Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 W features mysterious ‘Raspberry Pi RM2’ Wi-Fi chip
The Raspberry Pi Pico 2 is still fresh in our minds, but Pimoroni are looking to the future and has created its own Wi-Fi enabled version of the Pico 2, the $20 Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 W. Pimoroni has early access to the “Raspberry Pi RM2” the module which could one day grace the official Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W.
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| Feature | Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W | Raspberry Pi Pico 2 |
|---|---|---|
| SoC | RP2350B, Dual Core Arm Cortex M33 or Dual Core RISC-V Hazard3 running at up to 150 Mhz | RP2350A, Dual Core Arm Cortex M33 or Dual Core RISC-V Hazard3 running at up to 150 Mhz |
| SRAM / PSRAM | 8MB | 520KB |
| Flash Storage | 16MB QSPI | 4MB QSPI |
| Security | Arm TrustZone, 8KB OTP, Secure Boot | Arm TrustZone, 8KB OTP, Secure Boot |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | Raspberry Pi RM2 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | None |
| Language Support | MicroPython, CircuitPython, C, C++ | MicroPython, CircuitPython, C, C++ |
| USB Interface | USB 1.1 Device and Host | USB 1.1 Device and Host |
| GPIO Logic Level | 3.3V | 3.3V |
| GPIO | 26 x Digital IO | 26 x Digital IO |
| Row 9 – Cell 0 | 4 x 12-bit ADC (Analog pins) | 3 x 12-bit ADC (Analog pins) |
| Row 10 – Cell 0 | 2 x UART, 2 x I2C, 2 x SPI, 24 x PWM | 2 x UART, 2 x I2C, 2 x SPI, 16 x PWM |
| Row 11 – Cell 0 | Qw/ST and SWD connectors | Row 11 – Cell 2 |
| Row 12 – Cell 0 | Reset button | Row 12 – Cell 2 |
| Row 13 – Cell 0 | User LED | Row 13 – Cell 2 |
| Programmable IO | 12 PIO State Machines | 8 PIO State Machines |
| Onboard LED | GPIO 25 | GPIO 25 |
| Power | 1.8 to 5.5V via Micro USB or VSYS | 1.8 to 5.5V via Micro USB or VSYS |
| MCU Sleep Mode | <10uA | 100uA |
| Dimensions | 21 x 53mm | 21 x 53mm |
| Price | $20 | $4 |
Essentially, the Pico Plus 2 W is a Pico Plus 2 with a radio module, but comparing the Pico Plus 2 to the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 shows just how powerful the Plus 2 really is.
Powered by the RP2350B, the Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 W has a huge 8MB of PSRAM and 16MB of QSPI flash storage. This is a fully-loaded, maxed out Raspberry Pi Pico! The pinout of the Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 W matches that of the Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico 2, but Pimoroni has also managed to squeeze a Qw/St connector (Stemma QT) and SWD debug port. Data and power duties are provided by a USB type C port, and that makes us very happy.
But the icing on the cake is the Raspberry Pi RM2 module which looks like an ESP32 type package but inside the module is an Infineon CYW43439. This is the same chip as used in the Raspberry Pi Pico W, and that means we should be able to get online with just a few lines of MicroPython. The Raspberry Pi RM2 also provides Bluetooth connectivity.
As mentioned at the start of the article, Pimoroni has early access to the Raspberry Pi RM2 module, and that means we could see this official module in the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W, when it arrives later in the year. It is certainly feasible, given that it has Raspberry Pi’s name all over it.
Tom’s Hardware has a Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 W unit on the way for review.
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