ProMicro RP2040 Blackboard Proxy Development Board

You can program the board using MicroPython or C/C++ via the Raspberry Pi Pico SDK. Connect the USB Type-C cable to your computer. Hold the BOOT button, press and release Reset, then release BOOT to enter USB Mass Storage Mode. Drag and drop the UF2 firmware file onto the appeared Raspberry Pi-RP2 drive. For C/C++ development, use the official Pico SDK with CMake and a toolchain like GCC.

The primary difference is the size of the external QSPI Flash memory soldered onto the board. The 4MB variant offers 4 Megabytes (32 Megabits) of storage for your application code and filesystem, suitable for most projects. The 16MB variant provides 16 Megabytes (128 Megabits), essential for applications requiring large firmware, extensive graphics assets, or significant data logging storage without external SD cards.

The board's GPIO and internal logic operate at 3.3V. It is powered via the USB Type-C port, which accepts a standard 5V supply. Do not apply voltages higher than 3.3V directly to any GPIO pin to avoid damaging the RP2040 microcontroller. For battery operation, you can supply a regulated 5V to the USB port or, with caution, provide a clean 3.3V source to the appropriate pins, bypassing the onboard regulator.

The ProMicro RP2040 Blackboard Proxy provides 4 analog-capable GPIO pins. These connect to the RP2040's internal Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), which has a resolution of 12 bits. This means it can differentiate 4096 (2^12) discrete levels, corresponding to an input voltage range from 0V to the ADC reference voltage, which is typically the 3.3V supply rail, offering a step size of approximately 0.8 millivolts.