Picoware (Open-Source Custom Firmware)

jblanked · December 27, 2025, 8:15pm

Awesome work! Does it work with the display too? I think my issue earlier was getting both to work as the same time.

jblanked · December 27, 2025, 8:45pm

You’re right, looks like I was able to get the Desktop working only

Do you have a fork on GitHub?

jblanked · December 27, 2025, 9:04pm

NEW Picoware update, v1.5.8

Here’s a few highlights:

Added an Email app: now you can send emails from your PicoCalc
Optimized the PSRAM driver by using qspi (10% speed boost)
Added support for Waveshare’s RP2350-Touch-LCD-3.49

Check out the new release here:

janci-bot · December 27, 2025, 10:40pm

Hi, I installed PicoWare and am trying out apps and games. However, I can’t find anything in the manual that explains what the CENTER key on PicoCalc means. Can you help me?
Thanks.

jblanked · December 27, 2025, 11:33pm

Hey,

It’s the ENTER key

Marsupial · December 28, 2025, 11:49pm

That’s because picoware is not designed with picocalc in mind.

jblanked · December 30, 2025, 10:30pm

NEW Picoware update, v1.5.9

This release has new custom board definitions for Waveshare Touch LCD devices (1.28, 1.43, and 3.49 inch models), system module optimizations for better performance, HTTP class thread-safety improvements with proper locking, keyboard text cursor navigation enhancements, App Store improvements to display 100 apps with version info, and various memory optimizations in games and screensavers.

Key changes:

Added custom board definitions for three Waveshare RP2350 Touch LCD variants
Refactored system modules to use compile-time board constants instead of runtime checks
Enhanced keyboard class with text cursor positioning and textbox navigation mode
Added thread-safe locking to HTTP class property accessors

Check out the new release here:

jblanked · January 2, 2026, 4:27am

Happy new year! I’ve been working on optimizing Picoware. I finally got the PSRAM fast enough for a framebufffer, which will be included in the next release (likely this weekend).

jblanked · January 3, 2026, 3:13am

NEW Picoware update v1.6.0

This is an update to the MicroPython version that uses a PSRAM framebuffer (now you have an extra 100 kilobytes of RAM), adds auto-complete functionality in the Keyboard class, and more!

This update has a small change that’s somewhat breaking, so make sure to update all of the apps either from the on-device store or by copying and pasting the apps folder from builds/MicroPython into your SD card within the picoware folder.

Check out the new release here:

jblanked · January 3, 2026, 1:29pm

Last week, Picoware hit 100 stars on GitHub!!

Thanks for your support

randorandus · January 4, 2026, 3:39pm

You did enormous work on this, congratulations!

The app directory contains now binary .mpy files, not plain .py-s, is this intended?

jblanked · January 4, 2026, 4:10pm

Thanks for your ongoing support!!

That’s a great question too that I haven’t explained yet.

The .mpy files in apps are the compiled binary versions of the .py files in apps_unfrozen folder.

It uses mpy-cross: MicroPython .mpy files — MicroPython latest documentation

This script looks in the apps_unfrozen folder and converts them all

github.com/jblanked/Picoware

tools/freeze-all.sh

4048ac2fc


      
          
          root_dir="/Users/user/Desktop/Picoware/builds/MicroPython/"
          
          # remove existing apps directory if it exists
          rm -rf "${root_dir}apps"
          mkdir -p "${root_dir}apps"
          
          # Navigate to the directory containing the Python files
          cd "$root_dir" || exit 1
          
          # Find all .py files in apps_unfrozen (excluding __init__.py) and compile them
          find apps_unfrozen -type f -name "*.py" ! -name "__init__.py" | while read -r py_file; do
              # Get the relative path from apps_unfrozen
              rel_path="${py_file#apps_unfrozen/}"
              
              # Create output path by replacing apps_unfrozen with apps and .py with .mpy
              mpy_file="apps/${rel_path%.py}.mpy"
              
              # Create the directory structure if it doesn't exist
              mkdir -p "$(dirname "$mpy_file")"

BrianO · January 5, 2026, 10:23pm

Hi @jblanked !

Thank you for creating Picoware. Been trying it on my new 2W.

I have a problem with the Weather app. I get this error. Is this a bug or am I missing a setting?

….thx…..Brian

jblanked · January 6, 2026, 12:19am

Hey Brian, thanks for your support!! You just need to re-download the apps again.

psklenar · January 14, 2026, 11:24pm

@jblanked

I finally got my replacement screen, installed it and installed a Pico 2W. I copied “Picoware-PicoCalcPico2W.uf2“ to the SD card (I assume?) thru the Pico’s micro-USB port. Upon disconnecting from the PC and rebooting, I see the Picoware logo and expanding circle (pseudo radar?), but it n4ever stops and the main “desktop” never becomes available.

Did I miss a step? Thanks,

pat—-

indiemandeceased · January 15, 2026, 9:58am

Hi, if you hit enter/return when the logo appears it should get you to the ‘desktop’.

psklenar · January 15, 2026, 10:55am

What a dummy. Sorry. And thank you!

p

indiemandeceased · January 15, 2026, 11:14am

Easily done, so no need to apologise. Worth mentioning and @Jblanked may well be better placed as the designer to answer/speak to this, but if the start screen runs uninterrupted I have found that the keyboard seems to stop responding. The only way I have found to get past this occurrence is by restarting but I could easily be missing something myself.

jblanked · January 15, 2026, 10:50pm

Glad you got your replacement working! Hopefully you’ve applied the tape trick too, which’ll keep your screen secure

Thanks for checking out Picoware! the animation/view that first appears is the Desktop view. If you click Center or Up, it will switch to the Library view, or if you click Left, it will open the System Info view.

Thanks for bringing this up, it’s something that was first mentioned in 1.5.1, if I remember correctly. I’m not exactly sure what the issue is but I do plan on fixing it.

jblanked · January 18, 2026, 4:06am

It’s been about 2 weeks… time for a NEW Picoware update, v1.6.1

This is a new MicroPython release that brings many optimizations and also some new apps/features that make your device more useful!

Highlights:

Added an option in Settings to check for Picoware updates (and download them to pico1-apps or pico2-apps on your SD card)
Added options in the App Store to check for app updates and see current app info (version, description, etc.)
Added a Clock app: simple digital clock (must sync time with NTP on desktop or it’ll use January 1st, 2021)
Added a Calculator app: resembles iPhone app pre-iOS 17
Added a Ying Yang screensaver: created by seltee/Deriv’era that has two bouncing balls fighting against each other to take over the screen

Check out the new release here:

Topic		Replies	Views
Unofficial PicoCalc PicoMite/WebMite firmware release thread (V6.00.02) PicoCalc firmware , source-code	306	13225	October 27, 2025
Pico 2 W compatible with Pico calc? PicoCalc	41	4377	May 31, 2025
PicoCalc MicroPython Port Status PicoCalc opensource , firmware	79	5445	November 15, 2025
PicoMite Firmware Version 6.02.00a for use on ClockWorkPi PicoCalc PicoCalc	68	1602	February 24, 2026
Foobler notes - 1 - "Getting Started" PicoCalc	52	2823	July 17, 2025

Picoware (Open-Source Custom Firmware)

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