Oberon RTK

Build & Load: RP2040

Build and load programs on RP2040 without debugging

Overview

This document describes how to build, load, and run RTK-based programs for the RP2040 without debugging.

  • Without debugging, the native file format is UF2. ELF binaries without DWARF debug data are an option as well.

  • RP2040 is single-image only (Cortex-M0+, no TrustZone).

  • The boot2 stage-2 loader (256 bytes) is prepended automatically by Astrobe in the UF2 file; no separate step is needed.

  • Other guides:

See also Practical Notes.

Steps

Please refer to Compile and Link: RP2040.

As an aside, using make-elf you can also create a non-debug ELF file, for example to keep a build environment focused on one binary file type:

python -m make-elf <program>.bin --boot2

The --boot2 option prepends the boot2 stage-2 loader so the ELF is bootable on flash.

2. Load the Image

2a. Put the RP2040 in BOOTSEL mode, which mounts the virtual volume RPI-RP2.

2b. To Load, use one of these options:

  • use Astrobe's Run => Upload menu command
  • copy in the Windows File Explorer or the macOS Finder by drag-and-drop to RPI-RP2
  • copy from the command line using the OS file copy commands to RPI-RP2
  • use picotool:
picotool load <program>.uf2 -v -x

picotool load <program>.elf -v -x

Last updated: 15 May 2026