Raspberry Pi RP2350 Microcontroller Now Available To Mere Mortals

The Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller is generally available, meaning the chip can now be picked up from resellers rather than as a Pico 2 or on PCBs from manufacturers like JLC.

It was launched last August as an update to the RP2040 microcontroller. It also turned up in the badges for that year's DEF CON event, although the controversy attracted by the code running on those badges was perhaps not the publicity sought by the Pi team.

The Pico 2 board was an interesting development and showcased the RP2350 hardware. Two RISC-V Hazard3 cores featured on the microcontroller, and the on-chip memory was upped to 520 KB. The implementation of some decent security in the hardware – at least when compared to the RP2040 – was also welcomed by the industry.

There was no flash memory included in the original RP2350 – hence the "0". However, in 2024, Pi supremo Eben Upton said that a variant, the RP2354, was in the works and would include 2 MB of in-package Flash.

According to Raspberry Pi, the "RP2354A and RP2354B variants – featuring 2 MB of stacked flash memory – are in the final stages of development and testing with early-access partners."

The chips can be picked up in packs of five from resellers such as The Pi Hut, priced at £4.40 ($4.74 and €4.35) for the A variant and £4.80 ($5.18 or €4.35) for the B variant. The A variant has 30 GPIO in a 7x7 QFN 60-pin package, while the RP2350B variant has 48 GPIO in a 10x10 QFN 80-pin package.

However, there are issues with the GPIO documented in the RP2350 datasheet [PDF]. In summary: "Increased leakage current on Bank 0 GPIO when pad input is enabled."

According to the datasheet, the upshot of this problem is that "under certain conditions, pull-down does not function as expected."

The Register asked Raspberry Pi if this issue had been addressed in the hardware or when a stepping that does so will be introduced. Upton said: "This is the A2 stepping, which is affected by Erratum 9. This may be mitigated in a future stepping, and we had considered waiting until we'd done that, but demand for the part has been crazy, and it felt foolish to delay availability for a documented issue that only affects a minority of potential users."

While aimed squarely at industrial applications, the RP range of microcontrollers in Pico guise has proven popular with enthusiasts. We were particularly taken with one person who managed to emulate a 128K Mac on an RP2040.

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There are also RP2350-based devices out there, such as the Thumby Color, a wearable keychain controller with a 128x128 16-bit color screen.

Upton wrote: "One of the coolest things about working at Raspberry Pi is seeing the brilliant products and projects that businesses and hobbyists create using our technology.

"With RP2350 now generally available, we're excited to see more projects flourish and products launch using our newest microcontroller chip. Whether you're building a high-performance industrial embedded system, a secure IoT device, or an exciting new consumer product, RP2350 is here to power your ideas." ®