====== Microcontrollers ======


♦ [[arduino:index|Arduino]] \\
♦ [[esp:index|ESP32/ESP8266]] \\
♦ [[raspberry:index|Raspberrys]] \\

The ideal microcontroller depends on whether your project requires high processing power, low-cost wireless connectivity, or high hardware durability.

A direct comparison of classic Arduino (e.g., Uno R3), ESP32/ESP8266, and the Raspberry Pi RP2040 (often called the Raspberry Pi Pico / Nano form factors).

^Feature^[[arduino:index|Classic Arduino (Uno R3)]]^[[esp:index|ESP8266 / ESP32]]^[[raspberry:index|Raspberry Pi RP2040 (Pico)]]|
^Processor Type|8-bit AVR (Atmega328P)|32-bit Tensilica Single/Dual-Core|32-bit ARM Cortex-M0+ Dual-Core|
^Clock Speed|16 MHz|80 MHz (ESP8266) / 240 MHz (ESP32)|133 MHz (Overclockable)|
^SRAM (Memory)|2 KB|160 KB (ESP8266) / 520 KB (ESP32)|264 KB|
^Flash Storage|32 KB|1 MB to 16 MB|2 MB to 16 MB (External)|
^Operating Voltage|5V (Highly durable)|3.3V (Sensitive to 5V)|3.3V (Sensitive to 5V)|
^Native Wireless|None|Built-in Wi-Fi & Bluetooth (ESP32)|None (Requires Pico W variant)|
^Special Feature|Massive shield ecosystem|Hardware cryptographic acceleration|PIO (Programmable I/O) State Machines|
^Best Used For|Beginners & 5V legacy sensors|Smart Home & IoT cloud projects|High-speed processing & custom protocols|
^Primary Language|Arduino C++|Arduino C++, ESP-IDF (C)|MicroPython / CircuitPython, C/C++|
^Flashing Method|Serial (UART) via Bootloader|Serial (UART) with Auto-Reset|USB Mass Storage (UF2 Drag & Drop)|
^Recovery Mode|Hardware programmer (ISP)|Boot Pin (GPIO 0) to Ground|BOOTSEL Button on power-up|
^Interpreter Support|No (Compiled binary only)|Limited (Basic MicroPython)|Native / Built-in (Excellent for Python)|
^Execution Mode|Single-threaded (Sequential)|FreeRTOS (Multi-threaded)|Hardware Dual-Core (Symmetric)|
^OTA Updates|No (Requires special shields)|Native Wi-Fi OTA Flashing|No (Requires custom implementation)|