rpi pico_serial communication via usb - dwilson2547/wiki_demo GitHub Wiki

Raspberry Pi Pico Serial Communication via USB

For serial communication over USB between your Raspberry Pi Pico and computer, you have several options:

MicroPython (Easiest)

MicroPython automatically sets up USB serial communication:

  1. Flash MicroPython to your Pico (download .uf2 from raspberrypi.org)
  2. Connect via serial terminal on your computer:
    • Windows: Use PuTTY, Tera Term, or Windows Terminal
    • macOS/Linux: Use screen, minicom, or picocom 
# Linux/macOS examples
screen /dev/ttyACM0 115200
# or
picocom /dev/ttyACM0 -b 115200

# Windows (check Device Manager for COM port)
# Use PuTTY with COM3, COM4, etc. at 115200 baud
  1. Python code on Pico:
import sys
import time

while True:
    # Read from computer
    if sys.stdin in select.select([sys.stdin], [], [], 0)[0]:
        line = input()
        print(f"Received: {line}")
    
    # Send to computer
    print("Hello from Pico!")
    time.sleep(1)

CircuitPython

Similar to MicroPython but with slightly different syntax:

import supervisor
import time

while True:
    if supervisor.runtime.serial_bytes_available:
        data = input()
        print(f"Got: {data}")
    
    print("CircuitPython here!")
    time.sleep(1)

C/C++ with Pico SDK

For more control and performance:

#include <stdio.h>
#include "pico/stdlib.h"

int main() {
    stdio_init_all();
    
    printf("Pico serial ready!\n");
    
    while (true) {
        char input = getchar_timeout_us(0);
        if (input != PICO_ERROR_TIMEOUT) {
            printf("You typed: %c\n", input);
        }
        
        printf("Hello from C!\n");
        sleep_ms(1000);
    }
    
    return 0;
}

Python Script on Computer

To communicate from your computer:

import serial
import time

# Adjust port name for your system
ser = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyACM0', 115200, timeout=1)  # Linux/macOS
# ser = serial.Serial('COM3', 115200, timeout=1)        # Windows

while True:
    # Send data to Pico
    ser.write(b"Hello Pico!\n")
    
    # Read response from Pico
    if ser.in_waiting > 0:
        response = ser.readline().decode('utf-8').strip()
        print(f"Pico says: {response}")
    
    time.sleep(1)

Finding the Serial Port

  • Windows: Check Device Manager → Ports (COM & LPT)
  • Linux: Usually /dev/ttyACM0 or /dev/ttyUSB0
  • macOS: Usually /dev/cu.usbmodem* or /dev/tty.usbmodem*

The MicroPython approach is usually the quickest to get started with. Which method would you prefer to use?

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