PicoUART6: Command a Stack of Pi
The new Raspberry Pi 5 is following the work done on the Pico and Raspberry Pi Debug Probe in standardizing the JST-SH 3-pin connector as their UART connector of choice. This makes it very easy to create a serial link between compatible boards using the same 3-pin cables as are used for the SWD port on the Pico. So the next logical step was to create a Pi HAT with 6 of them!
The PicoUART6 is a 6-port UART to USB bridge that can be used to command and control a Pi cluster, or just a few co-located Pi 5s that you want an easy serial link to. Of course, you can also get a JST-SH to 0.1″ header cable so you can connect to just about any TTL UART, including all the previous Pi models as well as… well, just about every microcontroller-based project out there!
8086 Consultancy has a reputation for creating useful, well-designed and robust gadgets, and this is no exception. Simply add a Pico, upload the provided firmware, connect some UARTs, and you’re off to the races! It’s in a convenient HAT form factor to make it easy to mount on a Pi, but it doesn’t actually interface through the GPIO header at all, so it can go above or below the Pi or any other HATs with ease.
Make sure to check out their full store listing — there are some awesome and very useful gadgets there!