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CARPE — Columbus Arduino & Raspberry Pi Enthusiasts
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Get Your Laptop Ready

Your laptop is how you write code and flash your board, so a little setup before the meeting means more time building. Pick one of the options below. If you’re not sure, start with Thonny. Windows, macOS and Linux all work.

These steps are written for the starter kit’s Raspberry Pi Pico, and work the same for a Pico W.

Option 1: MicroPython with Thonny (easiest)
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Python on the board, and one small app on your laptop.

Download: thonny.org

  1. Install Thonny
  2. Hold the Pico’s BOOTSEL button while you plug it in with the USB cable
  3. In Thonny’s interpreter settings, choose MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico) and use Install or update MicroPython to put MicroPython on the board
  4. Type code in the editor and press Run. It runs on the Pico

You only do steps 2 and 3 once per board.

Option 2: Piper Make in the browser (no install)
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Drag-and-drop blocks, good for a first project or younger builders.

Open: make.playpiper.com

  1. Open Piper Make in Chrome or Edge (it needs Web Serial, which other browsers lack)
  2. Follow its setup the first time you connect a Pico

Option 3: C/C++ with the Arduino IDE
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If you already know Arduino, or want to write C/C++.

Download: arduino.cc/en/software. We prefer the Legacy IDE (1.8.x), further down that page; these steps are written for it.

  1. Install the Arduino Legacy IDE
  2. In File → Preferences, add this to Additional Boards Manager URLs: https://github.com/earlephilhower/arduino-pico/releases/download/global/package_rp2040_index.json
  3. In Tools → Board → Boards Manager, install Raspberry Pi Pico/RP2040, then select Raspberry Pi Pico as the board
  4. For the first upload, hold BOOTSEL while plugging the Pico in

For the full Raspberry Pi toolchain in VS Code (C/C++ SDK or MicroPython), there’s also the official Raspberry Pi Pico extension. It’s more setup, so save it for when you outgrow the options above.

If the board doesn’t show up
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  • Use a data cable. Some USB cables only carry power. The one in the starter kit carries data
  • BOOTSEL mode makes the Pico show up as a drive called RPI-RP2. You can always get back to a clean start by dragging a MicroPython .uf2 file from micropython.org onto it
  • On Linux, your user may need to be in the dialout group to use the serial port. Log out and back in after adding it

Stuck? Ask at the meeting. Someone will have hit the same thing.