Raspberry Pi Pico Clone with 16MB Flash, USB-C, Neopixel, and More!
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- Опубликовано: 16 авг 2022
- Clones of the Raspberry Pi Pico have started to appear for sale. These clones offer more features, for less money. But are they truly compatible? What extra features do you get? Let's find out.
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Just for the Type-C connector, I would prefer the clone board. I hate micro-USB plugs, they are just too flimsy and breaks way too soon.
I couldn't agree more!
True, both male and female easily breaks
I would even pay MORE for a USB C version. Its baffling to me that there are electronic things that come out still with micro USB, when clearly the cost difference is basically negligible, even if they passed that cost down to the consumer, it clearly isn't that much if this board is only $5
@@toyvo I'd totally pay $10 for a RPi Pico WH with USB-C and extra flash memory. TBH I'd probably pay that for a Pico H or Pico with those features
Sometimes I find myself going down the conspiracy theory track. I get upset when they use older USB connection types as inevitably I have to buy a new connecting wire. And they all seem to come with a minimum of 1 or maybe 2 metres of wire!! a complete waste, but an excellent moneyspinner for the companies producing the connections. "USB C is King. Long live the King!" ( p.s. Arduino is still churning out boards with USB B-type connections!!!!!)
Fantastic, love the USB-C connector. For my future projects, definitely going with something like this.
I’ve successfully use a couple of these with Pimoroni’s Pico RGB Keypad Base without any issues. You get extra memory, user button, a neopixel and much better usb C which is better for repeated connection/disconnection. I found they arrive a lot quicker (< 2 weeks) if you order multiple boards at a time.
One thing to note is they are wider than a regular Pico and will overhang pins/connections on some prototype boards.
I have not used these, but with similar I have used two proto boards side by side and used the module to bridge between the boards.
Pin spacing the same but yes the pcb itself is 2.8mm wider. A small price to pay for having readble gpio labels on the top surface though, an feature, not a bug ;)
Great video Garry
Gary, thank you for doing these videos and making your code available. Helps a beginner like me to learn without reinventing. I had to bridge R68 on my board to work the neopixel and noticed at 7:10 on the video that your board is already bridged. Also updated a couple of GPIO numbers in the code to match what you explained on the video.
I have 4 in house and 2 on order of the RPi-2-pico-W (Pico W). I just ordered 2 clones with RP2040 TYPE-C 16MB
after watching this. Thanks Gary.
GPIO pinouts are printed on PCB. MUCH BETTER!
interesting video as always 👍
great walkthrou of the board.
Thanks for sharing your expirences with All of us 👍😃
Is there an original firmware (current) changed to recognize the 16 MB, because it only detects 2MB with the original one. I had to use the Pomodori Lipo 16MB to see the other ones, but I would like to have the original firmware only updated for the 16MB. Do you have any hints for this?
VCC-GND Studio is the original designer and manufacturer of this RP2040 based Raspberry Pico clone black board. It uses an LDO regulator instead of a buck-boots converter; it is a very low dropout voltage regulator still good for a Li-Ion or LiPo battery (up to 3.4V). The advantage of the LDO is a massively reduction in power consumption in sleep and dormant states.
Yes, and much less noisy power source, especially when you are trying to use the ADC. This is a well-designed clone, USB-C, a good LDO, bigger flash memory.
I have a few different Pi Pico's and then got this one as a result of your video. Have to say, for the price, I am impressed!!! It works the same and functions just like the real thing in Arduino IDE as well. It's good to have the reset pin and the RGB LED for testing as well. Now, knowing what I know about the clones, I would have gone for this one first. Now I can't wait for the Wi-Fi version to hit the market, as that is what I have the most of. Great video and well explained - thanks!!!
one question gary, is uploading code go to the flash chip? and how to check the flash size of the chip. i am quite new to this
I have one and its got nicescreen printing on the top and bottomfor all the pints SUPER NICE.
I bought one, the only difference I noticed that may cause incompatibility is:
The 3v3_EN pin was disconnected from GPIO 23 so you can no longer control the SMPS but the pin instead controls the NeoPixel.
Is there a datasheet for this clone? How did you know where the peripherals (LED, buttons) are connected?
is it the power supply improved , because original has noise its interfering the analog pin.
do you need to ground the user button for it to function? also it doesn't seem like there is a pin 24 on the board I'm a bit confused
How do you solder the R68 pad to enable Neopixel LED?
Just wanted to throw out a little tip to make life during a USB transition easier and that is: Adapters. I got these great USB-C to USB Micro and USB Mini adapters that use jewelry clasps to fasten to the cable and they are amazing. No more digging for older cables when I am working with a board like a Pico or an Arduino Nano. I wish they made a USB-B one. Stupid Uno and it's ancient connector.
I would love to find any Pico W, original or clone.
Hi Gary & everyone.
i bought a clone one with type C connector and 16 MB.
but the pinout on the board is different than the original.
on one side, it goes from GP0 - GP17 with 2 GND in between.
on the other side it goes from GP18 to GP29 along with VBUS, RUN, 3V3 etc.
should i follow the GP written on the board? or match it pin to pin with the original?
Exists also a very similar board "WeAct RP2040", with 16 mb of flash, with one small difference - 3.3v output on 4-th pin fron right side, not on 5th... And no NeoPixel LED there)
Both!
Good vid!
i wonder how to attach them into the enclosure since the clone doesn't seem to have any screwhole
Maybe everyone should buy at least one of the original boards to help support and encourage R.Pi Foundation and then clones for the other features when those features are needed.
The clone uses the original chip so its not 100% unethical
I am fairly certain that the Rpi foundation encourages these kind of boards. They do make their money on the RP2040 chip after all :)
Yes, but it does need a mix. There are a lot of Raspberry PI wannabes who fail not because their hardware is poor but their software and support is poor. Asus made the Tinkerboard, it's not RPI compatible but it's the same market. The problem is it does not have the following or the support but is potentially something we'd all appreciate. These pico clones will have an easier time because they don't need their own separate ecosystem.
I'm curious about the broken out GPIO23 which you didn't mention. On the regular Pico it's used to control the power supply. Is it fully usable here?
i think you do this internally, eg that pin is available to control in code, but not to physically connect to.
Got the Waveshare RP2040 Plus from Amazon. . It looks like a great board but I haven't opened it yet as I might return it. The battery connector isn't a standard LiPo connector. I'm not sure if I want to put up with that annoyance if I can get one with the correct connector. Otherwise, the Pi accessories are compatible and the hardware is better. I bought too much at once - this, various esp32 boards and a couple other microcontrollers. It's Christmas in October....
Tried Type-C Version 2 board but it won't boot on SD mode. Is this an issue with my e-marked cable ?
Do i need a special version of micropython firmware to access the 16mb flash?
I have two 16mb boards, running pico flash and picoboot. Perfect
Does this board support c++ programming in arduino ide?
I am struggling to make the WS2812 RGB led work on the YD-RP2040 board. Am I supposed to solder the two R68 resistor pads to connect them with the GPIO23? In my board, both pads are not connected but I have read, the Neopixels routine is working for them if these pads are soldered. Also the photos online seems to have a bumpy soldering. Just curious what the experience of other owners might be. Any help will be much appreciated.
yeah you have to solder those two points. I just discovered it by searching online. I really don't understand why he didn't mention it on the video, I also don't understand why they didn't just send them with the connection soldered.
Does it infringe any copyrights?
I can confirm that Version 2022-1.3 needs R68 bridged for the NeoPixel to work. I bought 2 boards recently and both needed the bridge.
Mine works fine as is
hehe, it is not R68, it is misspeled RGB
Any idea why it would show me a cpu temperature of -1479.79 when I try to read the cpu temp with circuitpython?
The Pi Pico has one of its analogs connected to a local temperature sensor, which leaves it with only 3 analogs sensors. I would like to know if this board gives you access to all four analog sensors? OK, I have now found a spec sheet that states this board has 4 ADC however one of these is an analog ref. I'm not sure if this is there to set a range to the voltage input for the other 3 ADC pins, or to act as an ADC in its own right. Also if this is pin compatible to the pi, is the 'extra analog input making use of a redundant pi pin? I guess if this board can add extra features like the buttons and the rgb, then its capable of more inputs and outputs, than the pi-compatible pinouts. This would be perfect if it had 4 - 6 analog pins, maybe replacing those extra pins used for the ic2 debug.
Thank you for showing us this. I’ve been thinking if getting one of these clones with the higher flash memory. I already have a clone that looks like the original with the original 2 megabyte flash, but i plan on upgrading to 16 megabytes. This version mentioned in this video also comes with 4 megabytes of flash. I would be careful which seller you buy these from, as some sellers flat out ignore messages without even trying to help, random cancellations of orders, and can be a total scam.
Hi, can you show how burn bootloader in pi pico?
I mean I’ve already bought some picos but I would definitely buy this as well
I think the Neo pixel would be great status indicator for mobile base station
Where can you buy these? in the US?
Are there clones with an esp32 for wifi and BT to compete with the Pico W? Problem is for support when using none esp32 modules.
Not clones, but compatible boards. I just reviewed the Challenger 2040 WiFi here on this channel.
I'd give it a try
I would buy both. A clone to try it and another Pico for my next EuroPi synth module.
To answer Gary's question:
Since (all) the clones are based on original design/drawings from RPi Foundation, the RP2040 chip itself will be the original one (hard to clone this, right?) and other components that were present in the original design should be basically the same (BOM is included in public design files) => I wouldn't expect any issues related with the RP2040 itself (oscillator, power, USB compliance, ...). However, the more "changed" the clone is, the less trust I would have. No one wants his RPi Pico project to random reboot occasionally.
For critical projects I would choose the original only.
It's probably just too soon for clones to show up, but I won't be surprised when they actually show up.
I doubt that it would be terribly hard, as such. It's just an arm design
For "serious projects" they simply use the chip itself without all the extra stuff that's on the development board which might not even be needed in a real application. That's why it's called a "development board", it's meant to be used only for the development phase, not in a real product.
got to wait for the W-Clone now :)
Interesting.
Anyone have the Python "main" file that comes installed on the AliX board? I lost mine and would like it back for testing.
Ha! I saw you flip that usb connector at 7:26. Old habits die hard huh.
What about a wireless version of this one ? WiFi is essential for some applications, right ?
but next year pico w2 with bluetooth or wifi. i losted what W was but some way other next year same price. bcoz they seems not want make bluetooh and wifi same time its same chip
How can I design this board.. and how can I program /reflash this device..
Where would I get the firmware from.. the cloners did all of that? If so rather than buying the only the cloned board.. possible to buy the cloned board + Firmware + etc.. Any suggesstions or idea for same?
Since it is a clone it is compatible with the existing firmware for the Pico.
Well, we didn't see the back of the board. Is it empty so that the board can be soldered to a main-board?
The clone Pico also lacks castellations In favour of pin-labels, so connecting to a main board would have to be by header or wires/pins.
The mounting holes are absent, probably because of the wider USB-C , still a good trade-off in my opinion. What were the RPF thinking not implementing USB-C?
The Debug connector also appears to have a dedicated Earth (0V) pin added, a good idea.
So, not a replacement for all existing projects, but an overall improvement, though I would prefer castellations to labels, personally.
If you insist on castellations, you could try and sand the edges down (if there's no traces on the outside edge of the pins). Fine enough sandpaper should keep the edge smooth and the plating intact. :)
I'll be swayed when I can get a Pico W clone ;) I'm happy to hear ESPHome will be adopting the Pico W.
They’ve got em
What is the mame of pcb
if the original Pico had a reset button I would keep buying it. But I’m going to place an order for a handful of the ones you described. I don’t mind the USB micro connector too much but I mind it a lot when you have to plug and unplug every time you want to reset the board!
Pimoroni do an add on, on board reset switch for the Pico:
shop.pimoroni.com/products/captain-resetti-pico-reset-button?variant=32397466239059
Have fitted these to my Pico's, apparently won't fit a Pico W, Wi-Fi module in the way, have never tried.
You could solder in your own reset button but not as tidy.
Get a USB cable that has an On/Off switch built into it.
Thanks!
I just ordered 5 of these with 16MB flash, for a total of $16 US, from AliExpress.
it's approx $2.5 on sale now
There also pico boards that are smaller like the tiny 2040 from Pimoroni.
Yes, there are lots of RP2040 boards out there including one from Arduino and also the Challenger 2040 WiFi (which I reviewed recently). However they aren't clones, they are unique boards in their own right. This board is pin for pin compatible with the original Pico, which obviously a tiny board wouldn't be.
I would consider buying one of these if they were considerably cheaper or RPF Picos were unavailable. I would describe this board as a "re-design". I'm obviously not in marketing. A marketing guy would call it a "re-imagining".😉 Thanks for the video!
A sensible marketing guy would not call it a "re-imagining" when selling to this market; "A compatible re-design with additional features and memory size for a better price." It sells itself really.
I've always bought and preferred clone boards. Never had any issues with them and they tend to offer more features. If the original manufacturers want me to buy from them they should at least offer the same utility as the superior clone versions.
Indeed. I could never find a reason to buy the _official_ boards over board from ttgo for instance.
I always buy original to support the original project.
If you didn't support the original projects you limit their ability to innovate. I buy clones sometimes when I need a special feature, so clones have their place, but 90% of my boards are original.
@@ernestuz Originals are often way overpriced or have since slowed their innovation to a crawl (looking at arduinos here)
In the case of 2040 boards or esp32 boards you _are_ supporting innovation though because the actual chips come from the companies innovating.
When you buy the original it does help them which in turn helps you when they bring out new products. However it's a more direct benefit to you if you just buy the one that suits your needs and budget best.
Is it really a clone if it has the original chip? Anyone can buy the RP2040 and put it in a dev board; it doesn’t require any reverse engineering or IP license violations as far as I know.
Does look like a nice board though. I know the pico went with micro USB for cost and available cables but it still feels backwards.
I think it "might" qualify as a clone of the Pi Pico (with some added features). Only of the board though. Just like Arduino clones, the processor and software are the same. The only thing being cloned is the board.
voce pode me fornecer este codifo que aciona o led rgb, obrigado
Hi Gary. Thanks a lot for the video, really helpful.
I have been trying to make the RGB work on the C language side, but haven't achieved it yet.
Does anyone knows how? There is no example written in C for it.
Regards.
Some other viewers are saying that later models have a problem with the RGB and you need to modify the board. Scroll down and see the other comments, maybe that is the problem.
@@GaryExplains ty, going to check it.
@@GaryExplains I'm going to leave this comment for the sake of someone struggling with the same.
The solution is easy, you need to bridge the R68 just as @Carsten Schulze pointed it out.
Also, for the neopixel on C, check that WS2812_PIN is defined as 23
I already bought some of those clones some month ago, because they were easier to get than the original Pi Pico.
I don't think it really matters to the foundation in any case. The Pico board is simply a delivery system for the rp2040
By a few originals and pack them away as collector items, then buy and use the clone. That way you support the real innovators, but still get to play with something a little more user friendly.
I fully agree. I myself developed a clone to use with an expander card with keyboard, mouse, audio and VGA. Manufacturing, schematic and testing files on my channel. I accept proposals for the development of electronic projects.
I'm having a problem programing a .py can someone confirm the interpreter settings for micropython? Please and thank you.
Hello
Where is link to code of examples?
*GARY!!!*
Good evening Professor!
Good evening fellow classmates!
Stay safe out there everyone!
MARK ‼️
The flash looks serial, is it slow compared to the processor?
Most (all?) microcontroller boards use serial flash including the original Pico. This isn't something unique to these clone boards.
do we use pico w or regular pico micropython fimware for these clones?
Regular
@@GaryExplains thank you sir! appreciate ya!
What Pico display is that? Can't find it on Amazon. Thanks!
I have a video about it here ruclips.net/video/17VJWybbMo0/видео.html
Thanks!
Gary, it might be nice to provide a link to the board so we can find it. Or at least provide the search term so we can find the exact board you're talking about.
No, I intentionally didn't give a link as I don't want to endorse any particular store on AliExpress. Just search for "Pico 16mb".
@@GaryExplains Thanks.
I have ordered two of them, i still have to figure out how to use it as a midi device, the type c is what i wanted!
When buying Arduinos, I opt for clones because of the price. If there weren't these clones available for tenth of the price, I would have been more cautious when using them and many smaller projects could have been left undone.
Raspberry Pi Pico is already so cheap, there is no huge reason for me to go with clones to save money. But if there are variations with USB-C, battery management etc, I can consider buying them instead.
In most cases you're not actually using "an arduino" so much as the Atmel chip family that powered the arduino in any case.
Hi gary good morning nice video i'm not seeing d links to buy d two items that u have from AliExpress
No, I didn't provide any links as I didn't want to endorse any particular store on AliExpress.
So how would i get d one that u have there
@@ricardoballantyne1057 If you go to the AliExpress website and search for "Pico 16mb" then you should have quite a wide range of options to choose from.
Which IDE do you use?
Thonny for the Python stuff and Arduino for the Arduino stuff.
I'm a bit on the fence though - because I definitely miss (irritated for not having, to be more accurate) having a reboot/reset button on the Pico, but I would definitely don't want a WS2812b on it.
PS: More memory is better, but I was under the impression that RP2040 could handle a max 8MB flash without impairing its operational speeds..
you have to solder the jumper on the board to enable the ws2812b
Not on my board, but apparently there are some revisions out there where you need to do that.
@@GaryExplainsWould have been good if you linked the store from which you boght the board, there are lot's of shady ones.
@@Splarkszter It is because there are so many shading once that I didn't want to link to the one I used. Maybe it is shady as well and I was just lucky. Last thing I want is people to get annoyed at me because I linked to a store which then failed them.
I also have some of these boards. It seems the ADC isn't working as expected though. The original pi always hfs a bit of noise and therefore never reads 0, this board does, but when applying _any_ voltage it doesn't read anything. Connecting ADC_VREF with the ADC pin results in an obvious 100% reading, but even when releasing the voltage the reading stays at 100%. This absolutely isn't how it behaves on a original Pico. Maybe I'm doing it wrong though 😅
The picture describing the pins on the Ali express site also seem to suggest that ADC_VREF == VBUS, I don't have enough knowledge to see if this is a problem.
Ah, nevermind. The VREF connection on the board has to be soldered to close the connection to the ADC_AVDD pin of the rp2040, similarly not understandable as R68 for the Neopixel ...
Hello Gary
Interesting video, however I am not totally convinced you are correct on the size of flash memory on that board. Its not clear from AliExpress site but I suspect its just 16M bits (standard 2Megabytes)
I cant make out the flash chip number from your video, can you reply with the chip number to answer that question and maybe the AliExpress link you used would be useful too please.
It uses the W25Q128JV which is a 128M-bit flash memory chip, i.e. 16MB.
Thanks Gary, ah that is 16Mbytes then. I wanted to purchase one from Aliexpress, but the photograph that i found that matches your board with 2 switches clearly says 2MByte Flash. in the text below, so its kinda confusing.
Many of the sellers offer different variants including a simple Pico clone, a 4MB version, and a 16MB version, you need to select the variant you need. I used a store called Wanazi.
@Gary, you utterly rock for these considerate answers. Thanks.
Link to board?
I like to support the Raspberry Pi Foundation, so, for onesie-twosie where I don't need extra memory and don't have a use for the Neo Pixel, I would buy the original. Obviously, if my app is bigger or the project is focused around small and the Neo Pixel or I really needed the USB-C,, then my choice is made. Also, if the price difference holds up at scale, even a modest production run may lead to the clone (also something being sold or given to others these days should probably go for USB-C.
Even with the clones you will still support the foundation as they use the original chip
I am delighted we have these choices. Obviously the ESP32 and Arduino dominate this market but RPI users will chose the Pico or clones.
nothing wrong with buying cloned boards -never had any trouble using them and they thend to be cheaper
Hi Gary can I ask for the code? I'm having a rough time configuring my LED and Neopixel on my Pi Pico 16mb with type c. Thanks man appreciate any help.
Some people are reporting here in the comments that some of the later boards have a problem and you need to physically solder some pins together, please read further down for more details.
But neopixel is taking one GPIO pin and you cannot use that pin for anything else, do i get that right? Why do you need that?
A normal LED also takes one pin. It is only a problem if you are already using all the other pins.
I have about 10 of the original pico. But I will get a few of the clones also.
With the higher flash ROM, I still find it challenging to use even relatively large (~500) python codes due to lack of RAM. Does anyone know how to solve this issue?
Large flash is great. But what exactly does it do to help us? It doesn't really help us run larger python codes. Right?
There are no shortcuts with regard to your RAM query; you need to be more careful with your memory allocations! There are many techniques to reduce memory use including pre-compiling your python code (using mpy files or freezing your code), taking care with creating objects, trimming your libraries down etc.
Large flash can obviously help with storing files - larger programs, larger firmware images (if you freeze your code), data files or even assets that you could share with a web server.
Is there support for this board in the Arduino IDE?
Yes you can use the Pico (and this clone) using Arduino. See github.com/earlephilhower/arduino-pico
@@GaryExplains Many thanks, I have that already installed after watching your Challenger RP2040 Wi-Fi video. I do like playing with different boards and this one looks interesting.
I bought the RP2040 chips and some memory and make my own board :p
I have 10 Picos here to play around, but if I need more, I still would buy the original when it's the normal price of 5 bucks. But buttons are a cool thing, but the LED is not necessary. Will it get hot if you run it for a longer period? I remember RGB LED's that heated up an SSD to a point, the SSD shut down.
But you already said it, the Pico is open hardware, we can buy the rp2040 and some SPI memory, most of the stuff is already build to death and at the end, we just put the parts together in our circuit, make the prototype with the Pico until the boards arrive and we have special boards for that.
Some even solder the Pico and these Clones into their boards btw, and somebody posted a video, how to access the memory on such a board without the pico micro-usb.
The USB-C is a great improvement, I love it too, that's a big plus IMHO.
Ничего не понял, но очень интересно))
If I do a "one off" design solely for my own use, a clone is fine. On the other hand, a project that I consider publishing and hope that other users may find useful I would build around the official Pico. Clones pop up and disappear a lot faster than the original products so to make sure my design doesn't rely on the properties of a specific clone it's better to stick with the original.
I'm using this board, but I'm programming it using the Arduino IDE. If anyone knows how to control the WS2812 via the Arduino IDE, I'd appreciate some hints.
There are plenty of examples on the web. Look for Adafruit's neopixel library and examples.
hi Gary ! nice video but you miss one big point here: any thought about the 3.3V regulator fitted on these clones ? the genuine PICO is driven by a RT6150B-33 buck boost which cost more than de RP2040 itself (~1$/500pc vs ~0.8$/500pc). the advantage of using such a buck/boost chip is that you can run the genuine PICO directly on a 3,7V Li-ion battery (3V - 4.2V), which is not possible for example with ESP32 boards and their AMS1117 regulators that requires about 4 volts to run (so much drop down voltage!) . i do not know what kind of regulator is used on these pico clone but i doubt that they could run on Li ion pack the same way as the true PICO do ! if i had to run on battery i would better buy a genuine 5$ PICO... feel free to give us some detail about this point :) best regards
This board is named YD-RP2040 from VCC-GND Studio, it uses this voltage regulator: ME6215C33M5G
The LED demo looks suspiciously like the RGB wave cycling you'd find on most gaming keyboards. No surprise that they have onboard microcontrollers to control those features.
Microcontrollers have been a feature of keyboards since the first IBM, at least. The only thing that's changed is the microcontrollers are more feature packed and faster than the computers of those days.
A huge downside of the clone is, in my opinion, that it only has through holes for pin headers. I don't know how it is called, but I really like the possibility of the original Pico to directly solder it on another PCB.
Yes, true, it doesn't have castellations (castellated edges).
True, but the clone also has the pin markings on the Upside of the board ;)
Where are you buying your Pico from? Here in India I can buy one for $3.9-$4
The prices are higher in Europe.
What could you POSSIBLY do with 16MB of flash?
I am a beginner.... i get the LED not started :(
I'll buy whichever is cheaper. I do however want wifi, so that kind of puts me back to the original. For applications that don't require wifi the cones are the way to of. having the onboard addressable led means you can periodically flash the led as an indication the device isn't locked up but still executing its program.
No wireless and it's going to be difficult to produce a "W" version given how crowded it is already.
Yes, this is a clone of the Pico, not the Pico W. So no wireless on the Pico either. If you are looking for an RP2040 based Pico W alternative with WIFI then check out my review of the Challenger 2040 WiFi board.
If only there was a way to clone the Zero 2 W...