I have come across something interesting. As you might already know, Raspberry Pi subcontract Raspberry Pi Pico modules to be manufactured by JLC PCB. However, recently they launched the possibility to order assembly of RP2350 chips. These are nowhere to be found. But this is not the “big” thing. I have searched through the JLC PCB catalogue and found that there is a LoRa module produced by Raspberry Pi! Does this mean that in near feature they are going to release this wireless module?

Let us start with the RP2350A and RP2350B chips.

JLCPCB offers, as already written, RP2350A and RP2350B chips. The first one is in the QFN-60 package and the second one is offered in the QFN-80 packages. For the time being, it is the only source of RP2350 chips, but connected with assembly service by JLC PCB.

You can see a screenshot that relates to some kind of LoRa module produced by Raspberry Pi. Should we soon see a separate module dedicated for Raspberry Pi as a shield or maybe a module for Raspberry Pi Pico?

Meanwhile, if you would like to use LoRa modules with Raspberry Pi and Raspberry Pi Pico, I have prepared tutorials where I share driver for SX1278 module. It can be used on STM32 and on Raspberry Pi Pico letting you communicate with other devices wirelessly and create a network. In addition, I have also written a Python driver for Raspberry Pi for the same SX1278 module. Here, a wrapper for the Python scripting language is present where you can easily interface with the module. Thanks to it, you can create a network of different devices and start collecting data.

I looked around on the JLC PCB website and was also able to find a different RF module. Unfortunately, the RF module can cover a variety of different devices. However, maybe Raspberry Pi is planning to release a generic RF module using the 433MHz frequency. Meanwhile, if you are interested in similar radio modules, but for some reason you do not want to use LoRa in your project, you can have a look at the NRF905 module. It operates at 433MHz frequency and is quite reliable. I have also created a driver which can be easily connected to STM32 board or Raspberry Pi Pico. It communicates via the SPI interface and can be used with most microcontrollers on the market. You can read more about NRF905 in this article.

Let me know in the comments what you think about it? Will Raspberry Pi release the LoRa module? This would be a very good extension to the ecosystem.