Raspberry Pi Pico
Using micro:bit Accessories

After working with the micro:bit since it was released, I have collected a large number of accessories. As I start to spend more time using the Pico, I wanted to find a way to repurpose some of those wonderful accessories.

The secret is to have something like the Pimoroni Pinbetween. You can see it in this photograph,

Pico Circuit

There are several products that you can find like this one. You are looking for a micro:bit edge connector with two additional features. Firstly, you need there to be a replica of the micro:bit gold strip of connections so that you can place those in your accessory. You also need some way to connect to the micro:bit pins, so you are looking for there to be some additional header pins.

The Pinbetween is from Pimoroni. An alternative product that will do the same job is the Bit:Zero, which you can get from 4tronix.

You should notice, from the photograph, that there is no micro:bit in this circuit. The idea is to make a connection between the Pico and the accessory. To do this, you are going to have to connect the 3V and GND pins of the Pinbetween (or equivalent) to the 3V3 and a GND pin on the Pico. Once you have done that, you need to connect the micro:bit pins that are used by the accessory to GPIO pins on the Pico.