Raspberry Pi has introduced an exciting upgrade for its RP2040 microcontroller, famous for powering devices like the Raspberry Pi Pico W. Initially launched in early 2021, the RP2040 featured Cortex-M0+ cores, operating at a budget-friendly performance of up to 133 MHz or 125 MHz at 1.10 V. However, with the release of version 2.1.1 of the Pico SDK, Raspberry Pi is now offering a substantial enhancement—a new overclocked speed of up to 200 MHz. This update allows for a 50% performance increase over the original specifications.
While this speed boost presents an enticing upgrade, it does come with some important considerations. Raspberry Pi has noted potential backward compatibility issues with certain programs, suggesting that users may experience some hiccups with existing applications. Additionally, the enhanced 200 MHz mode requires a higher voltage of at least 1.15 V, as mentioned in the release notes.
By default, the new CPU mode is not activated, so users will need to make manual adjustments. To unlock this performance leap, one must set SYS_CLK_MHZ=200 as a preprocessor define. This strategic update enhances the RP2040’s capabilities, possibly paving the way for similar improvements to the RP2350, which is currently capped at 150 MHz.
For those interested in diving deeper into these options and exploring how to implement the overclock, resources and detailed instructions can be found on the Pico SDK GitHub page. This advancement underscores Raspberry Pi’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the versatility and performance of its microcontrollers, ensuring these affordable yet powerful boards remain at the forefront of the tech landscape.
