The MicroMod RP2040 Processor Board is a low-cost, high-performance board with flexible digital interfaces featuring the Raspberry Pi Foundation's RP2040 microcontroller. The board takes advantage of the MicroMod M.2 connector to easily swap out processor boards on carrier boards.
SparkFun MicroMod RP2040 Processor DEV-17720The SparkFun MicroMod Pi RP2040 Processor Board is a low-cost, high-performance board with flexible digital interfaces featur…
Required MaterialsTo follow along with this tutorial, you will need the following materials. You may not need everything though depending on what you have. Add it to your cart, read through the guide, and adjust the cart as necessary.
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SparkFun MicroMod RP2040 Processor DEV-17720The SparkFun MicroMod Pi RP2040 Processor Board is a low-cost, high-performance board with flexible digital interfaces featur…
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Suggested ReadingIf you aren't familiar with the MicroMod ecosystem, we recommend reading here for an overview. We recommend reading here for an overview if you decide to take advantage of the Qwiic connector.
If you aren’t familiar with the following concepts, we also recommend checking out these tutorials before continuing.
Serial CommunicationAsynchronous serial communication concepts: packets, signal levels, baud rates, UARTs and more!
Logic LevelsLearn the difference between 3.3V and 5V devices and logic levels.
I2CAn introduction to I2C, one of the main embedded communications protocols in use today.
Analog vs. DigitalThis tutorial covers the concept of analog and digital signals, as they relate to electronics.
Getting Started with MicroModDive into the world of MicroMod - a compact interface to connect a microcontroller to various peripherals via the M.2 Connector!
Hardware Overview M.2 ConnectorAll of our MicroMod Processor Boards come equipped with the M.2 MicroMod Connector, which leverages the M.2 standard and specification to allow you to install your MicroMod Processor Board on your choice of carrier board. Most of the pins use a common pinout to ensure cross platform compatibility.
Note: While the MicroMod RP2040 Processor Board is designed to mate with M.2 Connectors that are populated on Carrier Boards, the RP2040 is not compatible specifically with the MicroMod Machine Learning Carrier Board.
RP2040 ProcessorThe brains of the processor board is the Raspberry Pi Foundation's RP2040 ARM Cortex M0+ processor. An external 12MHz crystal is used as the clock for the RP2040. The RP2040 should be powered with 3.3V from a carrier board's M.2 connector. The logic levels for the I/O pins are 3.3V.
Flash MemoryOn the back of the board is the W25Q128JVPIM, which adds 128Mb (16MB) of flash memory externally.
LEDA STAT LED is added to the top side of the board. This is useful debugging or as a status indicator. This is connected to GPIO25.
MicroMod RP2040 Processor Pin FunctionalityClick on image for a closer view of the graphical datasheet.
The complete pin map can be found in the table below or you can refer to the schematic.
Heads up! The pin table below and schematic both include the RP2040 pin associated with each MicroMod pin and this correlation can be used to identify alternate uses for pins on the RP2040 Processor Board. For many of the General Purpose I/O pins and other pins with multiple signal options, refer to your Carrier Board's Hookup Guide for information on how those pins are configured what they are used for. Not all pins are used on every Carrier Board.
Depending on your window size, you may need to use the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the table to view the additional pin functions. Note that the M.2 connector pins on opposing sides are offset from each other as indicated by the bottom pins where it says (Not Connected)*. There is no connection to pins that have a "-".
AUDIO UART GPIO/BUS I2C SDIO SPI Dedicated AlternateNote: There is an additional ADC pin that is not broken out on the RP2040. It is connected to the internal temperature sensor. While it is not broken out on the board, you can access the temperature sensor readings using examples from either the C/C++ or MicroPython SDK.
Board DimensionsThe board takes advantage of the standard MicroMod form factor.
Hardware AssemblyIf you have not already, make sure to check out the Getting Started with MicroMod: Hardware Hookup for information on inserting your Processor Board into your Carrier Board.
Note: While the MicroMod RP2040 Processor Board is designed to mate with M.2 Connectors that are populated on Carrier Boards, the RP2040 is not compatible specifically with the Machine Learning Carrier Board.
For simplicity, we'll be using the MicroMod ATP Carrier Board to program the board. At a minimum, your setup may look like the image below with the MicroMod RP2040 Processor Board.
To program, you'll need a computer and a USB-C cable inserted into the MicroMod ATP Carrier Board. In this tutorial, we will use a Raspberry Pi.
Qwiic-Enabled DeviceIf you decide to use a Qwiic device (because why not?!), simply insert a Qwiic cable between the two connectors. Note that not all Qwiic enabled devices have a MicroPython driver yet.
UF2 BootloaderThe MicroMod RP2040 processor board is easy to program, thanks the UF2 bootloader. With this bootloader, the board shows up on your computer as a USB storage device without having to install drivers for Windows 10, Mac, and Linux!
What is UF2?UF2 stands for USB Flashing Format, which was developed by Microsoft for PXT (now known as MakeCode) for flashing microcontrollers over the Mass Storage Class (MSC), just like a removable flash drive. The file format is unique, so unfortunately, you cannot simply drag and drop a compiled binary or hex file onto the board. Instead, the format of the file has extra information to tell the processor where the data goes, in addition to the data itself. For more information about UF2, you can read more from the MakeCode blog, as well as the UF2 file format specification.
SoftwareThere are two methods of programming the RP2040. You can use MicroPython or C/C++ depending your personal preference. The documentation is written for the Raspberry Pi's Pico development board but will apply for any board with the RP2040. Just make sure to adjust the pin definition depending on what GPIO is broken out.
Stay tuned for more information!
MicroPython ExamplesThe Raspberry Pi foundation has provided the necessary tools, documentation, and examples to get started with the RP2040. If you haven't already, check out the documentation on the Pico. We'll use this as a reference when using the chip on other development boards to fit your needs in this tutorial.
We'll be using the MicroPython examples from this GitHub repo using Thonny IDE.
Installing MicroPython on the RP2040 Note:Interested in going further? The Raspberry Pi Foundation also released a book to get started with the Pico's RP2040: "
Get Started with MicroPython on Raspberry Pi Pico." While it is written for the RP2040, you can use it as a guide for any boards with the RP2040. Just make sure to
To install MicroPython on the RP2040, you will need to download the firmware from Raspberry Pi. Click below to head to the Raspberry Pi Foundation's MicroPython UF2 File for the RP2040. Click on the tab for the "Getting started MicroPython" and the button for Download UF2 File.
On your MicroMod carrier board, find the boot and reset button. Press and hold the boot button down with one finger.
Press the reset button with momentarily with another finger.
Release the boot button. The board should appear on your computer as a removable drive called RPI-RP2.
Draw and drop the UF2 file into the "removable drive". The board will automatically reboot. Below is an image highlighting the UF2 file being moved to a the removeable drive on a Raspberry Pi.
Configuring Thonny IDE Note:If you are using a Raspberry Pi, make sure that you are using the latest Raspberry Pi image. Enter the following command in the LXTerminal to download and install the the latest packages. The
&&
combines the two commands into a single line and the
-y
answers "yes" to any prompts.
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y
thonny -v
INFO thonny:Thonny version: 3.3.3
Open Thonny up from the start menu: Raspberry Pi Start Menu > Programming > Thonny Python IDE
Set Thonny's interpreter for the RP2040. The "Raspberry Pi Pico" will work for the RP2040. Head to the menu and select: Run > Select Interpreter....
This will open a new window for the Thonny options. In the Interpreter tab, select MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico) as the interpreter.
Note:You can also click on the bottom right to
Configure Interpreter...and follow the same steps outlined above.
In the same window, make sure to select the option to have Thonny automatically detect the COM port for the board: Port > < Try to detect port automatically >
Note: If you are on Linux based OS like the Raspberry Pi, the COM port may show up as tty(AMA0 (/dev/ttyAMA0).
To check if this is working open the Thonny IDE, type the following into the editor. Feel free to adjust the message to whatever you prefer.
language:python
print("Hello world!")
Hit the "Run current script" button. In the Shell, you will see the following output. Sweet!
language:bash
>>> %Run -c %EDITOR_CONTENT
Hello world!
To save the file and have it run every time the board is powered up, simply select
File>
Save As...from the menu.
When a window pops up, select
Raspberry Pi Pico.
Then save the file as
main.pyJust make sure to save any code that was edited on your computer (e.g.
Save as...>
This computer) before closing Thonny.
Warning: If you are using a terminal window and REPL, you will need to type the functions into the terminal window. While you can copy and paste, the terminal window will not recognize indents for loops or custom defined subroutines. As a result, the pasted code will not be interpreted correctly by REPL. You'll want to make sure that you are using the Thonny editor to avoid this error.
BlinkIf you have the MicroPython examples saved, head to the following folder in your downloads .../pico-micropython-examples/blink/blink.py . Your code should look like the following. Of course, you can also copy and paste the code provided after the next paragraph as well.
language:python
# ========== DESCRIPTION==========
# The following code was originally written by
# the Raspberry Pi Foundation. You can find this
# example on GitHub.
#
# https://github.com/raspberrypi/pico-micropython-examples/blob/master/blink/blink.py
from machine import Pin, Timer
led = Pin(25, Pin.OUT)
tim = Timer()
def tick(timer):
global led
led.toggle()
tim.init(freq=2.5, mode=Timer.PERIODIC, callback=tick)
Hit the "Run current script" button. Once the code runs, you will see the LED blink. If you want the board to run blink every time the board is powered up, just follow the note provided at the end the previous example.
Resources and Going FurtherFor more information, check out the resources below:
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