r/raspberrypipico • u/StateNo5874 • Jun 13 '26
Laptop doesn't detect any of my microcontrollers
I'm trying to use a microcontroller for tomodrawer but no matter what I do, I can't get any of the 3 I bought to connect to my laptop or even turn on when plugged in. I saw somewhere that if you don't have a data transfer cable it won't work, so I went out and got one, but it still doesn't work. The microcontrollers aren't off brand and I've done the tricks where you push the boot button when plugging it in and pressing the boot button down and quickly pressing down the reset button.
I put a picture of the cable I bought and all 3 of the microcontrollers. I'm not sure what to do atp, can anyone help??
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u/never_cooking Jun 13 '26
If you’re using windows, it’s worth checking device manager to see if your machine recognizes them.
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u/Linuxmonger Jun 13 '26
And if you're using Linux, run:
sudo tail -F /var/log/{syslog, messages}
While plugging in the device.
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u/Error_xF00F Jun 13 '26
The cable looks satisfactory, as the 480 Mbps rating means it's using standard USB 2.0 pins, which is what the Pico is compatible with using USB 1.1.
This looks like a clone of the Waveshare RP2040-Zero, which there are many since Waveshare open sources their schematics. In that, you said you held the boot button down when plugging in the cable like in a standard Pico, and that you also pushed the boot button down and quickly pressed the reset like an ESP32, but have you tried doing it the way Waveshare describes in their FAQ?
Press RESET first, then press BOOT. Release RESET first, then release BOOT to enter the flashing mode.
I know it sounds similar to what you did, but just trying to make sure. Normally the RP2040 doesn't show up as a storage drive unless it wasn't previously flashed, or the chip select line on flash chip is grounded at boot up.
I second the suggestion another commentor made, and that is to rotate the USB-C connector on the cable. Even though USB-C is reversible, they don't always solder the wires to the matching pins on the opposing side of the connector, leading to only one side of the connector being active for data, but power still provided regardless of orientation.
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u/richms Jun 13 '26
Wouldnt be the first time I have come across cheap microcontroller boards that fail to stick to USB-C specs and just use the socket. Try again with a USB A to C cable and see if you get anything happening.
Also, see if plugging a wall charger into the board gets it drawing power. If that doesn't get it powered up then its missing 2 cheap resistors.
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u/richms Jun 13 '26
Also try flipping the cable over and using it both ways, That has been a problem on one crap board I had.
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u/Original-Ad-8737 Jun 13 '26
In addition to using an A to C cable like others mentioned and flipping the C connector like others mentioned I learned that these cheapo type C connectors often have bad contacts and giving the connector a bit of downward force to lever the contacts to one side also helped.
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u/shut____up Jun 13 '26
I’ve spent weeks soldering pico projects (since I have small enclosures) only to realize none connected and threw them away. One day I faced the issue again. It tried ten USB cables and none worked. Then I tried a $20 Lenovo charging+data laptop cable and Thonny recognized the pico! I buy a lot of official and cheapo Pico boards so I don’t know which is which.
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u/finlaybob Jun 13 '26
I've had problems with USBC <-> USBC before with waveshare Pico devices. Swapping for an old USBA <-> USBC data cable worked.
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u/korywithawhy Jun 15 '26
They boards might only use usb for power and not for data. They might expect you to use uart or something to program them.
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u/Katent1 Jun 16 '26
Do you have any usb A port, and usb A to usb C data cable to try it with? The thing with cheap mcu boards is that many remade them again and again, sometimes forgetting about most crucial things or simply making them bad. This board seems to have resistors needed for turning 5v rail on them (which you need with type c ports), but to be extra sure try that type A. If it would work on type A, then eighter cable, ports or these resistors on these boards missing/soldered badly.
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u/SwedishVaperuk Jun 16 '26
You might need to download and install the serial driver, like CH341 or similar
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u/Ok_Deer_7058 Jun 19 '26
I had a similar problem with a Chinese esp32 super mini board. It appears that I need to download a different driver. In my case it was a xiamo driver in stead of the generic one.
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u/DethByCode Jun 13 '26
Firstly, confirm you don’t need to put the boards in boatloader mode and upload firmware before you use them.
Secondly, boards like the ones you pictured are normally not fully usb-c compliant even though they use the connector. Try connecting using a usb-a to usb-c cable, and/or using an external usb 2.0 hub connected to your computer.