PiicoDev Expansion Board for Pico (CE07693)

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This is a placeholder topic for “PiicoDev Expansion Board for Pico” comments.

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The PiicoDev® Expansion Board for Raspberry Pi Pico is a great way to start experimenting with Raspberry Pi Pico/RP2040. Use the on-board PiicoDev connector to quickly and easily connect with the PiicoDev family of sensor modules without soldering.

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Just a note about a problem on the PiicoDev Expansion Board for Pico page.
It seems there is on info on https://github.com/CoreElectronics yet.

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Thanks Dave, seems we left it private during the launch rush. Will be fixed next week when back in :slight_smile:

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The repo is now public, @dave50358 - thanks for the heads-up :slight_smile:

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:slight_smile::slight_smile::slight_smile:

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Hey all,

For future the mounting holes on the expansion board are in a 45x 46 mm apart (46mm being the side parallel to the breakout headers). I found this info over on the Git repo that was kindly supplied by Michael and the guys at Core.

Liam

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Hi. Are these breakout boards compatible with the Adafruit Feather RP2040
(SKU: ADA4884)?

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I’ve checked the datasheets for the two boards, and unfortunately the spacing is different between the rows of pins (once you factor in freedom-unit to metric conversion :stuck_out_tongue: )

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Our breakout board has LiPo charging, so the only main difference is the pinout and form factor (and the standard Pico has more pins broken out from the RP2040 than the feather)

Hope this helps!
-James

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Hi, Can I use a standard an unregulated 18650 Lithium Ion battery (4.1v to 3.2v) with this, or is a battery regulated to 3.7v required?

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Hi @Peter212355 - any single-cell, rechargeable Lithium cell will work fine with this board, provided you don’t mind the 4.2V end-of-charge voltage.

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Which battery is compatible with this board?

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Pardon my ignorance, but I don’t want to fry the project I’ve just assembled… I’ve got my 3.7v battery connected to the expansion board and all is working fine so far.

I’d like to troubleshoot and edit my code via Thonny - assume it’s safe enough to plug the Pico W into my laptop via USB whilst the battery is still connected?

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Hi Matt,

It’s always safer to ask first if you’re worried about burning something out. :slight_smile:

There are two versions of our PiicoDev Expansion Board for Pico. One is for LiPo batteries and has a battery charger built in, the other is for non-rechargeable batteries.

You can safely plug in either of our PiicoDev Expansion Boards while the battery pack is still connected. There is a MOSFET device built-in which will switch over to USB power.

If you are using the LiPo version with a suitable LiPo plugging your Pico in via USB is actually the best way to recharge the battery, as you don’t have to dismantle your project just to give your batteries a top-up.

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Plugged in, code defect corrected, and it’s all still operational :wink:

Thanks for confirming, Trent!

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Hi,
Just wondering if there is a way to charge the lipo battery using solar? I already have this board and the battery. Was thinking of getting this Solar Panel (3.6V OC) | Core Electronics Australia but not sure where I would connect it to?
Thanks
Steve

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Hi Stephen,

Welcome back!

That solar panel is great for connecting straight to the Vsys pin via a diode, but unfortunately it wont be able to charge the battery when connected like that (and doesnt meet the minimum voltage to charge the battery).
You could use this board paired with a solar panel with built in regulator: Monocrystalline Solar Panel (5V 1A) | DFRobot FIT0601 | Core Electronics Australia
but miss out on MPPT.

I’d personally go with the Sunflower: Sunflower: Solar Power Manager 5V | DFRobot DFR0559 | Core Electronics Australia
It has both MPPT and a recharge circuit so handles all of the complexities of small solar projects!
Liam

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Thanks Liam, I’ll look into it a bit further.

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Is it possible to charge multiple cells with this board if you were to plug this 4-Way 18650 Battery Holder | DFRobot DFR0970 | Core Electronics Australia into it with some 18650’s loaded?

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Hi @Steve252948 - I don’t think that would work - at least it would not be a plug-and-play solution and could be pretty risky.

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I recently had the PiicoDev I2C connector break off of the Lipo Expansion Board for Pico. Is there any easy way to reattach it?