Tools and Equipment
These are the tools and equipment you need to get started:
Raspberry Pi Pico W + Grove Shield
The Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller and the Grove Shield for Pi Pico form the hardware platform you will be using. When connected to your computer using a USB data cable, the Pi Pico W will appear as a storage device called CIRCUITPY.
Your Computer + Mu Editor
You could, in theory, use any text editor to write programs for your microcontroller. In practice, you should always use a code editor, as it will simplify things greatly. The Mu Editor is free, open-source, and great for beginners. It spots errors, highlights important code passages, and helps structure your program. It has excellent CircuitPython support and offers important features for working with microcontrollers.
Mu Editor is archived and no longer receives updates. Until Adafruit recommends a successor, it remains the default choice for this workshop: it is stable, beginner-friendly, and the best documented option for CircuitPython.
