First Look at the Pimoroni Pico LiPo - An Improved Raspberry Pi Pico?

[@followthetrawler]

Good rundown - subscribed

[@simfoo]

This one hits a LOT of features on my wish-list. Neat!

[@LearnEmbeddedSystems]

Which features are you looking for?

[@simfoo]

@@LearnEmbeddedSystems USB-C, LiPo charging, Stemma QT are the top ones. The price is a tiny bit high but still ok for me. I particularly like the power toggle button!

[@LearnEmbeddedSystems]

I also really like the toggle button - although I didn't think it was that interesting before I tried it!

[@y2ksw1]

This board is definitely an item you would use for home and industrial automation prototypes. The price tag is still very accessible, and for production purposes you may switch to cheaper versions.

[@TBL_stevennelson]

I'm having a hard time buying this board in Canada. Thanks for sharing, it was a good Video

[@LearnEmbeddedSystems]

I know that Digi-Key Electronics stocked Pimoroni's Tiny 2040 board after a few weeks and their international shipping is fairly good. Perhaps this might be an option soon?

[@avsaase]

I was about to order one until I heard about the 215mA charging current. If you use this with a single 18650 cell it can take more than 10 hours to charge. I guess they had to be conservative to avoid people blowing up their small lipo batteries.

[@gedtoon6451]

The only reason for 8Mb or 16Mb is to provide the user with a larger file system. What size is the file system on the pico lipo?

[@martinnash007]

Interesting video. Is there any data supplied with the board to say what lines the 4 pin connector is linked to?

[@someidiot4311]

i just got one, and i already love it

[@skf957]

Another good video - thank you. The price of this board does seem a bit high, but then I have to put it in perspective. The original Pico is a brilliant piece of kit for a VERY affordable (and therefore accesible) price. But, more importantly, I believe it was priced to allow 3rd party board manufacturers to be able to make a difference - and a profit. At £13.40 it is a normal price I'd suggest - if we hadn't been "spoiled" by the original Pico - of which I now have 4!

[@LearnEmbeddedSystems]

Thank you! I do think that when compared to the Pico it's pretty expensive but ignoring that and considering that it is a well thought out board with good features it isn't too bad! I think your point about 3rd parties is an important one as they do add a significant amount to the hobbyist and enthusiast industry.

[@timskillman]

It's cheaper to buy a normal Raspberry Pi Pico with the Pimoroni Lipo-SHIM for Pico - total cost £10.50 - although missing the 16MB of flash (usual 2MB flash on the Pico)

[@firstNamelastName-ho6lv]

No USB C or stemma qt either

[@markday3145]

Do you know if there is a jumper to disable the power LED (at least while on battery, so the battery will last longer)? The LiPo connector and charging circuitry is definitely a value add. As is the Stemma QT (QWIIC) connector. The connector for the debug pins is an interesting idea. The power button could be handy for mobile/wearable projects.

[@ridlz5305]

Hi, great video. I went out and bought some 16mb flash ones for a wearables project as this makes lipo charging super convenient. I have a question, I use Thonny and why does it say the pico lipo has only 1.4mb storage when it should have 16mb? I'm also unable to copy files bigger than 1.3mb onto it

[@squelchstuff]

This little board could be very useful for a standalone data logger/controller with power harvesting. I'd like to know if the charge controller is exposed to the 2040 to realise an MPPT controller in firmware, or if that is simply a discreet section. How does the board behave under low voltage/current conditions at the USB-C connector for instance? ie what are the switching conditions from USB-C to LiPo? I can't seem to find a datasheet. An interesting little board all the same, and I hope you dig into it in a little more depth.

[@slimhazard]

Another difference from the original Pico is that it doesn’t have the mounting holes. That and the fact of the castellated edges, despite the non-flat rear side, have me at bit of loss as to how it can mounted into a complete device. It seems like a breadboard is the only place it can go. I like what Pimoroni has been doing, and have enjoyed trying some things out with their Tiny2040. Great to see that the RP2040 has become the basis of new hardware. But unless Pimoroni have something in mind that I‘m not seeing, this aspect of their designs seems to have fallen by the wayside. The Tiny2040 also has no mounting holes and castellated edges that apparently can‘t be used. Not sure how you could use either of the boards even with a perf board. Place a row of connectors a plug it on, like using a socket for an IC?

[@PhG1961]

Looks interesting ! I do consire using this board, the price is not that much of an issue...

[@benholroyd5221]

So does consire mean a combination of consider and desire? I might steal that one.

[@PhG1961]

@@benholroyd5221 Lol ! A typo I overlooked, however your remark is keen and inspiring. I appreciate... ;-)

[@yannkitson116]

If it had WiFi I would use it.

[@TheSlimbridge]

Why can’t someone make a RP2040 poco clone with lipo charging AND a Bluetooth and WiFi module? 🤔 It would have everything then for standalone operation and connectivity.

[@TheSlimbridge]

“Pico”

[@LearnEmbeddedSystems]

I am thinking of designing one with similar functionality as a project on this channel! Something I personally want for myself so if someone else won't make it I might as well do!

[@TheSlimbridge]

@@LearnEmbeddedSystems Great looking forward to seeing that!

[@PhillipHilton]

Agreed they missed a trick not adding wifi and bluetooth.

[@MrBobWareham]

The price would be OK if it had Wi-Fi, but it is too much.

[@Ra-zor]

Usb C, no thanks, had lots of those fail on me with the flimsy plastic, so that alone will be the no go for me. Sticking to micro usb!

[@joshuavincent7884]

First

[@gadjetsvideo]

Too expensive I would only buy if it I needed it for a specific project whereas I've bought a couple of Picos to play with.

[@etmax1]

Crazy price, in a capitalist society it's the buyers responsibility to boycott price gouging attempts

[@elijah_9392]

$13?

[@etmax1]

@@elijah_9392 13 pounds and 50 new pence so around $AUD22.50 or some $US16 that is what I call very expensive for a board like this.

[@elijah_9392]

@@etmax1 But at what scale are they producing? Do you know their costs? It is a well known fact that niche products are always more expensive. And given that it is one of the only boards I have seen that has both LiPo charging capabilities AND flat solder pads (allowing it to be soldered to a custom PCB), this product is in quite a niche of its own.

[@etmax1]

@@elijah_9392 of course scale matters but if I can get a competitive product at half the cost then why would I buy it?

[@elijah_9392]

@@etmax1 Exactly. This isn't the product for you. You don't need its unique combination of features. Also, I gaurentee 90% of the reason it's more expensive is because of the 16MB of flash.