New RP2040 Powered Board Adds PoE

The Raspberry Pi Pico's RP2040 SoC has generated quite a buzz in the maker community. The $1 chip provides plenty of GPIO and is fast enough to handle even high definition video. Interfacing an Ethernet socket to the RP2040 requires lots of wires, but popular maker Bitluni has your back with a new RP2040-based design that sports an Ethernet port with Power-over-Ethernet capability, designed by Burgduino and spotted by Hackster.

Demand for boards based on the RP2040, Raspberry Pi's first in-house silicon and the chip which powers the Raspberry Pi Pico, appears to be high, based on the number of designs appearing from third-party manufacturers and partners such as Adafruit and Pimoroni. This new entry from Bitluni - a YouTuber and well-known name in the maker community - is the same basic shape as the Pico, but slightly longer adding space for extra features. There’s a USB Type-C port in place of the Pico’s Micro USB, and 2.54mm pitch spaces for header pins. Sadly there are no castellations enabling the board to be surface soldered into a project. The main event is that Ethernet port, which allows for a single-cable connection to supply both power and data. The device is known, naturally, as the RPoE.

There are currently no firm launch details, not pricing or availability, but Bitluni has been assembling and debugging the board on his YouTube channel, which is a fascinating peek behind the curtain for anyone who’s ever wondered exactly how people make these things.