Raspberry Pi Debug Probe

Raspberry Pi Debug Probe

The Raspberry Pi Debug Probe is a device designed to act as an all-in-one USB UART bridge and debugging tool. It provides both a serial processor debug interface (by default the ARM Serial Wire Debug – SWD interface) and a standard UART interface. Both interfaces use a 3-pin debug connector, identified by the labels UART and DBUG on the PCB.

The Debug Probe is supplied as a KIT and includes the hardware and cables needed to support debugging of the Raspberry Pi Pico and other microcontrollers and microprocessors.

The kit contains:

• 1× Raspberry Pi Debug Probe board
• 1× Transparent case for the Debug Probe
• 1× Micro-USB to USB cable
• 1× JST-SH 3-pin to JST-SH 3-pin cable
• 1× JST-SH 3-pin to male jumper cable
• 1× JST-SH 3-pin to female header cable

Although the probe is primarily designed for the Raspberry Pi Pico and other RP2040-based boards, it provides standard CMSIS-DAP debug interfaces and UART over USB. It can therefore also be used to debug other devices (with a 3.3V SWD interface) or as a low-cost USB-to-UART cable.

The Raspberry Pi Debug Probe is based on the RPi Pico hardware design and runs the open-source Raspberry Pi Picoprobe software. Firmware updates are performed in the same way as on a Pico, making it easy to keep the probe up to date with the latest Picoprobe firmware or to use custom firmware.

Debug Probe features

• RP2040-based debug probe
• All-in-one USB to serial + UART bridge
• USB to two-wire serial debug bridge (ARM Serial Wire Debug supported by default)
• CMSIS-DAP standard compatible
• Follows the Raspberry Pi 3-pin Debug Connector specification
• Runs Picoprobe software
• Easily updatable, supports custom firmware
• Includes everything needed to get started
• Standard CMSIS-DAP and UART interfaces over USB (not limited to Raspberry Pi Pico debugging)
• Works with OpenOCD and other CMSIS-DAP compatible tools

Raspberry Pi Debug Probe specifications:

• Form factor: 22 mm × 32 mm
• I/O operating voltage: 3.3V
• Operating temperature: -20°C to +70°C
• Production lifetime: The Raspberry Pi Debug Probe will remain in production until at least January 2028
• Compliance: For a full list of regional and local product approvals, please visit pip.raspberrypi.com

Useful resources:

• Debug Probe documentation
• Picoprobe GitHub repository
• Raspberry Pi 3-pin Debug Connector specification
• Debug Probe product description
• Debug Probe launch post