‹ Back to Home

Pico Portal OS Screen Capture

Capture a Pico Portal OS display over USB and save it as a PNG.

Explore the Pico Portal OS repository or buy a device from the Lambda Guru Etsy shop.

USB display capture

Connect the Pico W by USB, then select its serial port.

The device must run a Pico Portal OS build that provides the ppos_screenshot() USB capture hook.

Status

Use Chrome or Edge. Connect the Pico W by USB and close Thonny or any other app using its serial port. Capture briefly interrupts Pico Portal OS and restarts it when the transfer ends.

What Pico Portal OS Screen Capture does

Capture the display of a Pico Portal OS device over USB directly in your browser, then save it as a PNG. The tool reads RGB332, RGB565, or indexed P8 framebuffers.

How to use it

  1. Open this page in Chrome or Edge on HTTPS or localhost. Connect the Pico W with a USB data cable.
  2. Close Thonny and other serial consoles. Select Connect and take screenshot, then choose the Pico serial port.
  3. Wait for capture and automatic device restart, review the screenshot, and select Save PNG.

Formats and limits

  • Input: a USB serial framebuffer from a Pico Portal OS build with the ppos_screenshot() hook.
  • Supported framebuffer formats: RGB332, RGB565 little-endian, RGB565 big-endian, and indexed P8 with a palette.
  • Output: PNG at the original display resolution, up to 320 x 240.

Privacy

The browser asks you to choose a serial port. Screenshots are processed locally and are never uploaded.

FAQ

Why does capture restart the Pico?

Capture interrupts the running OS to access its console. The tool sends a soft reset after transfer, cancellation, or a failed capture so the OS can start again.

Why is ppos_screenshot() missing?

The firmware must provide the USB capture hook. A Pico Portal OS build without that hook cannot be captured with this tool.

Related tools

All processing runs locally in your browser. This tool is provided as-is without warranty. Keep backups of your original files before processing.

By uploading media, you confirm you own the content or have permission to modify it. Please read the Terms and Conditions.