Raspberry Pi Pico Series — Dual-Core Microcontroller — Up to 150 MHz & 520 KB SRAM

The Raspberry Pi Pico series delivers serious embedded performance in a compact 51×21mm breadboard-friendly form factor — available in four variants from the entry-level Pico to the Pico 2 W, which packs a 150 MHz dual-core RP2350, 520 KB SRAM, Wi-Fi 802.11n, and Bluetooth 5.2. All four models share the same GPIO pinout, making them fully interchangeable in existing PCB and breadboard designs.

Key Highlights

• Dual-Core Processing — Every Pico variant runs two processor cores simultaneously; Gen 2 models (Pico 2 / 2 W) step up to Cortex-M33 cores at 150 MHz, delivering roughly 40% more throughput on signal processing, sensor fusion, and control-loop tasks compared to the original 133 MHz M0+.
• RISC-V Architecture Option (Pico 2 Series) — The RP2350 lets you switch both cores to open-hardware Hazard3 RISC-V, giving researchers and developers a rare opportunity to run RISC-V firmware on production-ready microcontroller hardware without needing specialist dev boards.
• Double the Memory on Gen 2 — The Pico 2 and Pico 2 W carry 520 KB SRAM and 4 MB flash — exactly twice the Pico/Pico W — so you can buffer larger datasets, run more complex MicroPython programs, and store bigger assets locally without external memory chips.
• Wi-Fi & Bluetooth on W Variants — The Pico W adds 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 BLE via the Infineon CYW43439; the Pico 2 W upgrades that to full Bluetooth 5.2, offering longer range, faster data rates, and better coexistence in crowded RF environments like offices and factories.
• Ultra-Low Sleep Current (Pico 2 Series) — The RP2350 idles at under 10 µA in deep sleep — 10× less than the original RP2040's ~100 µA — making months-long battery operation practical for sensor nodes without any external power management circuitry.
• Hardware Security Built In (Pico 2 Series) — Arm TrustZone, SHA-256 hardware acceleration, a True Random Number Generator (TRNG), and 8 KB of one-time-programmable (OTP) key storage are baked into the RP2350 — making the Pico 2 suitable for deployed IoT devices that need secure boot and attestation.
• Drag-and-Drop Programming — Hold BOOTSEL, plug in USB, and the board appears as a USB mass-storage drive on any OS. Drag your .uf2 firmware file onto it — no drivers, no special flasher, no command line required.
• 26 Multi-Function GPIO Pins — Every GPIO pin can serve as digital I/O, PWM, SPI, I2C, UART, or ADC input, reducing the need for external expanders or level shifters in most designs. All pins operate at 3.3V logic with up to 12 mA drive per pin.
• Flexible Language Support — Program in MicroPython, CircuitPython, the official C/C++ Pico SDK, or the Arduino framework. The official SDK ships with 50+ example projects covering peripherals, networking, PIO, and DSP — so you never start from scratch.
• Universal Pinout Across All Variants — All four Pico models use the identical 51×21mm PCB with 40 pins on a 2.54mm pitch, so you can upgrade from a Pico to a Pico 2 W on the same breadboard or PCB without a single wire change.

Technical Specifications

Which Pico Is Right for You?

The decision comes down to three factors: whether your project needs wireless connectivity, how much RAM and flash your firmware requires, and whether low sleep current matters for battery life. Use the table below to match your use case to the right variant.

Common Applications & Use Cases

• Home Automation — Control relays, smart switches, and motorized blinds without a hub; the Pico W connects directly to your Wi-Fi router over 802.11n, enabling lightweight MQTT or HTTP control loops with minimal hardware overhead.
• Environmental Monitoring — Log temperature, humidity, CO₂, air quality, or soil moisture using the 3× ADC channels and I2C/SPI sensor interfaces; push readings to cloud dashboards over Wi-Fi or store locally on an SPI microSD card.
• Robotics & Motor Control — The 24 PWM channels on the Pico 2 series drive servo motors, brushless ESCs, and DC motor drivers simultaneously; dual-core architecture keeps the control loop on Core 0 while Core 1 handles sensor reads without timing conflicts.
• Custom USB Devices — USB 1.1 host/device mode with PIO state machine support lets you build custom HID keyboards, gamepads, MIDI controllers, and USB mass storage devices — all without external USB interface chips.
• Battery-Powered IoT Nodes — Deploy sensor nodes with the Pico 2 W; its sub-10 µA deep sleep current can stretch a 1000 mAh cell to several months of operation, compared to just weeks with the original RP2040-based boards.
• Display Projects & Dashboards — Drive SPI or I2C OLED/TFT displays for real-time readouts; the Pico 2's extra SRAM handles larger framebuffers and smoother animated UIs without requiring off-chip RAM or display co-processors.
• Audio Synthesis & Processing — Generate waveforms or process audio streams via I2S over PIO; the Cortex-M33 DSP extensions on the Pico 2 series accelerate FFT and FIR filter operations significantly versus the M0+ cores on earlier models.
• Education & STEM Learning — MicroPython support, zero-driver drag-and-drop flashing, and a rich library of tutorials make the Pico the most accessible microcontroller for classrooms, coding clubs, and first-time embedded developers.
• Secure Embedded Development — The RP2350's Arm TrustZone, hardware TRNG, and OTP key storage make the Pico 2 series a practical testbed for secure firmware design, cryptographic key provisioning, and firmware attestation research.
• Retro Gaming & Emulation — Community projects like PicoSystem and custom handheld consoles use the dual-core speed and PIO state machines to emulate 8-bit and 16-bit systems and drive VGA or HDMI output via resistor ladder DACs — no GPU required.

What's in the Box

• 1 × Raspberry Pi Pico Series Board (variant as selected at checkout)

Note: micro-USB cable, header pins, breadboard, and sensors are not included and are sold separately. The board ships without header pins pre-soldered, making it suitable for both surface-mount PCB integration and through-hole breadboard use.

Frequently Asked Questions