The RP2040 is Raspberry Pi’s debut microcontroller, combining high performance, affordability, and ease of use …
The RP2040 is Raspberry Pi’s debut microcontroller, combining high performance, affordability, and ease of use in a compact package. Featuring a symmetric dual-core processor, large on-chip memory, a deterministic bus fabric, and a versatile set of peripherals enhanced with the Programmable I/O (PIO) subsystem, it delivers exceptional power and flexibility for professional and hobbyist projects alike.
Its flexible I/O allows seamless interaction with a wide range of external devices, while the high-performance cores handle integer workloads with ease. The RP2040’s efficient design, with six independent SRAM banks and a fully connected internal switch, enables cores and DMA engines to operate in parallel without contention.
Housed in a 7 mm × 7 mm package with only two square millimeters of 40 nm silicon, RP2040 embodies Raspberry Pi’s philosophy of efficient, low-cost computing. With detailed documentation, a polished MicroPython port, and a UF2 bootloader in ROM, the microcontroller is ideal for beginners and hobbyists, offering minimal barriers to entry.
Being a stateless device with cached execute-in-place support from external QSPI Flash, RP2040 allows you to select the optimal density of non-volatile storage for your application, benefiting from the affordability of commodity Flash parts. Manufactured on a modern 40 nm process, it offers high performance, low power consumption, minimal leakage, and multiple low-power modes for battery-powered applications.
Key Features and Specifications:
Processor: Dual ARM Cortex-M0+ @ 133 MHz
Memory: 264 KB on-chip SRAM in six independent banks
External Flash Support: Up to 16 MB via dedicated QSPI bus
DMA Controller for high-speed data transfers
Fully-connected AHB Crossbar for efficient core-peripheral communication
Interpolator and integer divider peripherals
On-chip programmable LDO for core voltage generation
2 on-chip PLLs for USB and core clocks
GPIO: 30 pins, 4 of which support analog input
Peripherals:
2 UARTs
2 SPI controllers
2 I²C controllers
16 PWM channels
USB 1.1 controller & PHY (host & device support)
8 PIO state machines
Whether your project involves machine learning, motor control, agriculture, or audio, the RP2040 provides the performance, versatility, and support needed to bring your ideas to life.
