RP2040

Welcome to RP2040

Welcome to RP2040, a microcontroller designed here at Raspberry Pi.

Whether you have a Raspberry Pi Pico or another RP2040-based microcontroller board, everything you need to get started is here. You’ll find support for getting started with C/C++ or MicroPython on Raspberry Pi Pico, and links to resources for other boards that use RP2040. There are also links to the technical documentation for both the Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller board and our RP2040 microcontroller chip.

Technical Specification

RP2040 is the debut microcontroller from Raspberry Pi. It brings our signature values of high performance, low cost, and ease of use to the microcontroller space.

With a large on-chip memory, symmetric dual-core processor complex, deterministic bus fabric, and rich peripheral set augmented with our unique Programmable I/O (PIO) subsystem, it provides professional users with unrivalled power and flexibility. With detailed documentation, a polished MicroPython port, and a UF2 bootloader in ROM, it has the lowest possible barrier to entry for beginner and hobbyist users.

RP2040 is a stateless device, with support for cached execute-in-place from external QSPI memory. This design decision allows you to choose the appropriate density of non-volatile storage for your application, and to benefit from the low pricing of commodity Flash parts.

RP2040 is manufactured on a modern 40nm process node, delivering high performance, low dynamic power consumption, and low leakage, with a variety of low-power modes to support extended-duration operation on battery power

Key features:

Dual ARM Cortex-M0+ @ 133MHz
264kB on-chip SRAM in six independent banks
Support for up to 16MB of off-chip Flash memory via dedicated QSPI bus
DMA controller
Fully-connected AHB crossbar
Interpolator and integer divider peripherals
On-chip programmable LDO to generate core voltage
2 on-chip PLLs to generate USB and core clocks
30 GPIO pins, 4 of which can be used as analogue inputs
Peripherals
- 2 UARTs
- 2 SPI controllers
- 2 I2C controllers
- 16 PWM channels
- USB 1.1 controller and PHY, with host and device support
- 8 PIO state machines

Why is the chip called RP2040?

The post-fix numeral on RP2040 comes from the following,

Number of processor cores (2)
Loosely which type of processor (M0+)
floor(log2(ram / 16k))
floor(log2(nonvolatile / 16k)) or 0 if no onboard nonvolatile storage

Design Files

Download Minimal Viable Board Design Files (KiCAD)
Download VGA Carrier Board Design Files (KiCAD)

Internal Temperature Sensor

The internal temperature sensor in the RP2040 package is a low-resolution sensor that needs to be user-calibrated to be useful to any degree of accuracy.

A crucial part of accurately determining the temperature measured is knowing the ADC VREF voltage. The conversion formula means that small errors in the ADC VREF voltage can give quite large discrepancies in temperature calculated. The RP2040 doesn’t have an internal Fixed Voltage Reference which can be used to determine VREF voltage so VREF voltage needs to be measured manually - with the caveat it could change - or an external Fixed Voltage Reference needs to be provided.

The RP2040 sensor voltage falls as temperature rises.

See Chapter 4, section 4.9.5 of the RP2040 Datasheet for further details of the internal temperature sensor.

Documentation

Documentation for Raspberry Pi Pico and other RP2040-based boards.

RP2040 Device

RP2040 Datasheet: A microcontroller by Raspberry Pi
Hardware design with RP2040: Using RP2040 microcontrollers to build boards and products

Raspberry Pi Pico

Raspberry Pi Pico Datasheet: An RP2040-based microcontroller board
Getting started with Raspberry Pi Pico: C/C++ development with Raspberry Pi Pico and other RP2040-based microcontroller boards

While it is not officially supported there is a Pico Setup for Windows installation tool which automates installation of the C/C++ SDK on Windows 10.

Raspberry Pi Pico W

Raspberry Pi Pico W Datasheet: An RP2040-based microcontroller board with wireless
Connecting to the Internet with Raspberry Pi Pico W: Getting Raspberry Pi Pico W online with C/C++ or MicroPython

Software Development

Raspberry Pi Pico C/C++ SDK: Libraries and tools for C/C++ development on RP2040 microcontrollers
Raspberry Pi Pico Python SDK: A MicroPython environment for RP2040 microcontrollers

The API level Doxygen documentation for the Raspberry Pi Pico C/C++ SDK is also available as a micro-site.

RP2040-based Boards

An incomplete list of boards using RP2040.

Boards from Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi Pico: Designed by Raspberry Pi, RP2040 features a dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ processor with 264kB internal RAM and support for up to 16MB of off-chip Flash. A wide range of flexible I/O options includes I2C, SPI, and — uniquely — Programmable I/O (PIO). These support endless possible applications for this small and affordable package.
Raspberry Pi Pico W: A Raspberry Pi Pico, with 802.11n wireless LAN.

Boards from Adafruit

Feather 2040: A new chip means a new Feather, and the Raspberry Pi RP2040 is no exception. When we saw this chip we thought "this chip is going to be awesome when we give it the Feather Treatment" and so we did! This Feather features the RP2040, and all niceties you know and love about Feather.

ItsyBitsy 2040: A new chip means a new ItsyBitsy, and the Raspberry Pi RP2040 is no exception. When we saw this chip we thought "this chip is going to be awesome when we give it the ItsyBitsy teensy-weensy Treatment" and so we did! This Itsy' features the RP2040, and all niceties you know and love about the ItsyBitsy family.

Boards from Arduino

$arduino nano$

Nano RP2040 Connect: Meet the only connected RP2040 board, leveraging essential key features of the other Arduino Nanos — like the versatile u-blox NINA WiFi and Bluetooth module. The new board comes packed with some high-quality MEMS sensors from STM, an efficient power section, and a bunch of other innovations.

Boards from Pimoroni

PGA2040: A minimal RP2040 breakout board wrangled into a Pin Grid Array, with a maximal dash of retraux style. PGA2040 has no USB port, LED or buttons but it does have an embed-friendly 21mm square footprint, 8MB of flash and lots of exposed RP2040 pins to play with.

Pico LiPo: A top of the line Pirate-brand RP2040-powered microcontroller with all the extras - lots of flash memory, USB-C, STEMMA QT/Qwiic, debug connectors, and onboard LiPo charging. Pimoroni Pico boards add extra functionality whilst keeping to the Pico footprint, ensuring compatibility with existing Pico addons.

Tiny 2040: A postage stamp sized RP2040 development board with a USB-C connection, perfect for portable projects, wearables, and embedding into devices. Tiny 2040 comes with 8MB of QSPI (XiP) flash on board so it can handle projects small and large with ease.

Keybow 2040: A luxe 16 key USB-C keyboard with tactile mechanical switches and fully customisable RGB lighting, ideal for custom macro pads, midi controllers and stream decks. RP2040 gives Keybow 2040 low latency input, zero boot time and a new, compact footprint.

PicoSystem: An all-in-one pocket sized games console with RP2040 at its heart, ready for filling up with all the most fun pixels! PicoSystem has a nice tactile joypad and buttons, a vibrant 240x240 screen and a lipo battery, neatly wrapped up in some shiny abstract PCB art.

Plasma 2040: Swathe everything in rainbows with this all-in-one, USB-C powered controller for WS2812/Neopixel and APA102/Dotstar addressable LED strips, with RP2040 in the driving seat - just perfect for whipping up some custom mood lighting.

Boards from SparkFun

Pro Micro - RP2040: The SparkFun Pro Micro RP2040 is a low-cost, high performance board with flexible digital interfaces featuring the RP2040 microcontroller. The board also includes a WS2812B addressable LED, boot button, reset button, USB-C, resettable PTC fuse, castellated pads, and a Qwiic connector to add devices from SparkFun’s quick-connect I2C ecosystem.

Thing Plus - RP2040: The SparkFun Thing Plus - RP2040 harnesses the capability of RP2040 on a compact development board. Within the Feather-compatible Thing Plus form factor with 18 GPIO pins, the board offers an SD card slot, 16MB flash memory, a JST single-cell battery connector, an addressable WS2812 RGB LED, JTAG PTH pins, mounting holes, and SparkFun’s signature Qwiic connector.

MicroMod RP2040 Processor: The SparkFun MicroMod Pi RP2040 Processor Board is part of SparkFun’s MicroMod modular interface system. The MicroMod M.2 connector makes it a breeze to connect your MicroMod Pi RP2040 Processor with the MicroMod carrier board that gives you the inputs and outputs you need for your project.

Other Boards

Discussions around other RP2040-based boards can be found on the forums.