Dual-Core ARM M0+ on a Postage Stamp!
The Raspberry Pi RP2040 processor has been getting a lot of attention recently, and for good reason. The dual ARM M0+ cores, plus DMA, programmable I/O, a huge amount of RAM and more make it a great choice for projects that need a lot of power at a low cost. But the downside of all that power is actually implementing a PCB layout for it — it requires external SPI flash, regulators, and careful layout and decoupling for optimal performance. Well, this postage-stamp sized breakout board is a great way to use the RP2040 in your projects without having to deal with all the surface-mount soldering and PCB layout work required!
The RP2040 Stamp breaks out all the GPIO, as well as the USB and SWD pins. Because the SPI flash is on-board, the QSPI pins don’t need to be broken out, which helps reduce the size and still allow 2mm headers to be soldered to the castellated pads. It can also be soldered directly as a surface-mount component, as seen with the optional RP2040 Stamp Carrier Board.
The best part of all — it’s certified Open Source Hardware! This means that all the schematics, PCB layout files and documentation is all freely available for you to modify and reuse under the CERN hardware license, MIT software license, and Creative Commons documentation license. Speaking of documentation, it’s absolutely excellent. The creator, arturo182, has even created CAD footprints for your favourite EDA program, including KiCAD 5/6, Eagle, and EasyEDA.
If you’ve ever wanted to start using the RP2040 in your own projects but didn’t know where to start, this is a great way to bring the power and flexibility of the chip into your hardware projects!