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Raspberry Pi Pico from Scratch: MicroPython in Practice

LEDs, buttons, PWM and a potentiometer on the Raspberry Pi Pico. You can run every example in a simulator in your browser, or upload it to the board with one click.

Beginner7 lessons360 minCourse in English

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A beginner course prepared for the wirelab forum.

The Raspberry Pi Pico is a small microcontroller board that costs a few euros. It has no operating system, starts in a fraction of a second and drives LEDs, buttons or sensors directly from its pins. In this course you program it in MicroPython: from your first blinking LED, through a button, PWM and reading a potentiometer, to a reaction game built from all of those parts.

You can run every example in your browser straight away. Next to the code blocks there are two buttons:

  • "Run in simulator": a virtual Pico with real MicroPython firmware, three LEDs (GP13, GP14, GP15), two buttons (GP16, GP17) and a potentiometer (GP26). You don't need any hardware.
  • "Upload to board": sends the code to your Pico over USB (Chrome or Edge on a computer, Chrome on Android).

All the diagrams in the course use the same pins as the simulator, so the code works unchanged in both places.

As of September 2026: MicroPython 1.29, the Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico W, Pico 2 and Pico 2 W boards. The simulator emulates the basic Pico (RP2040).

How to read the markers
⚠️ – things that can damage your hardware or block your progress.
🧪 – differences between the simulator and a real board.
$ at the start of a line is a terminal command (don't type the $ itself).

What you’ll learn

  • You will choose a Pico model and parts, install MicroPython (UF2) and run code in Thonny and in the browser
  • You will learn the rules for working safely with pins: 3.3 V, a resistor for the LED, power from 3V3(OUT)
  • You will control LEDs with the Pin class and blink several at once without blocking your program (ticks_ms, Timer)
  • You will handle buttons with the internal pull-up, edge detection and contact debouncing
  • You will set LED brightness with PWM, with correction for the eye and an awareness of RP2040 slices
  • You will read a potentiometer with the ADC, convert and smooth the result, and use it to control PWM
  • You will build a reflex-meter game and save it as main.py so that it runs without a computer

Who it’s for

  • Beginners who want to start with microcontrollers and electronics using the simplest circuits
  • People who know the basics of Python and want to control hardware
  • Anyone who wants to try things out before buying any parts: the whole course works in the simulator

Requirements

  • A browser; to upload code over USB, Chrome or Edge on a computer or Chrome on Android
  • Optional: a Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico W, Pico 2 or Pico 2 W with a micro-USB data cable
  • Optional: a breadboard, 3 LEDs, 3 resistors of 330 Ω, 2 buttons and a 10 kΩ potentiometer (list in Lesson 1)
  • Basic Python (variables, loops, functions) will help, but is not essential

Course programme

  1. 01Start1 lesson
    • Pico, shopping list and your first run of MicroPython
  2. 02Digital outputs and inputs2 lessons
  3. 03PWM and ADC2 lessons
    • PWM: brightness, "breathing" and three LEDs
      Quiz: Quiz: PWM
    • ADC and potentiometer: reading, scaling and controlling PWM
      Quiz: Quiz: ADC and Potentiometer
  4. 04Final project2 lessons
    • Final project: reflex meter
      Quiz: Quiz: Reflex Meter Project
    • Sources
  5. Quiz: Final Quiz: Raspberry Pi Pico from Scratch

Author

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