of raspberry pi synonymous with invention. Look at the tens of thousands of projects using computers the size of credit cards.of $4 Raspberry Pi Pico Continuing this tradition, now $6 Raspberry Pi Pico W has followed suit with low-cost Wi-Fi enabled embedded projects.
The Raspberry Pi Pico W release day also saw a new board from UK Raspberry Pi reseller Pimoroni. The new ‘Pico W Aboard’ series of kits range from small citizen science platforms for weather and air quality sensors to large full-color e-paper displays and mysterious ‘galactic unicorns’. Right in the middle of this price range is his $32 Inventor 2040 W. This is the spiritual successor to Pimoroni’s Explorer HAT (which is Best Raspberry Pi HAT) add-on for Raspberry Pi. Inventor 2040 W is where you can test your new project ideas. You can connect to the Internet using services such as , and build robots and scientific experiments relatively easily. IFTTT, Anvil or MQTT.
Inventor 2040W is Best RP2040 board? The short answer is yes, but we’ll certify it by trying its paces and building a project that leverages the Wi-Fi of the Pico W and the various features of the Inventor 2040 W.
Inventor 2040W Specifications
| SoCs | Raspberry Pi Pico W |
| RP2040 Arm Cortex M0+ Dual Core, 133MHz | |
| sheep | 264KB of SRAM |
| depository | 2MB flash |
| connectivity | Infineon CYW43439 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with onboard antenna |
| Connect via SPI | |
| GPIOs | 2 x JST-SH connectors (6 pin) for mounting motors |
| audio connector | |
| 6 x Servo header | |
| 6 x GPIO pins (including 3 analog inputs) | |
| 12 x WS2812B Neopixel | |
| 2 x QwST (Qwicc / Stemma QT compatible) ports | |
| user button | |
| reset button | |
| Breakout Garden header (not soldered) | |
| power/data | Micro USB for data and power |
| JST-PH (2-pin) battery connector (input voltage 2.5V to 5.5V) | |
| size | 51×66mm |
| price | $33 (£34.50) |
Using Inventor 2040W
Pimoroni has its own MicroPython release, covering a range of Pico and Pico W based boards. I downloaded the latest compatible version of Inventor 2040 W and flashed it onto the board. Next, I explored example projects to control each feature of the board.
Inventor 2040 W also supports C++ and Pimoroni has sample projects that take advantage of this powerful language. There is currently no CircuitPython release for the Inventor 2040 W, nor a CircuitPython release for the Raspberry Pi Pico W. In our review, we stuck to MicroPython, specifically his Pimoroni’s own releases, and later releases designed for internet-enabled projects.
Pimoroni’s MicroPython release features abstracted MicroPython modules that quickly handle the functionality of the board. In no time, I was able to precisely control the MG90S servos, create colorful rainbows of RGB lights, and even play a few bars of Sea Shanty on the audio output.
Controlling the motors is easy thanks to a well-thought-out MicroPython module and the DRV8833 motor controller. There are caveats to keep in mind. Motor compatibility is limited to DC motors that use the JST-SH 6-pin connector instead of the traditional 2-pin breakout. Pimoroni has adopted this standard for its Motor 2040 products, which is by no means a deal breaker. This new connection is cleaner and easier to use. If you just want to plug and play. Buy these motors and you’re ready to race. If you already have a stock of micro gear metal motors, you can buy an adapter board so he can convert between the two motors. The price is about $7.
Servo breakouts are the more traditional 3-pin SVG (signal, voltage, ground) configuration. It can control up to 6 servos at once, enough for robotic arms or animatronic puppets. The same breakout configuration is used for 6 GPIO pins, 3 of which are used for analog inputs. This configuration is convenient and gives each pin its own dedicated 3.3V and GND pin, reducing the need for a breadboard to create a common GND or voltage reference. I would have liked to see more GPIO pins, but after a quick conversation with Pimoroni, I found out that all his GPIO pins are in use and it’s physically impossible to break out any more. I was notified.
What if you need to connect sensors, screens and inputs? Luckily Pimoroni has added two Qw/ST connectors.this portmanteau SparkFun’s Qwiic and Adafruit’s StemmaQT The connection is essentially I2C in a neat package. I ran a normal test with the BME688 temperature sensor and soon he had live data streaming from Inventor 2040W.
There is also an unimplemented header for use with Pimoroni’s Breakout Garden board. These boards use his I2C, similar to the Qw/ST, but use Pimoroni’s own form factor. Soldering the headers requires an adapter designed for the Breakout Garden board. Once soldered, you are free to use Pimoroni’s breakouts in your projects.
The Inventor 2040 W is normally powered via the micro USB port found on the Raspberry Pi Pico W. But what if you want your project to be portable? You’ll need batteries for this, but luckily the Inventor 2040 W comes with a JST-PH for compatible LiPo or AA/AAA battery pack. I have a connector. I tested it with a 1,000 mAh LiPo battery, wrote a few lines of code to control the servos, and saved them in “main.py” which MicroPython runs on startup. After removing the USB lead and connecting the LiPo, the servos started to move.
All of these features are great, but the heart of the board is the new Raspberry Pi Pico W, and we can confirm that it’s very easy to get online.same 5 lines of MicroPython You can connect the Pico W used in our review to the world, and from there you can freely use services such as IFTTT Send data to Twitter, Google Docs, etc. What if two-way communication is required? Anvil was used to create the means to control servos, motors, LEDs, and audio. This forced me to use a custom Anvil MicroPython firmware instead of Pimoroni. It turns out that Pimoroni has a MicroPython module that can be installed in the root of the Pico W drive in order to use Inventor 2040 W features. You can then use the functions as if you were using Pimoroni’s firmware. Using Anvil and MicroPython modules, Web interface for controlling functionsyou can also show your app to the public at the live “Tom’s Hardware: The Pi Cast” show.
Who is Inventor 2040 W for?
Inventor 2040 W is the spiritual successor to the popular Raspberry Pi add-on Explorer HAT. It’s a learning playground: code abstraction and an easy-to-use interface put this in front of the learner with minimal instructions and let you see what the learner creates. Learners and educators will benefit most from his Inventor 2040 W, but this doesn’t disrespect the rest of us. Makers of all levels and abilities will appreciate the simplicity of a well-made board and accompanying software, and the Inventor 2040 W meets both of these criteria.
Conclusion
Inventor 2040 W is a good name. With this little board, we can invent new projects safely in the knowledge that the simplicity given to us helps bring our creations to life. , think of it as a means of testing. For educators, it helps learners familiarize themselves with electronic devices by providing more functionality with very few wires. We love Inventor 2040 W and use it in many different projects.
