Pico-2CH-RS232

2-Channel RS232 Module for Raspberry Pi Pico, SP3232EEN Transceiver, UART To RS232

Overview

Provide Pico C demo.

Specifications

Operating voltage: 3.3V~5V
RS232 Transceiver: SP3232EEN
Communication bus: UART
Baud rate: 300 ~ 912600bps
Dimension: 21.00（H）x 52.00（V） mm

Pinout

Controller

The SP3232E series is a solution for RS232 transceivers for portable or handheld applications such as notebooks or PDAs. the SP3222E/3232E series has a highly efficient charge pump that requires only 0.1F capacitance for operation at an operating voltage of 3.3V.

Pico User Guide

Hardware connection

When connecting PICO/PICO2, please pay attention not to connect in the opposite direction. The direction can be judged by observing the USB screen printing end of the module and the USB interface of the PICO/PICO2 (also can be judged by the pin label of the platoon master on the module and the pin label of the Pico).
You can also wire it according to the table below:


RS485	Pico	Description
VCC	VSYS	Power input
GND	GND	Ground
TXD0	GP0	UART transmit pin
RXD0	GP1	UART receive pin
TXD1	GP4	UART transmit pin
RXD1	GP5	UART receive pin

Connection

The connection of the RS485 board is the same as the Pico-2CH-RS232.

Setup environment

1. To setup the Pico for working, please refer to the official guide: this link.
2. For Windows environment setting, you can refer to this link.

Download example

Open a terminal and run the follow command

sudo apt-get install p7zip-full
cd ~
sudo wget https://files.waveshare.com/upload/5/5a/Pico_2CH_RS232_Code.7z
7z x Pico_2CH_RS232_Code.7z -o.
cd ~/Pico_2CH_RS232_Code
cd C/build/

Run the examples

C codes

The following tutorials are operated on the Raspberry Pi, but as CMake has multi-platforms and is portable, it can be successfully compiled on the PC, but the operation is slightly different, and you need to judge by yourself.

To compile, make sure you are in the c directory:

cd ~/Pico_2CH_RS232_Code/c/

Create the build folder and add the SDK path to it:
By default, the ../../pico-sdk is the path of SDK.
We have created the build folder in examples, you can just enter it.
Note: If the actual path of your Pi is different, you need to write the correct path.

cd build
export PICO_SDK_PATH=../../pico-sdk

Run the cmake to generate Makefile file.

#Pico
cmake -DPICO_BOARD=pico -DPICO_PLATFORM=rp2040 ..
#Pico2
cmake -DPICO_BOARD=pico2 -DPICO_PLATFORM=rp2350 ..

Run the make command to build the codes and generate an executable file.

make -j9

After building, an uf2 file is generated. Press and hold the key on the Pico board to connect the Pico to the Raspberry Pi's USB port via the Micro USB cable, then release the key. Once connected, Raspberry will automatically recognize a removable disk (RPI-RP2). Copy the file main.uf2 in the corresponding folder to the recognized removable disk (RPI-RP2).

#Pico
cp main.uf2 /media/pi/RPI-RP2/
#Pico2
cp main.uf2 /media/pi/RP2350

Python codes

Use in Windows

1. Press and hold the BOOTSET button on the Pico board, connect the pico to the USB port of the computer through the Micro USB cable, and release the button after the computer recognizes a removable hard disk (RPI-RP2).
2. Copy the rp2-pico-20210418-v1.15.uf2 file in the python directory to the recognized removable disk (RPI-RP2).
- Pico: rp2-pico-20210418-v1.15.uf2
- Pico 2: rp2-pcio2-20240809-v1.24.0.uf2
3. Open Thonny IDE (Note: Use the latest version of Thonny, otherwise there is no Pico support package, the latest version under Windows is v3.3.3).
4. Click Tools->Settings->Interpreter, select Pico/Pico2 and the corresponding port as shown in the figure.

5. File -> Open -> the corresponding .py file, click to run, as shown in the following figure:

This demo provides a simple program...

Run in Raspberry Pi

1. The process of flashing the firmware is the same as on Windows, and you have the option of copying the .uf2 format file into the Pico/Pico2 on your PC or Raspberry Pi.
2. Open the Thonny IDE on the Raspberry Pi (click on the Raspberry logo -> Programming -> Thonny Python IDE) and you can view the version information at Help -> About Thonny.
3. Open the Thonny IDE in Raspberry Pi, update it if it doesn't support Pico
4. Configure the port by choosing MicroPython(Raspberry Pi and ttyACM0 port) in Tools -> Options... -> Interpreter

If your Thonny doesn't support Pico, you can update it with the following command:

sudo apt upgrade thonny

Choose File->Open...->python/ and select the corresponding .py file to run the codes.

Resource

Documentation

Demo Codes

Demo code

Serial Port Assistant

SSCOM5.13.1

Development Software

Pico Getting Started

Firmware Download

MicroPython Firmware Download

C_Blink Firmware Download

Introduction

Raspberry Pi Pico Basics

MicroPython Series

Install Thonny IDE

In order to facilitate the development of Pico/Pico2 boards using MicroPython on a computer, it is recommended to download the Thonny IDE

Download Thonny IDE and follow the steps to install, the installation packages are all Windows versions, please refer to Thonny's official website for other versions
After installation, the language and motherboard environment need to be configured for the first use. Since we are using Pico/Pico2, pay attention to selecting the Raspberry Pi option for the motherboard environment

Configure MicroPython environment and choose Pico/Pico2 port
- Connect Pico/Pico2 to your computer first, and in the lower right corner of Thonny left-click on the configuration environment option --> select Configture interpreter
- In the pop-up window, select MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico), and choose the corresponding port

Flash Firmware

Click OK to return to the Thonny main interface, download the corresponding firmware library and burn it to the device, and then click the Stop button to display the current environment in the Shell window
Note: Flashing the Pico2 firmware provided by Micropython may cause the device to be unrecognized, please use the firmware below or in the package
- Pico firmware library
- Pico2 firmware library
How to download the firmware library for Pico/Pico2 in windows: After holding down the BOOT button and connecting to the computer, release the BOOT button, a removable disk will appear on the computer, copy the firmware library into it
How to download the firmware library for RP2040/RP2350 in windows: After connecting to the computer, press the BOOT key and the RESET key at the same time, release the RESET key first and then release the BOOT key, a removable disk will appear on the computer, copy the firmware library into it (you can also use the Pico/Pico2 method)

MicroPython Series

【MicroPython】 machine.Pin class function details
【MicroPython】machine.PWM class function details
【MicroPython】machine.ADC class function details
【MicroPython】machine.UART class function details
【MicroPython】machine.I2C class function details
【MicroPython】machine.SPI class function details
【MicroPython】rp2.StateMachine class function details

C/C++ Series

For C/C++, it is recommended to use Pico VS Code for development. This is a Microsoft Visual Studio Code extension designed to make it easier for you to create, develop, and debug projects for the Raspberry Pi Pico series development boards. No matter if you are a beginner or an experienced professional, this tool can assist you in developing Pico with confidence and ease. Here's how to install and use the extension.

Official website tutorial: https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/pico-vscode-extension/
This tutorial is suitable for Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico2 and the RP2040 and RP2350 series development boards developed by Waveshare
The development environment defaults to Windows. For other environments, please refer to the official tutorial for installation

Install VSCode

First, click to download pico-vscode package, unzip and open the package, double-click to install VSCode

Note: If vscode is installed, check if the version is v1.87.0 or later

Install Extension

Click Extensions and select Install from VSIX
Select the package with the vsix suffix and click Install
Then vscode will automatically install raspberry-pi-pico and its dependency extensions, you can click Refresh to check the installation progress
The text in the right lower corner shows that the installation is complete. Close VSCode

Configure Extension

Open directory C:\Users\username and copy the entire .pico-sdk to that directory
The Copy is completed

Open vscode and configure the paths for the Raspberry Pi Pico extensions

The configuration is as follows:

Cmake Path:
${HOME}/.pico-sdk/cmake/v3.28.6/bin/cmake.exe

Git Path:
${HOME}/.pico-sdk/git/cmd/git.exe    

Ninja Path:
${HOME}/.pico-sdk/ninja/v1.12.1/ninja.exe

Python3 Path:
${HOME}/.pico-sdk/python/3.12.1/python.exe

New Project

The configuration is complete, create a new project, enter the project name, select the path, and click Create to create the project
To test the official example, you can click on the Example next to the project name to select
The project is created successfully
Select the SDK version
Select Yes for advanced configuration
Choose the cross-compilation chain, 13.2.Rel1 is applicable for ARM cores, RISCV.13.3 is applicable for RISCV cores. You can select either based on your requirements
Select default for CMake version (the path configured earlier)
Select default for Ninjaversion
Select the development board
Click Complie to compile
The uf2 format file is successfully compiled

Import Project

The Cmake file of the imported project cannot have Chinese (including comments), otherwise the import may fail
To import your own project, you need to add a line of code to the Cmake file to switch between pico and pico2 normally, otherwise even if pico2 is selected, the compiled firmware will still be suitable for pico
set(PICO_BOARD pico CACHE STRING "Board type")

Update Extension

The extension version in the offline package is 0.15.2, and you can also choose to update to the latest version after the installation is complete

Arduino IDE Series

Install Arduino IDE

First, go to Arduino official website to download the installation package of the Arduino IDE.
Here, you can select Just Download.
Once the download is complete, click Install.

Notice: During the installation process, it will prompt you to install the driver, just click Install
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Arduino IDE Interface

After the first installation, when you open the Arduino IDE, it will be in English. You can switch to other languages in File --> Preferences, or continue using the English interface.
In the Language field, select the language you want to switch to, and click OK.

Install Arduino-Pico Core in the Arduino IDE

Open the Arduino IDE, click on the file in the top left corner, and select Preferences

Add the following link to the attached board manager URL, and then click OK

https://github.com/earlephilhower/arduino-pico/releases/download/4.0.2/package_rp2040_index.json

Note: If you already have an ESP32 board URL, you can use a comma to separate the URLs as follows:

https://dl.espressif.com/dl/package_esp32_index.json,https://github.com/earlephilhower/arduino-pico/releases/download/4.0.2/package_rp2040_index.json

Click Tools > Development Board > Board Manager > Search pico, as my computer has already been installed, it shows that it is installed

Upload Demo at the First Time

Press and hold the BOOTSET button on the Pico board, connect the pico to the USB port of the computer via the Micro USB cable, and release the button after the computer recognizes a removable hard disk (RPI-RP2).
Download the program and open D1-LED.ino under the arduino\PWM\D1-LED path
Click Tools --> Port, remember the existing COM, do not click this COM (the COM displayed is different on different computers, remember the COM on your own computer)
Connect the driver board to the computer using a USB cable. Then, go to Tools > Port. For the first connection, select uf2 Board. After uploading, when you connect again, an additional COM port will appear
Click Tools > Development Board > Raspberry Pi Pico > Raspberry Pi Pico or Raspberry Pi Pico 2
After setting it up, click the right arrow to upload the program

If issues arise during this period, and if you need to reinstall or update the Arduino IDE version, it is necessary to uninstall the Arduino IDE completely. After uninstalling the software, you need to manually delete all contents within the C:\Users\[name]\AppData\Local\Arduino15 folder (you need to show hidden files to see this folder). Then, proceed with a fresh installation.

Open Source Demos

MircoPython video demo (github)
MicroPython firmware/Blink demos (C)
Raspberry Pi official C/C++ demo (github)
Raspberry Pi official micropython demo (github)
Arduino official C/C++ demo (github)

Support

Technical Support

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