Pi Pico First Impressions
Specs? Who need those. I wont go deep into the specs because that would be a waist of our time. You can look them up somewhere else.
What is this dual core ARM M0+ microprocessor good for?
What shouldn't you use it for?
This isn't a linux computer like the other Raspberry Pis so don't bother trying to host a server on it or use it to emulate your favorite retro device. Though you certaintly can if you try.
It doesn't have wireless connectivity built into it like the esp devices so you have to bring your own at which point you might consider an integrated solution.
Language Support
The Raspberry Pi foundation supports two languages on the Pi Pico. C and their port of MicroPython to the board.
| Language | Backer | Recommended IDE | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Raspberry Pi Foundation | Visual Studio Code |
|
| MicroPython | Raspberry Pi Foundation | Thonny |
|
| CircuitPython | Adafruit | MuPython |
|
| Arduino C | Arduino | Arduino IDE |
|
Real Applications
C++ and MicroPython Support
To test the language support I created the same program in both MicroPython and C++ using the C SDK. In each program I wrote a driver for the MPU-6050 a sensor with 6 degrees of freedom, and used it to control 2 servos in order to level them.
Programmable IO (PIO)
To test the PIO feature of the board I wrote two programs using the C SDK. Each of them poll a key matrix similar to what you would find on a USB keyboard. The first program does it by setting GPIO pins using one of the main cores of the microcontroller while the other polls the keys using the programmable IO state machines.