller	RP2040 (Raspberry Pi’s custom chip)	ATmega328P (Arduino Uno)
Processor	Dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ (133MHz)	Single-core AVR (16MHz)
RAM	264KB SRAM	2KB SRAM
Flash Memory	Supports up to 16MB external flash	32KB internal flash
Programming Languages	C, MicroPython	C, C++ (Arduino IDE)
Connectivity	No built-in WiFi (Pico W variant has WiFi)	No built-in WiFi (requires add-ons)
GPIO Pins	26 (multi-function)	14 Digital, 6 Analog (Arduino Uno)
Power Consumption	Low-power, efficient	Low-power, but depends on model
Form Factor	Compact 40-pin DIP layout	Standard Arduino board format
Expansion & Shields	Limited add-ons, but flexible for custom use	Extensive ecosystem with many shields
Best For	IoT, robotics, real-time applications	Beginner-friendly projects, prototyping

Which Board to Choose?

• Choose Raspberry Pi Pico if you need higher processing power, more RAM, and MicroPython support for IoT or real-time applications.
• Choose Arduino if you want a well-established ecosystem, easy prototyping with shields, and strong community support.

Applications:

• Home Automation
• Robotics
• Gaming
• Education
• IoT Projects
• DIY Electronics
• Environmental Monitoring
• Music and Audio
• Security Systems
• Wearable Tech