The Raspberry Pi family is growing once again: say hello to the Pico 2 W, an updated version of the Pico 2 which is now entitled to its own 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi chip for a still ridiculous price: barely more of €8.
For those who are not familiar with this model, unlike the brand's other products, it is not capable of embedding a real operating system. No question of using it as a backup computer, therefore. Instead, this tiny contraption is specifically designed to be integrated into a variety of electronics projects, thanks to the presence of numerous GPIO pins where you can solder just about any other electronic component and an RP2350 microcontroller.
The latter is significantly more powerful than its predecessor's RP2040. It can be programmed in a myriad of different languages. It obviously starts with C and C++, but it also supports MicroPython (a variant of Python designed specifically for microcontrollers), Circuit Python, Arduino…
On the calculation side, the Pico 2 W has a small CPU clocked at 150 MHz which is quite special, since it is built around a dual architecture. When programming your microcontroller, you can choose to use a pair of ARM Cortex-M33 cores or a duo of RISC-V Hazard 3 cores.
Add 4 MB of onboard flash memory and more robust wireless connectivity than ever (Bluetooth 5.2 and, finally, the 2.4 GHz WiFi that was missing since the Pico 2 was released), and you have an exceptionally versatile and useful little machine. Its only real flaw lies in the wired connectivity: unfortunately you have to give up on the USB-C port and settle for a micro-USB connector. A completely acceptable concession for a machine offered at €8.28 from the French reseller Kubii.
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