If you are a fan of the Raspberry Pi kind of PCs you likely have a few HATs (Hardware Attached on Top) that you would want to use with the Raspberry Pi Pico etc. In this review we have reviewed StackyPi– a powerful microcrontroller and here is why you need this being a Raspbian pi fan, you should know that the Pico’s layout of GPIO pins (arranged in two separate rows) makes it impossible to directly connect a HAT it’s where StackyPi comes into play, well there are many more great features that you would read about here.
Enter StackyPi. Built around the same Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller as the Pico, StackyPi offers similar functionality, but with a pre-soldered 40-pin (2×20) GPIO header. Its design closely resembles the Raspberry Pi Zero, even featuring four mounting holes. In addition to its 8MB of onboard flash storage (compared to Pico’s 2MB), StackyPi also has a microSD card slot for expanded storage.
Other notable features include a standard micro-USB port (used for 5V power or connecting to a computer), two small push-buttons (one of which is a reset button), an onboard status LED, and six debug pins.
HAT Compatibility
Thanks to the 40-pin GPIO header, you can connect any standard Raspberry Pi HAT, pHAT, or other compatible board to StackyPi. However, it is not entirely “plug and play.” You will need to modify the software for your HAT to make it compatible with StackyPi.
SB Components has already adapted the software for several of its own HATs, and it is available in a GitHub repository. The repository also provides a helpful comparison chart of GPIO pinouts, which are quite similar to the Raspberry Pi’s, although some pin numbers differ.
As with the Pico, you will need to connect StackyPi to a computer via a micro-USB cable to flash the UF2 firmware and program it using languages such as MicroPython, CircuitPython, or C++.
Why Choose StackyPi over a Raspberry Pi Zero?
StackyPi offers several advantages, including much lower power consumption and four ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) channels. Alternatively, you could use a Raspberry Pi Pico with a Red Robotics Pico 2 Pi adapter for HAT compatibility.
In summary, while StackyPi is not a fully plug-and-play solution for HATs and requires some software adjustments, it remains an excellent Pico-style board with useful additional features.