# Microcontroller from the RPi Foundation
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511
**Category:** Hardware
**Created:** [21 January 2021 19:56 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511 "2021-01-21T19:56:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@drmibell](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/drmibell)
#### Post date: [21 January 2021 19:56 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/1 "2021-01-21T19:56:04Z")
This is an interesting announcement:
> **[Meet Raspberry Silicon: Raspberry Pi Pico now on sale at $4 - Raspberry Pi](https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-silicon-pico-now-on-sale/)**
>
> Today, we’re launching our first microcontroller-class product: Raspberry Pi Pico. Priced at just $4, it is built on RP2040, a brand-new chip developed right here at Raspberry Pi. Whether you’re looking for a standalone board for deep-embedded...
At first glance, they seem to have made some clever hardware design choices, and there are lots of options for the software development environment. I don't plan to buy one or dig deeper until I think it solves a problem I actually have, but I'm curious what other forum members think.
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### Author:  [@Paul-Reed](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Paul-Reed)
#### Post date: [21 January 2021 20:20 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/2 "2021-01-21T20:20:46Z")
Pimoroni are also releasing a RP2040 powered board with 8MB of QSPI flash memory. Twice the price but half the size!
> **[Tiny 2040 – Pimoroni](https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/tiny-2040)**
>
> A fingernail-sized development board with a USB-C connection, perfect for portable projects, wearables, and embedding into devices.
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### Author:  [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)
#### Post date: [21 January 2021 20:40 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/3 "2021-01-21T20:40:36Z")
Wont be getting one unless it has wifi onboard. Or maybe zigbee. Anything else is just too much hard work for any practical home automation for me. Even then it will need to compete with the ESP chips.
But interesting anyway, hope it does well.
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### Author:  [@Paul-Reed](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Paul-Reed)
#### Post date: [21 January 2021 20:43 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/4 "2021-01-21T20:43:06Z")
> [@TotallyInformation](#):
>
> Wont be getting one unless it has wifi onboard. Or maybe zigbee
Same here, but it's only a matter of time...
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [21 January 2021 21:23 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/5 "2021-01-21T21:23:25Z")
> [@Paul-Reed](#):
>
> Same here, but it's only a matter of time
Agreed, I suspect it is partly a marketing ploy. Introduce without WiFi then add it later and many of those that bought the first version will buy new ones. There is plenty of space on the board.
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### Author:  [@gerry](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/gerry)
#### Post date: [21 January 2021 21:36 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/6 "2021-01-21T21:36:30Z")
Microchip makes a ton of chips like/ similar to this. It appears they now have some competition for now
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### Author:  [@ghayne](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ghayne)
#### Post date: [21 January 2021 22:04 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/7 "2021-01-21T22:04:36Z")
Adafruit have also announced a few boards based on the silicon. I agree with the comments above about lack of wifi. But at a deeper level I must ask who needs this? There are a multitude of similar boards available. It offers nothing new or novel.
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### Author:  [@Bobo](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Bobo)
#### Post date: [22 January 2021 01:44 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/8 "2021-01-22T01:44:43Z")
> [@Colin](#):
>
> Agreed, I suspect it is partly a marketing ploy. Introduce without WiFi then add it later and many of those that bought the first version will buy new ones
I think the key takeaway for me were "deeply embedded" and "companion". In those scenarios you wouldn't need wifi.
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [22 January 2021 10:06 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/9 "2021-01-22T10:06:44Z")
> [@Bobo](#):
>
> In those scenarios you wouldn't need wifi.
True, but that doesn't affect what I was suggesting, that there will be a version with WiFi in a few months time.
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### Author:  [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)
#### Post date: [22 January 2021 10:33 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/10 "2021-01-22T10:33:27Z")
Either way - it won't run Node-RED so meh...
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### Author:  [@ghayne](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ghayne)
#### Post date: [22 January 2021 11:17 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/11 "2021-01-22T11:17:33Z")
And that is why the Pi Zero is one of my favourite solutions for light tasks!
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### Author:  [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)
#### Post date: [22 January 2021 14:50 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/12 "2021-01-22T14:50:07Z")
Haha, a point certainly. But what about those days when you deeply crave getting to grips with C++'s string handling?! Nothing beats a microprocessor for that.
... What, you don't ever crave that?!
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### Author:  [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)
#### Post date: [22 January 2021 14:52 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/13 "2021-01-22T14:52:42Z")
It is hard to beat the simplicity of handling sensors though on a microprocessor. Pi's are not so nice in my opinion for that low-level stuff. I hate having to hack around in the bowels of Linux. I'd even rather have to tear my hair out over C++'s string handling.
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### Author:  [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)
#### Post date: [22 January 2021 15:11 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/14 "2021-01-22T15:11:38Z")
when I do I use platformio for an esp and enjoy the all the sensor, wifi and mqtt libraries already written for it.
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### Author:  [@Paul-Reed](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Paul-Reed)
#### Post date: [22 January 2021 15:43 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/15 "2021-01-22T15:43:41Z")
> [@dceejay](#):
>
> I use platformio for an esp and enjoy the all the sensor, wifi and mqtt libraries already written for it.
Oh dear.. that's another illusion shattered.
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### Author:  [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)
#### Post date: [22 January 2021 22:19 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/16 "2021-01-22T22:19:37Z")
I looked at that once and it didn't grab me but I'll re-try
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### Author:  [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)
#### Post date: [22 January 2021 22:54 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/17 "2021-01-22T22:54:28Z")
Yeah its slightly non-obvious (I use it in vs-code) but works well once it clicks and saves having to jump out to arduino editor.
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### Author:  [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)
#### Post date: [22 January 2021 22:55 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/18 "2021-01-22T22:55:34Z")
> [@dceejay](#):
>
> its slightly non-obvious
That'll be my problem then 🙂
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### Author:  [@wb666greene](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/wb666greene)
#### Post date: [23 January 2021 05:23 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/19 "2021-01-23T05:23:59Z")
Didn't you mean to say the PiZero-W with WiFi? The PiZero needs a dongle and USB adapter for a network connection.
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### Author:  [@ghayne](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ghayne)
#### Post date: [23 January 2021 19:37 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/microcontroller-from-the-rpi-foundation/39511/20 "2021-01-23T19:37:37Z")
> [@ghayne](#):
>
> Adafruit have also announced a few boards based on the silicon. I agree with the comments above about lack of wifi. But at a deeper level I must ask who needs this? There are a multitude of similar boards available. It offers nothing new or novel.
I take back my comments about nothing new or novel! After reading the specs it does indeed have a lot to offer!
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