Running the program

Before moving on to more examples, we will cover the basic steps to build and run a program on the Raspberry Pi Pico (RP2040).

These commands are run from the project directory. This section is included once to avoid repeating the same steps in later chapters. If you have not created a project yet, start with the Quick Start section.

Build and Run

The RP2040 uses dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ processors. Programs are built using the thumbv6m-none-eabi target.

Build the program:

# build the program
cargo build 

To flash your application onto the Pico, press and hold the BOOTSEL button. While holding it, connect the Pico to your computer using a micro USB cable. You can release the button once the USB cable is connected.

# Run the program
cargo run

Note

The example codes include a runner configuration in the .cargo/config.toml file, defined as:
runner = "picotool load -u -v -x -t elf". This means that when you execute cargo run, it actually invokes the picotool with the load subcommand to flash the program.

With Debug Probe

When using a Debug Probe, you can flash your program directly onto the Pico with:

# cargo flash --chip RP2040
cargo flash --chip RP2040 --release

If you want to flash your program and also view its output in real time, use:

# cargo embed --chip RP2040
# cargo embed --chip RP2040 --release
cargo embed --release

cargo-embed is a more advanced version of cargo-flash. It can flash your program, and it can also open an RTT terminal and a GDB server.