Pico W Quick Reference
Pico W Quick Reference
Flashing MicroPython, Thonny setup, REPL, and pin notes.
Flashing MicroPython
| Hold BOOTSEL + plug USB | Enter mass storage mode ߀” board appears as RPI-RP2 drive |
| Drop .uf2 onto RPI-RP2 | MicroPython firmware is flashed and board reboots automatically |
| Download from micropython.org/download/rp2-pico-w/ | Always get the Pico W firmware ߀” not the plain Pico version |
| main.py runs at boot | Save your program as main.py on the Pico W to auto-run on power-on |
Thonny IDE
| Tools ߆’ Options ߆’ Interpreter | Set to MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico) |
| F5 ߀” Run current script | Run on the Pico W from your PC |
| File ߆’ Save as ߆’ Raspberry Pi Pico | Save file directly onto the board flash |
| Shell / REPL at bottom | Interactive Python prompt ߀” type commands and see instant results |
MicroPython Basics
| from machine import Pin | Import GPIO Pin class |
| from time import sleep | Import sleep (seconds) and sleep_ms / sleep_us |
| import gc; gc.collect() | Run garbage collection to free memory |
| gc.mem_free() | Check available heap memory in bytes |
Pin Notes
| Pin("LED") | Built-in green LED on Pico W (via CYW43 chip) |
| 3.3 V logic only | Pico W is NOT 5 V tolerant on any GPIO |
| GPIO ߉ header pin number | GPIO 15 is not at position 15 ߀” always check the pinout diagram |
| ADC pins: GPIO 26߀“28 | Only these three GPIO pins support analog input |