Build and Load: RP2040

Building and loading programs on the RP2040.

Overview

This document describes how to build, load, and run RTK-based programs for the RP2040.

As of this writing, debugging – as implemented for the RP2350 – has not been tested with the RP2040. I will amend this page accordingly going forward.

Build the Program

1. Build the program

Load the Image

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

3. Load the UF2 file to the RP2040

• Use one these options:

  • use Astrobe's Run => Upload menu command

  • copy in the Windows File Explorer or the macOS Finder by drag-and-drop to RP2350

  • copy from the command line using the OS file copy commands to RP2350

  • use picotool:

> picotool load <program>.uf2 -v -x

Remark

There is a tool make-uf2 to create UF2 files from raw .bin binaries for the RP2040, which is a historical artefact, needed to get started with Oberon RTK even before Astrobe for RP2040 existed.

Tools

• picotool: see External Tools
• make-uf2

Last updated: 17 April 2026