RP2040 / Raspberry Pi Pico

Model Info (from USB detection)

• Detected as: RP2 Boot (Raspberry Pi)
• Serial: E0C9125B0D9B
• Mode: BOOTSEL (mass storage bootloader)
• Volume: RPI-RP2 — mounts as FAT16 drive (/dev/disk4)
• Board: Plain Raspberry Pi Pico (not Pico W — no wireless)

Bought 3 of these.

How to Program

1. Arduino IDE (easiest, sketch-like)

1. Install the Raspberry Pi Pico/RP2040 board package:
   • Arduino IDE → Boards Manager → search "pico"
   • Install Earle Philhower's core or the official Arduino RP2040 core
2. Write your sketch as usual
3. Export compiled binary → outputs a .uf2 file
4. Drag the .uf2 file onto the RPI-RP2 volume
5. Pico auto-resets and runs the code

Gotchas:

• RP2040 is 3.3V only — no 5V tolerant pins. Use level shifters for 5V sensors.
• No built-in WiFi (this is plain Pico, not Pico W)
• Some Arduino libraries need tweaks (timers, analogWrite, PIO)

2. C/C++ SDK (full power)

• Raspberry Pi's official Pico SDK
• CMake-based setup
• Full access to PIO, dual-core, DMA

3. MicroPython / CircuitPython

• Flash once with the MicroPython .uf2
• Then edit .py files on the board
• Easiest for prototyping

Notes

• BOOTSEL mode = hold BOOTSEL button while plugging in, or while pressing RESET
• Drag-and-drop .uf2 flashing works on macOS natively (no extra tools needed)
• If it shows up as a serial port instead of a drive, it's running user code (not in BOOTSEL)