Control LEDs with a Raspberry Pi Pico W and Arduino Uno via UART
Control LEDs with a Raspberry Pi Pico W and Arduino Uno via UART If you’ve ever wanted to make two microcontrollers talk to each other, this project is a perfect starting point! In this beginner-friendly guide, I’ll show you how to connect a Raspberry Pi Pico W to an Arduino Uno using UART (serial communication) to control LEDs with button presses. Press a red button on the Pico, and a red LED lights up on the Arduino—same for blue and green. It’s simple, fun, and a great way to dip your toes into microcontroller communication. Since you’ve already got MicroPython installed on your Pico W and have some basic experience, we’ll jump right into the setup. I’ll walk you through the wiring, share the code, and explain how UART works—plus why the Pico’s 3.3V signals play nice with the Arduino’s 5V expectations. Let’s get started! What You’ll Need Raspberry Pi Pico W (with MicroPython installed) Arduino Uno 3 Push Buttons (momentary switches) 3 LEDs (red, blue, green) ...