W55RP20-EVB-Pico RP2040 Ethernet Evaluation Board

Jargon buster

Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.

ADC

An analogue-to-digital converter reads a changing voltage and turns it into a number the microcontroller can use. It matters when connecting analogue sensors such as light, sound, or variable-resistor sensors.

DC

DC means direct current, where electricity flows in one constant direction, as supplied by batteries, USB ports and many plug-pack power supplies. When a product specifies DC, it runs from a DC supply rather than mains AC, so you need to provide the correct voltage and polarity.

GPIO

General-purpose input/output pins are microcontroller pins you can set in software to read signals, switch devices on and off, or connect to peripherals. The number of GPIO pins matters because it limits how many buttons, LEDs, sensors, and other parts you can wire directly to the board.

I2C

I2C is a two-wire communication bus used by many sensors and small modules. It matters because several I2C devices can share the same two wires, but each device needs a compatible address and your controller must support I2C.

microcontroller

A microcontroller is a small computer on a single chip that runs a stored program and controls connected inputs and outputs such as buttons, sensors, displays and communication interfaces. In a device built around one, it is the part that executes the code and coordinates the device's behaviour.

PoE

Power over Ethernet lets one Ethernet cable carry both network data and electrical power. This is useful when installing a device where running a separate power adaptor would be difficult.

PWM

Pulse Width Modulation is a way for a digital pin to simulate variable output power by switching on and off very quickly. It matters for controlling things like LED brightness, motor speed, or servo-style signals from a microcontroller pin.

RJ45

The common plug and socket style used for wired Ethernet network cables. If a board has an RJ45 connector, you can usually plug it into standard Ethernet cabling without making a custom connector.

RP2040

The RP2040 is a dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller chip from Raspberry Pi, used on many maker boards and offering programmable I/O, multiple GPIO pins and reasonable processing speed. Code and accessories built for that chip should work where RP2040 compatibility is listed, though demanding tasks such as reading a camera can require careful pin allocation and timing.

RX

RX means receive, usually showing data being received by the board. An RX indicator LED can help with troubleshooting USB or serial communication.

SPI

A fast serial communication bus often used for displays, memory cards, and sensors. It matters because SPI devices need specific pins for clock and data, plus a separate chip-select line for each device.

SRAM

Fast temporary memory used by a processor while a program is running. More SRAM helps with projects that handle larger data buffers, networking, displays, or more complex code.

SWD

Serial Wire Debug (SWD) is a two-wire programming and debugging interface used with many ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers. It provides low-level access to program, recover or debug the microcontroller.

TX

TX means transmit, usually showing data being sent from the board. A TX indicator LED can help you see when the board is communicating or uploading code.

UART

UART is a simple asynchronous serial interface that sends data over separate transmit and receive wires, usually labelled TX and RX, with both ends set to the same baud rate. It is a common way for microcontrollers and other serial devices to exchange data.

USB-C

USB-C is a small, reversible USB connector that can carry power, data and, on some devices, video over a single cable. The same connector can range from charging only to high-speed data, so the functions a given port actually supports vary.

VBUS

VBUS is a label for a bus or supply voltage. Most commonly it is the +5V power line carried over USB, though on power-monitoring hardware it instead marks the bus-voltage input being measured, so check which sense applies before connecting power or a measurement point.

VGA

VGA has two common meanings in electronics: as a resolution it usually refers to a 640 x 480 pixel image, which is modest detail suitable for basic display or inspection rather than high definition; as a connector it refers to the analogue 15-pin video output long used on computers and monitors. Check which sense a listing means.