Challenger+ RP2350 BConnect

The Challenger+ BConnect board is a Feather-compatible development board utilising the dual-core Cortex-M33/RISCV RP2350 MCU from Raspberry Pi (as seen on the Pico 2).

It is built around the RP2350 microcontroller, which has powerful processing capabilities and an extensive range of peripheral support, making it ideal for diverse projects. The dual BConnect connectors allow the simultaneous operation of Bi2C and BSerial peripherals, expanding the board’s compatibility with a variety of devices based on the BConnect standard.

With 8MB Flash memory and 8MB RAM, this board offers substantial storage and memory capacity, perfect for tackling complex projects and handling large datasets with ease. The decent memory allocation makes sure that even sophisticated and data-rich projects can be managed effectively.

The board has a versatile array of peripherals, including USB, GPIOs, ADCs, DACs, PWM, SPI, I2C, UART, PIO, and more. This wide range of connectivity options allows for easy integration with various sensors, actuators, and modules, offering the flexibility to bring your different projects to life and experiment a little.

For portable projects, the board is equipped with a compact 1.25 mm (MX125/PicoBlade compatible) JST connector, allowing you to easily connect a rechargeable LiPo battery – just make sure it has a 1.25mm connector as standard LiPo batteries use PH2.0. The USB Type-C connector on the board provides both power and data transfer, as well as battery charging.

Features

• Powered by RP2350 MCU: At the heart of the Challenger+ RP2350 BConnect board lies the RP2350, a new powerful microcontroller from Raspberry Pi. With its advanced architecture, enhanced processing capabilities, and robust peripheral support, the RP2350 is designed to deliver exceptional performance for a wide range of applications.
• 8MB Flash and 8MB RAM: The Challenger+ RP2350 BConnect board is equipped with an impressive 8MByte Flash memory and 8MByte RAM, providing ample storage and memory for complex applications and large datasets. This substantial memory capacity enables the development of more sophisticated and data-intensive projects without compromise.
• Rich Peripheral Set: Equipped with a comprehensive set of peripherals such as USB, GPIOs, ADCs, DACs, PWM, SPI, I2C, UART, PIO and a heck of a lot more the Challenger+ RP2350 BConnect board provides the flexibility needed to interface with numerous sensors, actuators, and modules.
• High Performance and Efficiency: Leveraging the RP2350’s high clock speed, low power consumption, and advanced power management features, the BConnect Board ensures optimal performance while maintaining energy efficiency, making it suitable for both high-performance and battery-powered applications.
• User-Friendly Development Environment: The Challenger+ RP2350 BConnect Board is fully compatible with popular development tools and environments, including the Raspberry Pi Pico SDK, MicroPython, and Arduino IDE. This allows for a smooth and intuitive development experience, reducing time to market and accelerating project development.
• Compact and Robust Design: Featuring a compact form factor and robust construction, the Challenger+ RP2350 BConnect board is designed to withstand the rigours of both development and deployment. Its durable build ensures reliable operation in various environmental conditions.
• Raspberry Pi compatible SWD debug connector for easy connection to the picoprobe. On this board, this connector is located on the bottom side of the board.

Specifications

Board Size	50.80 mm x 22.86 mm x 3.20 mm	USB Connector protrudes ~1mm outside PCB
Main microcontroller	RP2350 from Raspberry Pi	150MHz dual core Cortex-M33/RISCV
SPI	One SPI channel configured
I2C	One I2C channel configured
UART	One UART channel configured
Analogue inputs	4 analogue input channels
FLASH Memory	8MByte 133 MHz
Internal SRAM Memory	512KB	Divided into 6 banks
External RAM Memory	8MB	PSRAM
USB 2.0 controller	Up to 12MBit/s full speed	Integrated USB 1.1 PHY
JST Battery connector	1.25mm pitch
LiPo Charger	500mA standard charge current
RGB LED	WS2812B

Resources

• Datasheet
• Schematic
• BConnect fact sheet

Getting Started

Using the Arduino environment

Just like with our RP2040-based boards we’ve teamed up with Earle F. Philhower to provide Arduino support for our RP2350-based boards. Instructions on how to install and downloads are available from here: https://github.com/earlephilhower/arduino-pico

Raspberry pi pico-sdk support

This board is supported natively by the Raspberry Pi pico-sdk. Read more here and try the examples out.

Circuitpython/Micropython

Support for Circuitpython is now available for this board. You can download the latest version from here: https://adafruit-circuit-python.s3.amazonaws.com/index.html?prefix=bin/challenger_rp2350_bconnect

Micropython will follow shortly… stay tuned.

Pinout

Package Contents

• 1x Challenger+ RP2350 BConnect
• 2x Header strips