Farnell Introduces Low-Power Raspberry Pi Pico 2

The Raspberry Pi Pico 2 has been introduced, boasting the performance enhancements brought by the all-new RP2350 microcontroller, developed by Raspberry Pi. This latest iteration builds upon the success of the RP2040 microcontroller released in 2021, offering notable improvements across various aspects.

Compared to its predecessor, the RP2350 features a 150 MHz system clock, a significant upgrade from the 133 MHz clock speed of the RP2040. Additionally, the RP2350 is equipped with dual Arm Cortex-M33 cores, dual Hazard3 RISC-V cores, 520KB of SRAM, and 8KB of on-chip antifuse OTP storage, enhancing both performance and functionality.

One of the standout features of the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 is the inclusion of 4MB of on-board flash memory, doubling the storage capacity compared to the original Raspberry Pi Pico. This expanded memory capacity allows for more extensive code and data storage, enabling users to undertake more complex projects and applications.

Eben Upton, CEO of Raspberry Pi, expressed his excitement about the new products, stating, “We are bringing to market our second-generation microcontroller, RP2350, and the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 single-board computer. Offering higher performance, lower power consumption, and greater security, these products provide our enthusiast and design engineer customers with an unparalleled platform for experimentation and innovation."

Simon Wade, Senior Global Product Manager at Farnell, emphasized the continued popularity of Raspberry Pi products among customers and highlighted the significant advancements offered by the Raspberry Pi Pico 2. He stated, “The enhanced features deliver a real step-change compared with the original Pico and, with the launch of this innovative product, it is an exciting time for enthusiasts across the globe."

Key security features of the RP2350 microcontroller include OTP for boot configuration and key storage, ROM support for stage 2 bootloader authentication, and system infrastructure backing for Arm TrustZone for Cortex-M. The peripheral set of RP2350 comprises various components such as UARTs, SPI controllers, I2C controllers, PWM channels, and a USB 1.1 controller with host and device support, enhancing the versatility and connectivity options of the device.