Reading a pin
A button on GP15 with the pad pull-up on, a lamp on GP14, and the pad configuration that sits under one line of Arduino code.
Open it in the simulatorAll paths
Embedded on the Raspberry Pi Pico
A dual core Cortex-M0+ at 125 MHz. PWM on every pin, a 64 bit clock, and pins that do not forgive 5 V.
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What you will build
3 projects, built step by step
7 lessons in 4 chapters, about 6 hours on a simulated Raspberry Pi Pico. Free, in your browser, every step checked by the simulator.
PWM on any pin
Every GPIO on this chip has a PWM channel, which is unusual. Slices, channels, and what the divider is actually doing.
Open it in the simulatorTiming without delay
The chaser is written with delays, so it can do nothing else. Rewrite it around the microsecond timer and it can do anything.
Open it in the simulatorThe map
Chapter by chapter
Each lesson opens when the one before it is done, and each chapter ends in a project.
Chapter 1
The board
Drive a pin, read a pin, and learn what this chip will not tolerate.
- Open200 XP
First light on the Pico
An LED on GP15, a second one inside the module, and a board that keeps its program in a separate flash chip. Where the RP2040 is different.
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- ProjectLocked400 XP
Reading a pin
A button on GP15 with the pad pull-up on, a lamp on GP14, and the pad configuration that sits under one line of Arduino code.
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Chapter 2
More than one of everything
Six lamps from an array, and PWM on any pin you like.
- Locked200 XP
Six pins and an array
A dot sweeping along six LEDs, driven from a list of pin numbers. Arrays, loop bounds, and where the idea stops scaling.
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- ProjectLocked400 XP
PWM on any pin
Every GPIO on this chip has a PWM channel, which is unusual. Slices, channels, and what the divider is actually doing.
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Chapter 3
Talking and timing
The monitor both ways, and a loop that never waits.
- Locked200 XP
The board talks and listens
UART0, the monitor, and an echo. The one debugging tool you always have, and what it costs to use it.
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- ProjectLocked364 XP
Timing without delay
The chaser is written with delays, so it can do nothing else. Rewrite it around the microsecond timer and it can do anything.
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Chapter 4
Make it yours
A blank page, six lamps and a way to measure what you built.
- Locked200 XP
Project: make the sweep yours
Six lamps and a blank page. Change the pattern, count the passes, report them, and measure how long your own loop takes.
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Syllabus
Every lesson in the course
All 7 lessons, in order, each with what it covers. Any of them opens in the editor right away.
The board
- First light on the PicoAn LED on GP15, a second one inside the module, and a board that keeps its program in a separate flash chip. Where the RP2040 is different.
- Reading a pinA button on GP15 with the pad pull-up on, a lamp on GP14, and the pad configuration that sits under one line of Arduino code.
More than one of everything
- Six pins and an arrayA dot sweeping along six LEDs, driven from a list of pin numbers. Arrays, loop bounds, and where the idea stops scaling.
- PWM on any pinEvery GPIO on this chip has a PWM channel, which is unusual. Slices, channels, and what the divider is actually doing.
Talking and timing
- The board talks and listensUART0, the monitor, and an echo. The one debugging tool you always have, and what it costs to use it.
- Timing without delayThe chaser is written with delays, so it can do nothing else. Rewrite it around the microsecond timer and it can do anything.
Make it yours
- Project: make the sweep yoursSix lamps and a blank page. Change the pattern, count the passes, report them, and measure how long your own loop takes.
Keep going
The next course on your track
Embedded on the Raspberry Pi Pico is part of the embedded track, a ladder of courses from zero to expert.
MicroPython on the Pico
Real Python on a Raspberry Pi Pico: blink and the REPL, buttons and if, loops and PWM, a knob on the ADC, lists and functions on an LED bar, an OLED on I2C, and a reaction game boss.
Open the next courseEmbedded track
Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico and STM32: pins, timing, buses, motors, WiFi, registers and debugging, every lesson checked on a simulated board.
See every course on the trackKits
Build it on your bench too
Every lesson runs in the simulator with nothing to buy. When you want the real thing, these kits have the parts.
Find your kit
Pick the starter kit you own and run every lesson in its manual with the same parts on the same pins.
See every kitQuestions
About Embedded on the Raspberry Pi Pico
Is Embedded on the Raspberry Pi Pico free?
Yes. All 7 lessons of Embedded on the Raspberry Pi Pico are free and run in your browser, with nothing to install and no parts to buy before you start.
Do I need a real Raspberry Pi Pico?
No. Every lesson runs on a simulated Raspberry Pi Pico with its parts on the canvas, and the simulator checks each step as you go. When you want to build it for real, the same wiring and code work on a real board.
How long does Embedded on the Raspberry Pi Pico take?
About 6 hours: 7 lessons in 4 chapters, each one a few short steps. Your progress is kept, so you can stop after any lesson and pick up where you left off.
What will I build?
Each chapter ends in a project that puts it together: Reading a pin, PWM on any pin and Timing without delay.
Where do I start?
With "First light on the Pico", and each lesson builds on the one before it. New to circuits? Electronics basics is the course that starts from zero.