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Overview

Getting Started

Loading the Firmware

  1. You will need to download the latest micropython version to load onto the Raspberry Pi Pico W. Ensure you grab the latest build and not a preview build.

Pico Download

  1. Place your Raspberry Pi Pico into the breadboard to protect the pins and your fingers.
  2. Hold down the BOOTSEL button on the raspberry Pi Pico

RP Pico W

  1. Connect the Pi Pico to the USB cable connected to you laptop.
  2. When the drive is displayed in Windows Explorer or Mac Finder copy the uf2 file from step 1 onto the Pi Pico drive.
  3. If this was successful the drive will disappear as the device has been reset ready for use.

Your First Program

We will be using VSCode so ensure you have that installed.

  1. Disconnect the Pi Pico from your laptop.
  2. Download the VSCode profile for the Pi Pico from VSCode Setup Repo, RP Pico.code-profile by clicking on the Download raw file icon.
  3. Follow the instructions here to import it into VSCode
  4. You should now see a new icon on the left called Raspberry Pi Pico Project Pico Project
  5. Connect the Pi Pico to your laptop
  6. Click on it and select New MicroPython Project New Project
  7. Give your project a name Blinky and change the location to where you want the project to be created. Create Project
  8. Click Create to create your new Pi Pico project
  9. If everything has gone smoothly you should have a new project that looks like the below image. Pico Project
  10. You should see that the Pico is connected and you can click on the run icon in the bottom left position to run the code python conde in blink.py on the Pi Pico.