Pro Micro RP2040 Hookup Guide

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Contributors: bboyho
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Hardware Hookup

Header pins were left off the Pro Micro RP2040 to allow users the flexibility of connecting any type of 0.1" header to the board. For temporary connections to the I/O pins, you could use IC hooks to test out the pins. However, you'll need to solder headers or wires of your choice to the board for a secure connection. For advanced users, you could also design a PCB to take advantage of the castellated edges for a lower profile. Here are a few tutorials to connect to the pads depending on your personal preference.

How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering

September 19, 2013

This tutorial covers everything you need to know about through-hole soldering.

Working with Wire

February 8, 2013

How to strip, crimp, and work with wire.

How to Solder: Castellated Mounting Holes

May 12, 2015

Tutorial showing how to solder castellated holes (or castellations). This might come in handy if you need to solder a module or PCB to another PCB. These castellations are becoming popular with integrated WiFi and Bluetooth modules.

In order to power and upload to the board, you will simply need a USB C cable connected to your computer.

Pro Micro Connected to USB C Cable and Raspberry Pi

Connecting to GPIO

There a few methods of connecting to the GPIO. For a temporary connection when prototyping, you can use IC hooks to connect your circuit to a breadboard. Below is an example of a basic 5mm LED connected to a 330Ω current limiting resistor on a breadboard.

IC Hooks

For a secure connection to the Pro Micro RP2040's GPIO, it is recommended to solder header pins. If you designed the board using the footprint, you can also solder the board using the castellated headers. In this case, two 1x12 male header pins are being soldered to the board with the help of a breadboard.

Soldering Headers

While originally intended to connect Qwiic-enabled devices, you can also use the SDA and SCL pins as a quick, visible test to see if the board is working. In this case, the SCL pin was used as a GPIO pin. Similar to the circuit with the IC hooks, the pin was connected to a basic 5mm LED and a 330Ω current limiting resistor on a breadboard.

Pro Micro RP2040 connected to LED via Qwiic connector

Qwiic Enabled Device

You can also easily connect a Qwiic enabled device to the Qwiic connector. Below is an example of the Qwiic VL53L1X distance sensor and Qwiic Micro OLED connected to the Qwiic Pro Micro.

Pro Micro connected to a Qwiic enabled device