Uploaded September 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Raspberry Pi Pico C/C++ SDK is a software development kit that provides the necessary libraries and tools for writing C and C++ programs targeting the Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico 2 as well as other devices with RP2040 and RP2350 microcontrollers. It includes drivers, hardware abstraction layers, and utilities to interact with the hardware peripherals of the board, such as GPIO, I2C, SPI, and more. The SDK is essential for developers looking to write efficient, low-level code and allows for the compilation and flashing of custom firmware onto the Raspberry Pi Pico. This SDK is suitable for all device and printed circuit boards with RP2040 and RP2350, for example XIAO RP2040. For demonstrations in this video we will use Raspberry Pi 5, Raspberry Pi Pico and ANAVI Dev Mic, an open source USB-C computer microphone with Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller. Follow the steps below to install the SDK on Raspberry Pi single board computer or a PC and build firmware from scratch:
1️⃣ Download the Raspberry Pi Pico C/C++ SDK:
cd ~
git clone github.com/raspberrypi/pico-sdk.git
cd pico-sdk
git submodule update --init
2️⃣ Install Raspberry Pi Pico C/C++ SDK dependencies:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install cmake gcc-arm-none-eabi build-essential
3️⃣ Set the PICO_SDK_PATH:
export PICO_SDK_PATH=/path/to/pico-sdk
4️⃣ Download the firmware for ANAVI Dev Mic based on "Microphone library for Pico":
cd ~
git clone -b anavi_dev_mic github.com/AnaviTechnology/microphone-library-for-pico.git
5️⃣ Create the build directory, run CMake, and make:
cd microphone-library-for-pico
mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -DPICO_BOARD=pico
make
6️⃣ Flash the firmware: Hold down the BOOT button on the Seeed Studio XIAO RP2040 (which functions similarly to the Raspberry Pi Pico). Connect the board to your computer while holding the button, and a new disk drive will appear. Copy the compiled .uf2 firmware file (build/examples/anavi_dev_mic/anavi_dev_mic.uf2) to this new drive. Once copied, the board will reboot with the new firmware.
*️⃣ NOTE: If you are interested in using Visual Studio Code and the extension for Raspberry Pi Pico instead follow the steps from this tutorial:
datasheets.raspberrypi.com/pico/getting-started-with-pico.pdf
📚 Useful Links
===
crowdsupply.com/anavi-technology/anavi-dev-mic
seeedstudio.com/XIAO-RP2040-v1-0-p-5026.html
datasheets.raspberrypi.com/pico/getting-started-with-pico.pdf
github.com/ArmDeveloperEcosystem/microphone-library-for-pico
github.com/raspberrypi/pico-sdk
📺 Chapters
===
0:00 Intro
1:05 Pico
2:05 Raspberry Pi 5
2:43 Download SDK
3:34 Install Dependencies
4:17 Build Firmware
5:36 Flash Firmware
8:21 Conclusions
The Raspberry Pi Pico C/C++ SDK is a software development kit that provides the necessary libraries and tools for writing C and C++ programs targeting the Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico 2 as well as other devices with RP2040 and RP2350 microcontrollers. It includes drivers, hardware abstraction layers, and utilities to interact with the hardware peripherals of the board, such as GPIO, I2C, SPI, and more. The SDK is essential for developers looking to write efficient, low-level code and allows for the compilation and flashing of custom firmware onto the Raspberry Pi Pico. This SDK is suitable for all device and printed circuit boards with RP2040 and RP2350, for example XIAO RP2040. For demonstrations in this video we will use Raspberry Pi 5, Raspberry Pi Pico and ANAVI Dev Mic, an open source USB-C computer microphone with Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller. Follow the steps below to install the SDK on Raspberry Pi single board computer or a PC and build firmware from scratch:
1️⃣ Download the Raspberry Pi Pico C/C++ SDK:
cd ~
git clone github.com/raspberrypi/pico-sdk.git
cd pico-sdk
git submodule update --init
2️⃣ Install Raspberry Pi Pico C/C++ SDK dependencies:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install cmake gcc-arm-none-eabi build-essential
3️⃣ Set the PICO_SDK_PATH:
export PICO_SDK_PATH=/path/to/pico-sdk
4️⃣ Download the firmware for ANAVI Dev Mic based on "Microphone library for Pico":
cd ~
git clone -b anavi_dev_mic github.com/AnaviTechnology/microphone-library-for-pico.git
5️⃣ Create the build directory, run CMake, and make:
cd microphone-library-for-pico
mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -DPICO_BOARD=pico
make
6️⃣ Flash the firmware: Hold down the BOOT button on the Seeed Studio XIAO RP2040 (which functions similarly to the Raspberry Pi Pico). Connect the board to your computer while holding the button, and a new disk drive will appear. Copy the compiled .uf2 firmware file (build/examples/anavi_dev_mic/anavi_dev_mic.uf2) to this new drive. Once copied, the board will reboot with the new firmware.
*️⃣ NOTE: If you are interested in using Visual Studio Code and the extension for Raspberry Pi Pico instead follow the steps from this tutorial:
datasheets.raspberrypi.com/pico/getting-started-with-pico.pdf
📚 Useful Links
===
crowdsupply.com/anavi-technology/anavi-dev-mic
seeedstudio.com/XIAO-RP2040-v1-0-p-5026.html
datasheets.raspberrypi.com/pico/getting-started-with-pico.pdf
github.com/ArmDeveloperEcosystem/microphone-library-for-pico
github.com/raspberrypi/pico-sdk
📺 Chapters
===
0:00 Intro
1:05 Pico
2:05 Raspberry Pi 5
2:43 Download SDK
3:34 Install Dependencies
4:17 Build Firmware
5:36 Flash Firmware
8:21 Conclusions
