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Setup and Flashing

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github-actions[bot] edited this page May 31, 2026 · 11 revisions

Setup and Flashing

setup.ps1 is the release entrypoint. It calls couchlink.exe setup, which detects which Pico you have in BOOTSEL and flashes the matching firmware. The user does not have to know whether they have a Pico 2 W (RP2350) or a Pico W / Pico WH (RP2040).

What Setup Does

  1. Checks that the release folder has couchlink.exe and at least one firmware file (couchlink-pico2w.uf2 or couchlink-picow.uf2).
  2. Tells the user what hardware is needed.
  3. Starts the bridge setup wizard.
  4. Detects the Pico in BOOTSEL mode and copies the matching UF2 onto it.
  5. Sends Wi-Fi credentials over USB setup mode.
  6. Waits for the Pico on the LAN.
  7. Offers to create a Windows Startup shortcut.

The Wi-Fi password is held only long enough to send it to the Pico. It is not written to disk on the PC.

Setup and firmware flashing do not require a controller. Controller checks belong to the routing/streaming path after the Pico is online.

Supported Boards

Either of these works -- the wizard auto-picks the right firmware:

Board Chip BOOTSEL volume label UF2 file
Pico 2 W RP2350 + Wi-Fi RP2350 couchlink-pico2w.uf2
Pico W / Pico WH RP2040 + Wi-Fi RPI-RP2 couchlink-picow.uf2

Wi-Fi is 2.4 GHz only on both -- the underlying CYW43439 radio doesn't do 5 GHz.

BOOTSEL Flashing

Use this when setup asks for the Pico in BOOTSEL mode:

  1. Unplug the Pico if it is currently connected.
  2. Press and hold the BOOTSEL button on the Pico.
  3. With BOOTSEL still held, plug the Pico into the PC using a micro-USB data cable.
  4. Release BOOTSEL as soon as Windows shows the removable drive (RPI-RP2 for Pico W or Pico WH, RP2350 for Pico 2 W). The Pico stays in flash mode after release -- you do not need to keep the button held while the firmware copies.

The bridge looks for either drive label, picks the matching UF2 from the release folder, and copies it. The Pico usually reboots as soon as the copy completes.

Do not press BOOTSEL again while the Pico is rebooting into the new firmware. The firmware reads BOOTSEL during its first three seconds of run time as a "wipe saved Wi-Fi credentials" signal. A stray press during reboot will erase any credentials that are saved and put you back at the provisioning prompt.

Setup Mode

After flashing, the Pico should reboot as a USB serial setup device. The setup wizard sends:

  • Wi-Fi SSID.
  • Wi-Fi password.
  • Reboot-to-run command.

Then the Pico joins Wi-Fi and starts listening for the bridge on UDP port 4242. Setup prints the confirmed Pico IP after it receives a reply.

Mode Switching And Debug

Run this when you need to see where the Pico is or move it between modes:

.\couchlink.exe debug

The debug menu can:

  • Show Pico state across Wi-Fi/controller mode, USB debug mode, and BOOTSEL firmware mode.
  • Reboot a Wi-Fi Pico into USB debug mode.
  • Reboot a USB debug Pico back into Wi-Fi/controller mode.
  • Read the USB debug firmware log.
  • Send a USB debug Pico into BOOTSEL for firmware update.

Direct commands are available for scripts:

.\couchlink.exe debug --status
.\couchlink.exe debug --to-usb-debug
.\couchlink.exe debug --to-wifi --port COM3
.\couchlink.exe debug --to-bootsel
.\couchlink.exe bootsel --port COM3

Use .\couchlink.exe bootsel --all when every visible USB debug Pico should enter BOOTSEL. The command only targets setup-mode USB devices; it does not flash firmware by itself.

No-Button Reflash

If the Pico is already running CouchLink setup mode, the app can ask it to reboot into BOOTSEL. You do not need to press the BOOTSEL button for that path.

From the guided menu:

  1. Run .\couchlink.exe.
  2. Choose Advanced tools.
  3. Choose Firmware update.
  4. Choose Update firmware (recommended).

The guided path tries setup-mode USB first. If that is not available, it switches to BOOTSEL flashing instructions.

Advanced flash choices are still available under Advanced flash options, but most users should not need them.

Direct command:

.\couchlink.exe flash --from-usb --all

This only works when the Pico is visible as a setup-mode USB serial device. If the Pico is already in run mode, or if Windows cannot see setup mode, use BOOTSEL flashing instead.

Wi-Fi Change Recovery

If the Pico already has saved Wi-Fi, a firmware update may reboot straight into run mode as an Xbox controller instead of setup-mode USB. That is OK when the Wi-Fi is still correct.

To change Wi-Fi:

.\couchlink.exe configure-wifi

If CouchLink finds the Pico running on Wi-Fi, it can ask the Pico to reboot into setup-mode USB and then continue. If Wi-Fi is wrong and the Pico cannot join the router, leave it powered for about 30 seconds; firmware with saved but failing credentials bounces back to setup mode so configure-wifi can reach it.

Manual Flash

Manual flash is still available. With no --uf2, the bridge picks the matching file from next to couchlink.exe:

.\couchlink.exe flash

To force a specific file:

.\couchlink.exe flash --uf2 .\couchlink-pico2w.uf2
.\couchlink.exe flash --uf2 .\couchlink-picow.uf2

You can also drag the appropriate UF2 onto the RPI-RP2 or RP2350 drive in Explorer. Make sure you use couchlink-picow.uf2 for the RPI-RP2 drive and couchlink-pico2w.uf2 for the RP2350 drive -- the chip families aren't cross-compatible and the bootloader rejects the wrong one.

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