{"id":623,"date":"2021-01-30T15:11:05","date_gmt":"2021-01-30T15:11:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/picockpit.com\/raspberry-pi\/?p=623"},"modified":"2023-11-25T20:40:52","modified_gmt":"2023-11-25T20:40:52","slug":"raspberry-pi-pico-and-micropython-on-windows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/picockpit.com\/raspberry-pi\/raspberry-pi-pico-and-micropython-on-windows\/","title":{"rendered":"Raspberry Pi Pico and MicroPython on Windows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This article answers the question: How do I use the Raspberry Pi Pico with MicroPython on Windows? We also show how to install the right driver for “Board CDC” (which the Pico will show up as once MicroPython is installed) on Windows 8.1. (We will also discuss the differences between MicroPython and CircuitPython where applicable – where the board will be called “CircuitPython CDC Control”.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we’ll show how to connect to the Pico using PuTTY, and a more comfortable option using Thonny (which is a Python IDE, integrated with the Pico!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction: What is the Pico & what is MicroPython?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Raspberry Pi Pico<\/a> is a new microcontroller board from Raspberry Pi, sporting the in-house developed RP2040 microcontroller chip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raspberry Pi have designed lots of cool features into the RP2040 (my favorite is PIO – programmable IO, where you can emulate lots of hardware interfaces which require precise timing, etc. – I’ll go into it in another article in the future), and the Pico is a really nice reference platform on which the RP2040 is implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Raspberry Pi Pico, a 4 $ microcontroller board<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

How is a Raspberry Pi Pico different from a Raspberry Pi Zero W?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The difference between a microcontroller (like the Pico<\/a>) and a single-board computer (let’s say Pi Zero W<\/a>) is roughly this: you program the Pico directly (e.g., in C), without an operating system<\/strong>, whereas the Pi Zero W<\/a> will usually run Linux. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has advantages, like real-time, but also disadvantages – you need to know more about the hardware you are using, and need to implement a lot of functionality which you would take for granted on a modern operating system (e.g. file access). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pico has fewer resources compared to the Pi Zero W (e.g. significantly less RAM, no VideoCore GPU, etc.) – but it draws less power, and has additional features, like the aforementioned PIO, and analog inputs (ADC). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pico is a good choice for projects which do not necessarily require network connectivity, HDMI output, camera input and processing. In other words, if you want to interface with hardware, have a long battery life, etc – then the Pico is for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What software already exists for the Pico?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Pico can be flashed using different software, which is provided in UF2 files<\/strong> (see Pico getting started guide<\/a>). Raspberry Pi provides several UF2 files to get you started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n