{"product_id":"pico-unicorn-pack","title":"Pico Unicorn Pack","description":"\u003cp\u003eA sparkly matrix of over a hundred fantabulous RGB LEDs for all your rainbow needs and some handy buttons - sized perfectly for the Raspberry Pi Pico!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe've resized our familiar Unicorn setup so that it fits nicely on the back of your Pico - with \u003cstrong\u003ea tidy 7x16 matrix\u003c\/strong\u003e (that's 112 RGB LEDs!) it's surely the fanciest backpack going. The four tactile buttons can be used to switch between modes, as controls for simple games, or adjusting brightness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's possible to control the colour and brightness of each LED individually so you can use it to display animations, text, simple images, and more. Make a mini photo FX lamp, a smart status light for Zoom, use it to display colourful scrolling messages on your fridge, or just enjoy some pretty animations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA\u003cstrong\u003e Raspberry Pi Pico is not included\u003c\/strong\u003e - \u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/products\/raspberry-pi-pico\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eclick here\u003c\/a\u003e if you'd like to buy one!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYour Pico will need to have male headers soldered to it\u003c\/strong\u003e (with the pins pointing downwards) to attach to our add-on boards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFeatures\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e16x7 matrix of RGB LEDs (112 total)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndividual colour\/brightness control of each LED\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e4 x tactile buttons\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePre-soldered female headers for attaching to Pico\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCompatible with Raspberry Pi Pico.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFully assembled\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNo soldering required (as long as your Pico has header pins attached).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDimensions: approx 62mm x 25mm x 10mm (L x W x H, including headers and buttons)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/pimoroni\/pimoroni-pico\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eC\/C++ and MicroPython libraries\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eGetting started\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe labels on the underside of Pico Unicorn Pack will show you which way round to plug it into your Pico - just match up the USB port with the markings on the board.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe easiest way to get started is by downloading and copying our\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/pimoroni\/pimoroni-pico\/releases\/latest\/\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/pimoroni\/pimoroni-pico\/releases\/latest\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ecustom MicroPython uf2\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eto your Pico, it includes all the libraries you'll need to use our add-ons. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/learn.pimoroni.com\/tutorial\/hel\/getting-started-with-pico\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/learn.pimoroni.com\/tutorial\/hel\/getting-started-with-pico\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eClick here\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efor our beginner friendly tutorial!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYou can find C examples \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/pimoroni\/pimoroni-pico\/tree\/main\/examples\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/pimoroni\/pimoroni-pico\/tree\/main\/examples\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and MicroPython examples \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/pimoroni\/pimoroni-pico\/tree\/main\/micropython\/examples\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/pimoroni\/pimoroni-pico\/tree\/main\/micropython\/examples\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePinout\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePico Unicorn Pack drives its display via the PIO feature of the RP2040. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe display is updated one row at a time (but very quickly, so you won't notice!) by selecting one of the \u003cstrong\u003eSR0\u003c\/strong\u003e..\u003cb\u003e6\u003c\/b\u003e pins which control the row driving FETs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eColumn data is fed into shift registers via \u003cstrong\u003eSIN\u003c\/strong\u003e\/\u003cstrong\u003eSCLK\u003c\/strong\u003e and then \u003cstrong\u003eLATCH\u003c\/strong\u003eed to hold during display. \u003cstrong\u003eBLANK\u003c\/strong\u003e enables the column driving FETs to turn on the LEDs and produce the image.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe four switches are wired up as \u003cstrong\u003eSW_A\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eSW_B,\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eSW_X\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eSW_Y\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePower is supplied through \u003cstrong\u003eVSYS\u003c\/strong\u003e meaning that you can use Pico Scroll Pack both on USB power and from external supplies (so long as they can supply 3V+) making it ideal for battery powered projects.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0174\/1800\/files\/pico-unicorn-pinout_41825d6e-e77a-4bc5-b7c9-6b08435cf20e_600x600.png?v=1611493809\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\" data-mce-style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eMaking use of the RP2040's programmable IOs (PIOs)\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat's exciting is that these LEDs are controlled by the programmable IO on the RP2040 meaning they update in the background with very little CPU usage. The programmable IOs are so fast that we can achieve 14-bits of resolution instead of the 8-bits you usually get with LED drivers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe use these extra bits of resolution to apply gamma correction to the colours displayed meaning that gradients are smooth and linear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis means that the LEDs perform wonderfully through their full range of brightness rather than being poor at handling lower brightness levels. You don't really need to care about the details (though we think they are interesting!) as our software library just handles it all for you in the background.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Raspberry Pi Pico\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/products\/raspberry-pi-pico\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eRaspberry Pi Pico\u003c\/a\u003e is a flexible, low cost \u003cstrong\u003emicrocontroller development board\u003c\/strong\u003e from the folks at Raspberry Pi, based on their very own chip - the RP2040. It's easily programmable over USB with C\/C++ or MicroPython, and ideal for using in all sorts of physical computing projects, devices and inventions - we're so excited to see what you make with it!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe've called our Pico-sized add-ons \u003cstrong\u003epacks\u003c\/strong\u003e, as they're designed to attach to the back of your Pico as if it were wearing a very stylish backpack (or a miniature jet pack, if you prefer). We've also got Pico \u003cstrong\u003ebases\u003c\/strong\u003e (larger add-on boards with a space to mount your Pico on top) and some other boards that let you do interesting hackerly things like using multiple packs at once - \u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/collections\/pico\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eclick here\u003c\/a\u003e to view them all!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e","brand":"Pimoroni","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32369501306963,"sku":"PIM546","price":21.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0174\/1800\/products\/pico-addons-6.jpg?v=1616398921","url":"https:\/\/shop.pimoroni.com\/en-eu\/products\/pico-unicorn-pack","provider":"Pimoroni Ltd","version":"1.0","type":"link"}