When I turn on my picocalc, it shows a screen with a top line that says "PicoCalc Bootloader v1.0
The next lines are:
"Path: SD/firmware
[Default App]
Lua_100a58e.bin 353KB
MicroPython_fa)b24c.bin 360KB
MP3player_v0.5.bin 202KB
PicoCalc_NES_v1.0.bin 169KB
PicoMite_cbf6d71.bin 766KB
uLisp_4.8f.bin 186KB
At this point I can choose one of these and it runs that. So far I’ve only used PicoMite (mmbasic) and the micropython.
So, is this a single firmware load or is this that multiple loader I’ve heard about?
I’m sorry if this is such a biginner question but before I try to load a new firmware, I want to know what I’ve got and how to get back here if I want to. Pointing to a really beginners tutorial would help too. Thanks for any help.
This is the original loader delivered with the PicoCalc, but I should note that all the software delivered with the PicoCalc is very dated and you should use more recent software.
Also, I highly recommend upgrading your PicoCalc to a better board ─ I personally recommend the Pimoroni Pico Plus 2W, which will give you WiFi with a CYW43439 WiFi chip, 8 MiB of faster on-board PSRAM (but mind you with MMBasic/PicoMite you cannot use WiFi and the 8 MiB of on-board PSRAM at the same time), and 16 MiB of flash.
The recommended loader these days is uf2loader by @pelrun, but I should note that Picoware also comes with its own independent uf2loader. Also note that some firmware expects to have control of the full flash of the board and is therefore not compatible with any uf2loader, such as some versions of MMBasic/PicoMite (I have heard some people say that it is compatible, but I have heard reports to the contrary), some versions of MicroPython, and my zeptoforth (support is in the works, but I am waiting on @cathiele who is developing it).
Thanks for the info. I’ve discovered that I must be using the loader that comes with Picoware. I have a folder on the SD card call firmware that has the various uf2 files in it. The plan is to upgrade to the board but after I’ve gotten familiar with how things work. I’ve just finished a test program in mmbasic (well finished if I would keep from changing it!) and next I want to get familiar with python by creating the same program with that. So far, it’s very satisfying to work with this.