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The YD-RP2040

YD-RP204 Listing on E-Bay for around $8 USD.

Welcome to This Lab

Monty waving welcome In this lab, you will learn about the YD-RP2040 — a microcontroller board with some extra features built right in. Let's explore what makes it special!

The VCC-GND YD-RP2040 is a microcontroller board that uses the same RP2040 chip as the Raspberry Pi Pico. You can buy it on eBay for $5 to $10. It usually comes with either 4 MB or 16 MB of Flash memory — the storage that holds your programs. (Note: some units only have 2 MB, so check yours carefully.)

Additions

The YD-RP2040 has several features that the standard Pico does not include:

  • Pin labels are printed on the top of the board — easy to read without flipping it over!
  • A red LED that lights up to show the board has power
  • A RESET button to restart your program without unplugging the board
  • A USER button on General-Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) pin GP24 — ready to use in your programs
  • A blue LED on GP25 — the same pin as the Pico's onboard LED
  • An RGB NeoPixel LED on GP23 — one LED that can show any color
  • Four Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) inputs — two more than the standard Pico

Key Idea

Monty thinking An ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) lets your microcontroller read things that change smoothly, like the volume on a dial or the brightness of light. The YD-RP2040 gives you four of them — two more than the standard Pico!

W25Q32 Flash Chip

The board includes a W25Q32 Flash memory chip. This chip stores your programs even when the power is off.

From the W25Q32 Datasheet:

It provides a storage solution for systems with limited space, pins and power. The 25Q series offers flexibility and performance well beyond ordinary Serial Flash devices. They are ideal for code shadowing to RAM, executing code directly from Dual/Quad SPI (XIP) and storing voice, text and data. The devices operate on a single 2.7V to 3.6V power supply with current consumption as low as 5mA active and 1µA for power-down. All devices are offered in space-saving packages.

In simple terms: this chip saves your programs and data reliably, uses very little power, and takes up almost no space on the board.

Monty's Tip

Monty giving a tip The NeoPixel LED on GP23 can show millions of colors using just one pin. It is a great way to add colorful feedback to your projects!

Demo Program

This program makes the blue LED flash and the NeoPixel cycle through colors. You can press the USER button to change how fast the colors change.

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References

Great Work!

Monty celebrating You now know what makes the YD-RP2040 special! Its extra LEDs, buttons, and ADC inputs make it a great board for your projects. In the next lab, you will start writing programs to use these features.