PicoCalc does not displayed anything after firmware update

PicoCalc
1

Hi everyone, I received my PicoCalc this week, and I have swapped the Pico that came with the device for a Pico 2W, which I bought from Cytron (https://sg.cytron.io/p-raspberry-pi-pico-2-wireless-pre-soldered-header-official?src=adam).

After that, I followed the steps mentioned in the PicoMite user manual:

Download the PicoMite firmware from Geoff’s Projects - BASIC Interpreter for the Raspberry Pi Pico, unzip the file, and identify the

firmware that suits your usage (see the previous headings). In this case, I have chosen WebMiteRP2350V6.00.03.uf2.

Using a USB cable, plug the Raspberry Pi Pico into your computer (Windows, Linux, or Mac) while holding down the white BOOTSEL button on the top of the module. In this step, I ensure that the USB cable is plugged into the Pico 2W and not the main board.

The Raspberry Pi Pico should connect to your computer and create a virtual drive (the same as if you had plugged in a USB memory stick). You can ignore any files that may be on this “drive.”

Copy the firmware file (with the extension .uf2) to this virtual drive.

When the copy has completed, the Raspberry Pi Pico will restart and create a virtual serial port over USB on your computer.

The LED on the Raspberry Pi Pico will blink slowly, indicating that the PicoMite firmware with MMBasic is now running.

After completing the above steps, I unplugged the cable from the Pico 2W and connected the USB cable to the main PicoCalc board. I noticed that the Pico 2W is flashing slowly with its green LED on. On the front panel of the PicoCalc, the green light remains steady.

However, the PicoCalc does not display any text. I have been waiting for at least 5 minutes and still not showing any text.

I later decided to go back to the original Pico that came with the device. I have flashed the firmware (I used PicoMiteRP2040V6.00.03.uf2) onto the Pico using the same steps above. The same situation occurs where the LED light on the Pico is flashing slowly, and a steady light is observed on the front panel of the PicoCalc. However, the display has no text at all.

I have even tried running the power directly from the USB cable from the PicoCalc main board, instead of using the battery. I have also removed the SD card.

Am I missing any steps or anything? I noticed a light crack at the bottom of the screen. According to Alex, this crack has likely caused the display to have issues, which is why it is not showing any text.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation before, or do you have any guidance you can share? Thank you so much!

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You are trying to install the incorrect firmware, you need WebMite_PICO2W_V6.00.03_PicoCalc.uf2 from the site below, it is specifically built for the PicoCalc and has the screen and keyboard drivers built in and ready to use.

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I have a similar problem with slightly different factors. I received my Picocalc earlier and assembled it about a month ago with the 2W I ordered separately. I was successfully running WebMite_PICO2W_V6.00.03_PicoCalc.uf2 until this morning, when I decided to flash RPI_PICO2_W-20250415-v1.25.0.uf2, the 2W MicroPython uf2. Since then, I have not been able to get any display response in spite of getting the low green display light when powered on, and the slow blinking board light as well. Wondering if it was a display issue, I TTYed in via serial cable, got a connection, but no response to keyboard entry. Just a stationary green block cursor. I tried using Clear_Flash_RP2350.uf2 to reset the board and reload the Webmite firmware that had worked, but it’s all the same (no display, low green display light, slow flash board light, and TTY connect without evidence of response). I should note I’ve swapped cables to rule out a cable problem. No notable effect.

Looking for suggestions.

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Hi @cjstoddard, thank you so much for the guidance. I have tried using the firmware you suggested. It is working now! However, the screen is having a problem and I am waiting for Alex to send me the replacement.

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