Set up Raspberry Pi Pico
By Lucy Hattersley. Posted
1. Drag and drop Pico
Raspberry Pi Pico is a miniature marvel, capable of running code and connecting to electronic devices via its GPIO (general-purpose input/output) pins. You program Pico by connecting it to a computer via USB, then transferring code files to it (or coding and debugging directly using an IDE – integrated development environment).
Scroll for steps two and three.
2. Switch to MicroPython
Raspberry Pi Pico is set up, by default, for use with the C/C++ Software Development Kit (SDK). The C/C++ SDK is an extremely flexible and powerful way to interact with your Raspberry Pi Pico. However, there’s a more beginner-friendly method: MicroPython.
Hold down the small button on your Raspberry Pi Pico marked ‘BOOTSEL’ and connect Pico to your computer using the USB cable. (We are using a Raspberry Pi). Wait a few seconds, then let go of the BOOTSEL button. You will see your computer mount a removable drive. Click OK in the ‘Removable medium is inserted’ window to open Raspberry Pi Pico’s on-board storage.
3. Install the UF2 firmware
Double-click the INDEX.HTM file shown in Pico’s mounted storage. Your browser will open and display the Raspberry Pi Documentation web page. Select ‘MicroPython’, then click the option to download the correct MicroPython firmware for your board (Pico or Pico W). It’s a small file, so it’ll only take a few seconds.
Open File Manager and locate the.uf2 file in the Downloads folder. Drag-and-drop the UF2 file to the Raspberry Pi Pico’s removable drive (named ‘RPI-RP2’). After a few seconds, the drive will disappear as the new MicroPython firmware is recognised and installed.
You'll need:
-
Computer (Raspberry Pi, Mac, or PC)
-
Micro-USB cable
Lucy is Editor of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine.
Subscribe to Raspberry Pi Official Magazine
Save up to 37% off the cover price and get a FREE Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W with a subscription to Raspberry Pi Official Magazine.
More articles
Review – Pitower Gen 1 case
It seems quite popular now for folks to make their Raspberry Pi look like a diminutive desktop PC. The Pitower Gen 1 from Elecrow manages to do that while also making sure you can still use your Raspberry Pi as, well, a Raspberry Pi. Construction is fairly simple if lengthy – it took the better […]
Read more →
Make your RAM go further – Raspberry Pi OS memory optimisation tips
In issue 164 of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine we have been playing around with the new Raspberry Pi 5 1GB RAM. While the RAM shortage caused by the demands of AI infrastructure is annoying beyond belief, this has been a great chance for us to really get to grips with RAM. Generating images in Stable […]
Read more →
Mighty Projects – 1GB Computer in Raspberry Pi Official Magazine 164
It’s normal for computers to get faster and more pwerful, but the new-ish Raspberry Pi 5 1GB is a step in the other direction: it has all the processing power and the same GPIO pins of its more costly siblings, but with only 1GB of RAM it’s at a price that’s friendlier on the wallet […]
Read more →