Setting up the Arduino RP2040 Connect to use MicroPython

Arduino RP2040 connect

After my initial excitement and subsequent purchase following the release of the RP2040 Connect with support for micropython; that excitement quickly faded upon discovering most, if not all of the setup articles and cheat sheets I could find were for C only…. That’s where I come in.

The Confusing Setup

Getting Started With the Nano RP2040 Connect and OpenMV | Arduino Documentation

The main setup page referencing using the board with micropython linked above has you downloading the OpenMV IDE and updating the firmware via a prompt on your screen. I found several issues with this as the main library I wanted to use (WifiNINA) was still not added. Furthermore if you install any other firmware besides what it wants to install for you, it wouldn’t work for me, not to mention the IDE itself left much to be desired.

The Real Way to Setup

The best thing to do IMO is to ditch OpenMV and install the Thonny IDE ASAP.

Many many forums, Arduino support emails, and YouTube videos later. I finally came to this link -> https://docs.arduino.cc/tutorials/nano-rp2040-connect/rp2040-upgrading-nina-firmware and followed the section for updating the firmware for WifiNINA using the CLI tool as none of the other methods worked for me. If you do it properly, it should look like this:

WiFiNINA flash using CLI tool

Now, the only thing left to do is to install the nightly build of micropython from here -> https://micropython.org/download/ARDUINO_NANO_RP2040_CONNECT/

This will download a ‘.uf2’ file. Next all you need to do is drag and drop the file into your Arduino RP2040 (in boot mode) via the file explorer and you will see your RP2040 connect change state to what appears to be a USB connected to your computer.

That’s it! Now, for the quick and dirty.

TL;DR

1. Install Thonny IDE
2. Connect a jumper to GND and REC and press the boot mode button.
3. Add the WiFININA firmware via the link at https://docs.arduino.cc/tutorials/nano-rp2040-connect/rp2040-upgrading-nina-firmware using the CLI tool.
4. Download the nightly build of micropython from https://micropython.org/download/ARDUINO_NANO_RP2040_CONNECT/
5. Put the board into boot mode and drag and drop your micropython build into the explorer window.
6. Once the board changes state, you’re finished and ready to code.

I hope this was helpful and gives you a shortcut to where you need to be.

Happy Building!