Beyond the Pico: The RP2350 Revolution in Third-Party Hardware

This Maker Monday, we explore the rapidly expanding ecosystem of the RP2350 microcontroller. Since our last deep dive into the world of microcontrollers in Raspberry Pi Official Magazine (Issue 148), the market has been flooded with innovative devices that push the boundaries of what these tiny chips can achieve. The RP2350 is not merely an iterative update; it is a fundamental shift in processing capability, offering developers a robust foundation for everything from advanced robotics to industrial networking.

The RP2350: A Performance Powerhouse

At the heart of the Raspberry Pi Pico 2—and a growing catalog of third-party hardware—lies the RP2350. Built upon the legacy of the immensely successful RP2040, the RP2350 introduces a significant leap in computational power. With its dual Arm Cortex-M33 processors clocking in at 150MHz, 520KB of on-chip SRAM, and a formidable array of twelve PIO (Programmable I/O) state machines, it provides the headroom necessary for complex signal processing and multi-threaded tasks that were previously out of reach for budget-friendly microcontrollers.

The versatility of this silicon is best illustrated by the sheer variety of form factors and feature sets now hitting the market. Whether you require integrated battery management, sophisticated motor control, high-speed Ethernet, or vibrant touch-screen interfaces, the "Powered by Raspberry Pi" ecosystem offers a solution.

Chronology of the RP2350 Expansion

The journey from the original Pico to the current generation of RP2350-based boards has been defined by rapid innovation. Following the initial release of the RP2040, the community and industrial partners clamored for more memory, higher security, and specialized hardware peripherals.

1. The Foundation: The RP2040 established the PIO state machine concept, which became a gold standard for flexible interfacing.
2. The Security Upgrade: The RP2350 was introduced with a focus on hardware security, including signed boot support and secure execution environments.
3. Third-Party Proliferation: Within months of the RP2350’s launch, manufacturers like Pimoroni, Waveshare, and WIZnet began integrating the chip into custom PCBs, effectively turning the microcontroller into a modular building block for consumer and industrial electronics.

Supporting Data: Examining the Hardware Landscape

To understand the scope of this evolution, we must examine the specific implementations currently available to makers and engineers.

The Power of Choice: Pimoroni’s Pico LiPo 2 XL W

The RP2350 exists in two primary variants: the standard RP2350A and the RP2350B. The latter is a game-changer, offering 20 additional pin connections, including 18 extra GPIO pins and four additional ADC channels. Pimoroni’s Pico LiPo 2 XL W (£21 / $23) leverages the "B" variant to create an elongated board that is a dream for pin-heavy projects. With 8MB of RAM and 16MB of flash, it is built for memory-intensive applications. Its integrated USB-C charging circuitry and support for the Raspberry Pi Radio Module 2 make it a premium, all-in-one solution for wireless IoT deployment.

Robotics and Automation: The Inventor 2350 W

For those entering the world of robotics, the Inventor 2350 W (£35 / $38) by Pimoroni serves as the successor to the popular Inventor 2040 W. It essentially functions as a "robotics motherboard," providing headers for up to six servos and dedicated motor drivers. By soldering a Pico 2 W directly onto the board, Pimoroni has created a platform that abstracts away the complexity of wiring, offering a seamless path from prototype to functional rover or manipulator arm.

Visual Interfaces: The Waveshare AMOLED Dev Board

Display technology has long been a secondary concern for microcontroller developers, but the RP2350 1.43-inch AMOLED Round Display Dev Board (£23 / $31) changes the narrative. Featuring a vibrant 466 × 466 capacitive touch screen, this board includes a six-axis IMU, making it perfect for wearable technology or smart home interfaces. The inclusion of the LVGL library in its C/C++ firmware allows for high-end graphical output that feels more like a smartphone than a hobbyist project.

Miniaturization: The Tiny 2350

When space is at a premium, the Tiny 2350 (£8 / $9) proves that size does not dictate capability. At roughly the dimensions of a UK postage stamp (22.9 × 18mm), this board is designed for embedded applications where footprint is the primary constraint. Despite its diminutive size, it retains 12 GPIOs and four 12-bit ADC channels, proving that the RP2350 can be squeezed into the tightest of enclosures.

Reliable Connectivity: The WIZnet W6300-EVB-Pico2

In industrial settings, wireless stability is often secondary to the reliability of a wired connection. The W6300-EVB-Pico2 (£11 / $15) features an integrated 10/100 Ethernet controller with a hardwired TCP/IP stack. This board is specifically engineered for network monitoring and IoT logging, supporting both IPv4 and IPv6. While it currently lacks the breadth of MicroPython support seen in other boards, its C/C++ documentation for AWS and Azure integration makes it a formidable tool for professional network-attached devices.

Official Perspectives: The Philosophy of Open Silicon

Raspberry Pi’s decision to move toward the RP2350 was driven by the feedback loop between the "Powered by" partner program and the internal engineering team. By providing a common silicon architecture, they have enabled a competitive market where third-party manufacturers compete on features—such as battery life, form factor, and peripheral integration—rather than basic compute capability. This "silicon-first" strategy ensures that whether you are a student using a $9 Tiny 2350 or an engineer designing a factory monitor with the WIZnet board, you are utilizing a consistent, well-documented toolchain.

Implications for the Future of Making

The transition to the RP2350 ecosystem carries significant implications for the future of hobbyist and commercial hardware:

1. Increased Complexity: As microcontrollers gain more memory and processing power, the "barrier to entry" for advanced applications like machine learning (tinyML) and complex signal processing continues to drop.
2. Standardization of Peripherals: The rise of Qwiic and STEMMA QT connectors across these boards suggests a shift toward a more modular approach to electronics, where hardware components are increasingly "plug-and-play."
3. Long-term Support: By ensuring that these third-party boards are largely code-compatible with the official Raspberry Pi Pico 2, the ecosystem benefits from a shared pool of libraries and community knowledge.

Conclusion: A New Era for the Pico Platform

The diversity of these boards reflects the maturation of the microcontroller market. We have moved past the era of the "single-board wonder" and into a period where the silicon serves as a versatile canvas for specialized hardware engineering. Whether you are building a fleet of automated robots, a high-fidelity wearable, or a hardened industrial sensor node, the RP2350 provides the performance and flexibility required to turn abstract ideas into tangible reality.

As the ecosystem continues to grow, we can expect to see even more specialized hardware that pushes the RP2350 to its limits. For the modern maker, there has never been a more exciting time to get started with embedded development. The tools are more powerful, the community support is more robust, and the possibilities for innovation are, quite literally, at your fingertips.