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About PicoCore

Abstract

The story behind PicoCore: evolution, lessons learned, and the drive to make something that actually works.

Legacy PicoCore V1

The original PicoCore V1 was an experimental MicroPython framework for Raspberry Pi Pico devices. It aimed to simplify building small autonomous projects like weather stations and basic robots.

Key points about V1:

  • Legacy Only: The V1 codebase is preserved only as a legacy release. It is no longer maintained due to major design flaws.
  • Limited Use: While some concepts and code were useful, the architecture failed to deliver low power consumption in practice.
  • Practical Testing: I once built a quick prototype weather station using scrap parts and a DHT11 sensor. Despite my calculations predicting at least 2 days of battery life, it barely lasted ~5 hours. Apparently, that tiny blinking indicator LED I mounted outside was a battery vampire.
  • Lessons Learned: V1 highlighted poor service management, inefficient sensor polling, and general inefficiency. Coding felt awkward and more complicated than standard MicroPython, and my so-called PicoOS turned out to be more of a misnomer.

You can find V1 in the releases as a reference, but do not use it for new projects.

My Story & Motivation for PicoCore V2

After V1, I had a grand vision: build an actual OS for a small robot I was designing. Many side projects pulled me away, and I realized quickly that PicoOS wasn’t really an OS. Embedding and recompiling the MicroPython firmware was a nightmare — hello CMake, Windows, WSL, and compiler headaches.

So, I pivoted: I switched to .mpy-converted library-like files, making the “OS” more of a runtime API. The name stuck, even if it was misleading.

One weekend — fueled by coffee and little sleep — I rewrote the whole PicoCore “OS” from scratch. By the end, tests on my lab setup (my dorm PC) were working perfectly. I grabbed a bunch of scrap materials and spent the rest of the weekend building a makeshift weather station:

  • Hardware: Protein box enclosure, homemade PCB, improvised power supply from 4 Amazon batteries wired in series/parallel (~3.3–3.7 V, ~4 Ah).
  • Design: DHT11 sensor in a modified pillbox with ventilation holes, cable routed into the body, indicator LED to blink every minute for 3 seconds.
  • Goal: Measure temperature and humidity every 5 minutes overnight.

The next morning? Disaster. Only 5 data points logged. The timestamps were all over the place. The LED had apparently murdered my battery. V1’s approach wasn’t cutting it.

I realized it was time for a smarter, developer-friendly system:

  • Precompiled PicoCore API/runtime with auto features: deep sleep, light sleep, CPU frequency adjustments, battery voltage monitoring, and more.
  • Simple, intuitive code structure that actually works.
  • A system that lets you focus on your project, not wrestling with the framework.

V2 was born from trial, error, and caffeine-fueled determination. The goal? Make something usable, maintainable, and enjoyable — and, hopefully, well-documented so future evolutions are easier to manage.

PicoCore V2

PicoCore V2 addresses the shortcomings of V1:

  • Redesigned Architecture: Modular service manager, improved sensor and power management, and a robust runtime API.
  • Best Practices: Follows modern MicroPython and embedded system conventions.
  • Low Power: Optimized to maximize battery life in real-world autonomous devices.
  • Extensible: Easier to add sensors, robots, or IoT applications.

V2 builds on the lessons learned from V1 but is robust, maintainable, and production-ready.