How do I set up and use the Kiwi Microcontroller Kit?

Cytrence Kiwi makes it simple to connect microcontrollers like the Raspberry Pi Pico to your laptop. Instead of needing an external monitor and keyboard, Kiwi lets you use your laptop’s screen and built-in keyboard to interact with your projects.

The cytrence/kiwi-pico GitHub repository contains example projects that show how to use Kiwi with the Raspberry Pi Pico:

• Snake Game Demo: Runs a snake game on the Pico using TinyUSB for keyboard input and DVI for display. With Kiwi, the game appears in a window on your laptop, controlled by your laptop’s keyboard.

• Debugging with UART: Shows how to connect the Pico’s Tx, Rx, and Gnd pins to Kiwi and use the built-in terminal (like PuTTY or screen/minicom) to view debug logs during development.

• Frame Number Demo: Displays a real-time frame counter at 60 FPS on a Pico, demonstrating Kiwi’s smooth display, dual-core processing, adjustable frame rates, and customizable resolution.

To get started, connect the Raspberry Pi Pico’s DVI output to Kiwi’s HDMI input, then connect Pico’s USB port to Kiwi and finally connect Kiwi to your laptop over USB. The diagram below illustrates the full wiring setup.