WRL-25134, SparkFun Thing Plus - RP2350

WRL-25134 – SparkFun Thing Plus - RP2350

The SparkFun Thing Plus - RP2350 is a dynamic and powerful wireless development platform in the Thing Plus form factor. Built around the RP2350 microcontroller from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, this board includes their radio module for single-band 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 (802.11n) and Bluetooth 5.2, along with standard hardware components found on all Thing Plus Boards. These include on-board LiPo battery charging and fuel gauge circuits, µSD card socket, Qwiic connector, and the Thing Plus pinout, allowing the RP2350 Thing Plus to be used in a wide variety of applications.

The RP2350 is a unique dual-core microcontroller with two ARM Cortex-M33 processors and two Hazard3 RISC-V processors, all running at up to 150 MHz. While not a quad-core MCU, users can choose any two processors to run at boot. You can run two of the same type or one of each. The RP2350 also features 520kB SRAM in ten banks, two UARTs, two SPI and two I²C controllers, and a USB 1.1 controller with host and device support.

The Raspberry Pi Radio Module (RM2) operates over SPI. This board uses the same radio pins as official Raspberry Pi boards, enabling plug-and-play compatibility. The RM2 supports WiFi 4, Bluetooth 5.2, standard Bluetooth data rates (1 Mbps), and enhanced rates (2 or 3 Mbps), including BLE.

The RP2350 Thing Plus also includes 16MB of external Flash and 8MB of PSRAM connected to the RP2350's QSPI controller. It works with C/C++ via the Pico SDK, as well as MicroPython, CircuitPython, and Arduino environments.

Warning: LiPo Battery Connector Polarity
The LiPo battery connector on version 10 of this board is reversed compared to SparkFun’s standard 2-pin JST connection. Follow the silkscreen for correct polarity. This version is incompatible with all single-cell LiPo batteries carried by SparkFun. A future version will resolve this.

SparkFun Thing Plus - RP2350 Features

• RP2350:
  • 21 Multifunctional GPIO* (includes 13x GPIO, 3 analog-capable)
  • *"Freebie" pin tied to WS2812 Data Out
  • 1x UART, 1x I²C, 1x SPI
• Raspberry Pi Radio Module (RM2):
  • WiFi 4, Bluetooth 5.2
  • BDR (1 Mbps), EDR (2 or 3 Mbps), BLE
• Thing Plus Form Factor:
  • Dimensions: 2.3" x 0.9"
  • Four 4-40 compatible mounting holes
  • 28 PTH pins
  • USB-C connector
  • 2-pin JST for LiPo battery
  • 4-pin JST Qwiic connector
  • µSD card slot
  • MCP73831 LiPo charger
  • MAX17048 fuel gauge
• LEDs:
  • PWR (Red – power)
  • CHG (Yellow – battery charging)
  • STAT (Blue – status, tied to RM2 GPIO0)
  • WS2812 RGB LED (Data In tied to GPIO14)

RP2350 General Features

• Dual ARM Cortex-M33 and Hazard3 RISC-V processors (user-selectable)
• 520kB SRAM in 10 banks
• 5V-tolerant GPIO (powered) with 3.3V failsafe (unpowered)
• Peripherals:
  • 2x UART
  • 2x SPI
  • 2x I²C
  • 4x HSTX Pins (High-speed TX interface)
  • 24x PWM channels
  • 12x PIO state machines

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