P42 Pico2 M.2: Raspberry Pi RP2350A Development Board with M.2 A/E-Key Interface and Optional RISC-V Hazard3 Core

The P42 Pico2 M.2 may look like an M.2 module, but it’s actually a Raspberry Pi RP2350 development board in M.2 3024 form factor. The M.2 interface has USB, UART, I2C, and control IO [Input/Output] connectivity. Adding an RP2350 microcontroller, the P42 Pico2 M.2 pops a Raspberry Pi’s second-generation in-house microcontroller design into any A-key or E-key M.2 slot.

The board ships with a 2MB SPI flash and complies with voltage levels defined by the M.2 specification, with some of the interfaces running on 1.8 V. The Serial Wire Debug (SWD) interface, +3.3 V, GND, and 16 GPIOs are accessible on castellated pins, and there’s also a QWIIC connector for solderless expansion on I2C modules, unpopulated by default. The board also includes the RESET and BOOT buttons as well as an integrated microSD Card slot on the underside for additional storage — a feature lacking from the official Raspberry Pi Pico 2.

P42 Pico M.2 specifications:

• SoC: Raspberry Pi RP2350A
  • Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 @ 150MHz with Arm TrustZone and Secure Boot, or
  • Dual-core RISC-V Hazard3 @ 150MHz
  • Flexible configuration: up to two cores in any combination
• Memory: 520KB on-chip SRAM
• Storage:
  • 2MB QSPI flash (Winbond W25Q16)
  • MicroSD card slot (Molex 104031-0811, optional, bottom side)
• USB: USB Type-C 1.1 host/device port (power and programming)
• Debugging: SWD debug interface
• Expansion:
  • M.2 edge connector (Key A/E) with USB, UART, I2C, ALERT, WAKE, DISABLE1/2, LED1/2, and vendor-defined pins
  • 16x GPIOs on castellated holes with optional pull-down resistors (E9 Erratum mitigation)
  • QWIIC connector (unpopulated)
  • Interfaces: SPI, I2C, UART, PWM, PIO, 12-bit 500KSps ADCs, Timers
• Misc:
  • RESET and BOOTSEL buttons
  • User LED
  • Power LEDs for 3.3V and 1.1V
  • Solder bridge for configuration
• Power supply:
  • Input: 1.8V to 5.5V DC
  • 1.8V to 3.3V regulator for high-speed level shifting (TI TXS0102DQM)
• Dimensions: 22 x 30 mm (M.2 2230-D5-AE form factor)

The P42 Pico2 M.2 is an open-source hardware project with KiCad hardware design files and Arduino samples available on GitHub. We’ve previously covered M.2 WiFi 7 modules such as the WLE7002E25D, Azurewave AW-EB600NF, and Noni 56M2. However, this is the first time we’re featuring an M.2-form-factor Raspberry Pi development board.

P42 Pico2 M.2, made by Pier42 Design has listed the board on Lectronz for $28.40, excluding taxes and shipping. The campaign aims to gather a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 100 pre-orders, with a lead time of 56 days. The board ships from Canada and does not include a carrier board.

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