Additional Hardware
In this section we will look at some of the extra hardware you might use along with the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W.
Electronic Kits
You can start with a basic electronics kit or buy components as you need them. A simple, low cost kit is enough to begin, as long as it includes resistors, jumper wires, and a breadboard. These are required throughout the lessons.
Basic Electronic Kit
Additional components used in this book include LEDs, the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor, active and passive buzzers, the SG90 micro servo motor, an LDR, an NTC thermistor, the RC522 RFID reader, a micro SD card adapter, the HD44780 display, and a joystick module.
Optional Hardware: Debug Probe
The Raspberry Pi Debug Probe makes flashing the Pico 2 W much easier. Without it you must press the BOOTSEL button each time you want to upload new firmware. The probe also gives you proper debugging support, which is very helpful.
Raspberry Pi Pico Debug Probe
This tool is optional. You can follow the entire book without owning one (except the chapter specific to the debug probe). When I first started with the Pico, I worked without a probe and only bought it later.
How to Decide?
Should You Buy a Debug Probe?
If you're on a tight budget:
You can skip it for now because its price is roughly twice the cost of a Pico 2 W. You can also use another Pico as a low-cost debug probe if you have a second board available.
If cost is not an issue:
It is a good purchase and becomes very handy. You won't need to press BOOTSEL every time, and you'll get real debugging capabilities with breakpoints and variable inspection.
The debug probe is especially useful when working on complex projects or when you need to debug timing issues. For simple LED blink programs, pressing BOOTSEL is fine. For WiFi network debugging or complex async code, a debug probe saves significant time.