Pimoroni, known for making amazing add-ons and kits for SBCs and microcontrollershas announced an improved one Raspberry Pi Pico 2 Version. Called the Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 W, this microcontroller offers all the great features of the official Raspberry Pi Pico 2, plus wireless communication, additional flash storage and more.
Pimoroni Pico Plus 2W
The Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 W offers everything the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 can do and more. It includes wireless connectivity, a USB-C port, more RAM and storage, and easier breakouts to your other project components.
Comparison of the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 with the Pico Plus 2 W from Pimoroni
The Pico Plus 2W offers all the features of the original RP2350 microcontroller, but expands them to make the device more powerful and easier to integrate into your projects. The original Pico 2 is based on the RP2350A system-on-a-chip (SoC), while Pimoroni's board uses the RP2350B.
Both SoCs feature the same dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 or dual-core RISC-V Hazard3 CPUs running at up to 150MHz. Pimoroni has added to the 8MB of PSRAM that the official Pico 2 lacks. The Pico Plus 2W also offers 16MB of flash storage compared to 4MB on the original Pico 2.
Special feature |
Pimoroni Pico Plus 2W |
Raspberry Pi Pico 2 |
---|---|---|
SoC |
RP2350B with dual-core Arm Cortex M33 or dual-core RISC-V Hazard3 with up to 150 MHz |
RP2350A, Dual Core Arm Cortex M33 or Dual Core RISC-V Hazard3 with up to 150 MHz |
SRAM/PSRAM |
520KB / 8MB |
520KB / 0MB |
Flash memory |
16MB QSPI |
4MB QSPI |
Security |
Arm TrustZone, 8KB OTP, Secure Boot |
Arm TrustZone, 8KB OTP, Secure Boot |
WiFi/Bluetooth |
Raspberry Pi RM2 2.4 GHz WiFi / and Bluetooth |
None |
Language support |
MicroPython, CircuitPython, C, C++ |
MicroPython, CircuitPython, C, C++ |
USB interface |
USB-C port for power, programming and data transfer |
MicroUSB port for power, programming and data transfer |
GPIO logic layer |
3.3V |
3.3V |
GPIO |
26 x digital I/O |
26 x digital I/O |
4 x 12-bit ADC (analog pins) |
4 x 12-bit ADC (analog pins) |
|
2xUART, 2xI2C, 2xSPI, 24xPWM |
2xUART, 2xI2C, 2xSPI, 24xPWM |
|
Qw/ST and SWD connectors |
User LED |
|
Reset button |
||
User LED |
||
Programmable IO |
12 PIO state machines |
8 PIO state machines |
Integrated LED |
GPIO25 |
GPIO25 |
Performance |
1.8 to 5.5V via USB-C or VSYS |
1.8 to 5.5V via microUSB or VSYS |
MCU sleep mode |
||
Dimensions |
21x53mm |
21x53mm |
Price |
$19 (£16.80) |
$4 |
The original Raspberry Pi Pico 2 ships without Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities unless you add a corresponding module. While the manufacturer is expected to eventually release a Pico 2W to add this support, Pimoroni's includes a Raspberry Pi RM2 chip that offers 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
Pimoroni also swapped the Pico 2's micro-USB port for USB-C and added a reset button. The official Pico 2 only has a BOOTSEL button, which is also present on the Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 W called BOOT. The BOOT button can also be programmed to act as a user switch for your project needs.
Also new to the Pico Plus 2 W is a Qwiic/STEMMA QT connector for easily adding I2C sensors and breakouts to your project. Pimoroni also includes a new 3-pin debug connector for programming with an SWD connector. The standard Pico 2 pins are labeled to make connection easier without having to count pins or resort to a breakout schematic.
An additional product announcement “But wait, there’s more”: a 4G/LTE breakout board for Pico
At the same time, Pimoroni announced its Clipper LTE 4G. This is a breakout board that is compatible with the Raspberry Pi SBC as well as the Pico, Pico W, Pico 2 and Pimoroni's Pico Plus 2 W. The Clipper LTE 4G offers a cellular modem for projects where WiFi is not available.
Pimoroni Clipper LTE 4G Breakout (SP/CE)
The Pimoroni Clipper LTE 4G Breakout allows you to add a 4G LTE cellular connection to your Raspberry Pi project. It is compatible with Raspberry Pi SBCs as well as all Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller boards.
The Clipper features a SIMCom A7683E 4G LTE module that operates on multiple LTE FDD bands. It offers upload speeds of 5 Mbps and download speeds of up to 10 Mbps. For a limited time, a free SIM card with 100MB of data is included, which should work in more than 150 countries including the US, UK and other EU countries.