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Santhosh V PillaiGpiozero Documentation
Release 1.5.0
Ben Nuttall
Feb 12, 2019
Contents
1 Installing GPIO Zero 1
2 Basic Recipes 3
3 Advanced Recipes 35
4 Configuring Remote GPIO 43
5 Remote GPIO Recipes 51
6 Pi Zero USB OTG 55
7 Source/Values 59
8 Command-line Tools 69
9 Frequently Asked Questions 75
10 Migrating from RPi.GPIO 81
11 Contributing 87
12 Development 89
13 API - Input Devices 93
14 API - Output Devices 111
15 API - SPI Devices 133
16 API - Boards and Accessories 141
17 API - Internal Devices 167
18 API - Generic Classes 173
19 API - Device Source Tools 179
20 API - Tones 187
21 API - Pi Information 189
22 API - Pins 195
i
23 API - Exceptions 211
24 Changelog 217
25 License 225
Python Module Index 227
ii
CHAPTER 1
Installing GPIO Zero
GPIO Zero is installed by default in the Raspbian1 image, and the Raspberry Pi Desktop2 image for PC/Mac, both
available from raspberrypi.org3 . Follow these guides to installing on Raspbian Lite and other operating systems,
including for PCs using the remote GPIO (page 43) feature.
1.1 Raspberry Pi
First, update your repositories list:
pi@raspberrypi:~$ sudo apt update
Then install the package for Python 3:
pi@raspberrypi:~$ sudo apt install python3-gpiozero
or Python 2:
pi@raspberrypi:~$ sudo apt install python-gpiozero
If you’re using another operating system on your Raspberry Pi, you may need to use pip to install GPIO Zero
instead. Install pip using get-pip4 and then type:
pi@raspberrypi:~$ sudo pip3 install gpiozero
or for Python 2:
pi@raspberrypi:~$ sudo pip install gpiozero
To install GPIO Zero in a virtual environment, see the Development (page 89) page.
1 https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/
2 https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspberry-pi-desktop/
3 https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/
4 https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/installing/
1
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1.2 PC/Mac
In order to use GPIO Zero’s remote GPIO feature from a PC or Mac, you’ll need to install GPIO Zero on that
computer using pip. See the Configuring Remote GPIO (page 43) page for more information.
2 Chapter 1. Installing GPIO Zero
CHAPTER 2
Basic Recipes
The following recipes demonstrate some of the capabilities of the GPIO Zero library. Please note that all recipes
are written assuming Python 3. Recipes may work under Python 2, but no guarantees!
2.1 Importing GPIO Zero
In Python, libraries and functions used in a script must be imported by name at the top of the file, with the
exception of the functions built into Python by default.
For example, to use the Button (page 93) interface from GPIO Zero, it should be explicitly imported:
from gpiozero import Button
Now Button (page 93) is available directly in your script:
button = Button(2)
Alternatively, the whole GPIO Zero library can be imported:
import gpiozero
In this case, all references to items within GPIO Zero must be prefixed:
button = gpiozero.Button(2)
2.2 Pin Numbering
This library uses Broadcom (BCM) pin numbering for the GPIO pins, as opposed to physical (BOARD) number-
ing. Unlike in the RPi.GPIO5 library, this is not configurable. However, translation from other schemes can be
used by providing prefixes to pin numbers (see below).
Any pin marked “GPIO” in the diagram below can be used as a pin number. For example, if an LED was attached
to “GPIO17” you would specify the pin number as 17 rather than 11:
5 https://pypi.python.org/pypi/RPi.GPIO
3
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
All Models
3V3 2 5V
Power
1 Power
GPIO2 3 4 5V
SDA I²C Power
GPIO3 5 6 Ground
SCL I²C
GPIO4 7 8 GPIO14
UART0 TXD
Ground 9 10 GPIO15
UART0 RXD
GPIO17 11 12 GPIO18
GPIO27 13 14 Ground
GPIO22 15 16 GPIO23
3V3 17 18 GPIO24
Power
GPIO10 19 20 Ground
SPI MOSI
GPIO9 21 22 GPIO25
SPI MISO
GPIO11 23 24 GPIO8
SPI SCLK SPI CE0
Ground 25 26 GPIO7
SPI CE1
ID SD 27 28 ID SC
I²C ID I²C ID
GPIO5 29 30 Ground
GPIO6 31 32 GPIO12
GPIO13 33 34 Ground
GPIO19 35 GPIO16
36
GPIO26 37 38 GPIO20
Ground 39 40 GPIO21
40-pin
models only
USB Ports
If you wish to use physical (BOARD) numbering you can specify the pin number as “BOARD11”. If you are
familiar with the wiringPi6 pin numbers (another physical layout) you could use “WPI0” instead. Finally, you can
specify pins as “header:number”, e.g. “J8:11” meaning physical pin 11 on header J8 (the GPIO header on modern
Pis). Hence, the following lines are all equivalent:
>>> led = LED(17)
(continues on next page)
6 https://projects.drogon.net/raspberry-pi/wiringpi/pins/
4 Chapter 2. Basic Recipes
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(continued from previous page)
>>> led = LED("GPIO17")
>>> led = LED("BCM17")
>>> led = LED("BOARD11")
>>> led = LED("WPI0")
>>> led = LED("J8:11")
Note that these alternate schemes are merely translations. If you request the state of a device on the command
line, the associated pin number will always be reported in the Broadcom (BCM) scheme:
>>> led = LED("BOARD11")
>>> led
<gpiozero.LED object on pin GPIO17, active_high=True, is_active=False>
Throughout this manual we will use the default integer pin numbers, in the Broadcom (BCM) layout shown above.
2.3 LED
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Turn an LED (page 111) on and off repeatedly:
from gpiozero import LED
from time import sleep
red = LED(17)
while True:
red.on()
sleep(1)
red.off()
sleep(1)
Alternatively:
from gpiozero import LED
from signal import pause
(continues on next page)
2.3. LED 5
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
(continued from previous page)
red = LED(17)
red.blink()
pause()
Note: Reaching the end of a Python script will terminate the process and GPIOs may be reset. Keep your script
alive with signal.pause()7 . See How do I keep my script running? (page 75) for more information.
2.4 LED with variable brightness
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Any regular LED can have its brightness value set using PWM (pulse-width-modulation). In GPIO Zero, this can
be achieved using PWMLED (page 113) using values between 0 and 1:
from gpiozero import PWMLED
from time import sleep
led = PWMLED(17)
while True:
led.value = 0 # off
sleep(1)
led.value = 0.5 # half brightness
sleep(1)
led.value = 1 # full brightness
sleep(1)
Similarly to blinking on and off continuously, a PWMLED can pulse (fade in and out continuously):
7 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/signal.html#signal.pause
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from gpiozero import PWMLED
from signal import pause
led = PWMLED(17)
led.pulse()
pause()
2.5 Button
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Check if a Button (page 93) is pressed:
from gpiozero import Button
button = Button(2)
while True:
if button.is_pressed:
print("Button is pressed")
else:
print("Button is not pressed")
Wait for a button to be pressed before continuing:
from gpiozero import Button
button = Button(2)
button.wait_for_press()
print("Button was pressed")
Run a function every time the button is pressed:
from gpiozero import Button
from signal import pause
(continues on next page)
2.5. Button 7
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
(continued from previous page)
def say_hello():
print("Hello!")
button = Button(2)
button.when_pressed = say_hello
pause()
Note: Note that the line button.when_pressed = say_hello does not run the function say_hello,
rather it creates a reference to the function to be called when the button is pressed. Accidental use of button.
when_pressed = say_hello() would set the when_pressed action to None8 (the return value of this
function) which would mean nothing happens when the button is pressed.
Similarly, functions can be attached to button releases:
from gpiozero import Button
from signal import pause
def say_hello():
print("Hello!")
def say_goodbye():
print("Goodbye!")
button = Button(2)
button.when_pressed = say_hello
button.when_released = say_goodbye
pause()
8 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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2.6 Button controlled LED
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Turn on an LED (page 111) when a Button (page 93) is pressed:
from gpiozero import LED, Button
from signal import pause
led = LED(17)
button = Button(2)
button.when_pressed = led.on
button.when_released = led.off
pause()
Alternatively:
from gpiozero import LED, Button
from signal import pause
led = LED(17)
button = Button(2)
led.source = button
pause()
2.7 Button controlled camera
Using the button press to trigger PiCamera9 to take a picture using button.when_pressed = camera.
capture would not work because the capture()10 method requires an output parameter. However, this can
be achieved using a custom function which requires no parameters:
9 https://picamera.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api_camera.html#picamera.PiCamera
10 https://picamera.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api_camera.html#picamera.PiCamera.capture
2.6. Button controlled LED 9
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
from gpiozero import Button
from picamera import PiCamera
from datetime import datetime
from signal import pause
button = Button(2)
camera = PiCamera()
def capture():
timestamp = datetime.now().isoformat()
camera.capture('/home/pi/%s.jpg' % timestamp)
button.when_pressed = capture
pause()
Another example could use one button to start and stop the camera preview, and another to capture:
from gpiozero import Button
from picamera import PiCamera
from datetime import datetime
from signal import pause
left_button = Button(2)
right_button = Button(3)
camera = PiCamera()
def capture():
timestamp = datetime.now().isoformat()
camera.capture('/home/pi/%s.jpg' % timestamp)
left_button.when_pressed = camera.start_preview
left_button.when_released = camera.stop_preview
right_button.when_pressed = capture
pause()
2.8 Shutdown button
The Button (page 93) class also provides the ability to run a function when the button has been held for a given
length of time. This example will shut down the Raspberry Pi when the button is held for 2 seconds:
from gpiozero import Button
from subprocess import check_call
from signal import pause
def shutdown():
check_call(['sudo', 'poweroff'])
shutdown_btn = Button(17, hold_time=2)
shutdown_btn.when_held = shutdown
pause()
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2.9 LEDBoard
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A collection of LEDs can be accessed using LEDBoard (page 141):
from gpiozero import LEDBoard
from time import sleep
from signal import pause
leds = LEDBoard(5, 6, 13, 19, 26)
leds.on()
sleep(1)
leds.off()
sleep(1)
leds.value = (1, 0, 1, 0, 1)
sleep(1)
leds.blink()
pause()
Using LEDBoard (page 141) with pwm=True allows each LED’s brightness to be controlled:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard
from signal import pause
leds = LEDBoard(5, 6, 13, 19, 26, pwm=True)
leds.value = (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0)
pause()
See more LEDBoard (page 141) examples in the advanced LEDBoard recipes (page 35).
2.9. LEDBoard 11
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2.10 LEDBarGraph
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A collection of LEDs can be treated like a bar graph using LEDBarGraph (page 144):
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph
from time import sleep
from __future__ import division # required for python 2
graph = LEDBarGraph(5, 6, 13, 19, 26, 20)
graph.value = 1 # (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1)
sleep(1)
graph.value = 1/2 # (1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0)
sleep(1)
graph.value = -1/2 # (0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1)
sleep(1)
graph.value = 1/4 # (1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0)
sleep(1)
graph.value = -1 # (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1)
sleep(1)
Note values are essentially rounded to account for the fact LEDs can only be on or off when pwm=False (the
default).
However, using LEDBarGraph (page 144) with pwm=True allows more precise values using LED brightness:
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph
from time import sleep
from __future__ import division # required for python 2
graph = LEDBarGraph(5, 6, 13, 19, 26, pwm=True)
graph.value = 1/10 # (0.5, 0, 0, 0, 0)
sleep(1)
graph.value = 3/10 # (1, 0.5, 0, 0, 0)
sleep(1)
graph.value = -3/10 # (0, 0, 0, 0.5, 1)
sleep(1)
(continues on next page)
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graph.value = 9/10 # (1, 1, 1, 1, 0.5)
sleep(1)
graph.value = 95/100 # (1, 1, 1, 1, 0.75)
sleep(1)
2.11 Traffic Lights
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A full traffic lights system.
Using a TrafficLights (page 147) kit like Pi-Stop:
from gpiozero import TrafficLights
from time import sleep
lights = TrafficLights(2, 3, 4)
lights.green.on()
while True:
sleep(10)
lights.green.off()
lights.amber.on()
sleep(1)
lights.amber.off()
lights.red.on()
sleep(10)
lights.amber.on()
sleep(1)
lights.green.on()
lights.amber.off()
lights.red.off()
2.11. Traffic Lights 13
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
Alternatively:
from gpiozero import TrafficLights
from time import sleep
from signal import pause
lights = TrafficLights(2, 3, 4)
def traffic_light_sequence():
while True:
yield (0, 0, 1) # green
sleep(10)
yield (0, 1, 0) # amber
sleep(1)
yield (1, 0, 0) # red
sleep(10)
yield (1, 1, 0) # red+amber
sleep(1)
lights.source = traffic_light_sequence()
pause()
Using LED (page 111) components:
from gpiozero import LED
from time import sleep
red = LED(2)
amber = LED(3)
green = LED(4)
green.on()
amber.off()
red.off()
while True:
sleep(10)
green.off()
amber.on()
sleep(1)
amber.off()
red.on()
sleep(10)
amber.on()
sleep(1)
green.on()
amber.off()
red.off()
2.12 Push button stop motion
Capture a picture with the camera module every time a button is pressed:
from gpiozero import Button
from picamera import PiCamera
button = Button(2)
camera = PiCamera()
(continues on next page)
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(continued from previous page)
camera.start_preview()
frame = 1
while True:
button.wait_for_press()
camera.capture('/home/pi/frame%03d.jpg' % frame)
frame += 1
See Push Button Stop Motion11 for a full resource.
2.13 Reaction Game
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When you see the light come on, the first person to press their button wins!
from gpiozero import Button, LED
from time import sleep
import random
led = LED(17)
player_1 = Button(2)
player_2 = Button(3)
time = random.uniform(5, 10)
sleep(time)
led.on()
while True:
if player_1.is_pressed:
print("Player 1 wins!")
break
if player_2.is_pressed:
print("Player 2 wins!")
break
(continues on next page)
11 https://www.raspberrypi.org/learning/quick-reaction-game/
2.13. Reaction Game 15
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
(continued from previous page)
led.off()
See Quick Reaction Game12 for a full resource.
2.14 GPIO Music Box
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Each button plays a different sound!
from gpiozero import Button
import pygame.mixer
from pygame.mixer import Sound
from signal import pause
pygame.mixer.init()
button_sounds = {
Button(2): Sound("samples/drum_tom_mid_hard.wav"),
Button(3): Sound("samples/drum_cymbal_open.wav"),
}
for button, sound in button_sounds.items():
button.when_pressed = sound.play
pause()
See GPIO Music Box13 for a full resource.
2.15 All on when pressed
While the button is pressed down, the buzzer and all the lights come on.
12 https://www.raspberrypi.org/learning/quick-reaction-game/
13 https://www.raspberrypi.org/learning/gpio-music-box/
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FishDish (page 153):
from gpiozero import FishDish
from signal import pause
fish = FishDish()
fish.button.when_pressed = fish.on
fish.button.when_released = fish.off
pause()
Ryanteck TrafficHat (page 153):
from gpiozero import TrafficHat
from signal import pause
th = TrafficHat()
th.button.when_pressed = th.on
th.button.when_released = th.off
pause()
Using LED (page 111), Buzzer (page 117), and Button (page 93) components:
from gpiozero import LED, Buzzer, Button
from signal import pause
button = Button(2)
buzzer = Buzzer(3)
red = LED(4)
amber = LED(5)
green = LED(6)
things = [red, amber, green, buzzer]
def things_on():
for thing in things:
thing.on()
def things_off():
for thing in things:
thing.off()
button.when_pressed = things_on
button.when_released = things_off
pause()
2.15. All on when pressed 17
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
2.16 Full color LED
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Making colours with an RGBLED (page 115):
from gpiozero import RGBLED
from time import sleep
from __future__ import division # required for python 2
led = RGBLED(red=9, green=10, blue=11)
led.red = 1 # full red
sleep(1)
led.red = 0.5 # half red
sleep(1)
led.color = (0, 1, 0) # full green
sleep(1)
led.color = (1, 0, 1) # magenta
sleep(1)
led.color = (1, 1, 0) # yellow
sleep(1)
led.color = (0, 1, 1) # cyan
sleep(1)
led.color = (1, 1, 1) # white
sleep(1)
led.color = (0, 0, 0) # off
sleep(1)
# slowly increase intensity of blue
for n in range(100):
led.blue = n/100
sleep(0.1)
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2.17 Motion sensor
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Light an LED (page 111) when a MotionSensor (page 97) detects motion:
from gpiozero import MotionSensor, LED
from signal import pause
pir = MotionSensor(4)
led = LED(16)
pir.when_motion = led.on
pir.when_no_motion = led.off
pause()
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2.18 Light sensor
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Have a LightSensor (page 99) detect light and dark:
from gpiozero import LightSensor
sensor = LightSensor(18)
while True:
sensor.wait_for_light()
print("It's light! :)")
sensor.wait_for_dark()
print("It's dark :(")
Run a function when the light changes:
from gpiozero import LightSensor, LED
from signal import pause
sensor = LightSensor(18)
led = LED(16)
sensor.when_dark = led.on
sensor.when_light = led.off
pause()
Or make a PWMLED (page 113) change brightness according to the detected light level:
from gpiozero import LightSensor, PWMLED
from signal import pause
sensor = LightSensor(18)
led = PWMLED(16)
led.source = sensor
pause()
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2.19 Distance sensor
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Note: In the diagram above, the wires leading from the sensor to the breadboard can be omitted; simply plug
the sensor directly into the breadboard facing the edge (unfortunately this is difficult to illustrate in the diagram
without the sensor’s diagram obscuring most of the breadboard!)
Have a DistanceSensor (page 101) detect the distance to the nearest object:
from gpiozero import DistanceSensor
from time import sleep
sensor = DistanceSensor(23, 24)
while True:
print('Distance to nearest object is', sensor.distance, 'm')
sleep(1)
Run a function when something gets near the sensor:
from gpiozero import DistanceSensor, LED
from signal import pause
sensor = DistanceSensor(23, 24, max_distance=1, threshold_distance=0.2)
led = LED(16)
sensor.when_in_range = led.on
sensor.when_out_of_range = led.off
pause()
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2.20 Motors
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Spin a Motor (page 120) around forwards and backwards:
from gpiozero import Motor
from time import sleep
motor = Motor(forward=4, backward=14)
while True:
motor.forward()
sleep(5)
motor.backward()
sleep(5)
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2.21 Robot
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Make a Robot (page 155) drive around in (roughly) a square:
from gpiozero import Robot
from time import sleep
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
for i in range(4):
robot.forward()
sleep(10)
robot.right()
sleep(1)
Make a robot with a distance sensor that runs away when things get within 20cm of it:
from gpiozero import Robot, DistanceSensor
from signal import pause
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sensor = DistanceSensor(23, 24, max_distance=1, threshold_distance=0.2)
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
sensor.when_in_range = robot.backward
sensor.when_out_of_range = robot.stop
pause()
2.22 Button controlled robot
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Use four GPIO buttons as forward/back/left/right controls for a robot:
from gpiozero import Robot, Button
from signal import pause
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
left = Button(26)
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right = Button(16)
fw = Button(21)
bw = Button(20)
fw.when_pressed = robot.forward
fw.when_released = robot.stop
left.when_pressed = robot.left
left.when_released = robot.stop
right.when_pressed = robot.right
right.when_released = robot.stop
bw.when_pressed = robot.backward
bw.when_released = robot.stop
pause()
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2.23 Keyboard controlled robot
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Use up/down/left/right keys to control a robot:
import curses
from gpiozero import Robot
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
actions = {
curses.KEY_UP: robot.forward,
curses.KEY_DOWN: robot.backward,
curses.KEY_LEFT: robot.left,
curses.KEY_RIGHT: robot.right,
}
def main(window):
next_key = None
while True:
curses.halfdelay(1)
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if next_key is None:
key = window.getch()
else:
key = next_key
next_key = None
if key != -1:
# KEY PRESSED
curses.halfdelay(3)
action = actions.get(key)
if action is not None:
action()
next_key = key
while next_key == key:
next_key = window.getch()
# KEY RELEASED
robot.stop()
curses.wrapper(main)
Note: This recipe uses the standard curses14 module. This module requires that Python is running in a terminal
in order to work correctly, hence this recipe will not work in environments like IDLE.
If you prefer a version that works under IDLE, the following recipe should suffice:
from gpiozero import Robot
from evdev import InputDevice, list_devices, ecodes
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
# Get the list of available input devices
devices = [InputDevice(device) for device in list_devices()]
# Filter out everything that's not a keyboard. Keyboards are defined as any
# device which has keys, and which specifically has keys 1..31 (roughly Esc,
# the numeric keys, the first row of QWERTY plus a few more) and which does
# *not* have key 0 (reserved)
must_have = {i for i in range(1, 32)}
must_not_have = {0}
devices = [
dev
for dev in devices
for keys in (set(dev.capabilities().get(ecodes.EV_KEY, [])),)
if must_have.issubset(keys)
and must_not_have.isdisjoint(keys)
]
# Pick the first keyboard
keyboard = devices[0]
keypress_actions = {
ecodes.KEY_UP: robot.forward,
ecodes.KEY_DOWN: robot.backward,
ecodes.KEY_LEFT: robot.left,
ecodes.KEY_RIGHT: robot.right,
}
for event in keyboard.read_loop():
if event.type == ecodes.EV_KEY and event.code in keypress_actions:
if event.value == 1: # key pressed
keypress_actions[event.code]()
(continues on next page)
14 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/curses.html#module-curses
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if event.value == 0: # key released
robot.stop()
Note: This recipe uses the third-party evdev module. Install this library with sudo pip3 install evdev
first. Be aware that evdev will only work with local input devices; this recipe will not work over SSH.
2.24 Motion sensor robot
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Make a robot drive forward when it detects motion:
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from gpiozero import Robot, MotionSensor
from signal import pause
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
pir = MotionSensor(5)
pir.when_motion = robot.forward
pir.when_no_motion = robot.stop
pause()
Alternatively:
from gpiozero import Robot, MotionSensor
from gpiozero.tools import zip_values
from signal import pause
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
pir = MotionSensor(5)
robot.source = zip_values(pir, pir)
pause()
2.25 Potentiometer
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Continually print the value of a potentiometer (values between 0 and 1) connected to a MCP3008 (page 135)
analog to digital converter:
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from gpiozero import MCP3008
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
while True:
print(pot.value)
Present the value of a potentiometer on an LED bar graph using PWM to represent states that won’t “fill” an LED:
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph, MCP3008
from signal import pause
graph = LEDBarGraph(5, 6, 13, 19, 26, pwm=True)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
graph.source = pot
pause()
2.26 Measure temperature with an ADC
Wire a TMP36 temperature sensor to the first channel of an MCP3008 (page 135) analog to digital converter:
from gpiozero import MCP3008
from time import sleep
def convert_temp(gen):
for value in gen:
yield (value * 3.3 - 0.5) * 100
adc = MCP3008(channel=0)
for temp in convert_temp(adc.values):
print('The temperature is', temp, 'C')
sleep(1)
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2.27 Full color LED controlled by 3 potentiometers
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Wire up three potentiometers (for red, green and blue) and use each of their values to make up the colour of the
LED:
from gpiozero import RGBLED, MCP3008
led = RGBLED(red=2, green=3, blue=4)
red_pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
green_pot = MCP3008(channel=1)
blue_pot = MCP3008(channel=2)
while True:
led.red = red_pot.value
led.green = green_pot.value
led.blue = blue_pot.value
Alternatively, the following example is identical, but uses the source (page 176) property rather than a while15
loop:
from gpiozero import RGBLED, MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import zip_values
from signal import pause
led = RGBLED(2, 3, 4)
red_pot = MCP3008(0)
green_pot = MCP3008(1)
blue_pot = MCP3008(2)
(continues on next page)
15 https://docs.python.org/3.5/reference/compound_stmts.html#while
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led.source = zip_values(red_pot, green_pot, blue_pot)
pause()
2.28 Timed heat lamp
If you have a pet (e.g. a tortoise) which requires a heat lamp to be switched on for a certain amount of time each
day, you can use an Energenie Pi-mote16 to remotely control the lamp, and the TimeOfDay (page 167) class to
control the timing:
from gpiozero import Energenie, TimeOfDay
from datetime import time
from signal import pause
lamp = Energenie(1)
daytime = TimeOfDay(time(8), time(20))
lamp.source = daytime
lamp.source_delay = 60
pause()
2.29 Internet connection status indicator
You can use a pair of green and red LEDs to indicate whether or not your internet connection is working. Simply
use the PingServer (page 168) class to identify whether a ping to google.com is successful. If successful, the
green LED is lit, and if not, the red LED is lit:
from gpiozero import LED, PingServer
from gpiozero.tools import negated
from signal import pause
green = LED(17)
red = LED(18)
google = PingServer('google.com')
green.source = google
green.source_delay = 60
red.source = negated(green)
pause()
2.30 CPU Temperature Bar Graph
You can read the Raspberry Pi’s own CPU temperature using the built-in CPUTemperature (page 169) class,
and display this on a “bar graph” of LEDs:
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph, CPUTemperature
from signal import pause
(continues on next page)
16 https://energenie4u.co.uk/catalogue/product/ENER002-2PI
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cpu = CPUTemperature(min_temp=50, max_temp=90)
leds = LEDBarGraph(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, pwm=True)
leds.source = cpu
pause()
2.31 More recipes
Continue to:
• Advanced Recipes (page 35)
• Remote GPIO Recipes (page 51)
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34 Chapter 2. Basic Recipes
CHAPTER 3
Advanced Recipes
The following recipes demonstrate some of the capabilities of the GPIO Zero library. Please note that all recipes
are written assuming Python 3. Recipes may work under Python 2, but no guarantees!
3.1 LEDBoard
You can iterate over the LEDs in a LEDBoard (page 141) object one-by-one:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard
from time import sleep
leds = LEDBoard(5, 6, 13, 19, 26)
for led in leds:
led.on()
sleep(1)
led.off()
LEDBoard (page 141) also supports indexing. This means you can access the individual LED (page 111) objects
using leds[i] where i is an integer from 0 up to (not including) the number of LEDs:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard
from time import sleep
leds = LEDBoard(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
leds[0].on() # first led on
sleep(1)
leds[7].on() # last led on
sleep(1)
leds[-1].off() # last led off
sleep(1)
This also means you can use slicing to access a subset of the LEDs:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard
from time import sleep
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leds = LEDBoard(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
for led in leds[3:]: # leds 3 and onward
led.on()
sleep(1)
leds.off()
for led in leds[:2]: # leds 0 and 1
led.on()
sleep(1)
leds.off()
for led in leds[::2]: # even leds (0, 2, 4...)
led.on()
sleep(1)
leds.off()
for led in leds[1::2]: # odd leds (1, 3, 5...)
led.on()
sleep(1)
leds.off()
LEDBoard (page 141) objects can have their LED objects named upon construction. This means the individual
LEDs can be accessed by their name:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard
from time import sleep
leds = LEDBoard(red=2, green=3, blue=4)
leds.red.on()
sleep(1)
leds.green.on()
sleep(1)
leds.blue.on()
sleep(1)
LEDBoard (page 141) objects can also be nested within other LEDBoard (page 141) objects:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard
from time import sleep
leds = LEDBoard(red=LEDBoard(top=2, bottom=3), green=LEDBoard(top=4, bottom=5))
leds.red.on() ## both reds on
sleep(1)
leds.green.on() # both greens on
sleep(1)
leds.off() # all off
sleep(1)
leds.red.top.on() # top red on
sleep(1)
leds.green.bottom.on() # bottom green on
sleep(1)
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3.2 Who’s home indicator
Using a number of green-red LED pairs, you can show the status of who’s home, according to which IP addresses
you can ping successfully. Note that this assumes each person’s mobile phone has a reserved IP address on the
home router.
from gpiozero import PingServer, LEDBoard
from gpiozero.tools import negated
from signal import pause
status = LEDBoard(
mum=LEDBoard(red=14, green=15),
dad=LEDBoard(red=17, green=18),
alice=LEDBoard(red=21, green=22)
)
statuses = {
PingServer('192.168.1.5'): status.mum,
PingServer('192.168.1.6'): status.dad,
PingServer('192.168.1.7'): status.alice,
}
for server, leds in statuses.items():
leds.green.source = server
leds.green.source_delay = 60
leds.red.source = negated(leds.green)
pause()
Alternatively, using the STATUS Zero17 board:
from gpiozero import PingServer, StatusZero
from gpiozero.tools import negated
from signal import pause
status = StatusZero('mum', 'dad', 'alice')
statuses = {
PingServer('192.168.1.5'): status.mum,
PingServer('192.168.1.6'): status.dad,
PingServer('192.168.1.7'): status.alice,
}
for server, leds in statuses.items():
leds.green.source = server
leds.green.source_delay = 60
leds.red.source = negated(leds.green)
pause()
3.3 Travis build LED indicator
Use LEDs to indicate the status of a Travis build. A green light means the tests are passing, a red light means the
build is broken:
from travispy import TravisPy
from gpiozero import LED
(continues on next page)
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from gpiozero.tools import negated
from time import sleep
from signal import pause
def build_passed(repo):
t = TravisPy()
r = t.repo(repo)
while True:
yield r.last_build_state == 'passed'
red = LED(12)
green = LED(16)
green.source = build_passed('RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero')
green.source_delay = 60 * 5 # check every 5 minutes
red.source = negated(green)
pause()
Note this recipe requires travispy18 . Install with sudo pip3 install travispy.
3.4 Button controlled robot
Alternatively to the examples in the simple recipes, you can use four buttons to program the directions and add a
fifth button to process them in turn, like a Bee-Bot or Turtle robot.
from gpiozero import Button, Robot
from time import sleep
from signal import pause
robot = Robot((17, 18), (22, 23))
left = Button(2)
right = Button(3)
forward = Button(4)
backward = Button(5)
go = Button(6)
instructions = []
def add_instruction(btn):
instructions.append({
left: (-1, 1),
right: (1, -1),
forward: (1, 1),
backward: (-1, -1),
}[btn])
def do_instructions():
instructions.append((0, 0))
robot.source_delay = 0.5
robot.source = instructions
sleep(robot.source_delay * len(instructions))
del instructions[:]
go.when_pressed = do_instructions
for button in (left, right, forward, backward):
(continues on next page)
18 https://travispy.readthedocs.io/
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button.when_pressed = add_instruction
pause()
3.5 Robot controlled by 2 potentiometers
Use two potentiometers to control the left and right motor speed of a robot:
from gpiozero import Robot, MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import zip_values
from signal import pause
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
left_pot = MCP3008(0)
right_pot = MCP3008(1)
robot.source = zip_values(left_pot, right_pot)
pause()
To include reverse direction, scale the potentiometer values from 0->1 to -1->1:
from gpiozero import Robot, MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import scaled
from signal import pause
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
left_pot = MCP3008(0)
right_pot = MCP3008(1)
robot.source = zip(scaled(left_pot, -1, 1), scaled(right_pot, -1, 1))
pause()
Note: Please note the example above requires Python 3. In Python 2, zip()19 doesn’t support lazy evaluation
so the script will simply hang.
3.6 BlueDot LED
BlueDot is a Python library an Android app which allows you to easily add Bluetooth control to your Raspberry
Pi project. A simple example to control a LED using the BlueDot app:
from bluedot import BlueDot
from gpiozero import LED
bd = BlueDot()
led = LED(17)
while True:
bd.wait_for_press()
(continues on next page)
19 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#zip
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led.on()
bd.wait_for_release()
led.off()
Note this recipe requires bluedot and the associated Android app. See the BlueDot documentation20 for instal-
lation instructions.
3.7 BlueDot robot
You can create a Bluetooth controlled robot which moves forward when the dot is pressed and stops when it is
released:
from bluedot import BlueDot
from gpiozero import Robot
from signal import pause
bd = BlueDot()
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
def move(pos):
if pos.top:
robot.forward(pos.distance)
elif pos.bottom:
robot.backward(pos.distance)
elif pos.left:
robot.left(pos.distance)
elif pos.right:
robot.right(pos.distance)
bd.when_pressed = move
bd.when_moved = move
bd.when_released = robot.stop
pause()
Or a more advanced example including controlling the robot’s speed and precise direction:
from gpiozero import Robot
from bluedot import BlueDot
from signal import pause
def pos_to_values(x, y):
left = y if x > 0 else y + x
right = y if x < 0 else y - x
return (clamped(left), clamped(right))
def clamped(v):
return max(-1, min(1, v))
def drive():
while True:
if bd.is_pressed:
x, y = bd.position.x, bd.position.y
yield pos_to_values(x, y)
else:
yield (0, 0)
(continues on next page)
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robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
bd = BlueDot()
robot.source = drive()
pause()
3.8 Controlling the Pi’s own LEDs
On certain models of Pi (specifically the model A+, B+, and 2B) it’s possible to control the power and activity
LEDs. This can be useful for testing GPIO functionality without the need to wire up your own LEDs (also useful
because the power and activity LEDs are “known good”).
Firstly you need to disable the usual triggers for the built-in LEDs. This can be done from the terminal with the
following commands:
$ echo none | sudo tee /sys/class/leds/led0/trigger
$ echo gpio | sudo tee /sys/class/leds/led1/trigger
Now you can control the LEDs with gpiozero like so:
from gpiozero import LED
from signal import pause
power = LED(35) # /sys/class/leds/led1
activity = LED(47) # /sys/class/leds/led0
activity.blink()
power.blink()
pause()
To revert the LEDs to their usual purpose you can either reboot your Pi or run the following commands:
$ echo mmc0 | sudo tee /sys/class/leds/led0/trigger
$ echo input | sudo tee /sys/class/leds/led1/trigger
Note: On the Pi Zero you can control the activity LED with this recipe, but there’s no separate power LED to
control (it’s also worth noting the activity LED is active low, so set active_high=False when constructing
your LED component).
On the original Pi 1 (model A or B), the activity LED can be controlled with GPIO16 (after disabling its trigger
as above) but the power LED is hard-wired on.
On the Pi 3 the LEDs are controlled by a GPIO expander which is not accessible from gpiozero (yet).
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CHAPTER 4
Configuring Remote GPIO
GPIO Zero supports a number of different pin implementations (low-level pin libraries which deal with the GPIO
pins directly). By default, the RPi.GPIO21 library is used (assuming it is installed on your system), but you can
optionally specify one to use. For more information, see the API - Pins (page 195) documentation page.
One of the pin libraries supported, pigpio22 , provides the ability to control GPIO pins remotely over the network,
which means you can use GPIO Zero to control devices connected to a Raspberry Pi on the network. You can do
this from another Raspberry Pi, or even from a PC.
See the Remote GPIO Recipes (page 51) page for examples on how remote pins can be used.
4.1 Preparing the Raspberry Pi
If you’re using Raspbian (desktop - not Raspbian Lite) then you have everything you need to use the remote GPIO
feature. If you’re using Raspbian Lite, or another distribution, you’ll need to install pigpio:
$ sudo apt install pigpio
Alternatively, pigpio is available from abyz.me.uk23 .
You’ll need to enable remote connections, and launch the pigpio daemon on the Raspberry Pi.
4.1.1 Enable remote connections
On the Raspbian desktop image, you can enable Remote GPIO in the Raspberry Pi configuration tool:
21 https://pypi.python.org/pypi/RPi.GPIO
22 http://abyz.me.uk/rpi/pigpio/python.html
23 http://abyz.me.uk/rpi/pigpio/download.html
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Alternatively, enter sudo raspi-config on the command line, and enable Remote GPIO. This is functionally
equivalent to the desktop method.
This will allow remote connections (until disabled) when the pigpio daemon is launched using systemctl (see
below). It will also launch the pigpio daemon for the current session. Therefore, nothing further is required for
the current session, but after a reboot, a systemctl command will be required.
4.1.2 Command-line: systemctl
To automate running the daemon at boot time, run:
$ sudo systemctl enable pigpiod
To run the daemon once using systemctl, run:
$ sudo systemctl start pigpiod
4.1.3 Command-line: pigpiod
Another option is to launch the pigpio daemon manually:
$ sudo pigpiod
This is for single-session-use and will not persist after a reboot. However, this method can be used to allow
connections from a specific IP address, using the -n flag. For example:
$ sudo pigpiod -n localhost # allow localhost only
$ sudo pigpiod -n 192.168.1.65 # allow 192.168.1.65 only
$ sudo pigpiod -n localhost -n 192.168.1.65 # allow localhost and 192.168.1.65 only
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Note: Note that running sudo pigpiod will not honour the Remote GPIO configuration setting (i.e. with-
out the -n flag it will allow remote connections even if the remote setting is disabled), but sudo systemctl
enable pigpiod or sudo systemctl start pigpiod will not allow remote connections unless con-
figured accordingly.
4.2 Preparing the control computer
If the control computer (the computer you’re running your Python code from) is a Raspberry Pi running Raspbian
(or a PC running Raspberry Pi Desktop x8624 ), then you have everything you need. If you’re using another Linux
distribution, Mac OS or Windows then you’ll need to install the pigpio25 Python library on the PC.
4.2.1 Raspberry Pi
First, update your repositories list:
$ sudo apt update
Then install GPIO Zero and the pigpio library for Python 3:
$ sudo apt install python3-gpiozero python3-pigpio
or Python 2:
$ sudo apt install python-gpiozero python-pigpio
Alternatively, install with pip:
$ sudo pip3 install gpiozero pigpio
or for Python 2:
$ sudo pip install gpiozero pigpio
4.2.2 Linux
First, update your distribution’s repositories list. For example:
$ sudo apt update
Then install pip for Python 3:
$ sudo apt install python3-pip
or Python 2:
$ sudo apt install python-pip
(Alternatively, install pip with get-pip26 .)
Next, install GPIO Zero and pigpio for Python 3:
24 https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspberry-pi-desktop/
25 http://abyz.me.uk/rpi/pigpio/python.html
26 https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/installing/
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$ sudo pip3 install gpiozero pigpio
or Python 2:
$ sudo pip install gpiozero pigpio
4.2.3 Mac OS
First, install pip. If you installed Python 3 using brew, you will already have pip. If not, install pip with get-pip27 .
Next, install GPIO Zero and pigpio with pip:
$ pip3 install gpiozero pigpio
Or for Python 2:
$ pip install gpiozero pigpio
4.2.4 Windows
First, install pip by following this guide28 . Next, install GPIO Zero and pigpio with pip:
C:\Users\user1> pip install gpiozero pigpio
4.3 Environment variables
The simplest way to use devices with remote pins is to set the PIGPIO_ADDR (page 74) environment variable
to the IP address of the desired Raspberry Pi. You must run your Python script or launch your development
environment with the environment variable set using the command line. For example, one of the following:
$ PIGPIO_ADDR=192.168.1.3 python3 hello.py
$ PIGPIO_ADDR=192.168.1.3 python3
$ PIGPIO_ADDR=192.168.1.3 ipython3
$ PIGPIO_ADDR=192.168.1.3 idle3 &
If you are running this from a PC (not a Raspberry Pi) with gpiozero and the pigpio29 Python library installed,
this will work with no further configuration. However, if you are running this from a Raspberry Pi, you will also
need to ensure the default pin factory is set to PiGPIOFactory (page 208). If RPi.GPIO30 is installed, this
will be selected as the default pin factory, so either uninstall it, or use the GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY (page 74)
environment variable to override it:
$ GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=pigpio PIGPIO_ADDR=192.168.1.3 python3 hello.py
This usage will set the pin factory to PiGPIOFactory (page 208) with a default host of 192.168.1.3. The
pin factory can be changed inline in the code, as seen in the following sections.
With this usage, you can write gpiozero code like you would on a Raspberry Pi, with no modifications needed.
For example:
27 https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/installing/
28 https://www.raspberrypi.org/learning/using-pip-on-windows/worksheet/
29 http://abyz.me.uk/rpi/pigpio/python.html
30 https://pypi.python.org/pypi/RPi.GPIO
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from gpiozero import LED
from time import sleep
red = LED(17)
while True:
red.on()
sleep(1)
red.off()
sleep(1)
When run with:
$ PIGPIO_ADDR=192.168.1.3 python3 led.py
will flash the LED connected to pin 17 of the Raspberry Pi with the IP address 192.168.1.3. And:
$ PIGPIO_ADDR=192.168.1.4 python3 led.py
will flash the LED connected to pin 17 of the Raspberry Pi with the IP address 192.168.1.4, without any code
changes, as long as the Raspberry Pi has the pigpio daemon running.
Note: When running code directly on a Raspberry Pi, any pin factory can be used (assuming the relevant library
is installed), but when a device is used remotely, only PiGPIOFactory (page 208) can be used, as pigpio31 is
the only pin library which supports remote GPIO.
4.4 Pin factories
An alternative (or additional) method of configuring gpiozero objects to use remote pins is to create instances of
PiGPIOFactory (page 208) objects, and use them when instantiating device objects. For example, with no
environment variables set:
from gpiozero import LED
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep
factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.3')
led = LED(17, pin_factory=factory)
while True:
led.on()
sleep(1)
led.off()
sleep(1)
This allows devices on multiple Raspberry Pis to be used in the same script:
from gpiozero import LED
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep
factory3 = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.3')
factory4 = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.4')
led_1 = LED(17, pin_factory=factory3)
led_2 = LED(17, pin_factory=factory4)
(continues on next page)
31 http://abyz.me.uk/rpi/pigpio/python.html
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while True:
led_1.on()
led_2.off()
sleep(1)
led_1.off()
led_2.on()
sleep(1)
You can, of course, continue to create gpiozero device objects as normal, and create others using remote pins. For
example, if run on a Raspberry Pi, the following script will flash an LED on the controller Pi, and also on another
Pi on the network:
from gpiozero import LED
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep
remote_factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.3')
led_1 = LED(17) # local pin
led_2 = LED(17, pin_factory=remote_factory) # remote pin
while True:
led_1.on()
led_2.off()
sleep(1)
led_1.off()
led_2.on()
sleep(1)
Alternatively, when run with the environment variables GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=pigpio
PIGPIO_ADDR=192.168.1.3 set, the following script will behave exactly the same as the previous
one:
from gpiozero import LED
from gpiozero.pins.rpigpio import RPiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep
local_factory = RPiGPIOFactory()
led_1 = LED(17, pin_factory=local_factory) # local pin
led_2 = LED(17) # remote pin
while True:
led_1.on()
led_2.off()
sleep(1)
led_1.off()
led_2.on()
sleep(1)
Of course, multiple IP addresses can be used:
from gpiozero import LED
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep
factory3 = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.3')
factory4 = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.4')
led_1 = LED(17) # local pin
led_2 = LED(17, pin_factory=factory3) # remote pin on one pi
led_3 = LED(17, pin_factory=factory4) # remote pin on another pi
(continues on next page)
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while True:
led_1.on()
led_2.off()
led_3.on()
sleep(1)
led_1.off()
led_2.on()
led_3.off()
sleep(1)
Note that these examples use the LED (page 111) class, which takes a pin argument to initialise. Some classes,
particularly those representing HATs and other add-on boards, do not require their pin numbers to be specified.
However, it is still possible to use remote pins with these devices, either using environment variables, or the
pin_factory keyword argument:
import gpiozero
from gpiozero import TrafficHat
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep
gpiozero.Device.pin_factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.3')
th = TrafficHat() # traffic hat on 192.168.1.3 using remote pins
This also allows you to swap between two IP addresses and create instances of multiple HATs connected to
different Pis:
import gpiozero
from gpiozero import TrafficHat
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep
remote_factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.3')
th_1 = TrafficHat() # traffic hat using local pins
th_2 = TrafficHat(pin_factory=remote_factory) # traffic hat on 192.168.1.3 using
˓→remote pins
You could even use a HAT which is not supported by GPIO Zero (such as the Sense HAT32 ) on one Pi, and use
remote pins to control another over the network:
from gpiozero import MotionSensor
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from sense_hat import SenseHat
remote_factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.198.1.4')
pir = MotionSensor(4, pin_factory=remote_factory) # remote motion sensor
sense = SenseHat() # local sense hat
while True:
pir.wait_for_motion()
sense.show_message(sense.temperature)
Note that in this case, the Sense HAT code must be run locally, and the GPIO remotely.
4.5 Remote GPIO usage
Continue to:
32 https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/sense-hat/
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• Remote GPIO Recipes (page 51)
• Pi Zero USB OTG (page 55)
50 Chapter 4. Configuring Remote GPIO
CHAPTER 5
Remote GPIO Recipes
The following recipes demonstrate some of the capabilities of the remote GPIO feature of the GPIO Zero library.
Before you start following these examples, please read up on preparing your Pi and your host PC to work with
Configuring Remote GPIO (page 43).
Please note that all recipes are written assuming Python 3. Recipes may work under Python 2, but no guarantees!
5.1 LED + Button
Let a Button (page 93) on one Raspberry Pi control the LED (page 111) of another:
from gpiozero import LED
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from signal import pause
factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.3')
button = Button(2)
led = LED(17, pin_factory=factory)
led.source = button
pause()
5.2 LED + 2 Buttons
The LED (page 111) will come on when both buttons are pressed:
from gpiozero import LED
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from gpiozero.tools import all_values
from signal import pause
factory3 = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.3')
factory4 = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.4')
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led = LED(17)
button_1 = Button(17, pin_factory=factory3)
button_2 = Button(17, pin_factory=factory4)
led.source = all_values(button_1, button_2)
pause()
5.3 Multi-room motion alert
Install a Raspberry Pi with a MotionSensor (page 97) in each room of your house, and have an class:LED
indicator showing when there’s motion in each room:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard, MotionSensor
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from gpiozero.tools import zip_values
from signal import pause
ips = ['192.168.1.3', '192.168.1.4', '192.168.1.5', '192.168.1.6']
remotes = [PiGPIOFactory(host=ip) for ip in ips]
leds = LEDBoard(2, 3, 4, 5) # leds on this pi
sensors = [MotionSensor(17, pin_factory=r) for r in remotes] # remote sensors
leds.source = zip_values(*sensors)
pause()
5.4 Multi-room doorbell
Install a Raspberry Pi with a Buzzer (page 117) attached in each room you want to hear the doorbell, and use a
push Button (page 93) as the doorbell:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard, MotionSensor
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from signal import pause
ips = ['192.168.1.3', '192.168.1.4', '192.168.1.5', '192.168.1.6']
remotes = [PiGPIOFactory(host=ip) for ip in ips]
button = Button(17) # button on this pi
buzzers = [Buzzer(pin, pin_factory=r) for r in remotes] # buzzers on remote pins
for buzzer in buzzers:
buzzer.source = button
pause()
This could also be used as an internal doorbell (tell people it’s time for dinner from the kitchen).
5.5 Remote button robot
Similarly to the simple recipe for the button controlled Robot (page 155), this example uses four buttons to
control the direction of a robot. However, using remote pins for the robot means the control buttons can be
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separate from the robot:
from gpiozero import Button, Robot
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from signal import pause
factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.17')
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18), pin_factory=factory) # remote pins
# local buttons
left = Button(26)
right = Button(16)
fw = Button(21)
bw = Button(20)
fw.when_pressed = robot.forward
fw.when_released = robot.stop
left.when_pressed = robot.left
left.when_released = robot.stop
right.when_pressed = robot.right
right.when_released = robot.stop
bw.when_pressed = robot.backward
bw.when_released = robot.stop
pause()
5.6 Light sensor + Sense HAT
The Sense HAT33 (not supported by GPIO Zero) includes temperature, humidity and pressure sensors, but no light
sensor. Remote GPIO allows an external LightSensor (page 99) to be used as well. The Sense HAT LED
display can be used to show different colours according to the light levels:
from gpiozero import LightSensor
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from sense_hat import SenseHat
remote_factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.1.4')
light = LightSensor(4, pin_factory=remote_factory) # remote motion sensor
sense = SenseHat() # local sense hat
blue = (0, 0, 255)
yellow = (255, 255, 0)
while True:
if light.value > 0.5:
sense.clear(yellow)
else:
sense.clear(blue)
Note that in this case, the Sense HAT code must be run locally, and the GPIO remotely.
33 https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/sense-hat/
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54 Chapter 5. Remote GPIO Recipes
CHAPTER 6
Pi Zero USB OTG
The Raspberry Pi Zero34 and Pi Zero W35 feature a USB OTG port, allowing users to configure the device as
(amongst other things) an Ethernet device. In this mode, it is possible to control the Pi Zero’s GPIO pins over
USB from another computer using the remote GPIO (page 43) feature.
6.1 GPIO expander method - no SD card required
The GPIO expander method allows you to boot the Pi Zero over USB from the PC, without an SD card. Your PC
sends the required boot firmware to the Pi over the USB cable, launching a mini version of Raspbian and booting
it in RAM. The OS then starts the pigpio daemon, allowing “remote” access over the USB cable.
At the time of writing, this is only possible using either the Raspberry Pi Desktop x86 OS, or Ubuntu (or a
derivative), or from another Raspberry Pi. Usage from Windows and Mac OS is not supported at present.
6.1.1 Raspberry Pi Desktop x86 setup
1. Download an ISO of the Raspberry Pi Desktop OS36 from raspberrypi.org (this must be the Stretch release,
not the older Jessie image).
2. Write the image to a USB stick or burn to a DVD.
3. Live boot your PC or Mac into the OS (select “Run with persistence” and your computer will be back to
normal afterwards).
6.1.2 Raspberry Pi (Raspbian) setup
1. Update your package list and install the usbbootgui package:
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install usbbootgui
34 https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero/
35 https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero-w/
36 https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspberry-pi-desktop/
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6.1.3 Ubuntu setup
1. Add the Raspberry Pi PPA to your system:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rpi-distro/ppa
2. If you have previously installed gpiozero or pigpio with pip, uninstall these first:
$ sudo pip3 uninstall gpiozero pigpio
3. Install the required packages from the PPA:
$ sudo apt install usbbootgui pigpio python3-gpiozero python3-pigpio
6.1.4 Access the GPIOs
Once your PC or Pi has the USB Boot GUI tool installed, connecting a Pi Zero will automatically launch a prompt
to select a role for the device. Select “GPIO expansion board” and continue:
It will take 30 seconds or so to flash it, then the dialogue will disappear.
Raspberry Pi Desktop and Raspbian will name your Pi Zero connection usb0. On Ubuntu, this will likely be
something else. You can ping it using the address fe80::1% followed by the connection string. You can look
this up using ifconfig.
Set the GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY (page 74) and PIGPIO_ADDR (page 74) environment variables on your PC
so GPIO Zero connects to the “remote” Pi Zero:
$ export GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=pigpio
$ export PIGPIO_ADDR=fe80::1%usb0
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Now any GPIO Zero code you run on the PC will use the GPIOs of the attached Pi Zero:
Alternatively, you can set the pin factory in-line, as explained in Configuring Remote GPIO (page 43).
Read more on the GPIO expander in blog posts on raspberrypi.org37 and bennuttall.com38 .
6.2 Legacy method - SD card required
The legacy method requires the Pi Zero to have a Raspbian SD card inserted.
Start by creating a Raspbian (desktop or lite) SD card, and then configure the boot partition like so:
1. Edit config.txt and add dtoverlay=dwc2 on a new line, then save the file.
2. Create an empty file called ssh (no file extension) and save it in the boot partition.
3. Edit cmdline.txt` and insert modules-load=dwc2,g_ether after rootwait.
(See guides on blog.gbaman.info39 and learn.adafruit.com40 for more detailed instructions)
Then connect the Pi Zero to your computer using a micro USB cable (connecting it to the USB port, not the power
port). You’ll see the indicator LED flashing as the Pi Zero boots. When it’s ready, you will be able to ping and
SSH into it using the hostname raspberrypi.local. SSH into the Pi Zero, install pigpio and run the pigpio
daemon.
Then, drop out of the SSH session and you can run Python code on your computer to control devices attached to
the Pi Zero, referencing it by its hostname (or IP address if you know it), for example:
$ GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=pigpio PIGPIO_ADDR=raspberrypi.local python3 led.py
37 https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/gpio-expander/
38 http://bennuttall.com/raspberry-pi-zero-gpio-expander/
39 http://blog.gbaman.info/?p=791
40 https://learn.adafruit.com/turning-your-raspberry-pi-zero-into-a-usb-gadget/ethernet-gadget
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58 Chapter 6. Pi Zero USB OTG
CHAPTER 7
Source/Values
GPIO Zero provides a method of using the declarative programming paradigm to connect devices together: feeding
the values of one device into another, for example the values of a button into an LED:
LED Button
from gpiozero import LED, Button
from signal import pause
led = LED(17)
button = Button(2)
led.source = button
pause()
which is equivalent to:
from gpiozero import LED, Button
from time import sleep
led = LED(17)
button = Button(2)
while True:
led.value = button.value
sleep(0.01)
except that the former is updated in a background thread, which enables you to do other things at the same time.
Every device has a value (page 175) property (the device’s current value). Input devices (like buttons) can only
have their values read, but output devices (like LEDs) can also have their value set to alter the state of the device:
>>> led = PWMLED(17)
>>> led.value # LED is initially off
0.0
>>> led.on() # LED is now on
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>>> led.value
1.0
>>> led.value = 0 # LED is now off
Every device also has a values (page 176) property (a generator41 continuously yielding the device’s current
value). All output devices have a source (page 176) property which can be set to any iterator42 . The device will
iterate over the values of the device provided, setting the device’s value to each element at a rate specified in the
source_delay (page 176) property (the default is 0.01 seconds).
Output device Input device
The most common use case for this is to set the source of an output device to match the values of an input device,
like the example above. A more interesting example would be a potentiometer controlling the brightness of an
LED:
PWM LED Potentiometer
from gpiozero import PWMLED, MCP3008
from signal import pause
led = PWMLED(17)
pot = MCP3008()
led.source = pot
pause()
The way this works is that the input device’s values (page 176) property is used to feed values into the output
device. Prior to v1.5, the source (page 176) had to be set directly to a device’s values (page 176) property:
from gpiozero import PWMLED, MCP3008
from signal import pause
led = PWMLED(17)
pot = MCP3008()
led.source = pot.values
pause()
Note: Although this method is still supported, the recommended way is now to set the source (page 176) to a
device object.
It is also possible to set an output device’s source (page 176) to another output device, to keep them matching.
In this example, the red LED is set to match the button, and the green LED is set to match the red LED, so both
LEDs will be on when the button is pressed:
Green LED Red LED Button
41 https://wiki.python.org/moin/Generators
42 https://wiki.python.org/moin/Iterator
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from gpiozero import LED, Button
from signal import pause
red = LED(14)
green = LED(15)
button = Button(17)
red.source = button
green.source = red
pause()
7.1 Processing values
The device’s values can also be processed before they are passed to the source (page 176):
Output device custom generator Input device
For example, writing a generator function to pass the opposite of the Button value into the LED:
LED opposite Button
from gpiozero import Button, LED
from signal import pause
def opposite(device):
for value in device.values:
yield not value
led = LED(4)
btn = Button(17)
led.source = opposite(btn)
pause()
Alternatively, a custom generator can be used to provide values from an artificial source:
Output device custom generator
For example, writing a generator function to randomly yield 0 or 1:
LED rand
from gpiozero import LED
from random import randint
from signal import pause
def rand():
(continues on next page)
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while True:
yield randint(0, 1)
led = LED(17)
led.source = rand()
pause()
If the iterator is infinite (i.e. an infinite generator), the elements will be processed until the source (page 176) is
changed or set to None43 .
If the iterator is finite (e.g. a list), this will terminate once all elements are processed (leaving the device’s value at
the final element):
from gpiozero import LED
from signal import pause
led = LED(17)
led.source_delay = 1
led.source = [1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1]
pause()
7.2 Source Tools
GPIO Zero provides a set of ready-made functions for dealing with source/values, called source tools. These are
available by importing from gpiozero.tools (page 179).
Some of these source tools are artificial sources which require no input:
Output device source tool
In this example, random values between 0 and 1 are passed to the LED, giving it a flickering candle effect:
PWM LED random_values
from gpiozero import PWMLED
from gpiozero.tools import random_values
from signal import pause
led = PWMLED(4)
led.source = random_values()
led.source_delay = 0.1
pause()
Note that in the above example, source_delay (page 176) is used to make the LED iterate over the random
values slightly slower. source_delay (page 176) can be set to a larger number (e.g. 1 for a one second delay)
or set to 0 to disable any delay.
Some tools take a single source and process its values:
43 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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Output device source tool Input device
In this example, the LED is lit only when the button is not pressed:
LED negated Button
from gpiozero import Button, LED
from gpiozero.tools import negated
from signal import pause
led = LED(4)
btn = Button(17)
led.source = negated(btn)
pause()
Note: Note that source tools which take one or more value parameters support passing either ValuesMixin
(page 176) derivatives, or iterators, including a device’s values (page 176) property.
Some tools combine the values of multiple sources:
Input device 1
Output device source tool
Input device 2
In this example, the LED is lit only if both buttons are pressed (like an AND44 gate):
Button A
LED all_values
Button B
from gpiozero import Button, LED
from gpiozero.tools import all_values
from signal import pause
button_a = Button(2)
button_b = Button(3)
led = LED(17)
led.source = all_values(button_a, button_b)
pause()
44 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AND_gate
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Similarly, any_values() (page 183) with two buttons would simulate an OR45 gate.
While most devices have a value (page 175) range between 0 and 1, some have a range between -1 and 1
(e.g. Motor (page 120), Servo (page 123) and TonalBuzzer (page 119)). Some source tools output values
between -1 and 1, which are ideal for these devices, for example passing sin_values() (page 185) in:
Servo
Motor sin_values
Tonal buzzer
from gpiozero import Motor, Servo, TonalBuzzer
from gpiozero.tools import sin_values
from signal import pause
motor = Motor(2, 3)
servo = Servo(4)
buzzer = TonalBuzzer(5)
motor.source = sin_values()
servo.source = motor
buzzer.source = motor
pause()
In this example, all three devices are following the sine wave46 . The motor value ramps up from 0 (stopped) to
1 (full speed forwards), then back down to 0 and on to -1 (full speed backwards) in a cycle. Similarly, the servo
moves from its mid point to the right, then towards the left; and the buzzer starts with its mid tone, gradually raises
its frequency, to its highest tone, then down towards its lowest tone. Note that setting source_delay (page 176)
will alter the speed at which the device iterates through the values. Alternatively, the tool cos_values()
(page 185) could be used to start from -1 and go up to 1, and so on.
7.3 Internal devices
GPIO Zero also provides several internal devices (page 167) which represent facilities provided by the operating
system itself. These can be used to react to things like the time of day, or whether a server is available on the
network. These classes include a values (page 176) property which can be used to feed values into a device’s
source (page 176). For example, a lamp connected to an Energenie (page 159) socket can be controlled by
a TimeOfDay (page 167) object so that it is on between the hours of 8am and 8pm:
Lamp Daytime
from gpiozero import Energenie, TimeOfDay
from datetime import time
from signal import pause
lamp = Energenie(1)
daytime = TimeOfDay(time(8), time(20))
lamp.source = daytime
(continues on next page)
45 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OR_gate
46 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sine_wave
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lamp.source_delay = 60
pause()
Using the DiskUsage (page 171) class with LEDBarGraph (page 144) can show your Pi’s disk usage percent-
age on a bar graph:
LED bar graph Disk usage
from gpiozero import DiskUsage, LEDBarGraph
from signal import pause
disk = DiskUsage()
graph = LEDBarGraph(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
graph.source = disk
pause()
Demonstrating a garden light system whereby the light comes on if it’s dark and there’s motion is simple enough,
but it requires using the booleanized() (page 179) source tool to convert the light sensor from a float value
into a boolean:
Motion sensor
Garden light all_values
booleanized Light sensor
from gpiozero import LED, MotionSensor, LightSensor
from gpiozero.tools import booleanized, all_values
from signal import pause
garden = LED(2)
motion = MotionSensor(4)
light = LightSensor(5)
garden.source = all_values(booleanized(light, 0, 0.1), motion)
pause()
7.4 Composite devices
The value (page 175) of a composite device made up of the nested values of its devices. For example, the value
of a Robot (page 155) object is a 2-tuple containing its left and right motor values:
>>> from gpiozero import Robot
>>> robot = Robot(left=(14, 15), right=(17, 18))
>>> robot.value
RobotValue(left_motor=0.0, right_motor=0.0)
>>> tuple(robot.value)
(0.0, 0.0)
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>>> robot.forward()
>>> tuple(robot.value)
(1.0, 1.0)
>>> robot.backward()
>>> tuple(robot.value)
(-1.0, -1.0)
>>> robot.value = (1, 1) # robot is now driven forwards
Use two potentiometers to control the left and right motor speed of a robot:
Left potentiometer
Robot zip_values
Right potentiometer
from gpiozero import Robot, MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import zip_values
from signal import pause
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
left_pot = MCP3008(0)
right_pot = MCP3008(1)
robot.source = zip_values(left_pot, right_pot)
pause()
To include reverse direction, scale the potentiometer values from 0->1 to -1->1:
scaled Left potentiometer
Robot zip
scaled Right potentiometer
from gpiozero import Robot, MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import scaled
from signal import pause
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
left_pot = MCP3008(0)
right_pot = MCP3008(1)
robot.source = zip(scaled(left_pot, -1, 1), scaled(right_pot, -1, 1))
pause()
Note that this example uses the built-in zip()47 rather than the tool zip_values() (page 184) as the
scaled() (page 182) tool yields values which do not need converting, just zipping. Also note that this use
47 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#zip
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of zip()48 will not work in Python 2, instead use izip49 .
48 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#zip
49 https://docs.python.org/2/library/itertools.html#itertools.izip
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CHAPTER 8
Command-line Tools
The gpiozero package contains a database of information about the various revisions of Raspberry Pi. This is
queried by the pinout command-line tool to output details of the GPIO pins available.
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8.1.1 Synopsis
pinout [-h] [-r REVISION] [-c] [-m] [-x]
8.1.2 Description
A utility for querying Raspberry Pi GPIO pin-out information. Running pinout on its own will output a board
diagram, and GPIO header diagram for the current Raspberry Pi. It is also possible to manually specify a revision
of Pi, or (by Configuring Remote GPIO (page 43)) to output information about a remote Pi.
8.1.3 Options
-h, --help
show this help message and exit
-r REVISION, --revision REVISION
RPi revision. Default is to autodetect revision of current device
-c, --color
Force colored output (by default, the output will include ANSI color codes if run in a color-capable termi-
nal). See also --monochrome (page 71)
-m, --monochrome
Force monochrome output. See also --color (page 71)
-x, --xyz
Open pinout.xyz50 in the default web browser
8.1.4 Examples
To output information about the current Raspberry Pi:
$ pinout
For a Raspberry Pi model 3B, this will output something like the following:
,--------------------------------.
| oooooooooooooooooooo J8 +====
| 1ooooooooooooooooooo | USB
| +====
| Pi Model 3B V1.1 |
| +----+ +====
| |D| |SoC | | USB
| |S| | | +====
| |I| +----+ |
| |C| +======
| |S| | Net
| pwr |HDMI| |I||A| +======
`-| |--------| |----|V|-------'
Revision : a02082
SoC : BCM2837
RAM : 1024Mb
Storage : MicroSD
USB ports : 4 (excluding power)
Ethernet ports : 1
Wi-fi : True
(continues on next page)
50 https://pinout.xyz/
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(continued from previous page)
Bluetooth : True
Camera ports (CSI) : 1
Display ports (DSI): 1
J8:
3V3 (1) (2) 5V
GPIO2 (3) (4) 5V
GPIO3 (5) (6) GND
GPIO4 (7) (8) GPIO14
GND (9) (10) GPIO15
GPIO17 (11) (12) GPIO18
GPIO27 (13) (14) GND
GPIO22 (15) (16) GPIO23
3V3 (17) (18) GPIO24
GPIO10 (19) (20) GND
GPIO9 (21) (22) GPIO25
GPIO11 (23) (24) GPIO8
GND (25) (26) GPIO7
GPIO0 (27) (28) GPIO1
GPIO5 (29) (30) GND
GPIO6 (31) (32) GPIO12
GPIO13 (33) (34) GND
GPIO19 (35) (36) GPIO16
GPIO26 (37) (38) GPIO20
GND (39) (40) GPIO21
By default, if stdout is a console that supports color, ANSI codes will be used to produce color output. Output can
be forced to be --monochrome (page 71):
$ pinout --monochrome
Or forced to be --color (page 71), in case you are redirecting to something capable of supporting ANSI codes:
$ pinout --color | less -SR
To manually specify the revision of Pi you want to query, use --revision (page 71). The tool understands both
old-style revision codes51 (such as for the model B):
$ pinout -r 000d
Or new-style revision codes52 (such as for the Pi Zero W):
$ pinout -r 9000c1
51 https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/revision-codes/README.md
52 https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/revision-codes/README.md
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You can also use the tool with Configuring Remote GPIO (page 43) to query remote Raspberry Pi’s:
$ GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=pigpio PIGPIO_ADDR=other_pi pinout
Or run the tool directly on a PC using the mock pin implementation (although in this case you’ll almost certainly
want to specify the Pi revision manually):
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$ GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=mock pinout -r a22042
8.1.5 Environment Variables
GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY
The library to use when communicating with the GPIO pins. Defaults to attempting to load RPi.GPIO, then
RPIO, then pigpio, and finally uses a native Python implementation. Valid values include “rpigpio”, “rpio”,
“pigpio”, “native”, and “mock”. The latter is most useful on non-Pi platforms as it emulates a Raspberry Pi
model 3B (by default).
PIGPIO_ADDR
The hostname of the Raspberry Pi the pigpio library should attempt to connect to (if the pigpio pin factory
is being used). Defaults to localhost.
PIGPIO_PORT
The port number the pigpio library should attempt to connect to (if the pigpio pin factory is being used).
Defaults to 8888.
74 Chapter 8. Command-line Tools
CHAPTER 9
Frequently Asked Questions
9.1 How do I keep my script running?
The following script looks like it should turn an LED (page 111) on:
from gpiozero import LED
led = LED(17)
led.on()
And it does, if you’re using the Python (or IPython or IDLE) shell. However, if you saved this script as a Python
file and ran it, it would flash on briefly, then the script would end and it would turn off.
The following file includes an intentional pause()53 to keep the script alive:
from gpiozero import LED
from signal import pause
led = LED(17)
led.on()
pause()
Now the script will stay running, leaving the LED on, until it is terminated manually (e.g. by pressing Ctrl+C).
Similarly, when setting up callbacks on button presses or other input devices, the script needs to be running for
the events to be detected:
from gpiozero import Button
from signal import pause
def hello():
print("Hello")
button = Button(2)
button.when_pressed = hello
pause()
53 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/signal.html#signal.pause
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9.2 My event handler isn’t being called
When assigning event handlers, don’t call the function you’re assigning. For example:
from gpiozero import Button
def pushed():
print("Don't push the button!")
b = Button(17)
b.when_pressed = pushed()
In the case above, when assigning to when_pressed (page 95), the thing that is assigned is the result of calling
the pushed function. Because pushed doesn’t explicitly return anything, the result is None54 . Hence this is
equivalent to doing:
b.when_pressed = None
This doesn’t raise an error because it’s perfectly valid: it’s what you assign when you don’t want the event handler
to do anything. Instead, you want to do the following:
b.when_pressed = pushed
This will assign the function to the event handler without calling it. This is the crucial difference between
my_function (a reference to a function) and my_function() (the result of calling a function).
Note: Note that as of v1.5, setting a callback to None when it was previously None will raise a
CallbackSetToNone (page 216) warning, with the intention of alerting users when callbacks are set to None
accidentally. However, if this is intentional, the warning can be suppressed. See the warnings55 module for
reference.
9.3 Why do I get PinFactoryFallback warnings when I import gpi-
ozero?
You are most likely working in a virtual Python environment and have forgotten to install a pin driver library
like RPi.GPIO. GPIO Zero relies upon lower level pin drivers to handle interfacing to the GPIO pins on the
Raspberry Pi, so you can eliminate the warning simply by installing GPIO Zero’s first preference:
$ pip install rpi.gpio
When GPIO Zero is imported it attempts to find a pin driver by importing them in a preferred order (detailed in API
- Pins (page 195)). If it fails to load its first preference (RPi.GPIO) it notifies you with a warning, then falls back
to trying its second preference and so on. Eventually it will fall back all the way to the native implementation.
This is a pure Python implementation built into GPIO Zero itself. While this will work for most things it’s almost
certainly not what you want (it doesn’t support PWM, and it’s quite slow at certain things).
If you want to use a pin driver other than the default, and you want to suppress the warnings you’ve got a couple
of options:
1. Explicitly specify what pin driver you want via the GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY (page 74) environment
variable. For example:
$ GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=pigpio python3
54 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
55 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/warnings.html#module-warnings
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In this case no warning is issued because there’s no fallback; either the specified factory loads or it fails in
which case an ImportError56 will be raised.
2. Suppress the warnings and let the fallback mechanism work:
>>> import warnings
>>> warnings.simplefilter('ignore')
>>> import gpiozero
Refer to the warnings57 module documentation for more refined ways to filter out specific warning
classes.
9.4 How can I tell what version of gpiozero I have installed?
The gpiozero library relies on the setuptools package for installation services. You can use the setuptools
pkg_resources API to query which version of gpiozero is available in your Python environment like so:
>>> from pkg_resources import require
>>> require('gpiozero')
[gpiozero 1.4.1 (/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages)]
>>> require('gpiozero')[0].version
'1.4.1'
If you have multiple versions installed (e.g. from pip and apt) they will not show up in the list returned by the
pkg_resources.require() method. However, the first entry in the list will be the version that import
gpiozero will import.
If you receive the error “No module named pkg_resources”, you need to install pip. This can be done with the
following command in Raspbian:
$ sudo apt install python3-pip
Alternatively, install pip with get-pip58 .
9.5 Why do I get “command not found” when running pinout?
The gpiozero library is available as a Debian package for Python 2 and Python 3, but the cli_pinout tool cannot
be made available by both packages, so it’s only included with the Python 3 version of the package. To make sure
the cli_pinout tool is available, the “python3-gpiozero” package must be installed:
$ sudo apt install python3-gpiozero
Alternatively, installing gpiozero using pip will install the command line tool, regardless of Python version:
$ sudo pip3 install gpiozero
or:
$ sudo pip install gpiozero
56 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ImportError
57 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/warnings.html#module-warnings
58 https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/installing/
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9.6 The pinout command line tool incorrectly identifies my Rasp-
berry Pi model
If your Raspberry Pi model is new, it’s possible it wasn’t known about at the time of the gpiozero release you are
using. Ensure you have the latest version installed (remember, the cli_pinout tool usually comes from the Python
3 version of the package as noted in the previous FAQ).
If the Pi model you are using isn’t known to gpiozero, it may have been added since the last release. You can check
the GitHub issues59 to see if it’s been reported before, or check the commits60 on GitHub since the last release to
see if it’s been added. The model determination can be found in gpiozero/pins/data.py.
9.7 What’s the gpiozero equivalent of GPIO.cleanup()?
Many people ask how to do the equivalent of the cleanup function from RPi.GPIO. In gpiozero, at the end of
your script, cleanup is run automatically, restoring your GPIO pins to the state they were found.
To explicitly close a connection to a pin, you can manually call the close() (page 175) method on a device
object:
>>> led = LED(2)
>>> led.on()
>>> led
<gpiozero.LED object on pin GPIO2, active_high=True, is_active=True>
>>> led.close()
>>> led
<gpiozero.LED object closed>
This means that you can reuse the pin for another device, and that despite turning the LED on (and hence, the pin
high), after calling close() (page 175) it is restored to its previous state (LED off, pin low).
9.8 How do I use button.when_pressed and button.when_held to-
gether?
The Button (page 93) class provides a when_held (page 95) property which is used to set a callback for when
the button is held down for a set amount of time (as determined by the hold_time (page 95) property). If you
want to set when_held (page 95) as well as when_pressed (page 95), you’ll notice that both callbacks will
fire. Sometimes, this is acceptable, but often you’ll want to only fire the when_pressed (page 95) callback
when the button has not been held, only pressed.
The way to achieve this is to not set a callback on when_pressed (page 95), and instead use when_released
(page 95) to work out whether it had been held or just pressed:
from gpiozero import Button
Button.was_held = False
def held(btn):
btn.was_held = True
print("button was held not just pressed")
def released(btn):
if not btn.was_held:
pressed()
(continues on next page)
59 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues
60 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/commits/master
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(continued from previous page)
btn.was_held = False
def pressed():
print("button was pressed not held")
btn = Button(2)
btn.when_held = held
btn.when_released = released
9.9 Why do I get “ImportError: cannot import name” when trying
to import from gpiozero?
It’s common to see people name their first gpiozero script gpiozero.py. Unfortunately, this will cause your
script to try to import itself, rather than the gpiozero library from the libraries path. You’ll see an error like this:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "gpiozero.py", line 1, in <module>
from gpiozero import LED
File "/home/pi/gpiozero.py", line 1, in <module>
from gpiozero import LED
ImportError: cannot import name 'LED'
Simply rename your script to something else, and run it again. Be sure not to name any of your scripts the same
name as a Python module you may be importing, such as picamera.py.
9.10 Why do I get an AttributeError trying to set attributes on a
device object?
If you try to add an attribute to a gpiozero device object after its initialization, you’ll find you can’t:
>>> from gpiozero import Button
>>> btn = Button(2)
>>> btn.label = 'alarm'
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/gpiozero/devices.py", line 118, in __
˓→setattr__
self.__class__.__name__, name))
AttributeError: 'Button' object has no attribute 'label'
This is in order to prevent users accidentally setting new attributes by mistake. Because gpiozero provides func-
tionality through setting attributes via properties, such as callbacks on buttons (and often there is no immediate
feedback when setting a property), this could lead to bugs very difficult to find. Consider the following example:
from gpiozero import Button
def hello():
print("hello")
btn = Button(2)
btn.pressed = hello
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This is perfectly valid Python code, and no errors would occur, but the program would not behave as ex-
pected: pressing the button would do nothing, because the property for setting a callback is when_pressed
not pressed. But without gpiozero preventing this non-existent attribute from being set, the user would likely
struggle to see the mistake.
If you really want to set a new attribute on a device object, you need to create it in the class before initializing
your object:
>>> from gpiozero import Button
>>> Button.label = ''
>>> btn = Button(2)
>>> btn.label = 'alarm'
>>> def press(btn):
...: print(btn.label, "was pressed")
>>> btn.when_pressed = press
9.11 Why is it called GPIO Zero? Does it only work on Pi Zero?
gpiozero works on all Raspberry Pi models, not just the Pi Zero.
The “zero” is part of a naming convention for “zero-boilerplate” education friendly libraries, which started with
Pygame Zero61 , and has been followed by NetworkZero62 , guizero63 and more.
These libraries aim to remove barrier to entry and provide a smooth learning curve for beginners by making it easy
to get started and easy to build up to more advanced projects.
61 https://pygame-zero.readthedocs.io/en/stable/
62 https://networkzero.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
63 https://lawsie.github.io/guizero/
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CHAPTER 10
Migrating from RPi.GPIO
If you are familiar with the RPi.GPIO64 library, you will be used to writing code which deals with pins and the
state of pins. You will see from the examples in this documentation that we generally refer to things like LEDs
and Buttons rather than input pins and output pins.
GPIO Zero provides classes which represent devices, so instead of having a pin number and telling it to go high,
you have an LED and you tell it to turn on, and instead of having a pin number and asking if it’s high or low, you
have a button and ask if it’s pressed. There is also no boilerplate code to get started — you just import the parts
you need.
GPIO Zero provides many device classes, each with specific methods and properties bespoke to that device. For
example, the functionality for an HC-SR04 Distance Sensor can be found in the DistanceSensor (page 101)
class.
As well as specific device classes, we provide base classes InputDevice (page 107) and OutputDevice
(page 129). One main difference between these and the equivalents in RPi.GPIO is that they are classes, not
functions, which means that you initialize one to begin, and provide its pin number, but then you never need to
use the pin number again, as it’s stored by the object.
GPIO Zero was originally just a layer on top of RPi.GPIO, but we later added support for various other underlying
pin libraries. RPi.GPIO is currently the default pin library used. Read more about this in Changing the pin factory
(page 196).
10.1 Output devices
Turning an LED on in RPi.GPIO65 :
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setwarnings(False)
GPIO.setup(2, GPIO.OUT)
GPIO.output(2, GPIO.HIGH)
64 https://pypi.org/project/RPi.GPIO/
65 https://pypi.org/project/RPi.GPIO/
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Turning an LED on in GPIO Zero:
from gpiozero import LED
led = LED(2)
led.on()
The LED (page 111) class also supports threaded blinking through the blink() (page 112) method.
OutputDevice (page 129) is the base class for output devices, and can be used in a similar way to output
devices in RPi.GPIO.
See a full list of supported output devices (page 111). Other output devices have similar property and method
names. There is commonality in naming at base level, such as OutputDevice.is_active, which is aliased
in a device class, such as LED.is_lit (page 112).
10.2 Input devices
Reading a button press in RPi.GPIO66 :
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setwarnings(False)
GPIO.setup(4, GPIO.IN, GPIO.PUD_UP)
if not GPIO.input(4):
print("button is pressed")
Reading a button press in GPIO Zero:
from gpiozero import Button
btn = Button(4)
if btn.is_pressed:
print("button is pressed")
Note that in the RPi.GPIO example, the button is set up with the option GPIO.PUD_UP which means “pull-up”,
and therefore when the button is not pressed, the pin is high. When the button is pressed, the pin goes low, so the
condition requires negation (if not). If the button was configured as pull-down, the logic is reversed and the
condition would become if GPIO.input(4):
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setwarnings(False)
GPIO.setup(4, GPIO.IN, GPIO.PUD_DOWN)
if GPIO.input(4):
print("button is pressed")
In GPIO Zero, the default configuration for a button is pull-up, but this can be configured at initialization, and the
rest of the code stays the same:
66 https://pypi.org/project/RPi.GPIO/
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from gpiozero import Button
btn = Button(4, pull_up=False)
if btn.is_pressed:
print("button is pressed")
RPi.GPIO also supports blocking edge detection.
Wait for a pull-up button to be pressed in RPi.GPIO:
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setwarnings(False)
GPIO.setup(4, GPIO.IN, GPIO.PUD_UP)
GPIO.wait_for_edge(4, GPIO.FALLING):
print("button was pressed")
The equivalent in GPIO Zero:
from gpiozero import Buttons
btn = Button(4)
btn.wait_for_press()
print("button was pressed")
Again, if the button is pulled down, the logic is reversed. Instead of waiting for a falling edge, we’re waiting for a
rising edge:
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setwarnings(False)
GPIO.setup(4, GPIO.IN, GPIO.PUD_UP)
GPIO.wait_for_edge(4, GPIO.FALLING):
print("button was pressed")
Again, in GPIO Zero, the only difference is in the initialization:
from gpiozero import Buttons
btn = Button(4, pull_up=False)
btn.wait_for_press()
print("button was pressed")
RPi.GPIO has threaded callbacks. You create a function (which must take one argument), and pass it in to
add_event_detect, along with the pin number and the edge direction:
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setwarnings(False)
def pressed(pin):
print("button was pressed")
(continues on next page)
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(continued from previous page)
def released(pin):
print("button was released")
GPIO.setup(4, GPIO.IN, GPIO.PUD_UP)
GPIO.add_event_detect(4, GPIO.FALLING, pressed)
GPIO.add_event_detect(4, GPIO.RISING, released)
In GPIO Zero, you assign the when_pressed (page 95) and when_released (page 95) properties to set up
callbacks on those actions:
from gpiozero import Buttons
def pressed():
print("button was pressed")
def released():
print("button was released")
btn = Button(4)
btn.when_pressed = pressed
btn.when_released = released
when_held (page 95) is also provided, where the length of time considered a “hold” is configurable.
The callback functions don’t have to take any arguments, but if they take one, the button object is passed in,
allowing you to determine which button called the function.
InputDevice (page 107) is the base class for input devices, and can be used in a similar way to input devices
in RPi.GPIO.
See a full list of input devices (page 93). Other input devices have similar property and method names. There
is commonality in naming at base level, such as InputDevice.is_active (page 108), which is aliased in a
device class, such as Button.is_pressed (page 95) and LightSensor.light_detected (page 100).
10.3 Composite devices, boards and accessories
Some devices require connections to multiple pins, for example a distance sensor, a combination of LEDs or
a HAT. Some GPIO Zero devices comprise multiple device connections within one object, such as RGBLED
(page 115), LEDBoard (page 141), DistanceSensor (page 101), Motor (page 120) and Robot (page 155).
With RPi.GPIO, you would have one output pin for the trigger, and one input pin for the echo. You would
time the echo and calculate the distance. With GPIO Zero, you create a single DistanceSensor (page 101)
object, specifying the trigger and echo pins, and you would read the DistanceSensor.distance (page 102)
property which automatically calculates the distance within the implementation of the class.
The Motor (page 120) class controls two output pins to drive the motor forwards or backwards. The Robot
(page 155) class controls four output pins (two motors) in the right combination to drive a robot forwards or
backwards, and turn left and right.
The LEDBoard (page 141) class takes an arbitrary number of pins, each controlling a single LED. The resulting
LEDBoard (page 141) object can be used to control all LEDs together (all on / all off), or individually by index.
Also the object can be iterated over to turn LEDs on in order. See examples of this (including slicing) in the
advanced recipes (page 35).
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10.4 PWM (Pulse-width modulation)
Both libraries support software PWM control on any pin. Depending on the pin library used, GPIO Zero can also
support hardware PWM (using RPIOPin or PiGPIOPin).
A simple example of using PWM is to control the brightness of an LED.
In RPi.GPIO67 :
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
from time import sleep
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setwarnings(False)
GPIO.setup(2, GPIO.OUT)
pwm = GPIO.PWM(2, 100)
pwm.start(0)
for dc in range(100):
pwm.changeDutyCycle(dc)
sleep(0.01)
In GPIO Zero:
from gpiozero import PWMLED
from time import sleep
led = PWMLED(2)
for b in range(100):
led.value = b / 100
sleep(0.01)
PWMLED (page 113) has a blink() (page 113) method which can be used the same was as LED (page 111)’s
blink() (page 112) method, but its PWM capabilities allow for fade_in and fade_out options to be pro-
vided. There is also the pulse() (page 114) method which provides a neat way to have an LED fade in and out
repeatedly.
Other devices can make use of PWM, such as motors (for variable speed) and servos. See the Motor (page 120),
Servo (page 123) and AngularServo (page 124) classes for information on those. Motor (page 120) and
Robot (page 155) default to using PWM, but it can be disabled with pwm=False at initialization. Servos cannot
be used without PWM. Devices containing LEDs default to not using PWM, but pwm=True can be specified and
any LED objects within the device will be initialized as PWMLED (page 113) objects.
10.5 Cleanup
Pin state cleanup is explicit in RPi.GPIO, and is done manually with GPIO.cleanup() but in GPIO Zero,
cleanup is automatically performed on every pin used, at the end of the script. Manual cleanup is possible by use
of the close() (page 175) method on the device.
Read more in the relevant FAQ: What’s the gpiozero equivalent of GPIO.cleanup()? (page 78)
10.6 Pi Information
RPi.GPIO provides information about the Pi you’re using. The equivalent in GPIO Zero is the function
pi_info() (page 189):
67 https://pypi.org/project/RPi.GPIO/
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>>> from gpiozero import pi_info
>>> pi = pi_info()
>>> pi
PiBoardInfo(revision='a02082', model='3B', pcb_revision='1.2', released='2016Q1',
˓→soc='BCM2837', manufacturer='Sony', memory=1024, storage='MicroSD', usb=4,
˓→ethernet=1, wifi=True, bluetooth=True, csi=1, dsi=1, headers=..., board=...)
>>> pi.soc
'BCM2837'
>>> pi.wifi
True
Read more about what PiBoardInfo (page 189) provides.
10.7 More
GPIO Zero provides more than just GPIO device support, it includes some support for SPI devices (page 133)
including a range of analog to digital converters.
Device classes which are compatible with other GPIO devices, but have no relation to GPIO pins, such as
CPUTemperature (page 169), TimeOfDay (page 167), PingServer (page 168) and LoadAverage
(page 170) are also provided.
GPIO Zero features support for multiple pin libraries. The default is to use RPi.GPIO to control the pins, but
you can choose to use another library, such as pigpio, which supports network controlled GPIO. See Changing
the pin factory (page 196) and Configuring Remote GPIO (page 43) for more information.
It is possible to run GPIO Zero on your PC, both for remote GPIO and for testing purposes, using Mock pins
(page 197).
Another feature of this library is configuring devices to be connected together in a logical way, for example in one
line you can say that an LED and button are “paired”, i.e. the button being pressed turns the LED on. Read about
this in Source/Values (page 59).
10.8 FAQs
Note the following FAQs which may catch out users too familiar with RPi.GPIO:
• How do I keep my script running? (page 75)
• Why do I get PinFactoryFallback warnings when I import gpiozero? (page 76)
• What’s the gpiozero equivalent of GPIO.cleanup()? (page 78)
86 Chapter 10. Migrating from RPi.GPIO
CHAPTER 11
Contributing
Contributions to the library are welcome! Here are some guidelines to follow.
11.1 Suggestions
Please make suggestions for additional components or enhancements to the codebase by opening an issue68 ex-
plaining your reasoning clearly.
11.2 Bugs
Please submit bug reports by opening an issue69 explaining the problem clearly using code examples.
11.3 Documentation
The documentation source lives in the docs70 folder. Contributions to the documentation are welcome but should
be easy to read and understand.
11.4 Commit messages and pull requests
Commit messages should be concise but descriptive, and in the form of a patch description, i.e. instructional not
past tense (“Add LED example” not “Added LED example”).
Commits which close (or intend to close) an issue should include the phrase “fix #123” or “close #123” where
#123 is the issue number, as well as include a short description, for example: “Add LED example, close #123”,
and pull requests should aim to match or closely match the corresponding issue title.
Copyrights on submissions are owned by their authors (we don’t bother with copyright assignments), and we
assume that authors are happy for their code to be released under the project’s license (page 225). Do feel free
68 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues
69 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues
70 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/tree/master/docs
87
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
to add your name to the list of contributors in README.rst at the top level of the project in your pull request!
Don’t worry about adding your name to the copyright headers in whatever files you touch; these are updated
automatically from the git metadata before each release.
11.5 Backwards compatibility
Since this library reached v1.0 we aim to maintain backwards-compatibility thereafter. Changes which break
backwards-compatibility will not be accepted.
11.6 Python 2/3
The library is 100% compatible with both Python 2.7 and Python 3 from version 3.2 onwards. We intend to drop
Python 2 support in 2020 when Python 2 reaches end-of-life71 .
71 http://legacy.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0373/
88 Chapter 11. Contributing
CHAPTER 12
Development
The main GitHub repository for the project can be found at:
https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero
For anybody wishing to hack on the project, we recommend starting off by getting to grips with some simple de-
vice classes. Pick something like LED (page 111) and follow its heritage backward to DigitalOutputDevice
(page 127). Follow that back to OutputDevice (page 129) and you should have a good understanding of simple
output devices along with a grasp of how GPIO Zero relies fairly heavily upon inheritance to refine the function-
ality of devices. The same can be done for input devices, and eventually more complex devices (composites and
SPI based).
12.1 Development installation
If you wish to develop GPIO Zero itself, we recommend obtaining the source by cloning the GitHub repository
and then use the “develop” target of the Makefile which will install the package as a link to the cloned repository
allowing in-place development (it also builds a tags file for use with vim/emacs with Exuberant’s ctags utility).
The following example demonstrates this method within a virtual Python environment:
$ sudo apt install lsb-release build-essential git git-core \
exuberant-ctags virtualenvwrapper python-virtualenv python3-virtualenv \
python-dev python3-dev
After installing virtualenvwrapper you’ll need to restart your shell before commands like mkvirtualenv
will operate correctly. Once you’ve restarted your shell, continue:
$ cd
$ mkvirtualenv -p /usr/bin/python3 python-gpiozero
$ workon python-gpiozero
(python-gpiozero) $ git clone https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero.git
(python-gpiozero) $ cd python-gpiozero
(python-gpiozero) $ make develop
You will likely wish to install one or more pin implementations within the virtual environment (if you don’t,
GPIO Zero will use the “native” pin implementation which is usable at this stage, but doesn’t support facilities
like PWM):
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(python-gpiozero) $ pip install rpi.gpio pigpio
If you are working on SPI devices you may also wish to install the spidev package to provide hardware SPI
capabilities (again, GPIO Zero will work without this, but a big-banging software SPI implementation will be used
instead which limits bandwidth):
(python-gpiozero) $ pip install spidev
To pull the latest changes from git into your clone and update your installation:
$ workon python-gpiozero
(python-gpiozero) $ cd ~/python-gpiozero
(python-gpiozero) $ git pull
(python-gpiozero) $ make develop
To remove your installation, destroy the sandbox and the clone:
(python-gpiozero) $ deactivate
$ rmvirtualenv python-gpiozero
$ rm -fr ~/python-gpiozero
12.2 Building the docs
If you wish to build the docs, you’ll need a few more dependencies. Inkscape is used for conversion of SVGs to
other formats, Graphviz is used for rendering certain charts, and TeX Live is required for building PDF output.
The following command should install all required dependencies:
$ sudo apt install texlive-latex-recommended texlive-latex-extra \
texlive-fonts-recommended graphviz inkscape python-sphinx latexmk
Once these are installed, you can use the “doc” target to build the documentation:
$ workon python-gpiozero
(python-gpiozero) $ cd ~/python-gpiozero
(python-gpiozero) $ make doc
The HTML output is written to build/html while the PDF output goes to build/latex.
12.3 Test suite
If you wish to run the GPIO Zero test suite, follow the instructions in Development installation (page 89) above
and then make the “test” target within the sandbox. You’ll also need to install some pip packages:
$ workon python-gpiozero
(python-gpiozero) $ pip install coverage mock pytest
(python-gpiozero) $ cd ~/python-gpiozero
(python-gpiozero) $ make test
The test suite expects pins 22 and 27 (by default) to be wired together in order to run the “real” pin tests. The pins
used by the test suite can be overridden with the environment variables GPIOZERO_TEST_PIN (defaults to 22)
and GPIOZERO_TEST_INPUT_PIN (defaults to 27).
Warning: When wiring GPIOs together, ensure a load (like a 1KΩ resistor) is placed between them. Failure
to do so may lead to blown GPIO pins (your humble author has a fried GPIO27 as a result of such laziness,
although it did take many runs of the test suite before this occurred!).
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The test suite is also setup for usage with the tox utility, in which case it will attempt to execute the test suite with
all supported versions of Python. If you are developing under Ubuntu you may wish to look into the Dead Snakes
PPA72 in order to install old/new versions of Python; the tox setup should work with the version of tox shipped
with Ubuntu Xenial, but more features (like parallel test execution) are available with later versions.
On the subject of parallel test execution, this is also supported in the tox setup, including the “real” pin tests (a
file-system level lock is used to ensure different interpreters don’t try to access the physical pins simultaneously).
For example, to execute the test suite under tox, skipping interpreter versions which are not installed:
$ tox -s
To execute the test suite under all installed interpreter versions in parallel, using as many parallel tasks as there
are CPUs, then displaying a combined report of coverage from all environments:
$ tox -p auto -s
$ coverage combine --rcfile coverage.cfg
$ coverage report --rcfile coverage.cfg
72 https://launchpad.net/~deadsnakes/%2Barchive/ubuntu/ppa
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92 Chapter 12. Development
CHAPTER 13
API - Input Devices
These input device component interfaces have been provided for simple use of everyday components. Components
must be wired up correctly before use in code.
Note: All GPIO pin numbers use Broadcom (BCM) numbering by default. See the Pin Numbering (page 3)
section for more information.
13.1 Regular Classes
The following classes are intended for general use with the devices they represent. All classes in this section are
concrete (not abstract).
13.1.1 Button
class gpiozero.Button(pin, *, pull_up=True, active_state=None, bounce_time=None,
hold_time=1, hold_repeat=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends DigitalInputDevice (page 104) and represents a simple push button or switch.
Connect one side of the button to a ground pin, and the other to any GPIO pin. Alternatively, connect one
side of the button to the 3V3 pin, and the other to any GPIO pin, then set pull_up to False73 in the Button
(page 93) constructor.
The following example will print a line of text when the button is pushed:
from gpiozero import Button
button = Button(4)
button.wait_for_press()
print("The button was pressed!")
Parameters
73 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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• pin (int74 or str 75 ) – The GPIO pin which the button is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None76 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• pull_up (bool77 or None78 ) – If True79 (the default), the GPIO pin will be
pulled high by default. In this case, connect the other side of the button to ground.
If False80 , the GPIO pin will be pulled low by default. In this case, connect the other
side of the button to 3V3. If None81 , the pin will be floating, so it must be externally
pulled up or down and the active_state parameter must be set accordingly.
• active_state (bool82 or None83 ) – See description under InputDevice
(page 107) for more information.
• bounce_time (float84 or None85 ) – If None86 (the default), no software
bounce compensation will be performed. Otherwise, this is the length of time (in sec-
onds) that the component will ignore changes in state after an initial change.
• hold_time (float87 ) – The length of time (in seconds) to wait after the button is
pushed, until executing the when_held (page 95) handler. Defaults to 1.
• hold_repeat (bool88 ) – If True89 , the when_held (page 95) handler will be
repeatedly executed as long as the device remains active, every hold_time seconds. If
False90 (the default) the when_held (page 95) handler will be only be executed
once per hold.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None91 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
wait_for_press(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is activated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float92 or None93 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None94 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is active.
wait_for_release(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is deactivated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float95 or None96 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None97 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is inactive.
held_time
The length of time (in seconds) that the device has been held for. This is counted from the first
74 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
75 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
76 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
77 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
78 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
79 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
80 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
81 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
82 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
83 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
84 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
85 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
86 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
87 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
88 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
89 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
90 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
91 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
92 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
93 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
94 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
95 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
96 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
97 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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execution of the when_held (page 95) event rather than when the device activated, in contrast to
active_time (page 177). If the device is not currently held, this is None98 .
hold_repeat
If True99 , when_held (page 95) will be executed repeatedly with hold_time (page 95) seconds
between each invocation.
hold_time
The length of time (in seconds) to wait after the device is activated, until executing the when_held
(page 95) handler. If hold_repeat (page 95) is True, this is also the length of time between invo-
cations of when_held (page 95).
is_held
When True100 , the device has been active for at least hold_time (page 95) seconds.
is_pressed
Returns True101 if the device is currently active and False102 otherwise. This property is usually
derived from value (page 95). Unlike value (page 95), this is always a boolean.
pin
The Pin (page 199) that the device is connected to. This will be None103 if the device has been
closed (see the close() (page 175) method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query pin.number
to discover the GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
pull_up
If True104 , the device uses a pull-up resistor to set the GPIO pin “high” by default.
value
Returns 1 if the button is currently pressed, and 0 if it is not.
when_held
The function to run when the device has remained active for hold_time (page 95) seconds.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that activated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None105 (the default) to disable the event.
when_pressed
The function to run when the device changes state from inactive to active.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that activated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None106 (the default) to disable the event.
when_released
The function to run when the device changes state from active to inactive.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that deactivated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None107 (the default) to disable the event.
98 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
99 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
100 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
101 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
102 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
103 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
104 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
105 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
106 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
107 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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13.1.2 LineSensor (TRCT5000)
class gpiozero.LineSensor(pin, *, queue_len=5, sample_rate=100, threshold=0.5, par-
tial=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends SmoothedInputDevice (page 105) and represents a single pin line sensor like the TCRT5000
infra-red proximity sensor found in the CamJam #3 EduKit108 .
A typical line sensor has a small circuit board with three pins: VCC, GND, and OUT. VCC should be
connected to a 3V3 pin, GND to one of the ground pins, and finally OUT to the GPIO specified as the value
of the pin parameter in the constructor.
The following code will print a line of text indicating when the sensor detects a line, or stops detecting a
line:
from gpiozero import LineSensor
from signal import pause
sensor = LineSensor(4)
sensor.when_line = lambda: print('Line detected')
sensor.when_no_line = lambda: print('No line detected')
pause()
Parameters
• pin (int109 or str 110 ) – The GPIO pin which the sensor is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None111 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• pull_up (bool112 or None113 ) – See descrpition under InputDevice
(page 107) for more information.
• active_state (bool114 or None115 ) – See description under InputDevice
(page 107) for more information.
• queue_len (int116 ) – The length of the queue used to store values read from the
sensor. This defaults to 5.
• sample_rate (float117 ) – The number of values to read from the device (and ap-
pend to the internal queue) per second. Defaults to 100.
• threshold (float118 ) – Defaults to 0.5. When the average of all values in the
internal queue rises above this value, the sensor will be considered “active” by the
is_active (page 106) property, and all appropriate events will be fired.
• partial (bool119 ) – When False120 (the default), the object will not return a value
for is_active (page 106) until the internal queue has filled with values. Only set this
to True121 if you require values immediately after object construction.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None122 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
108 http://camjam.me/?page_id=1035
109 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
110 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
111 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
112 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
113 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
114 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
115 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
116 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
117 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
118 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
119 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
120 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
121 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
122 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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wait_for_line(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is deactivated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float123 or None124 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None125 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is inactive.
wait_for_no_line(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is activated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float126 or None127 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None128 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is active.
pin
The Pin (page 199) that the device is connected to. This will be None129 if the device has been
closed (see the close() (page 175) method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query pin.number
to discover the GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
value
Returns a value representing the average of the queued values. This is nearer 0 for black under the
sensor, and nearer 1 for white under the sensor.
when_line
The function to run when the device changes state from active to inactive.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that deactivated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None130 (the default) to disable the event.
when_no_line
The function to run when the device changes state from inactive to active.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that activated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None131 (the default) to disable the event.
13.1.3 MotionSensor (D-SUN PIR)
class gpiozero.MotionSensor(pin, *, queue_len=1, sample_rate=10, threshold=0.5, par-
tial=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends SmoothedInputDevice (page 105) and represents a passive infra-red (PIR) motion sensor like
the sort found in the CamJam #2 EduKit132 .
A typical PIR device has a small circuit board with three pins: VCC, OUT, and GND. VCC should be
connected to a 5V pin, GND to one of the ground pins, and finally OUT to the GPIO specified as the value
of the pin parameter in the constructor.
The following code will print a line of text when motion is detected:
from gpiozero import MotionSensor
pir = MotionSensor(4)
(continues on next page)
123 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
124 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
125 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
126 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
127 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
128 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
129 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
130 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
131 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
132 http://camjam.me/?page_id=623
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(continued from previous page)
pir.wait_for_motion()
print("Motion detected!")
Parameters
• pin (int133 or str 134 ) – The GPIO pin which the sensor is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None135 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• pull_up (bool136 or None137 ) – See descrpition under InputDevice
(page 107) for more information.
• active_state (bool138 or None139 ) – See description under InputDevice
(page 107) for more information.
• queue_len (int140 ) – The length of the queue used to store values read from the
sensor. This defaults to 1 which effectively disables the queue. If your motion sensor is
particularly “twitchy” you may wish to increase this value.
• sample_rate (float141 ) – The number of values to read from the device (and ap-
pend to the internal queue) per second. Defaults to 100.
• threshold (float142 ) – Defaults to 0.5. When the average of all values in the
internal queue rises above this value, the sensor will be considered “active” by the
is_active (page 106) property, and all appropriate events will be fired.
• partial (bool143 ) – When False144 (the default), the object will not return a value
for is_active (page 106) until the internal queue has filled with values. Only set this
to True145 if you require values immediately after object construction.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None146 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
wait_for_motion(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is activated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float147 or None148 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None149 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is active.
wait_for_no_motion(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is deactivated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float150 or None151 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None152 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is inactive.
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motion_detected
Returns True153 if the value (page 107) currently exceeds threshold (page 107) and False154
otherwise.
pin
The Pin (page 199) that the device is connected to. This will be None155 if the device has been
closed (see the close() (page 175) method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query pin.number
to discover the GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
value
With the default queue_len of 1, this is effectively boolean where 0 means no motion detected and
1 means motion detected. If you specify a queue_len greater than 1, this will be an averaged value
where values closer to 1 imply motion detection.
when_motion
The function to run when the device changes state from inactive to active.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that activated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None156 (the default) to disable the event.
when_no_motion
The function to run when the device changes state from active to inactive.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that deactivated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None157 (the default) to disable the event.
13.1.4 LightSensor (LDR)
class gpiozero.LightSensor(pin, *, queue_len=5, charge_time_limit=0.01, threshold=0.1, par-
tial=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends SmoothedInputDevice (page 105) and represents a light dependent resistor (LDR).
Connect one leg of the LDR to the 3V3 pin; connect one leg of a 1µF capacitor to a ground pin; connect
the other leg of the LDR and the other leg of the capacitor to the same GPIO pin. This class repeatedly
discharges the capacitor, then times the duration it takes to charge (which will vary according to the light
falling on the LDR).
The following code will print a line of text when light is detected:
from gpiozero import LightSensor
ldr = LightSensor(18)
ldr.wait_for_light()
print("Light detected!")
Parameters
• pin (int158 or str 159 ) – The GPIO pin which the sensor is attached to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None160 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
153 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
154 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
155 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
156 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
157 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
158 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
159 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
160 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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• queue_len (int161 ) – The length of the queue used to store values read from the
circuit. This defaults to 5.
• charge_time_limit (float162 ) – If the capacitor in the circuit takes longer than
this length of time to charge, it is assumed to be dark. The default (0.01 seconds) is
appropriate for a 1µF capacitor coupled with the LDR from the CamJam #2 EduKit163 .
You may need to adjust this value for different valued capacitors or LDRs.
• threshold (float164 ) – Defaults to 0.1. When the average of all values in the inter-
nal queue rises above this value, the area will be considered “light”, and all appropriate
events will be fired.
• partial (bool165 ) – When False166 (the default), the object will not return a value
for is_active (page 106) until the internal queue has filled with values. Only set this
to True167 if you require values immediately after object construction.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None168 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
wait_for_dark(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is deactivated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float169 or None170 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None171 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is inactive.
wait_for_light(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is activated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float172 or None173 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None174 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is active.
light_detected
Returns True175 if the value (page 107) currently exceeds threshold (page 107) and False176
otherwise.
pin
The Pin (page 199) that the device is connected to. This will be None177 if the device has been
closed (see the close() (page 175) method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query pin.number
to discover the GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
value
Returns a value between 0 (dark) and 1 (light).
when_dark
The function to run when the device changes state from active to inactive.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that deactivated will be passed as that parameter.
161 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
162 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
163 http://camjam.me/?page_id=623
164 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
165 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
166 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
167 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
168 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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174 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
175 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
176 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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Set this property to None178 (the default) to disable the event.
when_light
The function to run when the device changes state from inactive to active.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that activated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None179 (the default) to disable the event.
13.1.5 DistanceSensor (HC-SR04)
class gpiozero.DistanceSensor(echo, trigger, *, queue_len=30, max_distance=1, thresh-
old_distance=0.3, partial=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends SmoothedInputDevice (page 105) and represents an HC-SR04 ultrasonic distance sensor, as
found in the CamJam #3 EduKit180 .
The distance sensor requires two GPIO pins: one for the trigger (marked TRIG on the sensor) and another
for the echo (marked ECHO on the sensor). However, a voltage divider is required to ensure the 5V from
the ECHO pin doesn’t damage the Pi. Wire your sensor according to the following instructions:
1. Connect the GND pin of the sensor to a ground pin on the Pi.
2. Connect the TRIG pin of the sensor a GPIO pin.
3. Connect one end of a 330Ω resistor to the ECHO pin of the sensor.
4. Connect one end of a 470Ω resistor to the GND pin of the sensor.
5. Connect the free ends of both resistors to another GPIO pin. This forms the required voltage divider181 .
6. Finally, connect the VCC pin of the sensor to a 5V pin on the Pi.
Alternatively, 3V3 tolerant sensors (which no not require a voltage divider) are also available.
Note: If you do not have the precise values of resistor specified above, don’t worry! What matters is the
ratio of the resistors to each other.
You also don’t need to be absolutely precise; the voltage divider182 given above will actually output ~3V
(rather than 3.3V). A simple 2:3 ratio will give 3.333V which implies you can take three resistors of equal
value, use one of them instead of the 330Ω resistor, and two of them in series instead of the 470Ω resistor.
The following code will periodically report the distance measured by the sensor in cm assuming the TRIG
pin is connected to GPIO17, and the ECHO pin to GPIO18:
from gpiozero import DistanceSensor
from time import sleep
sensor = DistanceSensor(echo=18, trigger=17)
while True:
print('Distance: ', sensor.distance * 100)
sleep(1)
Note: For improved accuracy, use the pigpio pin driver rather than the default RPi.GPIO driver (pigpio
uses DMA sampling for much more precise edge timing). This is particularly relevant if you’re using Pi 1
or Pi Zero. See Changing the pin factory (page 196) for further information.
178 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
179 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
180 http://camjam.me/?page_id=1035
181 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_divider
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Parameters
• echo (int183 or str 184 ) – The GPIO pin which the ECHO pin is connected
to. See Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None185 a
GPIODeviceError (page 213) will be raised.
• trigger (int186 or str 187 ) – The GPIO pin which the TRIG pin is connected
to. See Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None188 a
GPIODeviceError (page 213) will be raised.
• queue_len (int189 ) – The length of the queue used to store values read from the
sensor. This defaults to 30.
• max_distance (float190 ) – The value (page 103) attribute reports a normalized
value between 0 (too close to measure) and 1 (maximum distance). This parameter
specifies the maximum distance expected in meters. This defaults to 1.
• threshold_distance (float191 ) – Defaults to 0.3. This is the distance (in me-
ters) that will trigger the in_range and out_of_range events when crossed.
• partial (bool192 ) – When False193 (the default), the object will not return a value
for is_active (page 106) until the internal queue has filled with values. Only set this
to True194 if you require values immediately after object construction.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None195 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
wait_for_in_range(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is deactivated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float196 or None197 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None198 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is inactive.
wait_for_out_of_range(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is activated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float199 or None200 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None201 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is active.
distance
Returns the current distance measured by the sensor in meters. Note that this property will have a
value between 0 and max_distance (page 102).
echo
Returns the Pin (page 199) that the sensor’s echo is connected to. This is simply an alias for the usual
pin (page 109) attribute.
183 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
184 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
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190 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
191 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
192 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
193 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
194 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
195 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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max_distance
The maximum distance that the sensor will measure in meters. This value is specified in the constructor
and is used to provide the scaling for the value (page 107) attribute. When distance (page 102)
is equal to max_distance (page 102), value (page 107) will be 1.
threshold_distance
The distance, measured in meters, that will trigger the when_in_range (page 103) and
when_out_of_range (page 103) events when crossed. This is simply a meter-scaled variant of
the usual threshold (page 107) attribute.
trigger
Returns the Pin (page 199) that the sensor’s trigger is connected to.
value
Returns a value between 0, indicating the reflector is either touching the sensor or is sufficiently near
that the sensor can’t tell the difference, and 1, indicating the reflector is at or beyond the specified
max_distance.
when_in_range
The function to run when the device changes state from active to inactive.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that deactivated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None202 (the default) to disable the event.
when_out_of_range
The function to run when the device changes state from inactive to active.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that activated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None203 (the default) to disable the event.
13.2 Base Classes
The classes in the sections above are derived from a series of base classes, some of which are effectively abstract.
The classes form the (partial) hierarchy displayed in the graph below (abstract classes are shaded lighter than
concrete classes):
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DistanceSensor
LightSensor
SmoothedInputDevice LineSensor
GPIODevice InputDevice
MotionSensor
DigitalInputDevice
Button
The following sections document these base classes for advanced users that wish to construct classes for their own
devices.
13.2.1 DigitalInputDevice
class gpiozero.DigitalInputDevice(pin, *, pull_up=False, active_state=None,
bounce_time=None, pin_factory=None)
Represents a generic input device with typical on/off behaviour.
This class extends InputDevice (page 107) with machinery to fire the active and inactive events for
devices that operate in a typical digital manner: straight forward on / off states with (reasonably) clean
transitions between the two.
Parameters
• pin (int204 or str 205 ) – The GPIO pin that the device is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None206 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• pull_up (bool207 or None208 ) – See descrpition under InputDevice
(page 107) for more information.
• active_state (bool209 or None210 ) – See description under InputDevice
(page 107) for more information.
• bounce_time (float211 or None212 ) – Specifies the length of time (in seconds)
that the component will ignore changes in state after an initial change. This defaults to
None213 which indicates that no bounce compensation will be performed.
204 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
205 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
206 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
207 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
208 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
209 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
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• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None214 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
wait_for_active(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is activated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float215 or None216 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None217 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is active.
wait_for_inactive(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is deactivated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float218 or None219 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None220 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is inactive.
active_time
The length of time (in seconds) that the device has been active for. When the device is inactive, this is
None221 .
inactive_time
The length of time (in seconds) that the device has been inactive for. When the device is active, this is
None222 .
value
Returns a value representing the device’s state. Frequently, this is a boolean value, or a number
between 0 and 1 but some devices use larger ranges (e.g. -1 to +1) and composite devices usually
use tuples to return the states of all their subordinate components.
when_activated
The function to run when the device changes state from inactive to active.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that activated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None223 (the default) to disable the event.
when_deactivated
The function to run when the device changes state from active to inactive.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that deactivated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None224 (the default) to disable the event.
13.2.2 SmoothedInputDevice
class gpiozero.SmoothedInputDevice(pin, *, pull_up=False, active_state=None, thresh-
old=0.5, queue_len=5, sample_wait=0.0, par-
tial=False, pin_factory=None)
Represents a generic input device which takes its value from the average of a queue of historical values.
This class extends InputDevice (page 107) with a queue which is filled by a background thread which
continually polls the state of the underlying device. The average (a configurable function) of the values in
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224 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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the queue is compared to a threshold which is used to determine the state of the is_active (page 106)
property.
Note: The background queue is not automatically started upon construction. This is to allow descendents
to set up additional components before the queue starts reading values. Effectively this is an abstract base
class.
This class is intended for use with devices which either exhibit analog behaviour (such as the charging time
of a capacitor with an LDR), or those which exhibit “twitchy” behaviour (such as certain motion sensors).
Parameters
• pin (int225 or str 226 ) – The GPIO pin that the device is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None227 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• pull_up (bool228 or None229 ) – See descrpition under InputDevice
(page 107) for more information.
• active_state (bool230 or None231 ) – See description under InputDevice
(page 107) for more information.
• threshold (float232 ) – The value above which the device will be considered “on”.
• queue_len (int233 ) – The length of the internal queue which is filled by the back-
ground thread.
• sample_wait (float234 ) – The length of time to wait between retrieving the state
of the underlying device. Defaults to 0.0 indicating that values are retrieved as fast as
possible.
• partial (bool235 ) – If False236 (the default), attempts to read the state of the device
(from the is_active (page 106) property) will block until the queue has filled. If
True237 , a value will be returned immediately, but be aware that this value is likely to
fluctuate excessively.
• average – The function used to average the values in the internal queue. This defaults
to statistics.median()238 which is a good selection for discarding outliers from
jittery sensors. The function specified must accept a sequence of numbers and return a
single number.
• ignore (frozenset239 or None240 ) – The set of values which the queue should
ignore, if returned from querying the device’s value.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None241 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
225 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
226 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
227 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
228 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
229 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
230 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
231 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
232 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
233 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
234 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
235 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
236 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
237 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
238 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/statistics.html#statistics.median
239 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#frozenset
240 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
241 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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is_active
Returns True242 if the value (page 107) currently exceeds threshold (page 107) and False243
otherwise.
partial
If False244 (the default), attempts to read the value (page 107) or is_active (page 106) proper-
ties will block until the queue has filled.
queue_len
The length of the internal queue of values which is averaged to determine the overall state of the
device. This defaults to 5.
threshold
If value (page 107) exceeds this amount, then is_active (page 106) will return True245 .
value
Returns the average of the values in the internal queue. This is compared to threshold (page 107)
to determine whether is_active (page 106) is True246 .
13.2.3 InputDevice
class gpiozero.InputDevice(pin, *, pull_up=False, active_state=None, pin_factory=None)
Represents a generic GPIO input device.
This class extends GPIODevice (page 108) to add facilities common to GPIO input devices. The construc-
tor adds the optional pull_up parameter to specify how the pin should be pulled by the internal resistors.
The is_active (page 108) property is adjusted accordingly so that True247 still means active regardless
of the pull_up setting.
Parameters
• pin (int248 or str 249 ) – The GPIO pin that the device is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None250 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• pull_up (bool251 or None252 ) – If True253 , the pin will be pulled high with an
internal resistor. If False254 (the default), the pin will be pulled low. If None255 , the
pin will be floating. As gpiozero cannot automatically guess the active state when not
pulling the pin, the active_state parameter must be passed.
• active_state (bool256 or None257 ) – If True258 , when the hardware pin state
is HIGH, the software pin is HIGH. If False259 , the input polarity is reversed: when
the hardware pin state is HIGH, the software pin state is LOW. Use this parameter to set
the active state of the underlying pin when configuring it as not pulled (when pull_up is
242 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
243 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
244 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
245 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
246 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
247 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
248 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
249 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
250 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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None260 ). When pull_up is True261 or False262 , the active state is automatically set
to the proper value.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None263 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
is_active
Returns True264 if the device is currently active and False265 otherwise. This property is usually
derived from value (page 108). Unlike value (page 108), this is always a boolean.
pull_up
If True266 , the device uses a pull-up resistor to set the GPIO pin “high” by default.
value
Returns a value representing the device’s state. Frequently, this is a boolean value, or a number
between 0 and 1 but some devices use larger ranges (e.g. -1 to +1) and composite devices usually
use tuples to return the states of all their subordinate components.
13.2.4 GPIODevice
class gpiozero.GPIODevice(pin, pin_factory=None)
Extends Device (page 175). Represents a generic GPIO device and provides the services common to all
single-pin GPIO devices (like ensuring two GPIO devices do no share a pin (page 109)).
Parameters pin (int267 or str 268 ) – The GPIO pin that the device is connected to. See
Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None269 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised. If the pin is already in use by another device, GPIOPinInUse
(page 213) will be raised.
close()
Shut down the device and release all associated resources. This method can be called on an already
closed device without raising an exception.
This method is primarily intended for interactive use at the command line. It disables the device and
releases its pin(s) for use by another device.
You can attempt to do this simply by deleting an object, but unless you’ve cleaned up all references
to the object this may not work (even if you’ve cleaned up all references, there’s still no guarantee the
garbage collector will actually delete the object at that point). By contrast, the close method provides
a means of ensuring that the object is shut down.
For example, if you have a breadboard with a buzzer connected to pin 16, but then wish to attach an
LED instead:
>>> from gpiozero import *
>>> bz = Buzzer(16)
>>> bz.on()
>>> bz.off()
>>> bz.close()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> led.blink()
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Device (page 175) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with270 statement.
For example:
>>> from gpiozero import *
>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... bz.on()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... led.on()
...
closed
Returns True271 if the device is closed (see the close() (page 108) method). Once a device is
closed you can no longer use any other methods or properties to control or query the device.
pin
The Pin (page 199) that the device is connected to. This will be None272 if the device has been
closed (see the close() (page 175) method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query pin.number
to discover the GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
value
Returns a value representing the device’s state. Frequently, this is a boolean value, or a number
between 0 and 1 but some devices use larger ranges (e.g. -1 to +1) and composite devices usually
use tuples to return the states of all their subordinate components.
270 https://docs.python.org/3.5/reference/compound_stmts.html#with
271 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
272 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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110 Chapter 13. API - Input Devices
CHAPTER 14
API - Output Devices
These output device component interfaces have been provided for simple use of everyday components. Compo-
nents must be wired up correctly before use in code.
Note: All GPIO pin numbers use Broadcom (BCM) numbering by default. See the Pin Numbering (page 3)
section for more information.
14.1 Regular Classes
The following classes are intended for general use with the devices they represent. All classes in this section are
concrete (not abstract).
14.1.1 LED
class gpiozero.LED(pin, *, active_high=True, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends DigitalOutputDevice (page 127) and represents a light emitting diode (LED).
Connect the cathode (short leg, flat side) of the LED to a ground pin; connect the anode (longer leg) to a
limiting resistor; connect the other side of the limiting resistor to a GPIO pin (the limiting resistor can be
placed either side of the LED).
The following example will light the LED:
from gpiozero import LED
led = LED(17)
led.on()
Parameters
• pin (int273 or str 274 ) – The GPIO pin which the LED is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None275 a GPIODeviceError
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(page 213) will be raised.
• active_high (bool276 ) – If True277 (the default), the LED will operate normally
with the circuit described above. If False278 you should wire the cathode to the GPIO
pin, and the anode to a 3V3 pin (via a limiting resistor).
• initial_value (bool279 or None280 ) – If False281 (the default), the LED will
be off initially. If None282 , the LED will be left in whatever state the pin is found in
when configured for output (warning: this can be on). If True283 , the LED will be
switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None284 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
blink(on_time=1, off_time=1, n=None, background=True)
Make the device turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float285 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float286 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• n (int287 or None288 ) – Number of times to blink; None289 (the default) means
forever.
• background (bool290 ) – If True291 (the default), start a background thread to
continue blinking and return immediately. If False292 , only return when the blink is
finished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
off()
Turns the device off.
on()
Turns the device on.
toggle()
Reverse the state of the device. If it’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
is_lit
Returns True293 if the device is currently active and False294 otherwise. This property is usually
derived from value (page 112). Unlike value (page 112), this is always a boolean.
pin
The Pin (page 199) that the device is connected to. This will be None295 if the device has been
closed (see the close() (page 175) method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query pin.number
to discover the GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
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value
Returns 1 if the device is currently active and 0 otherwise. Setting this property changes the state of
the device.
14.1.2 PWMLED
class gpiozero.PWMLED(pin, *, active_high=True, initial_value=0, frequency=100,
pin_factory=None)
Extends PWMOutputDevice (page 128) and represents a light emitting diode (LED) with variable bright-
ness.
A typical configuration of such a device is to connect a GPIO pin to the anode (long leg) of the LED, and
the cathode (short leg) to ground, with an optional resistor to prevent the LED from burning out.
Parameters
• pin (int296 or str 297 ) – The GPIO pin which the LED is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None298 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• active_high (bool299 ) – If True300 (the default), the on() (page 114) method
will set the GPIO to HIGH. If False301 , the on() (page 114) method will set the
GPIO to LOW (the off() (page 114) method always does the opposite).
• initial_value (float302 ) – If 0 (the default), the LED will be off initially. Other
values between 0 and 1 can be specified as an initial brightness for the LED. Note that
None303 cannot be specified (unlike the parent class) as there is no way to tell PWM
not to alter the state of the pin.
• frequency (int304 ) – The frequency (in Hz) of pulses emitted to drive the LED.
Defaults to 100Hz.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None305 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
blink(on_time=1, off_time=1, fade_in_time=0, fade_out_time=0, n=None, background=True)
Make the device turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float306 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float307 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float308 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
• fade_out_time (float309 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0.
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• n (int310 or None311 ) – Number of times to blink; None312 (the default) means
forever.
• background (bool313 ) – If True314 (the default), start a background thread to
continue blinking and return immediately. If False315 , only return when the blink is
finished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
off()
Turns the device off.
on()
Turns the device on.
pulse(fade_in_time=1, fade_out_time=1, n=None, background=True)
Make the device fade in and out repeatedly.
Parameters
• fade_in_time (float316 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float317 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• n (int318 or None319 ) – Number of times to pulse; None320 (the default) means
forever.
• background (bool321 ) – If True322 (the default), start a background thread to
continue pulsing and return immediately. If False323 , only return when the pulse is
finished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
toggle()
Toggle the state of the device. If the device is currently off (value (page 114) is 0.0), this changes
it to “fully” on (value (page 114) is 1.0). If the device has a duty cycle (value (page 114)) of 0.1,
this will toggle it to 0.9, and so on.
is_lit
Returns True324 if the device is currently active (value (page 114) is non-zero) and False325
otherwise.
pin
The Pin (page 199) that the device is connected to. This will be None326 if the device has been
closed (see the close() (page 175) method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query pin.number
to discover the GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
value
The duty cycle of the PWM device. 0.0 is off, 1.0 is fully on. Values in between may be specified for
varying levels of power in the device.
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14.1.3 RGBLED
class gpiozero.RGBLED(red, green, blue, *, active_high=True, initial_value=(0, 0, 0), pwm=True,
pin_factory=None)
Extends Device (page 175) and represents a full color LED component (composed of red, green, and blue
LEDs).
Connect the common cathode (longest leg) to a ground pin; connect each of the other legs (representing the
red, green, and blue anodes) to any GPIO pins. You should use three limiting resistors (one per anode).
The following code will make the LED yellow:
from gpiozero import RGBLED
led = RGBLED(2, 3, 4)
led.color = (1, 1, 0)
The colorzero327 library is also supported:
from gpiozero import RGBLED
from colorzero import Color
led = RGBLED(2, 3, 4)
led.color = Color('yellow')
Parameters
• red (int328 or str 329 ) – The GPIO pin that controls the red component of the
RGB LED. See Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None330 a
GPIODeviceError (page 213) will be raised.
• green (int331 or str 332 ) – The GPIO pin that controls the green component of the
RGB LED.
• blue (int333 or str 334 ) – The GPIO pin that controls the blue component of the
RGB LED.
• active_high (bool335 ) – Set to True336 (the default) for common cathode RGB
LEDs. If you are using a common anode RGB LED, set this to False337 .
• initial_value (Color 338 or tuple339 ) – The initial color for the RGB LED.
Defaults to black (0, 0, 0).
• pwm (bool340 ) – If True341 (the default), construct PWMLED (page 113) instances
for each component of the RGBLED. If False342 , construct regular LED (page 111)
instances, which prevents smooth color graduations.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None343 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
327 https://colorzero.readthedocs.io/
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336 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
337 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
338 https://colorzero.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api_color.html#colorzero.Color
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340 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
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blink(on_time=1, off_time=1, fade_in_time=0, fade_out_time=0, on_color=(1, 1, 1),
off_color=(0, 0, 0), n=None, background=True)
Make the device turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float344 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float345 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float346 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
Must be 0 if pwm was False347 when the class was constructed (ValueError348
will be raised if not).
• fade_out_time (float349 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults to
0. Must be 0 if pwm was False350 when the class was constructed (ValueError351
will be raised if not).
• on_color (Color 352 or tuple353 ) – The color to use when the LED is “on”.
Defaults to white.
• off_color (Color 354 or tuple355 ) – The color to use when the LED is “off”.
Defaults to black.
• n (int356 or None357 ) – Number of times to blink; None358 (the default) means
forever.
• background (bool359 ) – If True360 (the default), start a background thread to
continue blinking and return immediately. If False361 , only return when the blink is
finished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
off()
Turn the LED off. This is equivalent to setting the LED color to black (0, 0, 0).
on()
Turn the LED on. This equivalent to setting the LED color to white (1, 1, 1).
pulse(fade_in_time=1, fade_out_time=1, on_color=(1, 1, 1), off_color=(0, 0, 0), n=None, back-
ground=True)
Make the device fade in and out repeatedly.
Parameters
• fade_in_time (float362 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float363 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
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352 https://colorzero.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api_color.html#colorzero.Color
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• on_color (Color 364 or tuple365 ) – The color to use when the LED is “on”.
Defaults to white.
• off_color (Color 366 or tuple367 ) – The color to use when the LED is “off”.
Defaults to black.
• n (int368 or None369 ) – Number of times to pulse; None370 (the default) means
forever.
• background (bool371 ) – If True372 (the default), start a background thread to
continue pulsing and return immediately. If False373 , only return when the pulse is
finished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
toggle()
Toggle the state of the device. If the device is currently off (value (page 117) is (0, 0, 0)), this
changes it to “fully” on (value (page 117) is (1, 1, 1)). If the device has a specific color, this
method inverts the color.
blue
Represents the blue element of the LED as a Blue374 object.
color
Represents the color of the LED as a Color375 object.
green
Represents the green element of the LED as a Green376 object.
is_lit
Returns True377 if the LED is currently active (not black) and False378 otherwise.
red
Represents the red element of the LED as a Red379 object.
value
Represents the color of the LED as an RGB 3-tuple of (red, green, blue) where each value is
between 0 and 1 if pwm was True380 when the class was constructed (and only 0 or 1 if not).
For example, red would be (1, 0, 0) and yellow would be (1, 1, 0), while orange would be
(1, 0.5, 0).
14.1.4 Buzzer
class gpiozero.Buzzer(pin, *, active_high=True, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends DigitalOutputDevice (page 127) and represents a digital buzzer component.
Note: This interface is only capable of simple on/off commands, and is not capable of playing a variety of
tones (see TonalBuzzer (page 119)).
364 https://colorzero.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api_color.html#colorzero.Color
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372 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
373 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
374 https://colorzero.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api_color.html#colorzero.Blue
375 https://colorzero.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api_color.html#colorzero.Color
376 https://colorzero.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api_color.html#colorzero.Green
377 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
378 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
379 https://colorzero.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api_color.html#colorzero.Red
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Connect the cathode (negative pin) of the buzzer to a ground pin; connect the other side to any GPIO pin.
The following example will sound the buzzer:
from gpiozero import Buzzer
bz = Buzzer(3)
bz.on()
Parameters
• pin (int381 or str 382 ) – The GPIO pin which the buzzer is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None383 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• active_high (bool384 ) – If True385 (the default), the buzzer will operate normally
with the circuit described above. If False386 you should wire the cathode to the GPIO
pin, and the anode to a 3V3 pin.
• initial_value (bool387 or None388 ) – If False389 (the default), the buzzer
will be silent initially. If None390 , the buzzer will be left in whatever state the pin is
found in when configured for output (warning: this can be on). If True391 , the buzzer
will be switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None392 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
beep(on_time=1, off_time=1, n=None, background=True)
Make the device turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float393 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float394 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• n (int395 or None396 ) – Number of times to blink; None397 (the default) means
forever.
• background (bool398 ) – If True399 (the default), start a background thread to
continue blinking and return immediately. If False400 , only return when the blink is
finished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
off()
Turns the device off.
381 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
382 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
383 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
384 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
385 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
386 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
387 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
388 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
389 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
390 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
391 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
392 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
393 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
394 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
395 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
396 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
397 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
398 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
399 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
400 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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on()
Turns the device on.
toggle()
Reverse the state of the device. If it’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
is_active
Returns True401 if the device is currently active and False402 otherwise. This property is usually
derived from value (page 119). Unlike value (page 119), this is always a boolean.
pin
The Pin (page 199) that the device is connected to. This will be None403 if the device has been
closed (see the close() (page 175) method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query pin.number
to discover the GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
value
Returns 1 if the device is currently active and 0 otherwise. Setting this property changes the state of
the device.
14.1.5 TonalBuzzer
class gpiozero.TonalBuzzer(pin, *, initial_value=None, mid_tone=Tone(’A4’), octaves=1,
pin_factory=None)
Extends CompositeDevice (page 164) and represents a tonal buzzer.
Parameters
• pin (int404 or str 405 ) – The GPIO pin which the buzzer is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None406 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• initial_value (float407 ) – If None408 (the default), the buzzer will be off ini-
tially. Values between -1 and 1 can be specified as an initial value for the buzzer.
• mid_tone (int409 or str 410 ) – The tone which is represented the device’s middle
value (0). The default is “A4” (MIDI note 69).
• octaves (int411 ) – The number of octaves to allow away from the base note. The
default is 1, meaning a value of -1 goes one octave below the base note, and one above,
i.e. from A3 to A5 with the default base note of A4.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None412 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
Note: Note that this class does not currently work with PiGPIOFactory (page 208).
play(tone)
Play the given tone. This can either be an instance of Tone (page 187) or can be anything that could
be used to construct an instance of Tone (page 187).
For example:
401 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
402 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
403 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
404 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
405 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
406 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
407 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
408 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
409 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
410 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
411 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
412 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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>>> from gpiozero import TonalBuzzer
>>> from gpiozero.tones import Tone
>>> b = TonalBuzzer(17)
>>> b.play(Tone("A4"))
>>> b.play(Tone(220.0)) # Hz
>>> b.play(Tone(60)) # middle C in MIDI notation
>>> b.play("A4")
>>> b.play(220.0)
>>> b.play(60)
stop()
Turn the buzzer off. This is equivalent to setting value (page 120) to None413 .
is_active
Returns True414 if the buzzer is currently playing, otherwise False415 .
max_tone
The highest tone that the buzzer can play, i.e. the tone played when value (page 120) is 1.
mid_tone
The middle tone available, i.e. the tone played when value (page 120) is 0.
min_tone
The lowest tone that the buzzer can play, i.e. the tone played when value (page 120) is -1.
octaves
The number of octaves available (above and below mid_tone).
tone
Returns the Tone (page 187) that the buzzer is currently playing, or None416 if the buzzer is silent.
This property can also be set to play the specified tone.
value
Represents the state of the buzzer as a value between -1 (representing the minimum tone) and 1 (rep-
resenting the maximum tone). This can also be the special value None417 indicating that the buzzer is
currently silent.
14.1.6 Motor
class gpiozero.Motor(forward, backward, *, pwm=True, pin_factory=None)
Extends CompositeDevice (page 164) and represents a generic motor connected to a bi-directional
motor driver circuit (i.e. an H-bridge418 ).
Attach an H-bridge419 motor controller to your Pi; connect a power source (e.g. a battery pack or the 5V
pin) to the controller; connect the outputs of the controller board to the two terminals of the motor; connect
the inputs of the controller board to two GPIO pins.
The following code will make the motor turn “forwards”:
from gpiozero import Motor
motor = Motor(17, 18)
motor.forward()
Parameters
413 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
414 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
415 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
416 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
417 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
418 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H_bridge
419 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H_bridge
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• forward (int420 or str 421 ) – The GPIO pin that the forward input of the motor
driver chip is connected to. See Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this
is None422 a GPIODeviceError (page 213) will be raised.
• backward (int423 or str 424 ) – The GPIO pin that the backward input of the motor
driver chip is connected to. See Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this
is None425 a GPIODeviceError (page 213) will be raised.
• enable (int426 or str 427 or None428 ) – The GPIO pin that enables the motor.
Required for some motor controller boards. See Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin
numbers.
• pwm (bool429 ) – If True430 (the default), construct PWMOutputDevice (page 128)
instances for the motor controller pins, allowing both direction and variable speed con-
trol. If False431 , construct DigitalOutputDevice (page 127) instances, allowing
only direction control.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None432 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
backward(speed=1)
Drive the motor backwards.
Parameters speed (float433 ) – The speed at which the motor should turn. Can be any
value between 0 (stopped) and the default 1 (maximum speed) if pwm was True434
when the class was constructed (and only 0 or 1 if not).
forward(speed=1)
Drive the motor forwards.
Parameters speed (float435 ) – The speed at which the motor should turn. Can be any
value between 0 (stopped) and the default 1 (maximum speed) if pwm was True436
when the class was constructed (and only 0 or 1 if not).
reverse()
Reverse the current direction of the motor. If the motor is currently idle this does nothing. Otherwise,
the motor’s direction will be reversed at the current speed.
stop()
Stop the motor.
is_active
Returns True437 if the motor is currently running and False438 otherwise.
value
Represents the speed of the motor as a floating point value between -1 (full speed backward) and 1
(full speed forward), with 0 representing stopped.
420 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
421 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
422 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
423 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
424 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
425 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
426 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
427 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
428 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
429 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
430 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
431 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
432 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
433 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
434 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
435 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
436 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
437 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
438 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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14.1.7 PhaseEnableMotor
class gpiozero.PhaseEnableMotor(phase, enable, *, pwm=True, pin_factory=None)
Extends CompositeDevice (page 164) and represents a generic motor connected to a Phase/Enable
motor driver circuit; the phase of the driver controls whether the motor turns forwards or backwards, while
enable controls the speed with PWM.
The following code will make the motor turn “forwards”:
from gpiozero import PhaseEnableMotor
motor = PhaseEnableMotor(12, 5)
motor.forward()
Parameters
• phase (int439 or str 440 ) – The GPIO pin that the phase (direction) input of the
motor driver chip is connected to. See Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers.
If this is None441 a GPIODeviceError (page 213) will be raised.
• enable (int442 or str 443 ) – The GPIO pin that the enable (speed) input of the
motor driver chip is connected to. See Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers.
If this is None444 a GPIODeviceError (page 213) will be raised.
• pwm (bool445 ) – If True446 (the default), construct PWMOutputDevice (page 128)
instances for the motor controller pins, allowing both direction and variable speed con-
trol. If False447 , construct DigitalOutputDevice (page 127) instances, allowing
only direction control.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None448 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
backward(speed=1)
Drive the motor backwards.
Parameters speed (float449 ) – The speed at which the motor should turn. Can be any
value between 0 (stopped) and the default 1 (maximum speed).
forward(speed=1)
Drive the motor forwards.
Parameters speed (float450 ) – The speed at which the motor should turn. Can be any
value between 0 (stopped) and the default 1 (maximum speed).
reverse()
Reverse the current direction of the motor. If the motor is currently idle this does nothing. Otherwise,
the motor’s direction will be reversed at the current speed.
stop()
Stop the motor.
is_active
Returns True451 if the motor is currently running and False452 otherwise.
439 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
440 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
441 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
442 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
443 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
444 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
445 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
446 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
447 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
448 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
449 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
450 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
451 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
452 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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value
Represents the speed of the motor as a floating point value between -1 (full speed backward) and 1
(full speed forward).
14.1.8 Servo
class gpiozero.Servo(pin, *, initial_value=0, min_pulse_width=1/1000,
max_pulse_width=2/1000, frame_width=20/1000, pin_factory=None)
Extends CompositeDevice (page 164) and represents a PWM-controlled servo motor connected to a
GPIO pin.
Connect a power source (e.g. a battery pack or the 5V pin) to the power cable of the servo (this is typically
colored red); connect the ground cable of the servo (typically colored black or brown) to the negative of
your battery pack, or a GND pin; connect the final cable (typically colored white or orange) to the GPIO
pin you wish to use for controlling the servo.
The following code will make the servo move between its minimum, maximum, and mid-point positions
with a pause between each:
from gpiozero import Servo
from time import sleep
servo = Servo(17)
while True:
servo.min()
sleep(1)
servo.mid()
sleep(1)
servo.max()
sleep(1)
Parameters
• pin (int453 or str 454 ) – The GPIO pin that the servo is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None455 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• initial_value (float456 ) – If 0 (the default), the device’s mid-point will be set
initially. Other values between -1 and +1 can be specified as an initial position. None457
means to start the servo un-controlled (see value (page 124)).
• min_pulse_width (float458 ) – The pulse width corresponding to the servo’s min-
imum position. This defaults to 1ms.
• max_pulse_width (float459 ) – The pulse width corresponding to the servo’s max-
imum position. This defaults to 2ms.
• frame_width (float460 ) – The length of time between servo control pulses mea-
sured in seconds. This defaults to 20ms which is a common value for servos.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None461 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
453 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
454 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
455 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
456 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
457 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
458 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
459 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
460 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
461 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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detach()
Temporarily disable control of the servo. This is equivalent to setting value (page 124) to None462 .
max()
Set the servo to its maximum position.
mid()
Set the servo to its mid-point position.
min()
Set the servo to its minimum position.
frame_width
The time between control pulses, measured in seconds.
is_active
Composite devices are considered “active” if any of their constituent devices have a “truthy” value.
max_pulse_width
The control pulse width corresponding to the servo’s maximum position, measured in seconds.
min_pulse_width
The control pulse width corresponding to the servo’s minimum position, measured in seconds.
pulse_width
Returns the current pulse width controlling the servo.
value
Represents the position of the servo as a value between -1 (the minimum position) and +1 (the max-
imum position). This can also be the special value None463 indicating that the servo is currently
“uncontrolled”, i.e. that no control signal is being sent. Typically this means the servo’s position
remains unchanged, but that it can be moved by hand.
14.1.9 AngularServo
class gpiozero.AngularServo(pin, *, initial_angle=0, min_angle=-90, max_angle=90,
min_pulse_width=1/1000, max_pulse_width=2/1000,
frame_width=20/1000, pin_factory=None)
Extends Servo (page 123) and represents a rotational PWM-controlled servo motor which can be set to
particular angles (assuming valid minimum and maximum angles are provided to the constructor).
Connect a power source (e.g. a battery pack or the 5V pin) to the power cable of the servo (this is typically
colored red); connect the ground cable of the servo (typically colored black or brown) to the negative of
your battery pack, or a GND pin; connect the final cable (typically colored white or orange) to the GPIO
pin you wish to use for controlling the servo.
Next, calibrate the angles that the servo can rotate to. In an interactive Python session, construct a Servo
(page 123) instance. The servo should move to its mid-point by default. Set the servo to its minimum value,
and measure the angle from the mid-point. Set the servo to its maximum value, and again measure the angle:
>>> from gpiozero import Servo
>>> s = Servo(17)
>>> s.min() # measure the angle
>>> s.max() # measure the angle
You should now be able to construct an AngularServo (page 124) instance with the correct bounds:
>>> from gpiozero import AngularServo
>>> s = AngularServo(17, min_angle=-42, max_angle=44)
>>> s.angle = 0.0
>>> s.angle
(continues on next page)
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463 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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(continued from previous page)
0.0
>>> s.angle = 15
>>> s.angle
15.0
Note: You can set min_angle greater than max_angle if you wish to reverse the sense of the angles (e.g.
min_angle=45, max_angle=-45). This can be useful with servos that rotate in the opposite direction
to your expectations of minimum and maximum.
Parameters
• pin (int464 or str 465 ) – The GPIO pin that the servo is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None466 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• initial_angle (float467 ) – Sets the servo’s initial angle to the specified value.
The default is 0. The value specified must be between min_angle and max_angle inclu-
sive. None468 means to start the servo un-controlled (see value (page 126)).
• min_angle (float469 ) – Sets the minimum angle that the servo can rotate to. This
defaults to -90, but should be set to whatever you measure from your servo during
calibration.
• max_angle (float470 ) – Sets the maximum angle that the servo can rotate to. This
defaults to 90, but should be set to whatever you measure from your servo during cali-
bration.
• min_pulse_width (float471 ) – The pulse width corresponding to the servo’s min-
imum position. This defaults to 1ms.
• max_pulse_width (float472 ) – The pulse width corresponding to the servo’s max-
imum position. This defaults to 2ms.
• frame_width (float473 ) – The length of time between servo control pulses mea-
sured in seconds. This defaults to 20ms which is a common value for servos.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None474 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
max()
Set the servo to its maximum position.
mid()
Set the servo to its mid-point position.
min()
Set the servo to its minimum position.
angle
The position of the servo as an angle measured in degrees. This will only be accurate if min_angle
(page 126) and max_angle (page 126) have been set appropriately in the constructor.
464 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
465 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
466 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
467 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
468 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
469 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
470 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
471 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
472 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
473 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
474 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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This can also be the special value None475 indicating that the servo is currently “uncontrolled”, i.e.
that no control signal is being sent. Typically this means the servo’s position remains unchanged, but
that it can be moved by hand.
is_active
Composite devices are considered “active” if any of their constituent devices have a “truthy” value.
max_angle
The maximum angle that the servo will rotate to when max() (page 125) is called.
min_angle
The minimum angle that the servo will rotate to when min() (page 125) is called.
value
Represents the position of the servo as a value between -1 (the minimum position) and +1 (the max-
imum position). This can also be the special value None476 indicating that the servo is currently
“uncontrolled”, i.e. that no control signal is being sent. Typically this means the servo’s position
remains unchanged, but that it can be moved by hand.
14.2 Base Classes
The classes in the sections above are derived from a series of base classes, some of which are effectively abstract.
The classes form the (partial) hierarchy displayed in the graph below (abstract classes are shaded lighter than
concrete classes):
Buzzer
DigitalOutputDevice LED
GPIODevice OutputDevice PWMOutputDevice PWMLED
Device RGBLED Servo AngularServo
CompositeDevice Motor
PhaseEnableMotor
TonalBuzzer
The following sections document these base classes for advanced users that wish to construct classes for their own
devices.
475 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
476 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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14.2.1 DigitalOutputDevice
class gpiozero.DigitalOutputDevice(pin, *, active_high=True, initial_value=False,
pin_factory=None)
Represents a generic output device with typical on/off behaviour.
This class extends OutputDevice (page 129) with a blink() (page 127) method which uses an optional
background thread to handle toggling the device state without further interaction.
Parameters
• pin (int477 or str 478 ) – The GPIO pin that the device is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None479 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• active_high (bool480 ) – If True481 (the default), the on() (page 127) method
will set the GPIO to HIGH. If False482 , the on() (page 127) method will set the
GPIO to LOW (the off() (page 127) method always does the opposite).
• initial_value (bool483 or None484 ) – If False485 (the default), the device
will be off initially. If None486 , the device will be left in whatever state the pin is found
in when configured for output (warning: this can be on). If True487 , the device will be
switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None488 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
blink(on_time=1, off_time=1, n=None, background=True)
Make the device turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float489 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float490 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• n (int491 or None492 ) – Number of times to blink; None493 (the default) means
forever.
• background (bool494 ) – If True495 (the default), start a background thread to
continue blinking and return immediately. If False496 , only return when the blink is
finished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
off()
Turns the device off.
on()
Turns the device on.
477 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
478 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
479 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
480 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
481 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
482 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
483 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
484 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
485 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
486 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
487 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
488 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
489 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
490 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
491 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
492 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
493 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
494 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
495 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
496 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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value
Returns 1 if the device is currently active and 0 otherwise. Setting this property changes the state of
the device.
14.2.2 PWMOutputDevice
class gpiozero.PWMOutputDevice(pin, *, active_high=True, initial_value=0, frequency=100,
pin_factory=None)
Generic output device configured for pulse-width modulation (PWM).
Parameters
• pin (int497 or str 498 ) – The GPIO pin that the device is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None499 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• active_high (bool500 ) – If True501 (the default), the on() (page 129) method
will set the GPIO to HIGH. If False502 , the on() (page 129) method will set the
GPIO to LOW (the off() (page 129) method always does the opposite).
• initial_value (float503 ) – If 0 (the default), the device’s duty cycle will be 0
initially. Other values between 0 and 1 can be specified as an initial duty cycle. Note
that None504 cannot be specified (unlike the parent class) as there is no way to tell PWM
not to alter the state of the pin.
• frequency (int505 ) – The frequency (in Hz) of pulses emitted to drive the device.
Defaults to 100Hz.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None506 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
blink(on_time=1, off_time=1, fade_in_time=0, fade_out_time=0, n=None, background=True)
Make the device turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float507 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float508 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float509 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
• fade_out_time (float510 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0.
• n (int511 or None512 ) – Number of times to blink; None513 (the default) means
forever.
497 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
498 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
499 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
500 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
501 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
502 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
503 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
504 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
505 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
506 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
507 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
508 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
509 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
510 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
511 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
512 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
513 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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• background (bool514 ) – If True515 (the default), start a background thread to
continue blinking and return immediately. If False516 , only return when the blink is
finished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
off()
Turns the device off.
on()
Turns the device on.
pulse(fade_in_time=1, fade_out_time=1, n=None, background=True)
Make the device fade in and out repeatedly.
Parameters
• fade_in_time (float517 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float518 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• n (int519 or None520 ) – Number of times to pulse; None521 (the default) means
forever.
• background (bool522 ) – If True523 (the default), start a background thread to
continue pulsing and return immediately. If False524 , only return when the pulse is
finished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
toggle()
Toggle the state of the device. If the device is currently off (value (page 129) is 0.0), this changes
it to “fully” on (value (page 129) is 1.0). If the device has a duty cycle (value (page 129)) of 0.1,
this will toggle it to 0.9, and so on.
frequency
The frequency of the pulses used with the PWM device, in Hz. The default is 100Hz.
is_active
Returns True525 if the device is currently active (value (page 129) is non-zero) and False526
otherwise.
value
The duty cycle of the PWM device. 0.0 is off, 1.0 is fully on. Values in between may be specified for
varying levels of power in the device.
14.2.3 OutputDevice
class gpiozero.OutputDevice(pin, *, active_high=True, initial_value=False,
pin_factory=None)
Represents a generic GPIO output device.
This class extends GPIODevice (page 108) to add facilities common to GPIO output devices: an on()
(page 130) method to switch the device on, a corresponding off() (page 130) method, and a toggle()
(page 130) method.
514 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
515 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
516 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
517 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
518 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
519 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
520 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
521 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
522 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
523 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
524 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
525 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
526 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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Parameters
• pin (int527 or str 528 ) – The GPIO pin that the device is connected to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None529 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised.
• active_high (bool530 ) – If True531 (the default), the on() (page 130) method
will set the GPIO to HIGH. If False532 , the on() (page 130) method will set the
GPIO to LOW (the off() (page 130) method always does the opposite).
• initial_value (bool533 or None534 ) – If False535 (the default), the device
will be off initially. If None536 , the device will be left in whatever state the pin is found
in when configured for output (warning: this can be on). If True537 , the device will be
switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None538 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
off()
Turns the device off.
on()
Turns the device on.
toggle()
Reverse the state of the device. If it’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
active_high
When True539 , the value (page 130) property is True540 when the device’s pin (page 109) is
high. When False541 the value (page 130) property is True542 when the device’s pin is low (i.e.
the value is inverted).
This property can be set after construction; be warned that changing it will invert value (page 130)
(i.e. changing this property doesn’t change the device’s pin state - it just changes how that state is
interpreted).
value
Returns 1 if the device is currently active and 0 otherwise. Setting this property changes the state of
the device.
14.2.4 GPIODevice
class gpiozero.GPIODevice(pin, *, pin_factory=None)
Extends Device (page 175). Represents a generic GPIO device and provides the services common to all
single-pin GPIO devices (like ensuring two GPIO devices do no share a pin (page 109)).
Parameters pin (int543 or str 544 ) – The GPIO pin that the device is connected to. See
527 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
528 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
529 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
530 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
531 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
532 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
533 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
534 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
535 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
536 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
537 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
538 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
539 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
540 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
541 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
542 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
543 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
544 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
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Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. If this is None545 a GPIODeviceError
(page 213) will be raised. If the pin is already in use by another device, GPIOPinInUse
(page 213) will be raised.
close()
Shut down the device and release all associated resources. This method can be called on an already
closed device without raising an exception.
This method is primarily intended for interactive use at the command line. It disables the device and
releases its pin(s) for use by another device.
You can attempt to do this simply by deleting an object, but unless you’ve cleaned up all references
to the object this may not work (even if you’ve cleaned up all references, there’s still no guarantee the
garbage collector will actually delete the object at that point). By contrast, the close method provides
a means of ensuring that the object is shut down.
For example, if you have a breadboard with a buzzer connected to pin 16, but then wish to attach an
LED instead:
>>> from gpiozero import *
>>> bz = Buzzer(16)
>>> bz.on()
>>> bz.off()
>>> bz.close()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> led.blink()
Device (page 175) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with546 statement.
For example:
>>> from gpiozero import *
>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... bz.on()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... led.on()
...
closed
Returns True547 if the device is closed (see the close() (page 108) method). Once a device is
closed you can no longer use any other methods or properties to control or query the device.
pin
The Pin (page 199) that the device is connected to. This will be None548 if the device has been
closed (see the close() (page 175) method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query pin.number
to discover the GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
value
Returns a value representing the device’s state. Frequently, this is a boolean value, or a number
between 0 and 1 but some devices use larger ranges (e.g. -1 to +1) and composite devices usually
use tuples to return the states of all their subordinate components.
545 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
546 https://docs.python.org/3.5/reference/compound_stmts.html#with
547 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
548 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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CHAPTER 15
API - SPI Devices
SPI stands for Serial Peripheral Interface549 and is a mechanism allowing compatible devices to communicate with
the Pi. SPI is a four-wire protocol meaning it usually requires four pins to operate:
• A “clock” pin which provides timing information.
• A “MOSI” pin (Master Out, Slave In) which the Pi uses to send information to the device.
• A “MISO” pin (Master In, Slave Out) which the Pi uses to receive information from the device.
• A “select” pin which the Pi uses to indicate which device it’s talking to. This last pin is necessary because
multiple devices can share the clock, MOSI, and MISO pins, but only one device can be connected to each
select pin.
The gpiozero library provides two SPI implementations:
• A software based implementation. This is always available, can use any four GPIO pins for SPI communi-
cation, but is rather slow and won’t work with all devices.
• A hardware based implementation. This is only available when the SPI kernel module is loaded, and the
Python spidev library is available. It can only use specific pins for SPI communication (GPIO11=clock,
GPIO10=MOSI, GPIO9=MISO, while GPIO8 is select for device 0 and GPIO7 is select for device 1).
However, it is extremely fast and works with all devices.
15.1 SPI keyword args
When constructing an SPI device there are two schemes for specifying which pins it is connected to:
• You can specify port and device keyword arguments. The port parameter must be 0 (there is only one user-
accessible hardware SPI interface on the Pi using GPIO11 as the clock pin, GPIO10 as the MOSI pin, and
GPIO9 as the MISO pin), while the device parameter must be 0 or 1. If device is 0, the select pin will be
GPIO8. If device is 1, the select pin will be GPIO7.
• Alternatively you can specify clock_pin, mosi_pin, miso_pin, and select_pin keyword arguments. In this
case the pins can be any 4 GPIO pins (remember that SPI devices can share clock, MOSI, and MISO pins,
but not select pins - the gpiozero library will enforce this restriction).
You cannot mix these two schemes, i.e. attempting to specify port and clock_pin will result in SPIBadArgs
(page 213) being raised. However, you can omit any arguments from either scheme. The defaults are:
549 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_Peripheral_Interface_Bus
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• port and device both default to 0.
• clock_pin defaults to 11, mosi_pin defaults to 10, miso_pin defaults to 9, and select_pin defaults to 8.
• As with other GPIO based devices you can optionally specify a pin_factory argument overriding the default
pin factory (see API - Pins (page 195) for more information).
Hence the following constructors are all equivalent:
from gpiozero import MCP3008
MCP3008(channel=0)
MCP3008(channel=0, device=0)
MCP3008(channel=0, port=0, device=0)
MCP3008(channel=0, select_pin=8)
MCP3008(channel=0, clock_pin=11, mosi_pin=10, miso_pin=9, select_pin=8)
Note that the defaults describe equivalent sets of pins and that these pins are compatible with the hardware imple-
mentation. Regardless of which scheme you use, gpiozero will attempt to use the hardware implementation if it is
available and if the selected pins are compatible, falling back to the software implementation if not.
15.2 Analog to Digital Converters (ADC)
The following classes are intended for general use with the integrated circuits they are named after. All classes in
this section are concrete (not abstract).
15.2.1 MCP3001
class gpiozero.MCP3001(max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3001550 is a 10-bit analog to digital converter with 1 channel. Please note that the MCP3001
always operates in differential mode, measuring the value of IN+ relative to IN-.
value
The current value read from the device, scaled to a value between 0 and 1 (or -1 to +1 for certain
devices operating in differential mode).
15.2.2 MCP3002
class gpiozero.MCP3002(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3002551 is a 10-bit analog to digital converter with 2 channels (0-1).
channel
The channel to read data from. The MCP3008/3208/3304 have 8 channels (0-7), while the
MCP3004/3204/3302 have 4 channels (0-3), the MCP3002/3202 have 2 channels (0-1), and the
MCP3001/3201/3301 only have 1 channel.
differential
If True, the device is operated in differential mode. In this mode one channel (specified by the
channel attribute) is read relative to the value of a second channel (implied by the chip’s design).
Please refer to the device data-sheet to determine which channel is used as the relative base value
(for example, when using an MCP3008 (page 135) in differential mode, channel 0 is read relative to
channel 1).
value
The current value read from the device, scaled to a value between 0 and 1 (or -1 to +1 for certain
devices operating in differential mode).
550 http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/630400.pdf
551 http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1599363.pdf
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15.2.3 MCP3004
class gpiozero.MCP3004(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3004552 is a 10-bit analog to digital converter with 4 channels (0-3).
channel
The channel to read data from. The MCP3008/3208/3304 have 8 channels (0-7), while the
MCP3004/3204/3302 have 4 channels (0-3), the MCP3002/3202 have 2 channels (0-1), and the
MCP3001/3201/3301 only have 1 channel.
differential
If True, the device is operated in differential mode. In this mode one channel (specified by the
channel attribute) is read relative to the value of a second channel (implied by the chip’s design).
Please refer to the device data-sheet to determine which channel is used as the relative base value
(for example, when using an MCP3008 (page 135) in differential mode, channel 0 is read relative to
channel 1).
value
The current value read from the device, scaled to a value between 0 and 1 (or -1 to +1 for certain
devices operating in differential mode).
15.2.4 MCP3008
class gpiozero.MCP3008(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3008553 is a 10-bit analog to digital converter with 8 channels (0-7).
channel
The channel to read data from. The MCP3008/3208/3304 have 8 channels (0-7), while the
MCP3004/3204/3302 have 4 channels (0-3), the MCP3002/3202 have 2 channels (0-1), and the
MCP3001/3201/3301 only have 1 channel.
differential
If True, the device is operated in differential mode. In this mode one channel (specified by the
channel attribute) is read relative to the value of a second channel (implied by the chip’s design).
Please refer to the device data-sheet to determine which channel is used as the relative base value
(for example, when using an MCP3008 (page 135) in differential mode, channel 0 is read relative to
channel 1).
value
The current value read from the device, scaled to a value between 0 and 1 (or -1 to +1 for certain
devices operating in differential mode).
15.2.5 MCP3201
class gpiozero.MCP3201(max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3201554 is a 12-bit analog to digital converter with 1 channel. Please note that the MCP3201
always operates in differential mode, measuring the value of IN+ relative to IN-.
value
The current value read from the device, scaled to a value between 0 and 1 (or -1 to +1 for certain
devices operating in differential mode).
552 http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/808965.pdf
553 http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/808965.pdf
554 http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1669366.pdf
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15.2.6 MCP3202
class gpiozero.MCP3202(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3202555 is a 12-bit analog to digital converter with 2 channels (0-1).
channel
The channel to read data from. The MCP3008/3208/3304 have 8 channels (0-7), while the
MCP3004/3204/3302 have 4 channels (0-3), the MCP3002/3202 have 2 channels (0-1), and the
MCP3001/3201/3301 only have 1 channel.
differential
If True, the device is operated in differential mode. In this mode one channel (specified by the
channel attribute) is read relative to the value of a second channel (implied by the chip’s design).
Please refer to the device data-sheet to determine which channel is used as the relative base value
(for example, when using an MCP3008 (page 135) in differential mode, channel 0 is read relative to
channel 1).
value
The current value read from the device, scaled to a value between 0 and 1 (or -1 to +1 for certain
devices operating in differential mode).
15.2.7 MCP3204
class gpiozero.MCP3204(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3204556 is a 12-bit analog to digital converter with 4 channels (0-3).
channel
The channel to read data from. The MCP3008/3208/3304 have 8 channels (0-7), while the
MCP3004/3204/3302 have 4 channels (0-3), the MCP3002/3202 have 2 channels (0-1), and the
MCP3001/3201/3301 only have 1 channel.
differential
If True, the device is operated in differential mode. In this mode one channel (specified by the
channel attribute) is read relative to the value of a second channel (implied by the chip’s design).
Please refer to the device data-sheet to determine which channel is used as the relative base value
(for example, when using an MCP3008 (page 135) in differential mode, channel 0 is read relative to
channel 1).
value
The current value read from the device, scaled to a value between 0 and 1 (or -1 to +1 for certain
devices operating in differential mode).
15.2.8 MCP3208
class gpiozero.MCP3208(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3208557 is a 12-bit analog to digital converter with 8 channels (0-7).
channel
The channel to read data from. The MCP3008/3208/3304 have 8 channels (0-7), while the
MCP3004/3204/3302 have 4 channels (0-3), the MCP3002/3202 have 2 channels (0-1), and the
MCP3001/3201/3301 only have 1 channel.
differential
If True, the device is operated in differential mode. In this mode one channel (specified by the
channel attribute) is read relative to the value of a second channel (implied by the chip’s design).
555 http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1669376.pdf
556 http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/808967.pdf
557 http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/808967.pdf
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Please refer to the device data-sheet to determine which channel is used as the relative base value
(for example, when using an MCP3008 (page 135) in differential mode, channel 0 is read relative to
channel 1).
value
The current value read from the device, scaled to a value between 0 and 1 (or -1 to +1 for certain
devices operating in differential mode).
15.2.9 MCP3301
class gpiozero.MCP3301(max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3301558 is a signed 13-bit analog to digital converter. Please note that the MCP3301 always
operates in differential mode measuring the difference between IN+ and IN-. Its output value is scaled from
-1 to +1.
value
The current value read from the device, scaled to a value between 0 and 1 (or -1 to +1 for devices
operating in differential mode).
15.2.10 MCP3302
class gpiozero.MCP3302(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3302559 is a 12/13-bit analog to digital converter with 4 channels (0-3). When operated in dif-
ferential mode, the device outputs a signed 13-bit value which is scaled from -1 to +1. When operated in
single-ended mode (the default), the device outputs an unsigned 12-bit value scaled from 0 to 1.
channel
The channel to read data from. The MCP3008/3208/3304 have 8 channels (0-7), while the
MCP3004/3204/3302 have 4 channels (0-3), the MCP3002/3202 have 2 channels (0-1), and the
MCP3001/3201/3301 only have 1 channel.
differential
If True, the device is operated in differential mode. In this mode one channel (specified by the
channel attribute) is read relative to the value of a second channel (implied by the chip’s design).
Please refer to the device data-sheet to determine which channel is used as the relative base value
(for example, when using an MCP3304 (page 137) in differential mode, channel 0 is read relative to
channel 1).
value
The current value read from the device, scaled to a value between 0 and 1 (or -1 to +1 for devices
operating in differential mode).
15.2.11 MCP3304
class gpiozero.MCP3304(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3304560 is a 12/13-bit analog to digital converter with 8 channels (0-7). When operated in dif-
ferential mode, the device outputs a signed 13-bit value which is scaled from -1 to +1. When operated in
single-ended mode (the default), the device outputs an unsigned 12-bit value scaled from 0 to 1.
channel
The channel to read data from. The MCP3008/3208/3304 have 8 channels (0-7), while the
MCP3004/3204/3302 have 4 channels (0-3), the MCP3002/3202 have 2 channels (0-1), and the
MCP3001/3201/3301 only have 1 channel.
558 http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1669397.pdf
559 http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1486116.pdf
560 http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1486116.pdf
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differential
If True, the device is operated in differential mode. In this mode one channel (specified by the
channel attribute) is read relative to the value of a second channel (implied by the chip’s design).
Please refer to the device data-sheet to determine which channel is used as the relative base value
(for example, when using an MCP3304 (page 137) in differential mode, channel 0 is read relative to
channel 1).
value
The current value read from the device, scaled to a value between 0 and 1 (or -1 to +1 for devices
operating in differential mode).
15.3 Base Classes
The classes in the sections above are derived from a series of base classes, some of which are effectively abstract.
The classes form the (partial) hierarchy displayed in the graph below (abstract classes are shaded lighter than
concrete classes):
MCP3001
MCP3004
MCP30xx MCP3008
MCP3002
MCP3xx2 MCP3202
Device SPIDevice AnalogInputDevice MCP3xxx
MCP32xx MCP3201
MCP3204
MCP3208
MCP3301
MCP33xx
MCP3302
MCP3304
The following sections document these base classes for advanced users that wish to construct classes for their own
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devices.
15.3.1 AnalogInputDevice
class gpiozero.AnalogInputDevice(bits, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
Represents an analog input device connected to SPI (serial interface).
Typical analog input devices are analog to digital converters561 (ADCs). Several classes are provided for
specific ADC chips, including MCP3004 (page 135), MCP3008 (page 135), MCP3204 (page 136), and
MCP3208 (page 136).
The following code demonstrates reading the first channel of an MCP3008 chip attached to the Pi’s SPI
pins:
from gpiozero import MCP3008
pot = MCP3008(0)
print(pot.value)
The value (page 139) attribute is normalized such that its value is always between 0.0 and 1.0 (or in special
cases, such as differential sampling, -1 to +1). Hence, you can use an analog input to control the brightness
of a PWMLED (page 113) like so:
from gpiozero import MCP3008, PWMLED
pot = MCP3008(0)
led = PWMLED(17)
led.source = pot
The voltage (page 139) attribute reports values between 0.0 and max_voltage (which defaults to 3.3, the
logic level of the GPIO pins).
bits
The bit-resolution of the device/channel.
max_voltage
The voltage required to set the device’s value to 1.
raw_value
The raw value as read from the device.
value
The current value read from the device, scaled to a value between 0 and 1 (or -1 to +1 for certain
devices operating in differential mode).
voltage
The current voltage read from the device. This will be a value between 0 and the max_voltage param-
eter specified in the constructor.
15.3.2 SPIDevice
class gpiozero.SPIDevice(**spi_args)
Extends Device (page 175). Represents a device that communicates via the SPI protocol.
See SPI keyword args (page 133) for information on the keyword arguments that can be specified with the
constructor.
close()
Shut down the device and release all associated resources. This method can be called on an already
closed device without raising an exception.
561 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog-to-digital_converter
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This method is primarily intended for interactive use at the command line. It disables the device and
releases its pin(s) for use by another device.
You can attempt to do this simply by deleting an object, but unless you’ve cleaned up all references
to the object this may not work (even if you’ve cleaned up all references, there’s still no guarantee the
garbage collector will actually delete the object at that point). By contrast, the close method provides
a means of ensuring that the object is shut down.
For example, if you have a breadboard with a buzzer connected to pin 16, but then wish to attach an
LED instead:
>>> from gpiozero import *
>>> bz = Buzzer(16)
>>> bz.on()
>>> bz.off()
>>> bz.close()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> led.blink()
Device (page 175) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with562 statement.
For example:
>>> from gpiozero import *
>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... bz.on()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... led.on()
...
closed
Returns True563 if the device is closed (see the close() (page 139) method). Once a device is
closed you can no longer use any other methods or properties to control or query the device.
562 https://docs.python.org/3.5/reference/compound_stmts.html#with
563 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
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These additional interfaces are provided to group collections of components together for ease of use, and as
examples. They are composites made up of components from the various API - Input Devices (page 93) and API
- Output Devices (page 111) provided by GPIO Zero. See those pages for more information on using components
individually.
Note: All GPIO pin numbers use Broadcom (BCM) numbering by default. See the Pin Numbering (page 3)
section for more information.
16.1 Regular Classes
The following classes are intended for general use with the devices they are named after. All classes in this section
are concrete (not abstract).
16.1.1 LEDBoard
class gpiozero.LEDBoard(*pins, pwm=False, active_high=True, initial_value=False,
pin_factory=None, **named_pins)
Extends LEDCollection (page 164) and represents a generic LED board or collection of LEDs.
The following example turns on all the LEDs on a board containing 5 LEDs attached to GPIO pins 2 through
6:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard
leds = LEDBoard(2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
leds.on()
Parameters
• *pins – Specify the GPIO pins that the LEDs of the board are attached to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. You can designate as many pins as necessary.
You can also specify LEDBoard (page 141) instances to create trees of LEDs.
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• pwm (bool564 ) – If True565 , construct PWMLED (page 113) instances for each pin. If
False566 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) instances.
• active_high (bool567 ) – If True568 (the default), the on() (page 143) method
will set all the associated pins to HIGH. If False569 , the on() (page 143) method will
set all pins to LOW (the off() (page 143) method always does the opposite).
• initial_value (bool570 or None571 ) – If False572 (the default), all LEDs will
be off initially. If None573 , each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found
in when configured for output (warning: this can be on). If True574 , the device will be
switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None575 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
• **named_pins – Specify GPIO pins that LEDs of the board are attached to, asso-
ciating each LED with a property name. You can designate as many pins as necessary
and use any names, provided they’re not already in use by something else. You can also
specify LEDBoard (page 141) instances to create trees of LEDs.
blink(on_time=1, off_time=1, fade_in_time=0, fade_out_time=0, n=None, background=True)
Make all the LEDs turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float576 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float577 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float578 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
Must be 0 if pwm was False579 when the class was constructed (ValueError580
will be raised if not).
• fade_out_time (float581 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults to
0. Must be 0 if pwm was False582 when the class was constructed (ValueError583
will be raised if not).
• n (int584 or None585 ) – Number of times to blink; None586 (the default) means
forever.
• background (bool587 ) – If True588 , start a background thread to continue blinking
and return immediately. If False589 , only return when the blink is finished (warning:
564 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
565 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
566 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
567 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
568 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
569 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
570 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
571 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
572 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
573 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
574 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
575 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
576 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
577 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
578 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
579 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
580 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
581 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
582 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
583 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
584 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
585 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
586 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
587 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
588 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
589 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
off(*args)
If no arguments are specified, turn all the LEDs off. If arguments are specified, they must be the
indexes of the LEDs you wish to turn off. For example:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard
leds = LEDBoard(2, 3, 4, 5)
leds.on() # turn on all LEDs
leds.off(0) # turn off the first LED (pin 2)
leds.off(-1) # turn off the last LED (pin 5)
leds.off(1, 2) # turn off the middle LEDs (pins 3 and 4)
leds.on() # turn on all LEDs
If blink() (page 142) is currently active, it will be stopped first.
Parameters args (int590 ) – The index(es) of the LED(s) to turn off. If no indexes are
specified turn off all LEDs.
on(*args)
If no arguments are specified, turn all the LEDs on. If arguments are specified, they must be the
indexes of the LEDs you wish to turn on. For example:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard
leds = LEDBoard(2, 3, 4, 5)
leds.on(0) # turn on the first LED (pin 2)
leds.on(-1) # turn on the last LED (pin 5)
leds.on(1, 2) # turn on the middle LEDs (pins 3 and 4)
leds.off() # turn off all LEDs
leds.on() # turn on all LEDs
If blink() (page 142) is currently active, it will be stopped first.
Parameters args (int591 ) – The index(es) of the LED(s) to turn on. If no indexes are
specified turn on all LEDs.
pulse(fade_in_time=1, fade_out_time=1, n=None, background=True)
Make all LEDs fade in and out repeatedly. Note that this method will only work if the pwm parameter
was True592 at construction time.
Parameters
• fade_in_time (float593 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float594 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• n (int595 or None596 ) – Number of times to blink; None597 (the default) means
forever.
• background (bool598 ) – If True599 (the default), start a background thread to
continue blinking and return immediately. If False600 , only return when the blink is
finished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
590 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
591 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
592 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
593 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
594 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
595 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
596 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
597 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
598 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
599 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
600 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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toggle(*args)
If no arguments are specified, toggle the state of all LEDs. If arguments are specified, they must be
the indexes of the LEDs you wish to toggle. For example:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard
leds = LEDBoard(2, 3, 4, 5)
leds.toggle(0) # turn on the first LED (pin 2)
leds.toggle(-1) # turn on the last LED (pin 5)
leds.toggle() # turn the first and last LED off, and the
# middle pair on
If blink() (page 142) is currently active, it will be stopped first.
Parameters args (int601 ) – The index(es) of the LED(s) to toggle. If no indexes are
specified toggle the state of all LEDs.
16.1.2 LEDBarGraph
class gpiozero.LEDBarGraph(*pins, pwm=False, active_high=True, initial_value=0,
pin_factory=None)
Extends LEDCollection (page 164) to control a line of LEDs representing a bar graph. Positive values
(0 to 1) light the LEDs from first to last. Negative values (-1 to 0) light the LEDs from last to first.
The following example demonstrates turning on the first two and last two LEDs in a board containing five
LEDs attached to GPIOs 2 through 6:
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph
from time import sleep
graph = LEDBarGraph(2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
graph.value = 2/5 # Light the first two LEDs only
sleep(1)
graph.value = -2/5 # Light the last two LEDs only
sleep(1)
graph.off()
As with all other output devices, source (page 145) and values (page 145) are supported:
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph, MCP3008
from signal import pause
graph = LEDBarGraph(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, pwm=True)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
graph.source = pot
pause()
Parameters
• *pins – Specify the GPIO pins that the LEDs of the bar graph are attached to. See
Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. You can designate as many pins as
necessary.
• pwm (bool602 ) – If True603 , construct PWMLED (page 113) instances for each pin. If
False604 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) instances. This parameter
can only be specified as a keyword parameter.
601 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
602 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
603 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
604 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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• active_high (bool605 ) – If True606 (the default), the on() method will set all the
associated pins to HIGH. If False607 , the on() method will set all pins to LOW (the
off() method always does the opposite). This parameter can only be specified as a
keyword parameter.
• initial_value (float608 ) – The initial value (page 145) of the graph given as
a float between -1 and +1. Defaults to 0.0. This parameter can only be specified as a
keyword parameter.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None609 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
lit_count
The number of LEDs on the bar graph actually lit up. Note that just like value (page 145), this can
be negative if the LEDs are lit from last to first.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 145).
value
The value of the LED bar graph. When no LEDs are lit, the value is 0. When all LEDs are lit, the
value is 1. Values between 0 and 1 light LEDs linearly from first to last. Values between 0 and -1 light
LEDs linearly from last to first.
To light a particular number of LEDs, simply divide that number by the number of LEDs. For example,
if your graph contains 3 LEDs, the following will light the first:
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph
graph = LEDBarGraph(12, 16, 19)
graph.value = 1/3
Note: Setting value to -1 will light all LEDs. However, querying it subsequently will return 1 as both
representations are the same in hardware. The readable range of value (page 145) is effectively -1 <
value <= 1.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value (page 145).
16.1.3 ButtonBoard
class gpiozero.ButtonBoard(*pins, pull_up=True, active_state=None, bounce_time=None,
hold_time=1, hold_repeat=False, pin_factory=None,
**named_pins)
Extends CompositeDevice (page 164) and represents a generic button board or collection of buttons.
The value (page 147) of the button board is a tuple of all the buttons states. This can be used to control all
the LEDs in a LEDBoard (page 141) with a ButtonBoard (page 145):
from gpiozero import LEDBoard, ButtonBoard
from signal import pause
leds = LEDBoard(2, 3, 4, 5)
btns = ButtonBoard(6, 7, 8, 9)
leds.source = btns.values
pause()
605 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
606 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
607 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
608 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
609 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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Alternatively you could represent the number of pressed buttons with an LEDBarGraph (page 144):
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph, ButtonBoard
from signal import pause
graph = LEDBarGraph(2, 3, 4, 5)
btns = ButtonBoard(6, 7, 8, 9)
graph.source = (sum(value) for value in btn.values)
pause()
Parameters
• *pins – Specify the GPIO pins that the buttons of the board are attached to. See
Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers. You can designate as many pins as
necessary.
• pull_up (bool610 or None611 ) – If True612 (the default), the GPIO pins will be
pulled high by default. In this case, connect the other side of the buttons to ground. If
False613 , the GPIO pins will be pulled low by default. In this case, connect the other
side of the buttons to 3V3. If None614 , the pin will be floating, so it must be externally
pulled up or down and the active_state parameter must be set accordingly.
• active_state (bool615 or None616 ) – See description under InputDevice
(page 107) for more information.
• bounce_time (float617 ) – If None618 (the default), no software bounce compensa-
tion will be performed. Otherwise, this is the length of time (in seconds) that the buttons
will ignore changes in state after an initial change.
• hold_time (float619 ) – The length of time (in seconds) to wait after any button is
pushed, until executing the when_held handler. Defaults to 1.
• hold_repeat (bool620 ) – If True621 , the when_held handler will be repeatedly
executed as long as any buttons remain held, every hold_time seconds. If False622
(the default) the when_held handler will be only be executed once per hold.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None623 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
• **named_pins – Specify GPIO pins that buttons of the board are attached to, asso-
ciating each button with a property name. You can designate as many pins as necessary
and use any names, provided they’re not already in use by something else.
wait_for_press(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is activated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float624 or None625 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None626 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is active.
610 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
611 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
612 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
613 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
614 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
615 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
616 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
617 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
618 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
619 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
620 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
621 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
622 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
623 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
624 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
625 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
626 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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wait_for_release(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is deactivated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float627 or None628 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None629 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is inactive.
is_pressed
Composite devices are considered “active” if any of their constituent devices have a “truthy” value.
pressed_time
The length of time (in seconds) that the device has been active for. When the device is inactive, this is
None630 .
value
A namedtuple()631 containing a value for each subordinate device. Devices with names will be
represented as named elements. Unnamed devices will have a unique name generated for them, and
they will appear in the position they appeared in the constructor.
when_pressed
The function to run when the device changes state from inactive to active.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that activated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None632 (the default) to disable the event.
when_released
The function to run when the device changes state from active to inactive.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that deactivated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None633 (the default) to disable the event.
16.1.4 TrafficLights
class gpiozero.TrafficLights(red, amber, green, *, yellow=None, pwm=False, ini-
tial_value=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends LEDBoard (page 141) for devices containing red, yellow, and green LEDs.
The following example initializes a device connected to GPIO pins 2, 3, and 4, then lights the amber (yellow)
LED attached to GPIO 3:
from gpiozero import TrafficLights
traffic = TrafficLights(2, 3, 4)
traffic.amber.on()
Parameters
• red (int634 or str 635 ) – The GPIO pin that the red LED is attached to. See Pin
Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers.
627 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
628 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
629 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
630 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
631 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/collections.html#collections.namedtuple
632 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
633 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
634 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
635 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
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• amber (int636 or str 637 or None638 ) – The GPIO pin that the amber LED is
attached to. See Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• yellow (int639 or str 640 or None641 ) – The GPIO pin that the yellow LED is
attached to. This is merely an alias for the amber parameter; you can’t specify both
amber and yellow. See Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• green (int642 or str 643 ) – The GPIO pin that the green LED is attached to. See
Pin Numbering (page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• pwm (bool644 ) – If True645 , construct PWMLED (page 113) instances to represent each
LED. If False646 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) instances.
• initial_value (bool647 or None648 ) – If False649 (the default), all LEDs will
be off initially. If None650 , each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found
in when configured for output (warning: this can be on). If True651 , the device will be
switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None652 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
red
The red LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113).
amber
The amber LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113). Note that this attribute will not be present when
the instance is constructed with the yellow keyword parameter.
yellow
The yellow LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113). Note that this attribute will only be present when
the instance is constructed with the yellow keyword parameter.
green
The green LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113).
16.1.5 TrafficLightsBuzzer
class gpiozero.TrafficLightsBuzzer(lights, buzzer, button, *, pin_factory=None)
Extends CompositeOutputDevice (page 164) and is a generic class for HATs with traffic lights, a
button and a buzzer.
Parameters
• lights (TrafficLights (page 147)) – An instance of TrafficLights
(page 147) representing the traffic lights of the HAT.
• buzzer (Buzzer (page 117)) – An instance of Buzzer (page 117) representing the
buzzer on the HAT.
636 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
637 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
638 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
639 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
640 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
641 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
642 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
643 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
644 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
645 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
646 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
647 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
648 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
649 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
650 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
651 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
652 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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• button (Button (page 93)) – An instance of Button (page 93) representing the
button on the HAT.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None653 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
lights
The TrafficLights (page 147) instance passed as the lights parameter.
buzzer
The Buzzer (page 117) instance passed as the buzzer parameter.
button
The Button (page 93) instance passed as the button parameter.
16.1.6 PiHutXmasTree
class gpiozero.PiHutXmasTree(*, pwm=False, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends LEDBoard (page 141) for The Pi Hut’s Xmas board654 : a 3D Christmas tree board with 24 red
LEDs and a white LED as a star on top.
The 24 red LEDs can be accessed through the attributes led0, led1, led2, and so on. The white star LED
is accessed through the star (page 150) attribute. Alternatively, as with all descendents of LEDBoard
(page 141), you can treat the instance as a sequence of LEDs (the first element is the star (page 150)).
The Xmas Tree board pins are fixed and therefore there’s no need to specify them when constructing this
class. The following example turns all the LEDs on one at a time:
from gpiozero import PiHutXmasTree
from time import sleep
tree = PiHutXmasTree()
for light in tree:
light.on()
sleep(1)
The following example turns the star LED on and sets all the red LEDs to flicker randomly:
from gpiozero import PiHutXmasTree
from gpiozero.tools import random_values
from signal import pause
tree = PiHutXmasTree(pwm=True)
tree.star.on()
for led in tree[1:]:
led.source_delay = 0.1
led.source = random_values()
pause()
Parameters
• pwm (bool655 ) – If True656 , construct PWMLED (page 113) instances for each pin. If
False657 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) instances.
653 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
654 https://thepihut.com/xmas
655 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
656 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
657 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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• initial_value (bool658 or None659 ) – If False660 (the default), all LEDs will
be off initially. If None661 , each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found
in when configured for output (warning: this can be on). If True662 , the device will be
switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None663 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
star
Returns the LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113) representing the white star on top of the tree.
led0, led1, led2, ...
Returns the LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113) representing one of the red LEDs. There are
actually 24 of these properties named led0, led1, and so on but for the sake of brevity we represent all
24 under this section.
16.1.7 LedBorg
class gpiozero.LedBorg(*, pwm=True, initial_value=(0, 0, 0), pin_factory=None)
Extends RGBLED (page 115) for the PiBorg LedBorg664 : an add-on board containing a very bright RGB
LED.
The LedBorg pins are fixed and therefore there’s no need to specify them when constructing this class. The
following example turns the LedBorg purple:
from gpiozero import LedBorg
led = LedBorg()
led.color = (1, 0, 1)
Parameters
• initial_value (Color 665 or tuple666 ) – The initial color for the LedBorg.
Defaults to black (0, 0, 0).
• pwm (bool667 ) – If True668 (the default), construct PWMLED (page 113) instances
for each component of the LedBorg. If False669 , construct regular LED (page 111)
instances, which prevents smooth color graduations.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None670 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
16.1.8 PiLiter
class gpiozero.PiLiter(*, pwm=False, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends LEDBoard (page 141) for the Ciseco Pi-LITEr671 : a strip of 8 very bright LEDs.
658 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
659 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
660 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
661 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
662 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
663 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
664 https://www.piborg.org/ledborg
665 https://colorzero.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api_color.html#colorzero.Color
666 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#tuple
667 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
668 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
669 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
670 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
671 http://shop.ciseco.co.uk/pi-liter-8-led-strip-for-the-raspberry-pi/
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The Pi-LITEr pins are fixed and therefore there’s no need to specify them when constructing this class. The
following example turns on all the LEDs of the Pi-LITEr:
from gpiozero import PiLiter
lite = PiLiter()
lite.on()
Parameters
• pwm (bool672 ) – If True673 , construct PWMLED (page 113) instances for each pin. If
False674 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) instances.
• initial_value (bool675 or None676 ) – If False677 (the default), all LEDs will
be off initially. If None678 , each LED will be left in whatever state the pin is found in
when configured for output (warning: this can be on). If True679 , the each LED will
be switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None680 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
16.1.9 PiLiterBarGraph
class gpiozero.PiLiterBarGraph(*, pwm=False, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends LEDBarGraph (page 144) to treat the Ciseco Pi-LITEr681 as an 8-segment bar graph.
The Pi-LITEr pins are fixed and therefore there’s no need to specify them when constructing this class. The
following example sets the graph value to 0.5:
from gpiozero import PiLiterBarGraph
graph = PiLiterBarGraph()
graph.value = 0.5
Parameters
• pwm (bool682 ) – If True683 , construct PWMLED (page 113) instances for each pin. If
False684 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) instances.
• initial_value (float685 ) – The initial value of the graph given as a float be-
tween -1 and +1. Defaults to 0.0.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None686 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
672 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
673 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
674 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
675 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
676 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
677 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
678 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
679 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
680 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
681 http://shop.ciseco.co.uk/pi-liter-8-led-strip-for-the-raspberry-pi/
682 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
683 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
684 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
685 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
686 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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16.1.10 PiTraffic
class gpiozero.PiTraffic(*, pwm=False, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends TrafficLights (page 147) for the Low Voltage Labs PI-TRAFFIC687 vertical traffic lights
board when attached to GPIO pins 9, 10, and 11.
There’s no need to specify the pins if the PI-TRAFFIC is connected to the default pins (9, 10, 11). The
following example turns on the amber LED on the PI-TRAFFIC:
from gpiozero import PiTraffic
traffic = PiTraffic()
traffic.amber.on()
To use the PI-TRAFFIC board when attached to a non-standard set of pins, simply use the parent class,
TrafficLights (page 147).
Parameters
• pwm (bool688 ) – If True689 , construct PWMLED (page 113) instances to represent each
LED. If False690 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) instances.
• initial_value (bool691 ) – If False692 (the default), all LEDs will be off initially.
If None693 , each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found in when configured
for output (warning: this can be on). If True694 , the device will be switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None695 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
16.1.11 PiStop
class gpiozero.PiStop(location, *, pwm=False, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends TrafficLights (page 147) for the PiHardware Pi-Stop696 : a vertical traffic lights board.
The following example turns on the amber LED on a Pi-Stop connected to location A+:
from gpiozero import PiStop
traffic = PiStop('A+')
traffic.amber.on()
Parameters
• location (str 697 ) – The location698 on the GPIO header to which the Pi-Stop is
connected. Must be one of: A, A+, B, B+, C, D.
• pwm (bool699 ) – If True700 , construct PWMLED (page 113) instances to represent each
LED. If False701 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) instances.
687 http://lowvoltagelabs.com/products/pi-traffic/
688 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
689 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
690 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
691 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
692 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
693 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
694 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
695 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
696 https://pihw.wordpress.com/meltwaters-pi-hardware-kits/pi-stop/
697 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
698 https://github.com/PiHw/Pi-Stop/blob/master/markdown_source/markdown/Discover-PiStop.md
699 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
700 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
701 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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• initial_value (bool702 ) – If False703 (the default), all LEDs will be off initially.
If None704 , each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found in when configured
for output (warning: this can be on). If True705 , the device will be switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None706 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
16.1.12 FishDish
class gpiozero.FishDish(*, pwm=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends TrafficLightsBuzzer (page 148) for the Pi Supply FishDish707 : traffic light LEDs, a button
and a buzzer.
The FishDish pins are fixed and therefore there’s no need to specify them when constructing this class. The
following example waits for the button to be pressed on the FishDish, then turns on all the LEDs:
from gpiozero import FishDish
fish = FishDish()
fish.button.wait_for_press()
fish.lights.on()
Parameters
• pwm (bool708 ) – If True709 , construct PWMLED (page 113) instances to represent each
LED. If False710 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) instances.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None711 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
16.1.13 TrafficHat
class gpiozero.TrafficHat(*, pwm=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends TrafficLightsBuzzer (page 148) for the Ryanteck Traffic HAT712 : traffic light LEDs, a
button and a buzzer.
The Traffic HAT pins are fixed and therefore there’s no need to specify them when constructing this class.
The following example waits for the button to be pressed on the Traffic HAT, then turns on all the LEDs:
from gpiozero import TrafficHat
hat = TrafficHat()
hat.button.wait_for_press()
hat.lights.on()
Parameters
702 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
703 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
704 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
705 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
706 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
707 https://www.pi-supply.com/product/fish-dish-raspberry-pi-led-buzzer-board/
708 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
709 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
710 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
711 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
712 https://ryanteck.uk/hats/1-traffichat-0635648607122.html
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• pwm (bool713 ) – If True714 , construct PWMLED (page 113) instances to represent each
LED. If False715 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) instances.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None716 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
16.1.14 JamHat
class gpiozero.JamHat(*, pwm=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends CompositeOutputDevice (page 164) for the ModMyPi JamHat717 board.
There are 6 LEDs, two buttons and a tonal buzzer. The pins are fixed. Usage:
from gpiozero import JamHat
hat = JamHat()
hat.button_1.wait_for_press()
hat.lights_1.on()
hat.buzzer.play('C4')
hat.button_2.wait_for_press()
hat.off()
Parameters
• pwm (bool718 ) – If True719 , construct :class: PWMLED instances to represent each
LED on the board. If False720 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) in-
stances.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None721 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
lights_1, lights_2
Two LEDBoard (page 141) instances representing the top (lights_1) and bottom (lights_2) rows of
LEDs on the JamHat.
red, yellow, green
LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113) instances representing the red, yellow, and green LEDs
along the top row.
button_1, button_2
The left (button_1) and right (button_2) Button (page 93) objects on the JamHat.
buzzer
The Buzzer (page 117) at the bottom right of the JamHat.
off()
Turns all the LEDs off and stops the buzzer.
on()
Turns all the LEDs on and makes the buzzer play its mid tone.
713 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
714 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
715 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
716 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
717 https://www.modmypi.com/jam-hat
718 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
719 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
720 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
721 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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16.1.15 Robot
class gpiozero.Robot(left, right, *, pwm=True, pin_factory=None)
Extends CompositeDevice (page 164) to represent a generic dual-motor robot.
This class is constructed with two tuples representing the forward and backward pins of the left and right
controllers respectively. For example, if the left motor’s controller is connected to GPIOs 4 and 14, while
the right motor’s controller is connected to GPIOs 17 and 18 then the following example will drive the robot
forward:
from gpiozero import Robot
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
robot.forward()
Parameters
• left (tuple722 ) – A tuple of two (or three) GPIO pins representing the forward and
backward inputs of the left motor’s controller. Use three pins if your motor controller
requires an enable pin.
• right (tuple723 ) – A tuple of two (or three) GPIO pins representing the forward and
backward inputs of the right motor’s controller. Use three pins if your motor controller
requires an enable pin.
• pwm (bool724 ) – If True725 (the default), construct PWMOutputDevice (page 128)
instances for the motor controller pins, allowing both direction and variable speed con-
trol. If False726 , construct DigitalOutputDevice (page 127) instances, allowing
only direction control.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None727 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
left_motor
The Motor (page 120) on the left of the robot.
right_motor
The Motor (page 120) on the right of the robot.
backward(speed=1, **kwargs)
Drive the robot backward by running both motors backward.
Parameters
• speed (float728 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between 0
(stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
• curve_left (float729 ) – The amount to curve left while moving backwards, by
driving the left motor at a slower speed. Maximum curve_left is 1, the default is 0 (no
curve). This parameter can only be specified as a keyword parameter, and is mutually
exclusive with curve_right.
• curve_right (float730 ) – The amount to curve right while moving backwards,
by driving the right motor at a slower speed. Maximum curve_right is 1, the default
is 0 (no curve). This parameter can only be specified as a keyword parameter, and is
mutually exclusive with curve_left.
722 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#tuple
723 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#tuple
724 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
725 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
726 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
727 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
728 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
729 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
730 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
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forward(speed=1, **kwargs)
Drive the robot forward by running both motors forward.
Parameters
• speed (float731 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between 0
(stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
• curve_left (float732 ) – The amount to curve left while moving forwards, by
driving the left motor at a slower speed. Maximum curve_left is 1, the default is 0 (no
curve). This parameter can only be specified as a keyword parameter, and is mutually
exclusive with curve_right.
• curve_right (float733 ) – The amount to curve right while moving forwards, by
driving the right motor at a slower speed. Maximum curve_right is 1, the default is
0 (no curve). This parameter can only be specified as a keyword parameter, and is
mutually exclusive with curve_left.
left(speed=1)
Make the robot turn left by running the right motor forward and left motor backward.
Parameters speed (float734 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between
0 (stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
reverse()
Reverse the robot’s current motor directions. If the robot is currently running full speed forward, it
will run full speed backward. If the robot is turning left at half-speed, it will turn right at half-speed.
If the robot is currently stopped it will remain stopped.
right(speed=1)
Make the robot turn right by running the left motor forward and right motor backward.
Parameters speed (float735 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between
0 (stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
stop()
Stop the robot.
value
Represents the motion of the robot as a tuple of (left_motor_speed, right_motor_speed) with (-1,
-1) representing full speed backwards, (1, 1) representing full speed forwards, and (0, 0) rep-
resenting stopped.
16.1.16 PhaseEnableRobot
class gpiozero.PhaseEnableRobot(left, right, *, pwm=True, pin_factory=None)
Extends CompositeDevice (page 164) to represent a dual-motor robot based around a Phase/Enable
motor board.
This class is constructed with two tuples representing the phase (direction) and enable (speed) pins of the
left and right controllers respectively. For example, if the left motor’s controller is connected to GPIOs 12
and 5, while the right motor’s controller is connected to GPIOs 13 and 6 so the following example will drive
the robot forward:
from gpiozero import PhaseEnableRobot
robot = PhaseEnableRobot(left=(5, 12), right=(6, 13))
robot.forward()
731 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
732 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
733 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
734 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
735 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
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Parameters
• left (tuple736 ) – A tuple of two GPIO pins representing the phase and enable inputs
of the left motor’s controller.
• right (tuple737 ) – A tuple of two GPIO pins representing the phase and enable
inputs of the right motor’s controller.
• pwm (bool738 ) – If True739 (the default), construct PWMOutputDevice (page 128)
instances for the motor controller’s enable pins, allowing both direction and variable
speed control. If False740 , construct DigitalOutputDevice (page 127) in-
stances, allowing only direction control.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None741 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
left_motor
The PhaseEnableMotor (page 122) on the left of the robot.
right_motor
The PhaseEnableMotor (page 122) on the right of the robot.
backward(speed=1)
Drive the robot backward by running both motors backward.
Parameters speed (float742 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between
0 (stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
forward(speed=1)
Drive the robot forward by running both motors forward.
Parameters speed (float743 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between
0 (stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
left(speed=1)
Make the robot turn left by running the right motor forward and left motor backward.
Parameters speed (float744 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between
0 (stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
reverse()
Reverse the robot’s current motor directions. If the robot is currently running full speed forward, it
will run full speed backward. If the robot is turning left at half-speed, it will turn right at half-speed.
If the robot is currently stopped it will remain stopped.
right(speed=1)
Make the robot turn right by running the left motor forward and right motor backward.
Parameters speed (float745 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between
0 (stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
stop()
Stop the robot.
value
Returns a tuple of two floating point values (-1 to 1) representing the speeds of the robot’s two motors
(left and right). This property can also be set to alter the speed of both motors.
736 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#tuple
737 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#tuple
738 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
739 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
740 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
741 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
742 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
743 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
744 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
745 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
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16.1.17 RyanteckRobot
class gpiozero.RyanteckRobot(*, pwm=True, pin_factory=None)
Extends Robot (page 155) for the Ryanteck motor controller board746 .
The Ryanteck MCB pins are fixed and therefore there’s no need to specify them when constructing this
class. The following example drives the robot forward:
from gpiozero import RyanteckRobot
robot = RyanteckRobot()
robot.forward()
Parameters
• pwm (bool747 ) – If True748 (the default), construct PWMOutputDevice (page 128)
instances for the motor controller pins, allowing both direction and variable speed con-
trol. If False749 , construct DigitalOutputDevice (page 127) instances, allowing
only direction control.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None750 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
16.1.18 CamJamKitRobot
class gpiozero.CamJamKitRobot(*, pwm=True, pin_factory=None)
Extends Robot (page 155) for the CamJam #3 EduKit751 motor controller board.
The CamJam robot controller pins are fixed and therefore there’s no need to specify them when constructing
this class. The following example drives the robot forward:
from gpiozero import CamJamKitRobot
robot = CamJamKitRobot()
robot.forward()
Parameters
• pwm (bool752 ) – If True753 (the default), construct PWMOutputDevice (page 128)
instances for the motor controller pins, allowing both direction and variable speed con-
trol. If False754 , construct DigitalOutputDevice (page 127) instances, allowing
only direction control.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None755 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
16.1.19 PololuDRV8835Robot
class gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot(*, pwm=True, pin_factory=None)
Extends PhaseEnableRobot (page 156) for the Pololu DRV8835 Dual Motor Driver Kit756 .
746 https://ryanteck.uk/add-ons/6-ryanteck-rpi-motor-controller-board-0635648607160.html
747 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
748 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
749 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
750 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
751 http://camjam.me/?page_id=1035
752 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
753 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
754 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
755 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
756 https://www.pololu.com/product/2753
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The Pololu DRV8835 pins are fixed and therefore there’s no need to specify them when constructing this
class. The following example drives the robot forward:
from gpiozero import PololuDRV8835Robot
robot = PololuDRV8835Robot()
robot.forward()
Parameters
• pwm (bool757 ) – If True758 (the default), construct PWMOutputDevice (page 128)
instances for the motor controller’s enable pins, allowing both direction and variable
speed control. If False759 , construct DigitalOutputDevice (page 127) in-
stances, allowing only direction control.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None760 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
16.1.20 Energenie
class gpiozero.Energenie(socket, *, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends Device (page 175) to represent an Energenie socket761 controller.
This class is constructed with a socket number and an optional initial state (defaults to False762 , meaning
off). Instances of this class can be used to switch peripherals on and off. For example:
from gpiozero import Energenie
lamp = Energenie(1)
lamp.on()
Parameters
• socket (int763 ) – Which socket this instance should control. This is an integer num-
ber between 1 and 4.
• initial_value (bool764 ) – The initial state of the socket. As Energenie sockets
provide no means of reading their state, you must provide an initial state for the socket,
which will be set upon construction. This defaults to False765 which will switch the
socket off.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None766 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
off()
Turns the socket off.
on()
Turns the socket on.
socket
Returns the socket number.
757 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
758 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
759 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
760 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
761 https://energenie4u.co.uk/index.php/catalogue/product/ENER002-2PI
762 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
763 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
764 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
765 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
766 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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value
Returns True767 if the socket is on and False768 if the socket is off. Setting this property changes
the state of the socket.
16.1.21 StatusZero
class gpiozero.StatusZero(*labels, pwm=False, active_high=True, initial_value=False,
pin_factory=None)
Extends LEDBoard (page 141) for The Pi Hut’s STATUS Zero769 : a Pi Zero sized add-on board with three
sets of red/green LEDs to provide a status indicator.
The following example designates the first strip the label “wifi” and the second “raining”, and turns them
green and red respectfully:
from gpiozero import StatusZero
status = StatusZero('wifi', 'raining')
status.wifi.green.on()
status.raining.red.on()
Each designated label will contain two LED (page 111) objects named “red” and “green”.
Parameters
• *labels (str 770 ) – Specify the names of the labels you wish to designate the strips
to. You can list up to three labels. If no labels are given, three strips will be initialised
with names ‘one’, ‘two’, and ‘three’. If some, but not all strips are given labels, any
remaining strips will not be initialised.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None771 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
your-label-here, your-label-here, ...
This entry represents one of the three labelled attributes supported on the STATUS Zero board. It is
an LEDBoard (page 141) which contains:
red
The LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113) representing the red LED next to the label.
green
The LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113) representing the green LED next to the label.
16.1.22 StatusBoard
class gpiozero.StatusBoard(*labels, pwm=False, active_high=True, initial_value=False,
pin_factory=None)
Extends CompositeOutputDevice (page 164) for The Pi Hut’s STATUS772 board: a HAT sized add-on
board with five sets of red/green LEDs and buttons to provide a status indicator with additional input.
The following example designates the first strip the label “wifi” and the second “raining”, turns the wifi
green and then activates the button to toggle its lights when pressed:
from gpiozero import StatusBoard
status = StatusBoard('wifi', 'raining')
(continues on next page)
767 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
768 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
769 https://thepihut.com/statuszero
770 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
771 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
772 https://thepihut.com/status
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(continued from previous page)
status.wifi.lights.green.on()
status.wifi.button.when_pressed = status.wifi.lights.toggle
Each designated label will contain a “lights” LEDBoard (page 141) containing two LED (page 111) objects
named “red” and “green”, and a Button (page 93) object named “button”.
Parameters
• *labels (str 773 ) – Specify the names of the labels you wish to designate the strips
to. You can list up to five labels. If no labels are given, five strips will be initialised with
names ‘one’ to ‘five’. If some, but not all strips are given labels, any remaining strips
will not be initialised.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None774 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
your-label-here, your-label-here, ...
This entry represents one of the five labelled attributes supported on the STATUS board. It is an
CompositeOutputDevice (page 164) which contains:
lights
A LEDBoard (page 141) representing the lights next to the label. It contains:
red
The LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113) representing the red LED next to the label.
green
The LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113) representing the green LED next to the label.
button
A Button (page 93) representing the button next to the label.
16.1.23 SnowPi
class gpiozero.SnowPi(*, pwm=False, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends LEDBoard (page 141) for the Ryanteck SnowPi775 board.
The SnowPi pins are fixed and therefore there’s no need to specify them when constructing this class. The
following example turns on the eyes, sets the nose pulsing, and the arms blinking:
from gpiozero import SnowPi
snowman = SnowPi(pwm=True)
snowman.eyes.on()
snowman.nose.pulse()
snowman.arms.blink()
Parameters
• pwm (bool776 ) – If True777 , construct PWMLED (page 113) instances to represent each
LED. If False778 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) instances.
• initial_value (bool779 ) – If False780 (the default), all LEDs will be off initially.
If None781 , each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found in when configured
773 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
774 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
775 https://ryanteck.uk/raspberry-pi/114-snowpi-the-gpio-snowman-for-raspberry-pi-0635648608303.html
776 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
777 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
778 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
779 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
780 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
781 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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for output (warning: this can be on). If True782 , the device will be switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None783 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
arms
A LEDBoard (page 141) representing the arms of the snow man. It contains the following attributes:
left, right
Two LEDBoard (page 141) objects representing the left and right arms of the snow-man. They
contain:
top, middle, bottom
The LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113) down the snow-man’s arms.
eyes
A LEDBoard (page 141) representing the eyes of the snow-man. It contains:
left, right
The LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113) for the snow-man’s eyes.
nose
The LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113) for the snow-man’s nose.
16.1.24 PumpkinPi
class gpiozero.PumpkinPi(*, pwm=False, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends LEDBoard (page 141) for the ModMyPi PumpkinPi784 board.
There are twelve LEDs connected up to individual pins, so for the PumpkinPi the pins are fixed. For
example:
from gpiozero import PumpkinPi
pumpkin = PumpkinPi(pwm=True)
pumpkin.sides.pulse()
pumpkin.off()
Parameters
• pwm (bool785 ) – If True786 , construct PWMLED (page 113) instances to represent each
LED. If False787 (the default), construct regular LED (page 111) instances
• initial_value (bool788 or None789 ) – If False790 (the default), all LEDs will
be off initially. If None791 , each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found
in when configured for output (warning: this can be on). If True792 , the device will be
switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None793 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
782 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
783 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
784 https://www.modmypi.com/halloween-pumpkin-programmable-kit
785 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
786 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
787 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
788 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
789 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
790 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
791 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
792 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
793 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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sides
A LEDBoard (page 141) representing the LEDs around the edge of the pumpkin. It contains:
left, right
Two LEDBoard (page 141) instances representing the LEDs on the left and right sides of the
pumpkin. They each contain:
top, midtop, middle, midbottom, bottom
Each LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113) around the specified side of the pumpkin.
eyes
A LEDBoard (page 141) representing the eyes of the pumpkin. It contains:
left, right
The LED (page 111) or PWMLED (page 113) for each of the pumpkin’s eyes.
16.2 Base Classes
The classes in the sections above are derived from a series of base classes, some of which are effectively abstract.
The classes form the (partial) hierarchy displayed in the graph below:
PiLiterBarGraph
LEDBarGraph PiHutXmasTree
PiLiter
PiStop
LEDCollection LEDBoard TrafficLights
PiTraffic
TrafficLightsBuzzer FishDish PumpkinPi
CompositeOutputDevice JamHat TrafficHat SnowPi
StatusBoard StatusZero
Energenie ButtonBoard
Device CamJamKitRobot
CompositeDevice Robot
RyanteckRobot
PhaseEnableRobot
PololuDRV8835Robot
TonalBuzzer
For composite devices, the following chart shows which devices are composed of which other devices:
JamHat StatusBoard ButtonBoard TrafficLightsBuzzer PhaseEnableRobot Robot
TonalBuzzer RGBLED LEDBoard LEDBarGraph Button Buzzer TrafficLights PhaseEnableMotor Motor Servo
PWMLED LED DigitalOutputDevice PWMOutputDevice
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The following sections document these base classes for advanced users that wish to construct classes for their own
devices.
16.2.1 LEDCollection
class gpiozero.LEDCollection(*pins, pwm=False, active_high=True, initial_value=False,
pin_factory=None, **named_pins)
Extends CompositeOutputDevice (page 164). Abstract base class for LEDBoard (page 141) and
LEDBarGraph (page 144).
leds
A flat tuple of all LEDs contained in this collection (and all sub-collections).
16.2.2 CompositeOutputDevice
class gpiozero.CompositeOutputDevice(*args, _order=None, pin_factory=None,
**kwargs)
Extends CompositeDevice (page 164) with on() (page 164), off() (page 164), and toggle()
(page 164) methods for controlling subordinate output devices. Also extends value (page 164) to be
writeable.
Parameters
• *args (Device (page 175)) – The un-named devices that belong to the composite
device. The value (page 175) attributes of these devices will be represented within
the composite device’s tuple value (page 164) in the order specified here.
• _order (list794 or None795 ) – If specified, this is the order of named items spec-
ified by keyword arguments (to ensure that the value (page 164) tuple is constructed
with a specific order). All keyword arguments must be included in the collection. If
omitted, an alphabetically sorted order will be selected for keyword arguments.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None796 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
• **kwargs (Device (page 175)) – The named devices that belong to the composite
device. These devices will be accessible as named attributes on the resulting device,
and their value (page 164) attributes will be accessible as named elements of the
composite device’s tuple value (page 164).
off()
Turn all the output devices off.
on()
Turn all the output devices on.
toggle()
Toggle all the output devices. For each device, if it’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
value
A tuple containing a value for each subordinate device. This property can also be set to update the
state of all subordinate output devices.
16.2.3 CompositeDevice
class gpiozero.CompositeDevice(*args, _order=None, pin_factory=None, **kwargs)
Extends Device (page 175). Represents a device composed of multiple devices like simple HATs, H-
bridge motor controllers, robots composed of multiple motors, etc.
794 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#list
795 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
796 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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The constructor accepts subordinate devices as positional or keyword arguments. Positional arguments form
unnamed devices accessed by treating the composite device as a container, while keyword arguments are
added to the device as named (read-only) attributes.
For example:
>>> from gpiozero import *
>>> d = CompositeDevice(LED(2), LED(3), LED(4), btn=Button(17))
>>> d[0]
<gpiozero.LED object on pin GPIO2, active_high=True, is_active=False>
>>> d[1]
<gpiozero.LED object on pin GPIO3, active_high=True, is_active=False>
>>> d[2]
<gpiozero.LED object on pin GPIO4, active_high=True, is_active=False>
>>> d.btn
<gpiozero.Button object on pin GPIO17, pull_up=True, is_active=False>
>>> d.value
CompositeDeviceValue(device_0=False, device_1=False, device_2=False, btn=False)
Parameters
• *args (Device (page 175)) – The un-named devices that belong to the composite
device. The value (page 166) attributes of these devices will be represented within
the composite device’s tuple value (page 166) in the order specified here.
• _order (list797 or None798 ) – If specified, this is the order of named items spec-
ified by keyword arguments (to ensure that the value (page 166) tuple is constructed
with a specific order). All keyword arguments must be included in the collection. If
omitted, an alphabetically sorted order will be selected for keyword arguments.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None799 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
• **kwargs (Device (page 175)) – The named devices that belong to the composite
device. These devices will be accessible as named attributes on the resulting device,
and their value (page 166) attributes will be accessible as named elements of the
composite device’s tuple value (page 166).
close()
Shut down the device and release all associated resources. This method can be called on an already
closed device without raising an exception.
This method is primarily intended for interactive use at the command line. It disables the device and
releases its pin(s) for use by another device.
You can attempt to do this simply by deleting an object, but unless you’ve cleaned up all references
to the object this may not work (even if you’ve cleaned up all references, there’s still no guarantee the
garbage collector will actually delete the object at that point). By contrast, the close method provides
a means of ensuring that the object is shut down.
For example, if you have a breadboard with a buzzer connected to pin 16, but then wish to attach an
LED instead:
>>> from gpiozero import *
>>> bz = Buzzer(16)
>>> bz.on()
>>> bz.off()
>>> bz.close()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> led.blink()
797 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#list
798 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
799 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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Device (page 175) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with800 statement.
For example:
>>> from gpiozero import *
>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... bz.on()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... led.on()
...
closed
Returns True801 if the device is closed (see the close() (page 165) method). Once a device is
closed you can no longer use any other methods or properties to control or query the device.
is_active
Composite devices are considered “active” if any of their constituent devices have a “truthy” value.
namedtuple
The namedtuple()802 type constructed to represent the value of the composite device. The value
(page 166) attribute returns values of this type.
value
A namedtuple()803 containing a value for each subordinate device. Devices with names will be
represented as named elements. Unnamed devices will have a unique name generated for them, and
they will appear in the position they appeared in the constructor.
800 https://docs.python.org/3.5/reference/compound_stmts.html#with
801 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
802 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/collections.html#collections.namedtuple
803 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/collections.html#collections.namedtuple
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CHAPTER 17
API - Internal Devices
GPIO Zero also provides several “internal” devices which represent facilities provided by the operating system
itself. These can be used to react to things like the time of day, or whether a server is available on the network.
Warning: These devices are experimental and their API is not yet considered stable. We welcome any
comments from testers, especially regarding new “internal devices” that you’d find useful!
17.1 Regular Classes
The following classes are intended for general use with the devices they are named after. All classes in this section
are concrete (not abstract).
17.1.1 TimeOfDay
class gpiozero.TimeOfDay(start_time, end_time, *, utc=True, pin_factory=None)
Extends InternalDevice (page 172) to provide a device which is active when the computer’s clock
indicates that the current time is between start_time and end_time (inclusive) which are time804 instances.
The following example turns on a lamp attached to an Energenie (page 159) plug between 7 and 8 AM:
from gpiozero import TimeOfDay, Energenie
from datetime import time
from signal import pause
lamp = Energenie(1)
morning = TimeOfDay(time(7), time(8))
lamp.source = morning
pause()
Note that start_time may be greater than end_time, indicating a time period which crosses midnight.
Parameters
804 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/datetime.html#datetime.time
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• start_time (time805 ) – The time from which the device will be considered active.
• end_time (time806 ) – The time after which the device will be considered inactive.
• utc (bool807 ) – If True808 (the default), a naive UTC time will be used for the com-
parison rather than a local time-zone reading.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None809 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
end_time
The time of day after which the device will be considered inactive.
start_time
The time of day after which the device will be considered active.
utc
If True810 , use a naive UTC time reading for comparison instead of a local timezone reading.
value
Returns True811 when the system clock reads between start_time (page 168) and end_time
(page 168), and False812 otherwise. If start_time (page 168) is greater than end_time
(page 168) (indicating a period that crosses midnight), then this returns True813 when the current
time is greater than start_time (page 168) or less than end_time (page 168).
17.1.2 PingServer
class gpiozero.PingServer(host, *, pin_factory=None)
Extends InternalDevice (page 172) to provide a device which is active when a host on the network
can be pinged.
The following example lights an LED while a server is reachable (note the use of source_delay
(page 176) to ensure the server is not flooded with pings):
from gpiozero import PingServer, LED
from signal import pause
google = PingServer('google.com')
led = LED(4)
led.source_delay = 60 # check once per minute
led.source = google
pause()
Parameters
• host (str 814 ) – The hostname or IP address to attempt to ping.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None815 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
805 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/datetime.html#datetime.time
806 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/datetime.html#datetime.time
807 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#bool
808 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
809 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
810 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
811 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
812 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
813 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
814 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
815 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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host
The hostname or IP address to test whenever value (page 169) is queried.
value
Returns True816 if the host returned a single ping, and False817 otherwise.
17.1.3 CPUTemperature
class gpiozero.CPUTemperature(sensor_file=’/sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp’,
*, min_temp=0.0, max_temp=100.0, threshold=80.0,
pin_factory=None)
Extends InternalDevice (page 172) to provide a device which is active when the CPU temperature
exceeds the threshold value.
The following example plots the CPU’s temperature on an LED bar graph:
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph, CPUTemperature
from signal import pause
# Use minimums and maximums that are closer to "normal" usage so the
# bar graph is a bit more "lively"
cpu = CPUTemperature(min_temp=50, max_temp=90)
print('Initial temperature: {}C'.format(cpu.temperature))
graph = LEDBarGraph(5, 6, 13, 19, 25, pwm=True)
graph.source = cpu
pause()
Parameters
• sensor_file (str 818 ) – The file from which to read the temperature. This defaults
to the sysfs file /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp. Whatever file
is specified is expected to contain a single line containing the temperature in milli-
degrees celsius.
• min_temp (float819 ) – The temperature at which value (page 169) will read 0.0.
This defaults to 0.0.
• max_temp (float820 ) – The temperature at which value (page 169) will read 1.0.
This defaults to 100.0.
• threshold (float821 ) – The temperature above which the device will be considered
“active”. (see is_active (page 169)). This defaults to 80.0.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None822 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
is_active
Returns True823 when the CPU temperature (page 169) exceeds the threshold.
temperature
Returns the current CPU temperature in degrees celsius.
816 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
817 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
818 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
819 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
820 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
821 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
822 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
823 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
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value
Returns the current CPU temperature as a value between 0.0 (representing the min_temp value) and
1.0 (representing the max_temp value). These default to 0.0 and 100.0 respectively, hence value
(page 169) is temperature (page 169) divided by 100 by default.
17.1.4 LoadAverage
class gpiozero.LoadAverage(load_average_file=’/proc/loadavg’, *, min_load_average=0.0,
max_load_average=1.0, threshold=0.8, minutes=5,
pin_factory=None)
Extends InternalDevice (page 172) to provide a device which is active when the CPU load average
exceeds the threshold value.
The following example plots the load average on an LED bar graph:
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph, LoadAverage
from signal import pause
la = LoadAverage(min_load_average=0, max_load_average=2)
graph = LEDBarGraph(5, 6, 13, 19, 25, pwm=True)
graph.source = la
pause()
Parameters
• load_average_file (str 824 ) – The file from which to read the load average. This
defaults to the proc file /proc/loadavg. Whatever file is specified is expected to
contain three space-separated load averages at the beginning of the file, representing 1
minute, 5 minute and 15 minute averages respectively.
• min_load_average (float825 ) – The load average at which value (page 170)
will read 0.0. This defaults to 0.0.
• max_load_average (float826 ) – The load average at which value (page 170)
will read 1.0. This defaults to 1.0.
• threshold (float827 ) – The load average above which the device will be considered
“active”. (see is_active (page 170)). This defaults to 0.8.
• minutes (int828 ) – The number of minutes over which to average the load. Must be
1, 5 or 15. This defaults to 5.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None829 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
is_active
Returns True830 when the load_average (page 170) exceeds the threshold.
load_average
Returns the current load average.
value
Returns the current load average as a value between 0.0 (representing the min_load_average value)
and 1.0 (representing the max_load_average value). These default to 0.0 and 1.0 respectively.
824 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
825 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
826 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
827 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
828 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#int
829 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
830 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
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17.1.5 DiskUsage
class gpiozero.DiskUsage(filesystem=’/’, *, threshold=90.0, pin_factory=None)
Extends InternalDevice (page 172) to provide a device which is active when the disk space used
exceeds the threshold value.
The following example plots the disk usage on an LED bar graph:
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph, DiskUsage
from signal import pause
disk = DiskUsage()
print('Current disk usage: {}%'.format(disk.usage))
graph = LEDBarGraph(5, 6, 13, 19, 25, pwm=True)
graph.source = disk
pause()
Parameters
• filesystem (str 831 ) – A path within the filesystem for which the disk usage needs
to be computed. This defaults to /, which is the root filesystem.
• threshold (float832 ) – The disk usage percentage above which the device will be
considered “active” (see is_active (page 171)). This defaults to 90.0.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 198) or None833 ) – See API - Pins (page 195) for
more information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
is_active
Returns True834 when the disk usage (page 171) exceeds the threshold.
usage
Returns the current disk usage in percentage.
value
Returns the current disk usage as a value between 0.0 and 1.0 by dividing usage (page 171) by 100.
17.2 Base Classes
The classes in the sections above are derived from a series of base classes, some of which are effectively abstract.
The classes form the (partial) hierarchy displayed in the graph below (abstract classes are shaded lighter than
concrete classes):
831 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
832 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
833 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
834 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
17.2. Base Classes 171
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TimeOfDay
PingServer
Device InternalDevice CPUTemperature
LoadAverage
DiskUsage
The following sections document these base classes for advanced users that wish to construct classes for their own
devices.
17.2.1 InternalDevice
class gpiozero.InternalDevice(*, pin_factory=None)
Extends Device (page 175) to provide a basis for devices which have no specific hardware representation.
These are effectively pseudo-devices and usually represent operating system services like the internal clock,
file systems or network facilities.
172 Chapter 17. API - Internal Devices
CHAPTER 18
API - Generic Classes
The GPIO Zero class hierarchy is quite extensive. It contains several base classes (most of which are documented
in their corresponding chapters):
• Device (page 175) is the root of the hierarchy, implementing base functionality like close() (page 175)
and context manager handlers.
• GPIODevice (page 108) represents individual devices that attach to a single GPIO pin
• SPIDevice (page 139) represents devices that communicate over an SPI interface (implemented as four
GPIO pins)
• InternalDevice (page 172) represents devices that are entirely internal to the Pi (usually operating
system related services)
• CompositeDevice (page 164) represents devices composed of multiple other devices like HATs
There are also several mixin classes835 for adding important functionality at numerous points in the hierarchy,
which is illustrated below (mixin classes are represented in purple, while abstract classes are shaded lighter):
835 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixin
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MCP3208
MCP3201
MCP32xx MCP3204
MCP3202
MCP3304
MCP3301
MCP33xx
MCP3302
MCP3xxx MCP3xx2
MCP3002
MCP30xx MCP3001
MCP3004
MCP3008
PiLiterBarGraph
AnalogInputDevice
LEDBarGraph
StatusZero
PiHutXmasTree
LEDCollection LEDBoard SharedMixin
PiLiter
TrafficLightsBuzzer FishDish PiStop
TrafficLights
SPIDevice
JamHat TrafficHat PiTraffic
CompositeOutputDevice PumpkinPi
StatusBoard
SnowPi
PhaseEnableMotor
ButtonBoard
Motor RyanteckRobot
CompositeDevice Robot CamJamKitRobot
PhaseEnableRobot PololuDRV8835Robot
SourceMixin
Servo AngularServo
Button
TonalBuzzer LedBorg
MotionSensor
RGBLED HoldMixin
ValuesMixin Device DistanceSensor
Energenie DigitalInputDevice
LightSensor
GPIODevice InputDevice SmoothedInputDevice
LineSensor
EventsMixin
PingServer
174 Chapter 18. API - Generic Classes
InternalDevice TimeOfDay
CPUTemperature
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18.1 Device
class gpiozero.Device(*, pin_factory=None)
Represents a single device of any type; GPIO-based, SPI-based, I2C-based, etc. This is the base class of
the device hierarchy. It defines the basic services applicable to all devices (specifically the is_active
(page 175) property, the value (page 175) property, and the close() (page 175) method).
pin_factory
This attribute exists at both a class level (representing the default pin factory used to construct devices
when no pin_factory parameter is specified), and at an instance level (representing the pin factory that
the device was constructed with).
The pin factory provides various facilities to the device including allocating pins, providing low level
interfaces (e.g. SPI), and clock facilities (querying and calculating elapsed times).
close()
Shut down the device and release all associated resources. This method can be called on an already
closed device without raising an exception.
This method is primarily intended for interactive use at the command line. It disables the device and
releases its pin(s) for use by another device.
You can attempt to do this simply by deleting an object, but unless you’ve cleaned up all references
to the object this may not work (even if you’ve cleaned up all references, there’s still no guarantee the
garbage collector will actually delete the object at that point). By contrast, the close method provides
a means of ensuring that the object is shut down.
For example, if you have a breadboard with a buzzer connected to pin 16, but then wish to attach an
LED instead:
>>> from gpiozero import *
>>> bz = Buzzer(16)
>>> bz.on()
>>> bz.off()
>>> bz.close()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> led.blink()
Device (page 175) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with836 statement.
For example:
>>> from gpiozero import *
>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... bz.on()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... led.on()
...
closed
Returns True837 if the device is closed (see the close() (page 175) method). Once a device is
closed you can no longer use any other methods or properties to control or query the device.
is_active
Returns True838 if the device is currently active and False839 otherwise. This property is usually
derived from value (page 175). Unlike value (page 175), this is always a boolean.
value
Returns a value representing the device’s state. Frequently, this is a boolean value, or a number
836 https://docs.python.org/3.5/reference/compound_stmts.html#with
837 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
838 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
839 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
18.1. Device 175
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
between 0 and 1 but some devices use larger ranges (e.g. -1 to +1) and composite devices usually
use tuples to return the states of all their subordinate components.
18.2 ValuesMixin
class gpiozero.ValuesMixin(...)
Adds a values (page 176) property to the class which returns an infinite generator of readings from the
value (page 175) property. There is rarely a need to use this mixin directly as all base classes in GPIO
Zero include it.
Note: Use this mixin first in the parent class list.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.
18.3 SourceMixin
class gpiozero.SourceMixin(...)
Adds a source (page 176) property to the class which, given an iterable or a ValuesMixin (page 176)
descendent, sets value (page 175) to each member of that iterable until it is exhausted. This mixin is
generally included in novel output devices to allow their state to be driven from another device.
Note: Use this mixin first in the parent class list.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value.
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 176). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
18.4 SharedMixin
class gpiozero.SharedMixin(...)
This mixin marks a class as “shared”. In this case, the meta-class (GPIOMeta) will use _shared_key()
(page 176) to convert the constructor arguments to an immutable key, and will check whether any existing
instances match that key. If they do, they will be returned by the constructor instead of a new instance. An
internal reference counter is used to determine how many times an instance has been “constructed” in this
way.
When close() (page 175) is called, an internal reference counter will be decremented and the instance
will only close when it reaches zero.
classmethod _shared_key(*args, **kwargs)
Given the constructor arguments, returns an immutable key representing the instance. The default
simply assumes all positional arguments are immutable.
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18.5 EventsMixin
class gpiozero.EventsMixin(...)
Adds edge-detected when_activated() (page 177) and when_deactivated() (page 177) events
to a device based on changes to the is_active (page 175) property common to all devices. Also
adds wait_for_active() (page 177) and wait_for_inactive() (page 177) methods for level-
waiting.
Note: Note that this mixin provides no means of actually firing its events; call _fire_events() in
sub-classes when device state changes to trigger the events. This should also be called once at the end of
initialization to set initial states.
wait_for_active(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is activated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float840 or None841 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None842 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is active.
wait_for_inactive(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is deactivated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float843 or None844 ) – Number of seconds to wait before pro-
ceeding. If this is None845 (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is inactive.
active_time
The length of time (in seconds) that the device has been active for. When the device is inactive, this is
None846 .
inactive_time
The length of time (in seconds) that the device has been inactive for. When the device is active, this is
None847 .
when_activated
The function to run when the device changes state from inactive to active.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that activated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None848 (the default) to disable the event.
when_deactivated
The function to run when the device changes state from active to inactive.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that deactivated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None849 (the default) to disable the event.
840 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
841 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
842 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
843 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
844 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
845 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
846 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
847 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
848 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
849 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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18.6 HoldMixin
class gpiozero.HoldMixin(...)
Extends EventsMixin (page 177) to add the when_held (page 178) event and the machinery to fire
that event repeatedly (when hold_repeat (page 178) is True850 ) at internals defined by hold_time
(page 178).
held_time
The length of time (in seconds) that the device has been held for. This is counted from the first
execution of the when_held (page 178) event rather than when the device activated, in contrast to
active_time (page 177). If the device is not currently held, this is None851 .
hold_repeat
If True852 , when_held (page 178) will be executed repeatedly with hold_time (page 178) sec-
onds between each invocation.
hold_time
The length of time (in seconds) to wait after the device is activated, until executing the when_held
(page 178) handler. If hold_repeat (page 178) is True, this is also the length of time between
invocations of when_held (page 178).
is_held
When True853 , the device has been active for at least hold_time (page 178) seconds.
when_held
The function to run when the device has remained active for hold_time (page 178) seconds.
This can be set to a function which accepts no (mandatory) parameters, or a Python function which
accepts a single mandatory parameter (with as many optional parameters as you like). If the function
accepts a single mandatory parameter, the device that activated will be passed as that parameter.
Set this property to None854 (the default) to disable the event.
850 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
851 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
852 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
853 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
854 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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CHAPTER 19
API - Device Source Tools
GPIO Zero includes several utility routines which are intended to be used with the Source/Values (page 59) at-
tributes common to most devices in the library. These utility routines are in the tools module of GPIO Zero and
are typically imported as follows:
from gpiozero.tools import scaled, negated, all_values
Given that source (page 176) and values (page 176) deal with infinite iterators, another excellent source of
utilities is the itertools855 module in the standard library.
19.1 Single source conversions
gpiozero.tools.absoluted(values)
Returns values with all negative elements negated (so that they’re positive). For example:
from gpiozero import PWMLED, Motor, MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import absoluted, scaled
from signal import pause
led = PWMLED(4)
motor = Motor(22, 27)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
motor.source = scaled(pot, -1, 1)
led.source = absoluted(motor)
pause()
gpiozero.tools.booleanized(values, min_value, max_value, hysteresis=0)
Returns True for each item in values between min_value and max_value, and False otherwise. hysteresis
can optionally be used to add hysteresis856 which prevents the output value rapidly flipping when the input
value is fluctuating near the min_value or max_value thresholds. For example, to light an LED only when a
potentiometer is between ¼ and ¾ of its full range:
855 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/itertools.html#module-itertools
856 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteresis
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from gpiozero import LED, MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import booleanized
from signal import pause
led = LED(4)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
led.source = booleanized(pot, 0.25, 0.75)
pause()
gpiozero.tools.clamped(values, output_min=0, output_max=1)
Returns values clamped from output_min to output_max, i.e. any items less than output_min will be returned
as output_min and any items larger than output_max will be returned as output_max (these default to 0 and
1 respectively). For example:
from gpiozero import PWMLED, MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import clamped
from signal import pause
led = PWMLED(4)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
led.source = clamped(pot, 0.5, 1.0)
pause()
gpiozero.tools.inverted(values, input_min=0, input_max=1)
Returns the inversion of the supplied values (input_min becomes input_max, input_max becomes input_min,
input_min + 0.1 becomes input_max - 0.1, etc.). All items in values are assumed to be between input_min
and input_max (which default to 0 and 1 respectively), and the output will be in the same range. For
example:
from gpiozero import MCP3008, PWMLED
from gpiozero.tools import inverted
from signal import pause
led = PWMLED(4)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
led.source = inverted(pot)
pause()
gpiozero.tools.negated(values)
Returns the negation of the supplied values (True857 becomes False858 , and False859 becomes
True860 ). For example:
from gpiozero import Button, LED
from gpiozero.tools import negated
from signal import pause
led = LED(4)
btn = Button(17)
led.source = negated(btn)
(continues on next page)
857 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
858 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
859 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
860 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
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(continued from previous page)
pause()
gpiozero.tools.post_delayed(values, delay)
Waits for delay seconds after returning each item from values.
gpiozero.tools.post_periodic_filtered(values, repeat_after, block)
After every repeat_after items, blocks the next block items from values. Note that unlike
pre_periodic_filtered() (page 181), repeat_after can’t be 0. For example, to block every tenth
item read from an ADC:
from gpiozero import MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import post_periodic_filtered
adc = MCP3008(channel=0)
for value in post_periodic_filtered(adc, 9, 1):
print(value)
gpiozero.tools.pre_delayed(values, delay)
Waits for delay seconds before returning each item from values.
gpiozero.tools.pre_periodic_filtered(values, block, repeat_after)
Blocks the first block items from values, repeating the block after every repeat_after items, if repeat_after
is non-zero. For example, to discard the first 50 values read from an ADC:
from gpiozero import MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import pre_periodic_filtered
adc = MCP3008(channel=0)
for value in pre_periodic_filtered(adc, 50, 0):
print(value)
Or to only display every even item read from an ADC:
from gpiozero import MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import pre_periodic_filtered
adc = MCP3008(channel=0)
for value in pre_periodic_filtered(adc, 1, 1):
print(value)
gpiozero.tools.quantized(values, steps, input_min=0, input_max=1)
Returns values quantized to steps increments. All items in values are assumed to be between input_min and
input_max (which default to 0 and 1 respectively), and the output will be in the same range.
For example, to quantize values between 0 and 1 to 5 “steps” (0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0):
from gpiozero import PWMLED, MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import quantized
from signal import pause
led = PWMLED(4)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
led.source = quantized(pot, 4)
pause()
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gpiozero.tools.queued(values, qsize)
Queues up readings from values (the number of readings queued is determined by qsize) and begins yielding
values only when the queue is full. For example, to “cascade” values along a sequence of LEDs:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard, Button
from gpiozero.tools import queued
from signal import pause
leds = LEDBoard(5, 6, 13, 19, 26)
btn = Button(17)
for i in range(4):
leds[i].source = queued(leds[i + 1], 5)
leds[i].source_delay = 0.01
leds[4].source = btn
pause()
gpiozero.tools.smoothed(values, qsize, average=<function mean>)
Queues up readings from values (the number of readings queued is determined by qsize) and begins yielding
the average of the last qsize values when the queue is full. The larger the qsize, the more the values are
smoothed. For example, to smooth the analog values read from an ADC:
from gpiozero import MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import smoothed
adc = MCP3008(channel=0)
for value in smoothed(adc, 5):
print(value)
gpiozero.tools.scaled(values, output_min, output_max, input_min=0, input_max=1)
Returns values scaled from output_min to output_max, assuming that all items in values lie between in-
put_min and input_max (which default to 0 and 1 respectively). For example, to control the direction of a
motor (which is represented as a value between -1 and 1) using a potentiometer (which typically provides
values between 0 and 1):
from gpiozero import Motor, MCP3008
from gpiozero.tools import scaled
from signal import pause
motor = Motor(20, 21)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
motor.source = scaled(pot, -1, 1)
pause()
Warning: If values contains elements that lie outside input_min to input_max (inclusive) then the
function will not produce values that lie within output_min to output_max (inclusive).
19.2 Combining sources
gpiozero.tools.all_values(*values)
Returns the logical conjunction861 of all supplied values (the result is only True862 if and only if all input
861 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_conjunction
862 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
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values are simultaneously True863 ). One or more values can be specified. For example, to light an LED
(page 111) only when both buttons are pressed:
from gpiozero import LED, Button
from gpiozero.tools import all_values
from signal import pause
led = LED(4)
btn1 = Button(20)
btn2 = Button(21)
led.source = all_values(btn1, btn2)
pause()
gpiozero.tools.any_values(*values)
Returns the logical disjunction864 of all supplied values (the result is True865 if any of the input values are
currently True866 ). One or more values can be specified. For example, to light an LED (page 111) when
any button is pressed:
from gpiozero import LED, Button
from gpiozero.tools import any_values
from signal import pause
led = LED(4)
btn1 = Button(20)
btn2 = Button(21)
led.source = any_values(btn1, btn2)
pause()
gpiozero.tools.averaged(*values)
Returns the mean of all supplied values. One or more values can be specified. For example, to light a
PWMLED (page 113) as the average of several potentiometers connected to an MCP3008 (page 135) ADC:
from gpiozero import MCP3008, PWMLED
from gpiozero.tools import averaged
from signal import pause
pot1 = MCP3008(channel=0)
pot2 = MCP3008(channel=1)
pot3 = MCP3008(channel=2)
led = PWMLED(4)
led.source = averaged(pot1, pot2, pot3)
pause()
gpiozero.tools.multiplied(*values)
Returns the product of all supplied values. One or more values can be specified. For example, to light a
PWMLED (page 113) as the product (i.e. multiplication) of several potentiometers connected to an MCP3008
(page 135) ADC:
from gpiozero import MCP3008, PWMLED
from gpiozero.tools import multiplied
from signal import pause
(continues on next page)
863 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
864 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_disjunction
865 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
866 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
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(continued from previous page)
pot1 = MCP3008(channel=0)
pot2 = MCP3008(channel=1)
pot3 = MCP3008(channel=2)
led = PWMLED(4)
led.source = multiplied(pot1, pot2, pot3)
pause()
gpiozero.tools.summed(*values)
Returns the sum of all supplied values. One or more values can be specified. For example, to light a
PWMLED (page 113) as the (scaled) sum of several potentiometers connected to an MCP3008 (page 135)
ADC:
from gpiozero import MCP3008, PWMLED
from gpiozero.tools import summed, scaled
from signal import pause
pot1 = MCP3008(channel=0)
pot2 = MCP3008(channel=1)
pot3 = MCP3008(channel=2)
led = PWMLED(4)
led.source = scaled(summed(pot1, pot2, pot3), 0, 1, 0, 3)
pause()
gpiozero.tools.zip_values(*devices)
Provides a source constructed from the values of each item, for example:
from gpiozero import MCP3008, Robot
from gpiozero.tools import zip_values
from signal import pause
robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))
left = MCP3008(0)
right = MCP3008(1)
robot.source = zip_values(left, right)
pause()
zip_values(left, right) is equivalent to zip(left.values, right.values).
19.3 Artificial sources
gpiozero.tools.alternating_values(initial_value=False)
Provides an infinite source of values alternating between True867 and False868 , starting wth initial_value
(which defaults to False869 ). For example, to produce a flashing LED:
from gpiozero import LED
from gpiozero.tools import alternating_values
from signal import pause
(continues on next page)
867 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
868 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
869 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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(continued from previous page)
red = LED(2)
red.source_delay = 0.5
red.source = alternating_values()
pause()
gpiozero.tools.cos_values(period=360)
Provides an infinite source of values representing a cosine wave (from -1 to +1) which repeats every period
values. For example, to produce a “siren” effect with a couple of LEDs that repeats once a second:
from gpiozero import PWMLED
from gpiozero.tools import cos_values, scaled, inverted
from signal import pause
red = PWMLED(2)
blue = PWMLED(3)
red.source_delay = 0.01
blue.source_delay = red.source_delay
red.source = scaled(cos_values(100), 0, 1, -1, 1)
blue.source = inverted(red)
pause()
If you require a different range than -1 to +1, see scaled() (page 182).
gpiozero.tools.ramping_values(period=360)
Provides an infinite source of values representing a triangle wave (from 0 to 1 and back again) which repeats
every period values. For example, to pulse an LED once a second:
from gpiozero import PWMLED
from gpiozero.tools import ramping_values
from signal import pause
red = PWMLED(2)
red.source_delay = 0.01
red.source = ramping_values(100)
pause()
If you require a wider range than 0 to 1, see scaled() (page 182).
gpiozero.tools.random_values()
Provides an infinite source of random values between 0 and 1. For example, to produce a “flickering candle”
effect with an LED:
from gpiozero import PWMLED
from gpiozero.tools import random_values
from signal import pause
led = PWMLED(4)
led.source = random_values()
pause()
If you require a wider range than 0 to 1, see scaled() (page 182).
gpiozero.tools.sin_values(period=360)
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Provides an infinite source of values representing a sine wave (from -1 to +1) which repeats every period
values. For example, to produce a “siren” effect with a couple of LEDs that repeats once a second:
from gpiozero import PWMLED
from gpiozero.tools import sin_values, scaled, inverted
from signal import pause
red = PWMLED(2)
blue = PWMLED(3)
red.source_delay = 0.01
blue.source_delay = red.source_delay
red.source = scaled(sin_values(100), 0, 1, -1, 1)
blue.source = inverted(red)
pause()
If you require a different range than -1 to +1, see scaled() (page 182).
186 Chapter 19. API - Device Source Tools
CHAPTER 20
API - Tones
GPIO Zero includes a Tone (page 187) class intended for use with the TonalBuzzer (page 119). This class is
in the tones module of GPIO Zero and is typically imported as follows:
from gpiozero.tones import Tone
20.1 Tone
class gpiozero.tones.Tone
Represents a frequency of sound in a variety of musical notations.
Tone (page 187) class can be used with the TonalBuzzer (page 119) class to easily represent musical
tones. The class can be constructed in a variety of ways. For example as a straight frequency in Hz870
(which is the internal storage format), as an integer MIDI note, or as a string representation of a musical
note.
All the following constructors are equivalent ways to construct the typical tuning note, concert A871 at
440Hz, which is MIDI note #69:
>>> from gpiozero.tones import Tone
>>> Tone(440.0)
>>> Tone(69)
>>> Tone('A4')
If you do not want the constructor to guess which format you are using (there is some ambiguity between
frequencies and MIDI notes at the bottom end of the frequencies, from 128Hz down), you can use one of the
explicit constructors, from_frequency() (page 188), from_midi() (page 188), or from_note()
(page 188), or you can specify a keyword argument when constructing:
>>> Tone.from_frequency(440)
>>> Tone.from_midi(69)
>>> Tone.from_note('A4')
>>> Tone(frequency=440)
>>> Tone(midi=69)
>>> Tone(note='A4')
870 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hertz
871 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_pitch
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Several attributes are provided to permit conversion to any of the supported construction formats:
frequency (page 188), midi (page 188), and note (page 188). Methods are provided to step up()
(page 188) or down() (page 188) to adjacent MIDI notes.
Warning: Currently Tone (page 187) derives from float872 and can be used as a floating point
number in most circumstances (addition, subtraction, etc). This part of the API is not yet considered
“stable”; i.e. we may decide to enhance / change this behaviour in future versions.
down(n=1)
Return the Tone (page 187) n semi-tones below this frequency (n defaults to 1).
classmethod from_frequency(freq)
Construct a Tone (page 187) from a frequency specified in Hz873 which must be a positive floating-
point value in the range 0 < freq <= 20000.
classmethod from_midi(midi_note)
Construct a Tone (page 187) from a MIDI note, which must be an integer in the range 0 to 127. For
reference, A4 (concert A874 typically used for tuning) is MIDI note #69.
classmethod from_note(note)
Construct a Tone (page 187) from a musical note which must consist of a capital letter A through G,
followed by an optional semi-tone modifier (“b” for flat, “#” for sharp, or their Unicode equivalents),
followed by an octave number (0 through 9).
For example concert A875 , the typical tuning note at 440Hz, would be represented as “A4”. One semi-
tone above this would be “A#4” or alternatively “Bb4”. Unicode representations of sharp and flat are
also accepted.
up(n=1)
Return the Tone (page 187) n semi-tones above this frequency (n defaults to 1).
frequency
Return the frequency of the tone in Hz876 .
midi
Return the (nearest) MIDI note to the tone’s frequency. This will be an integer number in the range 0
to 127. If the frequency is outside the range represented by MIDI notes (which is approximately 8Hz
to 12.5KHz) ValueError877 exception will be raised.
note
Return the (nearest) note to the tone’s frequency. This will be a string in the form accepted by
from_note() (page 188). If the frequency is outside the range represented by this format (“A0”
is approximately 27.5Hz, and “G9” is approximately 12.5Khz) a ValueError878 exception will be
raised.
872 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/functions.html#float
873 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hertz
874 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_pitch
875 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_pitch
876 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hertz
877 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
878 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
188 Chapter 20. API - Tones
CHAPTER 21
API - Pi Information
The GPIO Zero library also contains a database of information about the various revisions of the Raspberry Pi
computer. This is used internally to raise warnings when non-physical pins are used, or to raise exceptions when
pull-downs are requested on pins with physical pull-up resistors attached. The following functions and classes can
be used to query this database:
21.1 pi_info
gpiozero.pi_info(revision=None)
Returns a PiBoardInfo (page 189) instance containing information about a revision of the Raspberry Pi.
Parameters revision (str 879 ) – The revision of the Pi to return information about. If this
is omitted or None880 (the default), then the library will attempt to determine the model of
Pi it is running on and return information about that.
21.2 PiBoardInfo
class gpiozero.PiBoardInfo
This class is a namedtuple()881 derivative used to represent information about a particular model of
Raspberry Pi. While it is a tuple, it is strongly recommended that you use the following named attributes
to access the data contained within. The object can be used in format strings with various custom format
specifications:
from gpiozero import *
print('{0}'.format(pi_info()))
print('{0:full}'.format(pi_info()))
print('{0:board}'.format(pi_info()))
print('{0:specs}'.format(pi_info()))
print('{0:headers}'.format(pi_info()))
“color” and “mono” can be prefixed to format specifications to force the use of ANSI color codes882 . If
879 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
880 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
881 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/collections.html#collections.namedtuple
882 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANSI_escape_code
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neither is specified, ANSI codes will only be used if stdout is detected to be a tty:
print('{0:color board}'.format(pi_info())) # force use of ANSI codes
print('{0:mono board}'.format(pi_info())) # force plain ASCII
physical_pin(function)
Return the physical pin supporting the specified function. If no pins support the desired func-
tion, this function raises PinNoPins (page 215). If multiple pins support the desired function,
PinMultiplePins (page 215) will be raised (use physical_pins() (page 190) if you expect
multiple pins in the result, such as for electrical ground).
Parameters function (str 883 ) – The pin function you wish to search for. Usually this
is something like “GPIO9” for Broadcom GPIO pin 9.
physical_pins(function)
Return the physical pins supporting the specified function as tuples of (header, pin_number)
where header is a string specifying the header containing the pin_number. Note that the return value
is a set884 which is not indexable. Use physical_pin() (page 190) if you are expecting a single
return value.
Parameters function (str 885 ) – The pin function you wish to search for. Usually this is
something like “GPIO9” for Broadcom GPIO pin 9, or “GND” for all the pins connecting
to electrical ground.
pprint(color=None)
Pretty-print a representation of the board along with header diagrams.
If color is None886 (the default), the diagram will include ANSI color codes if stdout is a color-capable
terminal. Otherwise color can be set to True887 or False888 to force color or monochrome output.
pulled_up(function)
Returns a bool indicating whether a physical pull-up is attached to the pin supporting the specified
function. Either PinNoPins (page 215) or PinMultiplePins (page 215) may be raised if the
function is not associated with a single pin.
Parameters function (str 889 ) – The pin function you wish to determine pull-up for.
Usually this is something like “GPIO9” for Broadcom GPIO pin 9.
to_gpio(spec)
Parses a pin spec, returning the equivalent Broadcom GPIO port number or raising a ValueError890
exception if the spec does not represent a GPIO port.
The spec may be given in any of the following forms:
• An integer, which will be accepted as a GPIO number
• ‘GPIOn’ where n is the GPIO number
• ‘WPIn’ where n is the wiringPi891 pin number
• ‘BCMn’ where n is the GPIO number (alias of GPIOn)
• ‘BOARDn’ where n is the physical pin number on the main header
• ‘h:n’ where h is the header name and n is the physical pin number (for example J8:5 is physical
pin 5 on header J8, which is the main header on modern Raspberry Pis)
883 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
884 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#set
885 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
886 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
887 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
888 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
889 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/stdtypes.html#str
890 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
891 http://wiringpi.com/pins/
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revision
A string indicating the revision of the Pi. This is unique to each revision and can be considered the
“key” from which all other attributes are derived. However, in itself the string is fairly meaningless.
model
A string containing the model of the Pi (for example, “B”, “B+”, “A+”, “2B”, “CM” (for the Compute
Module), or “Zero”).
pcb_revision
A string containing the PCB revision number which is silk-screened onto the Pi (on some models).
Note: This is primarily useful to distinguish between the model B revision 1.0 and 2.0 (not to be
confused with the model 2B) which had slightly different pinouts on their 26-pin GPIO headers.
released
A string containing an approximate release date for this revision of the Pi (formatted as yyyyQq, e.g.
2012Q1 means the first quarter of 2012).
soc
A string indicating the SoC (system on a chip892 ) that this revision of the Pi is based upon.
manufacturer
A string indicating the name of the manufacturer (usually “Sony” but a few others exist).
memory
An integer indicating the amount of memory (in Mb) connected to the SoC.
Note: This can differ substantially from the amount of RAM available to the operating system as
the GPU’s memory is shared with the CPU. When the camera module is activated, at least 128Mb of
RAM is typically reserved for the GPU.
storage
A string indicating the type of bootable storage used with this revision of Pi, e.g. “SD”, “MicroSD”,
or “eMMC” (for the Compute Module).
usb
An integer indicating how many USB ports are physically present on this revision of the Pi.
Note: This does not include the micro-USB port used to power the Pi.
ethernet
An integer indicating how many Ethernet ports are physically present on this revision of the Pi.
wifi
A bool indicating whether this revision of the Pi has wifi built-in.
bluetooth
A bool indicating whether this revision of the Pi has bluetooth built-in.
csi
An integer indicating the number of CSI (camera) ports available on this revision of the Pi.
dsi
An integer indicating the number of DSI (display) ports available on this revision of the Pi.
headers
A dictionary which maps header labels to HeaderInfo (page 192) tuples. For example, to obtain
information about header P1 you would query headers['P1']. To obtain information about pin
12 on header J8 you would query headers['J8'].pins[12].
892 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_on_a_chip
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A rendered version of this data can be obtained by using the PiBoardInfo (page 189) object in a
format string:
from gpiozero import *
print('{0:headers}'.format(pi_info()))
board
An ASCII art rendition of the board, primarily intended for console pretty-print usage. A more usefully
rendered version of this data can be obtained by using the PiBoardInfo (page 189) object in a
format string. For example:
from gpiozero import *
print('{0:board}'.format(pi_info()))
21.3 HeaderInfo
class gpiozero.HeaderInfo
This class is a namedtuple()893 derivative used to represent information about a pin header on a board.
The object can be used in a format string with various custom specifications:
from gpiozero import *
print('{0}'.format(pi_info().headers['J8']))
print('{0:full}'.format(pi_info().headers['J8']))
print('{0:col2}'.format(pi_info().headers['P1']))
print('{0:row1}'.format(pi_info().headers['P1']))
“color” and “mono” can be prefixed to format specifications to force the use of ANSI color codes894 . If
neither is specified, ANSI codes will only be used if stdout is detected to be a tty:
print('{0:color row2}'.format(pi_info().headers['J8'])) # force use of ANSI
˓→codes
print('{0:mono row2}'.format(pi_info().headers['P1'])) # force plain ASCII
The following attributes are defined:
pprint(color=None)
Pretty-print a diagram of the header pins.
If color is None895 (the default, the diagram will include ANSI color codes if stdout is a color-capable
terminal). Otherwise color can be set to True896 or False897 to force color or monochrome output.
name
The name of the header, typically as it appears silk-screened on the board (e.g. “P1” or “J8”).
rows
The number of rows on the header.
columns
The number of columns on the header.
pins
A dictionary mapping physical pin numbers to PinInfo (page 193) tuples.
893 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/collections.html#collections.namedtuple
894 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANSI_escape_code
895 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
896 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
897 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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21.4 PinInfo
class gpiozero.PinInfo
This class is a namedtuple()898 derivative used to represent information about a pin present on a GPIO
header. The following attributes are defined:
number
An integer containing the physical pin number on the header (starting from 1 in accordance with
convention).
function
A string describing the function of the pin. Some common examples include “GND” (for pins con-
necting to ground), “3V3” (for pins which output 3.3 volts), “GPIO9” (for GPIO9 in the Broadcom
numbering scheme), etc.
pull_up
A bool indicating whether the pin has a physical pull-up resistor permanently attached (this is usually
False899 but GPIO2 and GPIO3 are usually True900 ). This is used internally by gpiozero to raise
errors when pull-down is requested on a pin with a physical pull-up resistor.
row
An integer indicating on which row the pin is physically located in the header (1-based)
col
An integer indicating in which column the pin is physically located in the header (1-based)
898 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/collections.html#collections.namedtuple
899 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
900 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
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194 Chapter 21. API - Pi Information
CHAPTER 22
API - Pins
As of release 1.1, the GPIO Zero library can be roughly divided into two things: pins and the devices that are
connected to them. The majority of the documentation focuses on devices as pins are below the level that most
users are concerned with. However, some users may wish to take advantage of the capabilities of alternative GPIO
implementations or (in future) use GPIO extender chips. This is the purpose of the pins portion of the library.
When you construct a device, you pass in a pin specification. This is passed to a pin Factory (page 198) which
turns it into a Pin (page 199) implementation. The default factory can be queried (and changed) with Device.
pin_factory (page 175). However, all classes (even internal devices) accept a pin_factory keyword argument
to their constructors permitting the factory to be overridden on a per-device basis (the reason for allowing per-
device factories is made apparent in the Configuring Remote GPIO (page 43) chapter).
This is illustrated in the following flow-chart:
LED(pin_spec, ...,
pin_factory=None)
pin_factory
is None?
yes no
self.pin_factory = self.pin_factory =
Device.pin_factory pin_factory
self.pin =
self.pin_factory.pin(pin_spec)
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The default factory is constructed when GPIO Zero is first imported; if no default factory can be constructed
(e.g. because no GPIO implementations are installed, or all of them fail to load for whatever reason), an
ImportError901 will be raised.
22.1 Changing the pin factory
The default pin factory can be replaced by specifying a value for the GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY (page 74)
environment variable. For example:
$ GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=native python
Python 3.4.2 (default, Oct 19 2014, 13:31:11)
[GCC 4.9.1] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import gpiozero
>>> gpiozero.Device.pin_factory
<gpiozero.pins.native.NativeFactory object at 0x762c26b0>
To set the GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY (page 74) for the rest of your session you can export this value:
$ export GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=native
$ python
Python 3.4.2 (default, Oct 19 2014, 13:31:11)
[GCC 4.9.1] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import gpiozero
>>> gpiozero.Device.pin_factory
<gpiozero.pins.native.NativeFactory object at 0x762c26b0>
>>> quit()
$ python
Python 3.4.2 (default, Oct 19 2014, 13:31:11)
[GCC 4.9.1] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import gpiozero
>>> gpiozero.Device.pin_factory
<gpiozero.pins.native.NativeFactory object at 0x76401330>
If you add the export command to your ~/.bashrc file, you’ll set the default pin factory for all future sessions
too.
The following values, and the corresponding Factory (page 198) and Pin (page 199) classes are listed in the
table below. Factories are listed in the order that they are tried by default.
Name Factory class Pin class
rpig- gpiozero.pins.rpigpio. gpiozero.pins.rpigpio.
pio RPiGPIOFactory (page 207) RPiGPIOPin (page 207)
rpio gpiozero.pins.rpio.RPIOFactory gpiozero.pins.rpio.RPIOPin
(page 207) (page 207)
pig- gpiozero.pins.pigpio.PiGPIOFactory gpiozero.pins.pigpio.PiGPIOPin
pio (page 208) (page 208)
na- gpiozero.pins.native.NativeFactory gpiozero.pins.native.NativePin
tive (page 208) (page 209)
If you need to change the default pin factory from within a script, either set Device.pin_factory (page 175)
to the new factory instance to use:
901 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ImportError
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from gpiozero.pins.native import NativeFactory
from gpiozero import Device, LED
Device.pin_factory = NativeFactory()
# These will now implicitly use NativePin instead of
# RPiGPIOPin
led1 = LED(16)
led2 = LED(17)
Or use the pin_factory keyword parameter mentioned above:
from gpiozero.pins.native import NativeFactory
from gpiozero import LED
my_factory = NativeFactory()
# This will use NativePin instead of RPiGPIOPin for led1
# but led2 will continue to use RPiGPIOPin
led1 = LED(16, pin_factory=my_factory)
led2 = LED(17)
Certain factories may take default information from additional sources. For example, to default to creating pins
with gpiozero.pins.pigpio.PiGPIOPin (page 208) on a remote pi called “remote-pi” you can set the
PIGPIO_ADDR (page 74) environment variable when running your script:
$ GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=pigpio PIGPIO_ADDR=remote-pi python3 my_script.py
Like the GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY (page 74) value, these can be exported from your ~/.bashrc script too.
Warning: The astute and mischievous reader may note that it is possible to mix factories, e.g. using
RPiGPIOFactory (page 207) for one pin, and NativeFactory (page 208) for another. This is un-
supported, and if it results in your script crashing, your components failing, or your Raspberry Pi turning into
an actual raspberry pie, you have only yourself to blame.
Sensible uses of multiple pin factories are given in Configuring Remote GPIO (page 43).
22.2 Mock pins
There’s also a gpiozero.pins.mock.MockFactory (page 209) which generates entirely fake pins. This
was originally intended for GPIO Zero developers who wish to write tests for devices without having to have the
physical device wired in to their Pi. However, they have also proven relatively useful in developing GPIO Zero
scripts without having a Pi to hand. This pin factory will never be loaded by default; it must be explicitly specified.
For example:
from gpiozero.pins.mock import MockFactory
from gpiozero import Device, Button, LED
from time import sleep
# Set the default pin factory to a mock factory
Device.pin_factory = MockFactory()
# Construct a couple of devices attached to mock pins 16 and 17, and link the
# devices
led = LED(17)
btn = Button(16)
led.source = btn
(continues on next page)
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(continued from previous page)
# Here the button isn't "pushed" so the LED's value should be False
print(led.value)
# Get a reference to mock pin 16 (used by the button)
btn_pin = Device.pin_factory.pin(16)
# Drive the pin low (this is what would happen electrically when the button is
# pushed)
btn_pin.drive_low()
sleep(0.1) # give source some time to re-read the button state
print(led.value)
btn_pin.drive_high()
sleep(0.1)
print(led.value)
Several sub-classes of mock pins exist for emulating various other things (pins that do/don’t support PWM, pins
that are connected together, pins that drive high after a delay, etc). Interested users are invited to read the GPIO
Zero test suite for further examples of usage.
22.3 Base classes
class gpiozero.Factory
Generates pins and SPI interfaces for devices. This is an abstract base class for pin factories. Descendents
must override the following methods:
• ticks() (page 199)
• ticks_diff() (page 199)
Descendents may override the following methods, if applicable:
• close() (page 198)
• reserve_pins() (page 199)
• release_pins() (page 198)
• release_all() (page 198)
• pin() (page 198)
• spi() (page 199)
• _get_pi_info()
close()
Closes the pin factory. This is expected to clean up all resources manipulated by the factory. It it
typically called at script termination.
pin(spec)
Creates an instance of a Pin (page 199) descendent representing the specified pin.
Warning: Descendents must ensure that pin instances representing the same hardware are identi-
cal; i.e. two separate invocations of pin() (page 198) for the same pin specification must return
the same object.
release_all(reserver)
Releases all pin reservations taken out by reserver. See release_pins() (page 198) for further
information).
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release_pins(reserver, *pins)
Releases the reservation of reserver against pins. This is typically called during close() (page 175)
to clean up reservations taken during construction. Releasing a reservation that is not currently held
will be silently ignored (to permit clean-up after failed / partial construction).
reserve_pins(requester, *pins)
Called to indicate that the device reserves the right to use the specified pins. This should be done
during device construction. If pins are reserved, you must ensure that the reservation is released by
eventually called release_pins() (page 198).
spi(**spi_args)
Returns an instance of an SPI (page 202) interface, for the specified SPI port and device, or for the
specified pins (clock_pin, mosi_pin, miso_pin, and select_pin). Only one of the schemes can be used;
attempting to mix port and device with pin numbers will raise SPIBadArgs (page 213).
ticks()
Return the current ticks, according to the factory. The reference point is undefined and thus the result
of this method is only meaningful when compared to another value returned by this method.
The format of the time is also arbitrary, as is whether the time wraps after a certain duration. Ticks
should only be compared using the ticks_diff() (page 199) method.
ticks_diff(later, earlier)
Return the time in seconds between two ticks() (page 199) results. The arguments are specified
in the same order as they would be in the formula later - earlier but the result is guaranteed to be in
seconds, and to be positive even if the ticks “wrapped” between calls to ticks() (page 199).
pi_info
Returns a PiBoardInfo (page 189) instance representing the Pi that instances generated by this
factory will be attached to.
If the pins represented by this class are not directly attached to a Pi (e.g. the pin is attached to a board
attached to the Pi, or the pins are not on a Pi at all), this may return None902 .
class gpiozero.Pin
Abstract base class representing a pin attached to some form of controller, be it GPIO, SPI, ADC, etc.
Descendents should override property getters and setters to accurately represent the capabilities of pins.
Descendents must override the following methods:
• _get_function()
• _set_function()
• _get_state()
Descendents may additionally override the following methods, if applicable:
• close() (page 200)
• output_with_state() (page 200)
• input_with_pull() (page 200)
• _set_state()
• _get_frequency()
• _set_frequency()
• _get_pull()
• _set_pull()
• _get_bounce()
• _set_bounce()
• _get_edges()
902 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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• _set_edges()
• _get_when_changed()
• _set_when_changed()
close()
Cleans up the resources allocated to the pin. After this method is called, this Pin (page 199) instance
may no longer be used to query or control the pin’s state.
input_with_pull(pull)
Sets the pin’s function to “input” and specifies an initial pull-up for the pin. By default this is equivalent
to performing:
pin.function = 'input'
pin.pull = pull
However, descendents may override this order to provide the smallest possible delay between config-
uring the pin for input and pulling the pin up/down (which can be important for avoiding “blips” in
some configurations).
output_with_state(state)
Sets the pin’s function to “output” and specifies an initial state for the pin. By default this is equivalent
to performing:
pin.function = 'output'
pin.state = state
However, descendents may override this in order to provide the smallest possible delay between con-
figuring the pin for output and specifying an initial value (which can be important for avoiding “blips”
in active-low configurations).
bounce
The amount of bounce detection (elimination) currently in use by edge detection, measured in seconds.
If bounce detection is not currently in use, this is None903 .
For example, if edges (page 200) is currently “rising”, bounce (page 200) is currently 5/1000 (5ms),
then the waveform below will only fire when_changed (page 201) on two occasions despite there
being three rising edges:
TIME 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10..11..12 ms
bounce elimination |===================| |==============
HIGH - - - - > ,--. ,--------------. ,--.
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
LOW ----------------' `-' `-' `-----------
: :
: :
when_changed when_changed
fires fires
If the pin does not support edge detection, attempts to set this property will raise
PinEdgeDetectUnsupported (page 214). If the pin supports edge detection, the class must
implement bounce detection, even if only in software.
edges
The edge that will trigger execution of the function or bound method assigned to when_changed
(page 201). This can be one of the strings “both” (the default), “rising”, “falling”, or “none”:
903 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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HIGH - - - - > ,--------------.
| |
| |
LOW --------------------' `--------------
: :
: :
Fires when_changed "both" "both"
when edges is ... "rising" "falling"
If the pin does not support edge detection, attempts to set this property will raise
PinEdgeDetectUnsupported (page 214).
frequency
The frequency (in Hz) for the pin’s PWM implementation, or None904 if PWM is not currently in
use. This value always defaults to None905 and may be changed with certain pin types to activate or
deactivate PWM.
If the pin does not support PWM, PinPWMUnsupported (page 215) will be raised when attempting
to set this to a value other than None906 .
function
The function of the pin. This property is a string indicating the current function or purpose of the pin.
Typically this is the string “input” or “output”. However, in some circumstances it can be other strings
indicating non-GPIO related functionality.
With certain pin types (e.g. GPIO pins), this attribute can be changed to configure the function of a
pin. If an invalid function is specified, for this attribute, PinInvalidFunction (page 214) will be
raised.
pull
The pull-up state of the pin represented as a string. This is typically one of the strings “up”, “down”,
or “floating” but additional values may be supported by the underlying hardware.
If the pin does not support changing pull-up state (for example because of a fixed pull-up resistor),
attempts to set this property will raise PinFixedPull (page 214). If the specified value is not
supported by the underlying hardware, PinInvalidPull (page 214) is raised.
state
The state of the pin. This is 0 for low, and 1 for high. As a low level view of the pin, no swapping is
performed in the case of pull ups (see pull (page 201) for more information):
HIGH - - - - > ,----------------------
|
|
LOW ----------------'
Descendents which implement analog, or analog-like capabilities can return values between 0 and 1.
For example, pins implementing PWM (where frequency (page 201) is not None907 ) return a value
between 0.0 and 1.0 representing the current PWM duty cycle.
If a pin is currently configured for input, and an attempt is made to set this attribute, PinSetInput
(page 214) will be raised. If an invalid value is specified for this attribute, PinInvalidState
(page 214) will be raised.
when_changed
A function or bound method to be called when the pin’s state changes (more specifically when the
edge specified by edges (page 200) is detected on the pin). The function or bound method must
accept two parameters: the first will report the ticks (from Factory.ticks() (page 199)) when
the pin’s state changed, and the second will report the pin’s current state.
904 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
905 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
906 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
907 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#None
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Warning: Depending on hardware support, the state is not guaranteed to be accurate. For in-
stance, many GPIO implementations will provide an interrupt indicating when a pin’s state changed
but not what it changed to. In this case the pin driver simply reads the pin’s current state to sup-
ply this parameter, but the pin’s state may have changed since the interrupt. Exercise appropriate
caution when relying upon this parameter.
If the pin does not support edge detection, attempts to set this property will raise
PinEdgeDetectUnsupported (page 214).
class gpiozero.SPI
Abstract interface for Serial Peripheral Interface908 (SPI) implementations. Descendents must override the
following methods:
• transfer() (page 202)
• _get_clock_mode()
Descendents may override the following methods, if applicable:
• read() (page 202)
• write() (page 202)
• _set_clock_mode()
• _get_lsb_first()
• _set_lsb_first()
• _get_select_high()
• _set_select_high()
• _get_bits_per_word()
• _set_bits_per_word()
read(n)
Read n words of data from the SPI interface, returning them as a sequence of unsigned ints, each no
larger than the configured bits_per_word (page 202) of the interface.
This method is typically used with read-only devices that feature half-duplex communication. See
transfer() (page 202) for full duplex communication.
transfer(data)
Write data to the SPI interface. data must be a sequence of unsigned integer words each of which
will fit within the configured bits_per_word (page 202) of the interface. The method returns the
sequence of words read from the interface while writing occurred (full duplex communication).
The length of the sequence returned dictates the number of words of data written to the inter-
face. Each word in the returned sequence will be an unsigned integer no larger than the configured
bits_per_word (page 202) of the interface.
write(data)
Write data to the SPI interface. data must be a sequence of unsigned integer words each of which
will fit within the configured bits_per_word (page 202) of the interface. The method returns the
number of words written to the interface (which may be less than or equal to the length of data).
This method is typically used with write-only devices that feature half-duplex communication. See
transfer() (page 202) for full duplex communication.
bits_per_word
Controls the number of bits that make up a word, and thus where the word boundaries appear in the
data stream, and the maximum value of a word. Defaults to 8 meaning that words are effectively bytes.
Several implementations do not support non-byte-sized words.
908 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_Peripheral_Interface_Bus
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clock_mode
Presents a value representing the clock_polarity (page 203) and clock_phase (page 203)
attributes combined according to the following table:
mode polarity (CPOL) phase (CPHA)
0 False False
1 False True
2 True False
3 True True
Adjusting this value adjusts both the clock_polarity (page 203) and clock_phase (page 203)
attributes simultaneously.
clock_phase
The phase of the SPI clock pin. If this is False909 (the default), data will be read from the MISO
pin when the clock pin activates. Setting this to True910 will cause data to be read from the MISO
pin when the clock pin deactivates. On many data sheets this is documented as the CPHA value.
Whether the clock edge is rising or falling when the clock is considered activated is controlled by the
clock_polarity (page 203) attribute (corresponding to CPOL).
The following diagram indicates when data is read when clock_polarity (page 203) is
False911 , and clock_phase (page 203) is False912 (the default), equivalent to CPHA 0:
,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.
CLK | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
----' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `-------
: : : : : : :
MISO---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
-{ Bit X Bit X Bit X Bit X Bit X Bit X Bit }------
\ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ /
`---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---'
The following diagram indicates when data is read when clock_polarity (page 203) is
False913 , but clock_phase (page 203) is True914 , equivalent to CPHA 1:
,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.
CLK | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
----' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `-------
: : : : : : :
MISO ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
-----{ Bit X Bit X Bit X Bit X Bit X Bit X Bit }--
\ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ /
`---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---'
clock_polarity
The polarity of the SPI clock pin. If this is False915 (the default), the clock pin will idle low, and
pulse high. Setting this to True916 will cause the clock pin to idle high, and pulse low. On many data
sheets this is documented as the CPOL value.
909 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
910 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
911 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
912 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
913 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
914 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
915 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
916 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
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The following diagram illustrates the waveform when clock_polarity (page 203) is False917
(the default), equivalent to CPOL 0:
on on on on on on on
,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.
CLK | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
------' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `------
idle off off off off off off idle
The following diagram illustrates the waveform when clock_polarity (page 203) is True918 ,
equivalent to CPOL 1:
idle off off off off off off idle
------. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
CLK | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
`---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---'
on on on on on on on
lsb_first
Controls whether words are read and written LSB in (Least Significant Bit first) order. The default
is False919 indicating that words are read and written in MSB (Most Significant Bit first) order.
Effectively, this controls the Bit endianness920 of the connection.
The following diagram shows the a word containing the number 5 (binary 0101) transmitted on
MISO with bits_per_word (page 202) set to 4, and clock_mode (page 203) set to 0, when
lsb_first (page 204) is False921 (the default):
,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.
CLK | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
----' `---' `---' `---' `-----
: ,-------. : ,-------.
MISO: | : | : | : |
: | : | : | : |
----------' : `-------' : `----
: : : :
MSB LSB
And now with lsb_first (page 204) set to True922 (and all other parameters the same):
,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.
CLK | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
----' `---' `---' `---' `-----
,-------. : ,-------. :
MISO: | : | : | :
| : | : | : | :
--' : `-------' : `-----------
: : : :
LSB MSB
select_high
If False923 (the default), the chip select line is considered active when it is pulled low. When set to
917 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
918 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
919 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
920 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endianness#Bit_endianness
921 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
922 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
923 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
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True924 , the chip select line is considered active when it is driven high.
The following diagram shows the waveform of the chip select line, and the clock when
clock_polarity (page 203) is False925 , and select_high (page 204) is False926 (the de-
fault):
---. ,------
__ | |
CS | chip is selected, and will react to clock | idle
`-----------------------------------------------------'
,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.
CLK | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
----' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `-------
And when select_high (page 204) is True927 :
,-----------------------------------------------------.
CS | chip is selected, and will react to clock | idle
| |
---' `------
,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.
CLK | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
----' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `-------
class gpiozero.pins.pi.PiFactory
Extends Factory (page 198). Abstract base class representing hardware attached to a Raspberry Pi. This
forms the base of LocalPiFactory (page 206).
close()
Closes the pin factory. This is expected to clean up all resources manipulated by the factory. It it
typically called at script termination.
pin(spec)
Creates an instance of a Pin descendent representing the specified pin.
Warning: Descendents must ensure that pin instances representing the same hardware are identi-
cal; i.e. two separate invocations of pin() (page 205) for the same pin specification must return
the same object.
release_pins(reserver, *pins)
Releases the reservation of reserver against pins. This is typically called during close() (page 175)
to clean up reservations taken during construction. Releasing a reservation that is not currently held
will be silently ignored (to permit clean-up after failed / partial construction).
reserve_pins(requester, *pins)
Called to indicate that the device reserves the right to use the specified pins. This should be done
during device construction. If pins are reserved, you must ensure that the reservation is released by
eventually called release_pins() (page 205).
spi(**spi_args)
Returns an SPI interface, for the specified SPI port and device, or for the specified pins (clock_pin,
mosi_pin, miso_pin, and select_pin). Only one of the schemes can be used; attempting to mix port
and device with pin numbers will raise SPIBadArgs (page 213).
924 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
925 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
926 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#False
927 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/constants.html#True
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If the pins specified match the hardware SPI pins (clock on GPIO11, MOSI on GPIO10, MISO on
GPIO9, and chip select on GPIO8 or GPIO7), and the spidev module can be imported, a hardware
based interface (using spidev) will be returned. Otherwise, a software based interface will be returned
which will use simple bit-banging to communicate.
Both interfaces have the same API, support clock polarity and phase attributes, and can handle half
and full duplex communications, but the hardware interface is significantly faster (though for many
things this doesn’t matter).
class gpiozero.pins.pi.PiPin(factory, number)
Extends Pin (page 199). Abstract base class representing a multi-function GPIO pin attached to a Rasp-
berry Pi. Descendents must override the following methods:
• _get_function()
• _set_function()
• _get_state()
• _call_when_changed()
• _enable_event_detect()
• _disable_event_detect()
Descendents may additionally override the following methods, if applicable:
• close()
• output_with_state()
• input_with_pull()
• _set_state()
• _get_frequency()
• _set_frequency()
• _get_pull()
• _set_pull()
• _get_bounce()
• _set_bounce()
• _get_edges()
• _set_edges()
class gpiozero.pins.local.LocalPiFactory
Extends PiFactory (page 205). Abstract base class representing pins attached locally to a Pi. This
forms the base class for local-only pin interfaces (RPiGPIOPin (page 207), RPIOPin (page 207), and
NativePin (page 209)).
static ticks()
Return the current ticks, according to the factory. The reference point is undefined and thus the result
of this method is only meaningful when compared to another value returned by this method.
The format of the time is also arbitrary, as is whether the time wraps after a certain duration. Ticks
should only be compared using the ticks_diff() (page 206) method.
static ticks_diff(later, earlier)
Return the time in seconds between two ticks() (page 206) results. The arguments are specified
in the same order as they would be in the formula later - earlier but the result is guaranteed to be in
seconds, and to be positive even if the ticks “wrapped” between calls to ticks() (page 206).
class gpiozero.pins.local.LocalPiPin(factory, number)
Extends PiPin (page 206). Abstract base class representing a multi-function GPIO pin attached to the
local Raspberry Pi.
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22.4 RPi.GPIO
class gpiozero.pins.rpigpio.RPiGPIOFactory
Extends LocalPiFactory (page 206). Uses the RPi.GPIO928 library to interface to the Pi’s GPIO pins.
This is the default pin implementation if the RPi.GPIO library is installed. Supports all features including
PWM (via software).
Because this is the default pin implementation you can use it simply by specifying an integer number for
the pin in most operations, e.g.:
from gpiozero import LED
led = LED(12)
However, you can also construct RPi.GPIO pins manually if you wish:
from gpiozero.pins.rpigpio import RPiGPIOFactory
from gpiozero import LED
factory = RPiGPIOFactory()
led = LED(12, pin_factory=factory)
class gpiozero.pins.rpigpio.RPiGPIOPin(factory, number)
Extends LocalPiPin (page 206). Pin implementation for the RPi.GPIO929 library. See
RPiGPIOFactory (page 207) for more information.
22.5 RPIO
class gpiozero.pins.rpio.RPIOFactory
Extends LocalPiFactory (page 206). Uses the RPIO930 library to interface to the Pi’s GPIO pins. This
is the default pin implementation if the RPi.GPIO library is not installed, but RPIO is. Supports all features
including PWM (hardware via DMA).
Note: Please note that at the time of writing, RPIO is only compatible with Pi 1’s; the Raspberry Pi 2
Model B is not supported. Also note that root access is required so scripts must typically be run with sudo.
You can construct RPIO pins manually like so:
from gpiozero.pins.rpio import RPIOFactory
from gpiozero import LED
factory = RPIOFactory()
led = LED(12, pin_factory=factory)
class gpiozero.pins.rpio.RPIOPin(factory, number)
Extends LocalPiPin (page 206). Pin implementation for the RPIO931 library. See RPIOFactory
(page 207) for more information.
928 https://pypi.python.org/pypi/RPi.GPIO
929 https://pypi.python.org/pypi/RPi.GPIO
930 https://pythonhosted.org/RPIO/
931 https://pythonhosted.org/RPIO/
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22.6 PiGPIO
class gpiozero.pins.pigpio.PiGPIOFactory(host=None, port=None)
Extends PiFactory (page 205). Uses the pigpio932 library to interface to the Pi’s GPIO pins. The pigpio
library relies on a daemon (pigpiod) to be running as root to provide access to the GPIO pins, and
communicates with this daemon over a network socket.
While this does mean only the daemon itself should control the pins, the architecture does have several
advantages:
• Pins can be remote controlled from another machine (the other machine doesn’t even have to be a
Raspberry Pi; it simply needs the pigpio933 client library installed on it)
• The daemon supports hardware PWM via the DMA controller
• Your script itself doesn’t require root privileges; it just needs to be able to communicate with the
daemon
You can construct pigpio pins manually like so:
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from gpiozero import LED
factory = PiGPIOFactory()
led = LED(12, pin_factory=factory)
This is particularly useful for controlling pins on a remote machine. To accomplish this simply specify the
host (and optionally port) when constructing the pin:
from gpiozero.pins.pigpio import PiGPIOFactory
from gpiozero import LED
factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='192.168.0.2')
led = LED(12, pin_factory=factory)
Note: In some circumstances, especially when playing with PWM, it does appear to be possible to get the
daemon into “unusual” states. We would be most interested to hear any bug reports relating to this (it may
be a bug in our pin implementation). A workaround for now is simply to restart the pigpiod daemon.
class gpiozero.pins.pigpio.PiGPIOPin(factory, number)
Extends PiPin (page 206). Pin implementation for the pigpio934 library. See PiGPIOFactory
(page 208) for more information.
22.7 Native
class gpiozero.pins.native.NativeFactory
Extends LocalPiFactory (page 206). Uses a built-in pure Python implementation to interface to the
Pi’s GPIO pins. This is the default pin implementation if no third-party libraries are discovered.
Warning: This implementation does not currently support PWM. Attempting to use any class which
requests PWM will raise an exception.
You can construct native pin instances manually like so:
932 http://abyz.co.uk/rpi/pigpio/
933 http://abyz.co.uk/rpi/pigpio/
934 http://abyz.co.uk/rpi/pigpio/
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from gpiozero.pins.native import NativeFactory
from gpiozero import LED
factory = NativeFactory()
led = LED(12, pin_factory=factory)
class gpiozero.pins.native.NativePin(factory, number)
Extends LocalPiPin (page 206). Native pin implementation. See NativeFactory (page 208) for
more information.
22.8 Mock
class gpiozero.pins.mock.MockFactory(revision=None, pin_class=None)
Factory for generating mock pins. The revision parameter specifies what revision of Pi the mock factory
pretends to be (this affects the result of the pi_info (page 199) attribute as well as where pull-ups are
assumed to be). The pin_class attribute specifies which mock pin class will be generated by the pin()
(page 209) method by default. This can be changed after construction by modifying the pin_class
(page 209) attribute.
pin_class
This attribute stores the MockPin (page 209) class (or descendent) that will be used when constructing
pins with the pin() (page 209) method (if no pin_class parameter is used to override it). It defaults
on construction to the value of the pin_class parameter in the constructor, or MockPin (page 209) if
that is unspecified.
pin(spec, pin_class=None, **kwargs)
The pin method for MockFactory (page 209) additionally takes a pin_class attribute which can
be used to override the class’ pin_class (page 209) attribute. Any additional keyword arguments
will be passed along to the pin constructor (useful with things like MockConnectedPin (page 209)
which expect to be constructed with another pin).
reset()
Clears the pins and reservations sets. This is primarily useful in test suites to ensure the pin factory is
back in a “clean” state before the next set of tests are run.
class gpiozero.pins.mock.MockPin(factory, number)
A mock pin used primarily for testing. This class does not support PWM.
class gpiozero.pins.mock.MockPWMPin(factory, number)
This derivative of MockPin (page 209) adds PWM support.
class gpiozero.pins.mock.MockConnectedPin(factory, number, input_pin=None)
This derivative of MockPin (page 209) emulates a pin connected to another mock pin. This is used in the
“real pins” portion of the test suite to check that one pin can influence another.
class gpiozero.pins.mock.MockChargingPin(factory, number, charge_time=0.01)
This derivative of MockPin (page 209) emulates a pin which, when set to input, waits a predetermined
length of time and then drives itself high (as if attached to, e.g. a typical circuit using an LDR and a
capacitor to time the charging rate).
class gpiozero.pins.mock.MockTriggerPin(factory, number, echo_pin=None,
echo_time=0.04)
This derivative of MockPin (page 209) is intended to be used with another MockPin (page 209) to emulate
a distance sensor. Set echo_pin to the corresponding pin instance. When this pin is driven high it will trigger
the echo pin to drive high for the echo time.
22.8. Mock 209
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210 Chapter 22. API - Pins
CHAPTER 23
API - Exceptions
The following exceptions are defined by GPIO Zero. Please note that multiple inheritance is heavily used in the
exception hierarchy to make testing for exceptions easier. For example, to capture any exception generated by
GPIO Zero’s code:
from gpiozero import *
led = PWMLED(17)
try:
led.value = 2
except GPIOZeroError:
print('A GPIO Zero error occurred')
Since all GPIO Zero’s exceptions descend from GPIOZeroError (page 211), this will work. However,
certain specific errors have multiple parents. For example, in the case that an out of range value is passed
to OutputDevice.value (page 130) you would expect a ValueError935 to be raised. In fact, a
OutputDeviceBadValue (page 214) error will be raised. However, note that this descends from both
GPIOZeroError (page 211) (indirectly) and from ValueError936 so you can still do the obvious:
from gpiozero import *
led = PWMLED(17)
try:
led.value = 2
except ValueError:
print('Bad value specified')
23.1 Errors
exception gpiozero.GPIOZeroError
Bases: Exception937
Base class for all exceptions in GPIO Zero
935 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
936 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
937 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#Exception
211
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exception gpiozero.DeviceClosed
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroError
Error raised when an operation is attempted on a closed device
exception gpiozero.BadEventHandler
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroError, ValueError938
Error raised when an event handler with an incompatible prototype is specified
exception gpiozero.BadWaitTime
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroError, ValueError939
Error raised when an invalid wait time is specified
exception gpiozero.BadQueueLen
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroError, ValueError940
Error raised when non-positive queue length is specified
exception gpiozero.BadPinFactory
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroError, ImportError941
Error raised when an unknown pin factory name is specified
exception gpiozero.ZombieThread
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroError, RuntimeError942
Error raised when a thread fails to die within a given timeout
exception gpiozero.CompositeDeviceError
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroError
Base class for errors specific to the CompositeDevice hierarchy
exception gpiozero.CompositeDeviceBadName
Bases: gpiozero.exc.CompositeDeviceError, ValueError943
Error raised when a composite device is constructed with a reserved name
exception gpiozero.CompositeDeviceBadOrder
Bases: gpiozero.exc.CompositeDeviceError, ValueError944
Error raised when a composite device is constructed with an incomplete order
exception gpiozero.CompositeDeviceBadDevice
Bases: gpiozero.exc.CompositeDeviceError, ValueError945
Error raised when a composite device is constructed with an object that doesn’t inherit from Device
(page 175)
exception gpiozero.EnergenieSocketMissing
Bases: gpiozero.exc.CompositeDeviceError, ValueError946
Error raised when socket number is not specified
exception gpiozero.EnergenieBadSocket
Bases: gpiozero.exc.CompositeDeviceError, ValueError947
Error raised when an invalid socket number is passed to Energenie (page 159)
938 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
939 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
940 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
941 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ImportError
942 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#RuntimeError
943 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
944 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
945 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
946 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
947 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
212 Chapter 23. API - Exceptions
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
exception gpiozero.SPIError
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroError
Base class for errors related to the SPI implementation
exception gpiozero.SPIBadArgs
Bases: gpiozero.exc.SPIError, ValueError948
Error raised when invalid arguments are given while constructing SPIDevice (page 139)
exception gpiozero.SPIBadChannel
Bases: gpiozero.exc.SPIError, ValueError949
Error raised when an invalid channel is given to an AnalogInputDevice (page 139)
exception gpiozero.SPIFixedClockMode
Bases: gpiozero.exc.SPIError, AttributeError950
Error raised when the SPI clock mode cannot be changed
exception gpiozero.SPIInvalidClockMode
Bases: gpiozero.exc.SPIError, ValueError951
Error raised when an invalid clock mode is given to an SPI implementation
exception gpiozero.SPIFixedBitOrder
Bases: gpiozero.exc.SPIError, AttributeError952
Error raised when the SPI bit-endianness cannot be changed
exception gpiozero.SPIFixedSelect
Bases: gpiozero.exc.SPIError, AttributeError953
Error raised when the SPI select polarity cannot be changed
exception gpiozero.SPIFixedWordSize
Bases: gpiozero.exc.SPIError, AttributeError954
Error raised when the number of bits per word cannot be changed
exception gpiozero.SPIInvalidWordSize
Bases: gpiozero.exc.SPIError, ValueError955
Error raised when an invalid (out of range) number of bits per word is specified
exception gpiozero.GPIODeviceError
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroError
Base class for errors specific to the GPIODevice hierarchy
exception gpiozero.GPIODeviceClosed
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIODeviceError, gpiozero.exc.DeviceClosed
Deprecated descendent of DeviceClosed (page 211)
exception gpiozero.GPIOPinInUse
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIODeviceError
Error raised when attempting to use a pin already in use by another device
exception gpiozero.GPIOPinMissing
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIODeviceError, ValueError956
948 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
949 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
950 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#AttributeError
951 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
952 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#AttributeError
953 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#AttributeError
954 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#AttributeError
955 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
956 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
23.1. Errors 213
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
Error raised when a pin specification is not given
exception gpiozero.InputDeviceError
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIODeviceError
Base class for errors specific to the InputDevice hierarchy
exception gpiozero.OutputDeviceError
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIODeviceError
Base class for errors specified to the OutputDevice hierarchy
exception gpiozero.OutputDeviceBadValue
Bases: gpiozero.exc.OutputDeviceError, ValueError957
Error raised when value is set to an invalid value
exception gpiozero.PinError
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroError
Base class for errors related to pin implementations
exception gpiozero.PinInvalidFunction
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, ValueError958
Error raised when attempting to change the function of a pin to an invalid value
exception gpiozero.PinInvalidState
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, ValueError959
Error raised when attempting to assign an invalid state to a pin
exception gpiozero.PinInvalidPull
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, ValueError960
Error raised when attempting to assign an invalid pull-up to a pin
exception gpiozero.PinInvalidEdges
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, ValueError961
Error raised when attempting to assign an invalid edge detection to a pin
exception gpiozero.PinInvalidBounce
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, ValueError962
Error raised when attempting to assign an invalid bounce time to a pin
exception gpiozero.PinSetInput
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, AttributeError963
Error raised when attempting to set a read-only pin
exception gpiozero.PinFixedPull
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, AttributeError964
Error raised when attempting to set the pull of a pin with fixed pull-up
exception gpiozero.PinEdgeDetectUnsupported
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, AttributeError965
Error raised when attempting to use edge detection on unsupported pins
957 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
958 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
959 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
960 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
961 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
962 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
963 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#AttributeError
964 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#AttributeError
965 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#AttributeError
214 Chapter 23. API - Exceptions
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
exception gpiozero.PinUnsupported
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, NotImplementedError966
Error raised when attempting to obtain a pin interface on unsupported pins
exception gpiozero.PinSPIUnsupported
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, NotImplementedError967
Error raised when attempting to obtain an SPI interface on unsupported pins
exception gpiozero.PinPWMError
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError
Base class for errors related to PWM implementations
exception gpiozero.PinPWMUnsupported
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinPWMError, AttributeError968
Error raised when attempting to activate PWM on unsupported pins
exception gpiozero.PinPWMFixedValue
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinPWMError, AttributeError969
Error raised when attempting to initialize PWM on an input pin
exception gpiozero.PinUnknownPi
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, RuntimeError970
Error raised when gpiozero doesn’t recognize a revision of the Pi
exception gpiozero.PinMultiplePins
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, RuntimeError971
Error raised when multiple pins support the requested function
exception gpiozero.PinNoPins
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, RuntimeError972
Error raised when no pins support the requested function
exception gpiozero.PinInvalidPin
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinError, ValueError973
Error raised when an invalid pin specification is provided
23.2 Warnings
exception gpiozero.GPIOZeroWarning
Bases: Warning974
Base class for all warnings in GPIO Zero
exception gpiozero.DistanceSensorNoEcho
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroWarning
Warning raised when the distance sensor sees no echo at all
966 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#NotImplementedError
967 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#NotImplementedError
968 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#AttributeError
969 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#AttributeError
970 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#RuntimeError
971 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#RuntimeError
972 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#RuntimeError
973 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#ValueError
974 https://docs.python.org/3.5/library/exceptions.html#Warning
23.2. Warnings 215
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
exception gpiozero.SPIWarning
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroWarning
Base class for warnings related to the SPI implementation
exception gpiozero.SPISoftwareFallback
Bases: gpiozero.exc.SPIWarning
Warning raised when falling back to the software implementation
exception gpiozero.PinWarning
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroWarning
Base class for warnings related to pin implementations
exception gpiozero.PinFactoryFallback
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinWarning
Warning raised when a default pin factory fails to load and a fallback is tried
exception gpiozero.PinNonPhysical
Bases: gpiozero.exc.PinWarning
Warning raised when a non-physical pin is specified in a constructor
exception gpiozero.ThresholdOutOfRange
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroWarning
Warning raised when a threshold is out of range specified by min and max values
exception gpiozero.CallbackSetToNone
Bases: gpiozero.exc.GPIOZeroWarning
Warning raised when a callback is set to None when its previous value was None
216 Chapter 23. API - Exceptions
CHAPTER 24
Changelog
24.1 Release 1.5.0 (2019-02-12)
• Introduced pin event timing to increase accuracy of certain devices such as the HC-SR04
DistanceSensor (page 101). (#664975 , #665976 )
• Further improvements to DistanceSensor (page 101) (ignoring missed edges). (#719977 )
• Allow source to take a device object as well as values or other values. See Source/Values (page 59).
(#640978 )
• Added internal device classes LoadAverage (page 170) and DiskUsage (page 171) (thanks to Jeevan
M R for the latter). (#532979 , #714980 )
• Added support for colorzero981 with RGBLED (page 115) (this adds a new dependency). (#655982 )
• Added TonalBuzzer (page 119) with Tone (page 187) API for specifying frequencies raw or via MIDI
or musical notes. (#681983 , #717984 )
• Added PiHutXmasTree (page 149). (#502985 )
• Added PumpkinPi (page 162) and JamHat (page 154) (thanks to Claire Pollard). (#680986 , #681987 ,
#717988 )
• Ensured gpiozero can be imported without a valid pin factory set. (#591989 , #713990 )
975 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/664
976 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/665
977 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/719
978 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/640
979 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/532
980 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/714
981 https://colorzero.readthedocs.io/en/stable
982 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/655
983 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/681
984 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/717
985 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/502
986 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/680
987 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/681
988 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/717
989 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/591
990 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/713
217
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
• Reduced import time by not computing default pin factory at the point of import. (#675991 , #722992 )
• Added support for various pin numbering mechanisms. (#470993 )
• Motor (page 120) instances now use DigitalOutputDevice (page 127) for non-PWM pins.
• Allow non-PWM use of Robot (page 155). (#481994 )
• Added optional enable init param to Motor (page 120). (#366995 )
• Added --xyz option to pinout command line tool to open pinout.xyz996 in a web browser. (#604997 )
• Added 3B+, 3A+ and CM3+ to Pi model data. (#627998 , #704999 )
• Minor improvements to Energenie (page 159), thanks to Steve Amor. (#6291000 , #6341001 )
• Allow SmoothedInputDevice (page 105), LightSensor (page 99) and MotionSensor (page 97)
to have pull-up configured. (#6521002 )
• Allow input devices to be pulled up or down externally, thanks to Philippe Muller. (#5931003 , #6581004 )
• Minor changes to support Python 3.7, thanks to Russel Winder and Rick Ansell. (#6661005 , #6681006 ,
#6691007 , #6711008 , #6731009 )
• Added zip_values() (page 184) source tool.
• Correct row/col numbering logic in PinInfo (page 193). (#6741010 )
• Many additional tests, and other improvements to the test suite.
• Many documentation corrections, additions and clarifications.
• Automatic documentation class hierarchy diagram generation.
• Automatic copyright attribution in source files.
24.2 Release 1.4.1 (2018-02-20)
This release is mostly bug-fixes, but a few enhancements have made it in too:
• Added curve_left and curve_right parameters to Robot.forward() (page 156) and Robot.
backward() (page 155). (#3061011 and #6191012 )
991 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/675
992 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/722
993 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/470
994 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/481
995 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/366
996 https://pinout.xyz
997 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/604
998 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/627
999 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/704
1000 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/629
1001 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/634
1002 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/652
1003 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/593
1004 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/658
1005 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/666
1006 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/668
1007 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/669
1008 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/671
1009 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/673
1010 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/674
1011 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/306
1012 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/619
218 Chapter 24. Changelog
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
• Fixed DistanceSensor (page 101) returning incorrect readings after a long pause, and added a lock
to ensure multiple distance sensors can operate simultaneously in a single project. (#5841013 , #5951014 ,
#6171015 , #6181016 )
• Added support for phase/enable motor drivers with PhaseEnableMotor (page 122),
PhaseEnableRobot (page 156), and descendants, thanks to Ian Harcombe! (#3861017 )
• A variety of other minor enhancements, largely thanks to Andrew Scheller! (#4791018 , #4891019 , #4911020 ,
#4921021 )
24.3 Release 1.4.0 (2017-07-26)
• Pin factory is now configurable from device constructors (page 196) as well as command line. NOTE:
this is a backwards incompatible change for manual pin construction but it’s hoped this is (currently) a
sufficiently rare use case that this won’t affect too many people and the benefits of the new system warrant
such a change, i.e. the ability to use remote pin factories with HAT classes that don’t accept pin assignations
(#2791022 )
• Major work on SPI, primarily to support remote hardware SPI (#4211023 , #4591024 , #4651025 , #4681026 ,
#5751027 )
• Pin reservation now works properly between GPIO and SPI devices (#4591028 , #4681029 )
• Lots of work on the documentation: source/values chapter (page 59), better charts, more recipes, re-
mote GPIO configuration (page 43), mock pins, better PDF output (#4841030 , #4691031 , #5231032 , #5201033 ,
#4341034 , #5651035 , #5761036 )
• Support for StatusZero (page 160) and StatusBoard (page 160) HATs (#5581037 )
• Added pinout command line tool to provide a simple reference to the GPIO layout and information about
the associated Pi (#4971038 , #5041039 ) thanks to Stewart Adcock for the initial work
• pi_info() (page 189) made more lenient for new (unknown) Pi models (#5291040 )
• Fixed a variety of packaging issues (#5351041 , #5181042 , #5191043 )
1013 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/584
1014 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/595
1015 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/617
1016 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/618
1017 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/386
1018 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/479
1019 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/489
1020 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/491
1021 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/492
1022 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/279
1023 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/421
1024 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/459
1025 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/465
1026 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/468
1027 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/575
1028 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/459
1029 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/468
1030 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/484
1031 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/469
1032 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/523
1033 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/520
1034 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/434
1035 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/565
1036 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/576
1037 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/558
1038 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/497
1039 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/504
1040 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/529
1041 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/535
1042 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/518
1043 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/519
24.3. Release 1.4.0 (2017-07-26) 219
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
• Improved text in factory fallback warnings (#5721044 )
24.4 Release 1.3.2 (2017-03-03)
• Added new Pi models to stop pi_info() (page 189) breaking
• Fix issue with pi_info() (page 189) breaking on unknown Pi models
24.5 Release 1.3.1 (2016-08-31 . . . later)
• Fixed hardware SPI support which Dave broke in 1.3.0. Sorry!
• Some minor docs changes
24.6 Release 1.3.0 (2016-08-31)
• Added ButtonBoard (page 145) for reading multiple buttons in a single class (#3401045 )
• Added Servo (page 123) and AngularServo (page 124) classes for controlling simple servo motors
(#2481046 )
• Lots of work on supporting easier use of internal and third-party pin implementations (#3591047 )
• Robot (page 155) now has a proper value (page 156) attribute (#3051048 )
• Added CPUTemperature (page 169) as another demo of “internal” devices (#2941049 )
• A temporary work-around for an issue with DistanceSensor (page 101) was included but a full fix is
in the works (#3851050 )
• More work on the documentation (#3201051 , #2951052 , #2891053 , etc.)
Not quite as much as we’d hoped to get done this time, but we’re rushing to make a Raspbian freeze. As always,
thanks to the community - your suggestions and PRs have been brilliant and even if we don’t take stuff exactly as
is, it’s always great to see your ideas. Onto 1.4!
24.7 Release 1.2.0 (2016-04-10)
• Added Energenie (page 159) class for controlling Energenie plugs (#691054 )
• Added LineSensor (page 96) class for single line-sensors (#1091055 )
• Added DistanceSensor (page 101) class for HC-SR04 ultra-sonic sensors (#1141056 )
• Added SnowPi (page 161) class for the Ryanteck Snow-pi board (#1301057 )
1044 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/572
1045 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/340
1046 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/248
1047 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/359
1048 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/305
1049 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/294
1050 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/385
1051 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/320
1052 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/295
1053 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/289
1054 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/69
1055 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/109
1056 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/114
1057 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/130
220 Chapter 24. Changelog
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
• Added when_held (page 95) (and related properties) to Button (page 93) (#1151058 )
• Fixed issues with installing GPIO Zero for python 3 on Raspbian Wheezy releases (#1401059 )
• Added support for lots of ADC chips (MCP3xxx family) (#1621060 ) - many thanks to pcopa and lurch!
• Added support for pigpiod as a pin implementation with PiGPIOPin (page 208) (#1801061 )
• Many refinements to the base classes mean more consistency in composite devices and several bugs
squashed (#1641062 , #1751063 , #1821064 , #1891065 , #1931066 , #2291067 )
• GPIO Zero is now aware of what sort of Pi it’s running on via pi_info() (page 189) and has a fairly
extensive database of Pi information which it uses to determine when users request impossible things (like
pull-down on a pin with a physical pull-up resistor) (#2221068 )
• The source/values system was enhanced to ensure normal usage doesn’t stress the CPU and lots of utilities
were added (#1811069 , #2511070 )
And I’ll just add a note of thanks to the many people in the community who contributed to this release: we’ve had
some great PRs, suggestions, and bug reports in this version. Of particular note:
• Schelto van Doorn was instrumental in adding support for numerous ADC chips
• Alex Eames generously donated a RasPiO Analog board which was extremely useful in developing the
software SPI interface (and testing the ADC support)
• Andrew Scheller squashed several dozen bugs (usually a day or so after Dave had introduced them ;)
As always, many thanks to the whole community - we look forward to hearing from you more in 1.3!
24.8 Release 1.1.0 (2016-02-08)
• Documentation converted to reST and expanded to include generic classes and several more recipes (#801071 ,
#821072 , #1011073 , #1191074 , #1351075 , #1681076 )
• New CamJamKitRobot (page 158) class with the pre-defined motor pins for the new CamJam EduKit
• New LEDBarGraph (page 144) class (many thanks to Martin O’Hanlon!) (#1261077 , #1761078 )
• New Pin (page 199) implementation abstracts out the concept of a GPIO pin paving the way for alternate
library support and IO extenders in future (#1411079 )
• New LEDBoard.blink() (page 142) method which works properly even when background is set to
False (#941080 , #1611081 )
1058 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/115
1059 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/140
1060 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/162
1061 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/180
1062 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/164
1063 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/175
1064 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/182
1065 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/189
1066 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/193
1067 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/229
1068 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/222
1069 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/181
1070 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/251
1071 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/80
1072 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/82
1073 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/101
1074 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/119
1075 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/135
1076 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/168
1077 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/126
1078 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/176
1079 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/141
1080 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/94
1081 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/161
24.8. Release 1.1.0 (2016-02-08) 221
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
• New RGBLED.blink() (page 116) method which implements (rudimentary) color fading too! (#1351082 ,
#1741083 )
• New initial_value attribute on OutputDevice (page 129) ensures consistent behaviour on con-
struction (#1181084 )
• New active_high attribute on PWMOutputDevice (page 128) and RGBLED (page 115) allows use of
common anode devices (#1431085 , #1541086 )
• Loads of new ADC chips supported (many thanks to GitHub user pcopa!) (#1501087 )
24.9 Release 1.0.0 (2015-11-16)
• Debian packaging added (#441088 )
• PWMLED (page 113) class added (#581089 )
• TemperatureSensor removed pending further work (#931090 )
• Buzzer.beep() (page 118) alias method added (#751091 )
• Motor (page 120) PWM devices exposed, and Robot (page 155) motor devices exposed (#1071092 )
24.10 Release 0.9.0 (2015-10-25)
Fourth public beta
• Added source and values properties to all relevant classes (#761093 )
• Fix names of parameters in Motor (page 120) constructor (#791094 )
• Added wrappers for LED groups on add-on boards (#811095 )
24.11 Release 0.8.0 (2015-10-16)
Third public beta
• Added generic AnalogInputDevice (page 139) class along with specific classes for the MCP3008
(page 135) and MCP3004 (page 135) (#411096 )
• Fixed DigitalOutputDevice.blink() (page 127) (#571097 )
1082 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/135
1083 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/174
1084 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/118
1085 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/143
1086 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/154
1087 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/150
1088 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/44
1089 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/58
1090 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/93
1091 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/75
1092 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/107
1093 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/76
1094 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/79
1095 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/81
1096 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/41
1097 https://github.com/RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero/issues/57
222 Chapter 24. Changelog
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
24.12 Release 0.7.0 (2015-10-09)
Second public beta
24.13 Release 0.6.0 (2015-09-28)
First public beta
24.14 Release 0.5.0 (2015-09-24)
24.15 Release 0.4.0 (2015-09-23)
24.16 Release 0.3.0 (2015-09-22)
24.17 Release 0.2.0 (2015-09-21)
Initial release
24.12. Release 0.7.0 (2015-10-09) 223
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
224 Chapter 24. Changelog
CHAPTER 25
License
Copyright © 2015-2019 Ben Nuttall <ben@raspberrypi.org> and contributors; see gpiozero (page 1) for current
list
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the
following conditions are met:
• Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the follow-
ing disclaimer.
• Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the
following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
• Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote
products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS “AS IS” AND
ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WAR-
RANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DI-
RECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUD-
ING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,
DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR
OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF
THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
225
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
226 Chapter 25. License
Python Module Index
g
gpiozero, 3
gpiozero.boards, 141
gpiozero.devices, 173
gpiozero.exc, 211
gpiozero.input_devices, 93
gpiozero.internal_devices, 167
gpiozero.output_devices, 111
gpiozero.pins, 195
gpiozero.pins.data, 189
gpiozero.pins.local, 206
gpiozero.pins.mock, 209
gpiozero.pins.native, 208
gpiozero.pins.pi, 205
gpiozero.pins.pigpio, 208
gpiozero.pins.rpigpio, 207
gpiozero.pins.rpio, 207
gpiozero.spi_devices, 133
gpiozero.tones, 187
gpiozero.tools, 179
227
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
228 Python Module Index
Index
Symbols blink() (gpiozero.LED method), 112
-c, –color blink() (gpiozero.LEDBoard method), 142
pinout command line option, 71 blink() (gpiozero.PWMLED method), 113
-h, –help blink() (gpiozero.PWMOutputDevice method), 128
pinout command line option, 71 blink() (gpiozero.RGBLED method), 116
-m, –monochrome blue (gpiozero.RGBLED attribute), 117
pinout command line option, 71 bluetooth (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191
-r REVISION, –revision REVISION board (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 192
pinout command line option, 71 booleanized() (in module gpiozero.tools), 179
-x, –xyz bounce (gpiozero.Pin attribute), 200
pinout command line option, 71 Button (class in gpiozero), 93
_shared_key() (gpiozero.SharedMixin class method), button (gpiozero.StatusBoard attribute), 161
176 button (gpiozero.TrafficLightsBuzzer attribute), 149
ButtonBoard (class in gpiozero), 145
A Buzzer (class in gpiozero), 117
absoluted() (in module gpiozero.tools), 179 buzzer (gpiozero.JamHat attribute), 154
active_high (gpiozero.OutputDevice attribute), 130 buzzer (gpiozero.TrafficLightsBuzzer attribute), 149
active_time (gpiozero.DigitalInputDevice attribute),
105 C
active_time (gpiozero.EventsMixin attribute), 177 CallbackSetToNone, 216
all_values() (in module gpiozero.tools), 182 CamJamKitRobot (class in gpiozero), 158
alternating_values() (in module gpiozero.tools), 184 channel (gpiozero.MCP3002 attribute), 134
amber (gpiozero.TrafficLights attribute), 148 channel (gpiozero.MCP3004 attribute), 135
AnalogInputDevice (class in gpiozero), 139 channel (gpiozero.MCP3008 attribute), 135
angle (gpiozero.AngularServo attribute), 125 channel (gpiozero.MCP3202 attribute), 136
AngularServo (class in gpiozero), 124 channel (gpiozero.MCP3204 attribute), 136
any_values() (in module gpiozero.tools), 183 channel (gpiozero.MCP3208 attribute), 136
arms (gpiozero.SnowPi attribute), 162 channel (gpiozero.MCP3302 attribute), 137
averaged() (in module gpiozero.tools), 183 channel (gpiozero.MCP3304 attribute), 137
clamped() (in module gpiozero.tools), 180
B clock_mode (gpiozero.SPI attribute), 203
backward() (gpiozero.Motor method), 121 clock_phase (gpiozero.SPI attribute), 203
backward() (gpiozero.PhaseEnableMotor method), 122 clock_polarity (gpiozero.SPI attribute), 203
backward() (gpiozero.PhaseEnableRobot method), 157 close() (gpiozero.CompositeDevice method), 165
backward() (gpiozero.Robot method), 155 close() (gpiozero.Device method), 175
BadEventHandler, 212 close() (gpiozero.Factory method), 198
BadPinFactory, 212 close() (gpiozero.GPIODevice method), 108
BadQueueLen, 212 close() (gpiozero.Pin method), 200
BadWaitTime, 212 close() (gpiozero.pins.pi.PiFactory method), 205
beep() (gpiozero.Buzzer method), 118 close() (gpiozero.SPIDevice method), 139
bits (gpiozero.AnalogInputDevice attribute), 139 closed (gpiozero.CompositeDevice attribute), 166
bits_per_word (gpiozero.SPI attribute), 202 closed (gpiozero.Device attribute), 175
blink() (gpiozero.DigitalOutputDevice method), 127 closed (gpiozero.GPIODevice attribute), 109
closed (gpiozero.SPIDevice attribute), 140
229
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
col (gpiozero.PinInfo attribute), 193 forward() (gpiozero.PhaseEnableRobot method), 157
color (gpiozero.RGBLED attribute), 117 forward() (gpiozero.Robot method), 156
columns (gpiozero.HeaderInfo attribute), 192 frame_width (gpiozero.Servo attribute), 124
CompositeDevice (class in gpiozero), 164 frequency (gpiozero.Pin attribute), 201
CompositeDeviceBadDevice, 212 frequency (gpiozero.PWMOutputDevice attribute), 129
CompositeDeviceBadName, 212 frequency (gpiozero.tones.Tone attribute), 188
CompositeDeviceBadOrder, 212 from_frequency() (gpiozero.tones.Tone class method),
CompositeDeviceError, 212 188
CompositeOutputDevice (class in gpiozero), 164 from_midi() (gpiozero.tones.Tone class method), 188
cos_values() (in module gpiozero.tools), 185 from_note() (gpiozero.tones.Tone class method), 188
CPUTemperature (class in gpiozero), 169 function (gpiozero.Pin attribute), 201
csi (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191 function (gpiozero.PinInfo attribute), 193
D G
detach() (gpiozero.Servo method), 123 GPIODevice (class in gpiozero), 108
Device (class in gpiozero), 175 GPIODeviceClosed, 213
DeviceClosed, 211 GPIODeviceError, 213
differential (gpiozero.MCP3002 attribute), 134 GPIOPinInUse, 213
differential (gpiozero.MCP3004 attribute), 135 GPIOPinMissing, 213
differential (gpiozero.MCP3008 attribute), 135 gpiozero (module), 3
differential (gpiozero.MCP3202 attribute), 136 gpiozero.boards (module), 141
differential (gpiozero.MCP3204 attribute), 136 gpiozero.devices (module), 173
differential (gpiozero.MCP3208 attribute), 136 gpiozero.exc (module), 211
differential (gpiozero.MCP3302 attribute), 137 gpiozero.input_devices (module), 93
differential (gpiozero.MCP3304 attribute), 137 gpiozero.internal_devices (module), 167
DigitalInputDevice (class in gpiozero), 104 gpiozero.output_devices (module), 111
DigitalOutputDevice (class in gpiozero), 127 gpiozero.pins (module), 195
DiskUsage (class in gpiozero), 171 gpiozero.pins.data (module), 189
distance (gpiozero.DistanceSensor attribute), 102 gpiozero.pins.local (module), 206
DistanceSensor (class in gpiozero), 101 gpiozero.pins.mock (module), 209
DistanceSensorNoEcho, 215 gpiozero.pins.native (module), 208
down() (gpiozero.tones.Tone method), 188 gpiozero.pins.pi (module), 205
dsi (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191 gpiozero.pins.pigpio (module), 208
gpiozero.pins.rpigpio (module), 207
E gpiozero.pins.rpio (module), 207
echo (gpiozero.DistanceSensor attribute), 102 gpiozero.spi_devices (module), 133
edges (gpiozero.Pin attribute), 200 gpiozero.tones (module), 187
end_time (gpiozero.TimeOfDay attribute), 168 gpiozero.tools (module), 179
Energenie (class in gpiozero), 159 GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY, 46, 56, 76, 196, 197
EnergenieBadSocket, 212 GPIOZERO_TEST_INPUT_PIN, 90
EnergenieSocketMissing, 212 GPIOZERO_TEST_PIN, 90
environment variable GPIOZeroError, 211
GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY, 46, 56, 74, 76, 196, GPIOZeroWarning, 215
197 green (gpiozero.RGBLED attribute), 117
GPIOZERO_TEST_INPUT_PIN, 90 green (gpiozero.StatusBoard attribute), 161
GPIOZERO_TEST_PIN, 90 green (gpiozero.StatusZero attribute), 160
PIGPIO_ADDR, 46, 56, 74, 197 green (gpiozero.TrafficLights attribute), 148
PIGPIO_PORT, 74
ethernet (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191 H
EventsMixin (class in gpiozero), 177 HeaderInfo (class in gpiozero), 192
eyes (gpiozero.PumpkinPi attribute), 163 headers (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191
eyes (gpiozero.SnowPi attribute), 162 held_time (gpiozero.Button attribute), 94
held_time (gpiozero.HoldMixin attribute), 178
F hold_repeat (gpiozero.Button attribute), 95
Factory (class in gpiozero), 198 hold_repeat (gpiozero.HoldMixin attribute), 178
FishDish (class in gpiozero), 153 hold_time (gpiozero.Button attribute), 95
forward() (gpiozero.Motor method), 121 hold_time (gpiozero.HoldMixin attribute), 178
forward() (gpiozero.PhaseEnableMotor method), 122 HoldMixin (class in gpiozero), 178
230 Index
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
host (gpiozero.PingServer attribute), 168 lsb_first (gpiozero.SPI attribute), 204
I M
inactive_time (gpiozero.DigitalInputDevice attribute), manufacturer (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191
105 max() (gpiozero.AngularServo method), 125
inactive_time (gpiozero.EventsMixin attribute), 177 max() (gpiozero.Servo method), 124
input_with_pull() (gpiozero.Pin method), 200 max_angle (gpiozero.AngularServo attribute), 126
InputDevice (class in gpiozero), 107 max_distance (gpiozero.DistanceSensor attribute), 102
InputDeviceError, 214 max_pulse_width (gpiozero.Servo attribute), 124
InternalDevice (class in gpiozero), 172 max_tone (gpiozero.TonalBuzzer attribute), 120
inverted() (in module gpiozero.tools), 180 max_voltage (gpiozero.AnalogInputDevice attribute),
is_active (gpiozero.AngularServo attribute), 126 139
is_active (gpiozero.Buzzer attribute), 119 MCP3001 (class in gpiozero), 134
is_active (gpiozero.CompositeDevice attribute), 166 MCP3002 (class in gpiozero), 134
is_active (gpiozero.CPUTemperature attribute), 169 MCP3004 (class in gpiozero), 135
is_active (gpiozero.Device attribute), 175 MCP3008 (class in gpiozero), 135
is_active (gpiozero.DiskUsage attribute), 171 MCP3201 (class in gpiozero), 135
is_active (gpiozero.InputDevice attribute), 108 MCP3202 (class in gpiozero), 136
is_active (gpiozero.LoadAverage attribute), 170 MCP3204 (class in gpiozero), 136
is_active (gpiozero.Motor attribute), 121 MCP3208 (class in gpiozero), 136
is_active (gpiozero.PhaseEnableMotor attribute), 122 MCP3301 (class in gpiozero), 137
is_active (gpiozero.PWMOutputDevice attribute), 129 MCP3302 (class in gpiozero), 137
is_active (gpiozero.Servo attribute), 124 MCP3304 (class in gpiozero), 137
is_active (gpiozero.SmoothedInputDevice attribute), memory (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191
106 mid() (gpiozero.AngularServo method), 125
is_active (gpiozero.TonalBuzzer attribute), 120 mid() (gpiozero.Servo method), 124
is_held (gpiozero.Button attribute), 95 mid_tone (gpiozero.TonalBuzzer attribute), 120
is_held (gpiozero.HoldMixin attribute), 178 midi (gpiozero.tones.Tone attribute), 188
is_lit (gpiozero.LED attribute), 112 min() (gpiozero.AngularServo method), 125
is_lit (gpiozero.PWMLED attribute), 114 min() (gpiozero.Servo method), 124
is_lit (gpiozero.RGBLED attribute), 117 min_angle (gpiozero.AngularServo attribute), 126
is_pressed (gpiozero.Button attribute), 95 min_pulse_width (gpiozero.Servo attribute), 124
is_pressed (gpiozero.ButtonBoard attribute), 147 min_tone (gpiozero.TonalBuzzer attribute), 120
MockChargingPin (class in gpiozero.pins.mock), 209
J MockConnectedPin (class in gpiozero.pins.mock), 209
JamHat (class in gpiozero), 154 MockFactory (class in gpiozero.pins.mock), 209
MockPin (class in gpiozero.pins.mock), 209
L MockPWMPin (class in gpiozero.pins.mock), 209
LED (class in gpiozero), 111 MockTriggerPin (class in gpiozero.pins.mock), 209
LEDBarGraph (class in gpiozero), 144 model (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191
LEDBoard (class in gpiozero), 141 motion_detected (gpiozero.MotionSensor attribute), 98
LedBorg (class in gpiozero), 150 MotionSensor (class in gpiozero), 97
LEDCollection (class in gpiozero), 164 Motor (class in gpiozero), 120
leds (gpiozero.LEDCollection attribute), 164 multiplied() (in module gpiozero.tools), 183
left() (gpiozero.PhaseEnableRobot method), 157
left() (gpiozero.Robot method), 156
N
left_motor (gpiozero.PhaseEnableRobot attribute), 157 name (gpiozero.HeaderInfo attribute), 192
left_motor (gpiozero.Robot attribute), 155 namedtuple (gpiozero.CompositeDevice attribute), 166
light_detected (gpiozero.LightSensor attribute), 100 NativeFactory (class in gpiozero.pins.native), 208
lights (gpiozero.StatusBoard attribute), 161 NativePin (class in gpiozero.pins.native), 209
lights (gpiozero.TrafficLightsBuzzer attribute), 149 negated() (in module gpiozero.tools), 180
LightSensor (class in gpiozero), 99 nose (gpiozero.SnowPi attribute), 162
LineSensor (class in gpiozero), 96 note (gpiozero.tones.Tone attribute), 188
lit_count (gpiozero.LEDBarGraph attribute), 145 number (gpiozero.PinInfo attribute), 193
load_average (gpiozero.LoadAverage attribute), 170
LoadAverage (class in gpiozero), 170 O
LocalPiFactory (class in gpiozero.pins.local), 206 octaves (gpiozero.TonalBuzzer attribute), 120
LocalPiPin (class in gpiozero.pins.local), 206 off() (gpiozero.Buzzer method), 118
Index 231
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
off() (gpiozero.CompositeOutputDevice method), 164 PinEdgeDetectUnsupported, 214
off() (gpiozero.DigitalOutputDevice method), 127 PinError, 214
off() (gpiozero.Energenie method), 159 PinFactoryFallback, 216
off() (gpiozero.JamHat method), 154 PinFixedPull, 214
off() (gpiozero.LED method), 112 PingServer (class in gpiozero), 168
off() (gpiozero.LEDBoard method), 143 PinInfo (class in gpiozero), 193
off() (gpiozero.OutputDevice method), 130 PinInvalidBounce, 214
off() (gpiozero.PWMLED method), 114 PinInvalidEdges, 214
off() (gpiozero.PWMOutputDevice method), 129 PinInvalidFunction, 214
off() (gpiozero.RGBLED method), 116 PinInvalidPin, 215
on() (gpiozero.Buzzer method), 118 PinInvalidPull, 214
on() (gpiozero.CompositeOutputDevice method), 164 PinInvalidState, 214
on() (gpiozero.DigitalOutputDevice method), 127 PinMultiplePins, 215
on() (gpiozero.Energenie method), 159 PinNonPhysical, 216
on() (gpiozero.JamHat method), 154 PinNoPins, 215
on() (gpiozero.LED method), 112 pinout command line option
on() (gpiozero.LEDBoard method), 143 -c, –color, 71
on() (gpiozero.OutputDevice method), 130 -h, –help, 71
on() (gpiozero.PWMLED method), 114 -m, –monochrome, 71
on() (gpiozero.PWMOutputDevice method), 129 -r REVISION, –revision REVISION, 71
on() (gpiozero.RGBLED method), 116 -x, –xyz, 71
output_with_state() (gpiozero.Pin method), 200 PinPWMError, 215
OutputDevice (class in gpiozero), 129 PinPWMFixedValue, 215
OutputDeviceBadValue, 214 PinPWMUnsupported, 215
OutputDeviceError, 214 pins (gpiozero.HeaderInfo attribute), 192
PinSetInput, 214
P PinSPIUnsupported, 215
partial (gpiozero.SmoothedInputDevice attribute), 107 PinUnknownPi, 215
pcb_revision (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191 PinUnsupported, 214
PhaseEnableMotor (class in gpiozero), 122 PinWarning, 216
PhaseEnableRobot (class in gpiozero), 156 PiPin (class in gpiozero.pins.pi), 206
physical_pin() (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo method), 190 PiStop (class in gpiozero), 152
physical_pins() (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo method), 190 PiTraffic (class in gpiozero), 152
pi_info (gpiozero.Factory attribute), 199 play() (gpiozero.TonalBuzzer method), 119
pi_info() (in module gpiozero), 189 PololuDRV8835Robot (class in gpiozero), 158
PiBoardInfo (class in gpiozero), 189 post_delayed() (in module gpiozero.tools), 181
PiFactory (class in gpiozero.pins.pi), 205 post_periodic_filtered() (in module gpiozero.tools), 181
PIGPIO_ADDR, 46, 56, 197 pprint() (gpiozero.HeaderInfo method), 192
PiGPIOFactory (class in gpiozero.pins.pigpio), 208 pprint() (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo method), 190
PiGPIOPin (class in gpiozero.pins.pigpio), 208 pre_delayed() (in module gpiozero.tools), 181
PiHutXmasTree (class in gpiozero), 149 pre_periodic_filtered() (in module gpiozero.tools), 181
PiLiter (class in gpiozero), 150 pressed_time (gpiozero.ButtonBoard attribute), 147
PiLiterBarGraph (class in gpiozero), 151 pull (gpiozero.Pin attribute), 201
Pin (class in gpiozero), 199 pull_up (gpiozero.Button attribute), 95
pin (gpiozero.Button attribute), 95 pull_up (gpiozero.InputDevice attribute), 108
pin (gpiozero.Buzzer attribute), 119 pull_up (gpiozero.PinInfo attribute), 193
pin (gpiozero.GPIODevice attribute), 109 pulled_up() (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo method), 190
pin (gpiozero.LED attribute), 112 pulse() (gpiozero.LEDBoard method), 143
pin (gpiozero.LightSensor attribute), 100 pulse() (gpiozero.PWMLED method), 114
pin (gpiozero.LineSensor attribute), 97 pulse() (gpiozero.PWMOutputDevice method), 129
pin (gpiozero.MotionSensor attribute), 99 pulse() (gpiozero.RGBLED method), 116
pin (gpiozero.PWMLED attribute), 114 pulse_width (gpiozero.Servo attribute), 124
pin() (gpiozero.Factory method), 198 PumpkinPi (class in gpiozero), 162
pin() (gpiozero.pins.mock.MockFactory method), 209 PWMLED (class in gpiozero), 113
pin() (gpiozero.pins.pi.PiFactory method), 205 PWMOutputDevice (class in gpiozero), 128
pin_class (gpiozero.pins.mock.MockFactory attribute),
209 Q
pin_factory (gpiozero.Device attribute), 175 quantized() (in module gpiozero.tools), 181
232 Index
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
queue_len (gpiozero.SmoothedInputDevice attribute), SPI (class in gpiozero), 202
107 spi() (gpiozero.Factory method), 199
queued() (in module gpiozero.tools), 181 spi() (gpiozero.pins.pi.PiFactory method), 205
SPIBadArgs, 213
R SPIBadChannel, 213
ramping_values() (in module gpiozero.tools), 185 SPIDevice (class in gpiozero), 139
random_values() (in module gpiozero.tools), 185 SPIError, 212
raw_value (gpiozero.AnalogInputDevice attribute), 139 SPIFixedBitOrder, 213
read() (gpiozero.SPI method), 202 SPIFixedClockMode, 213
red (gpiozero.RGBLED attribute), 117 SPIFixedSelect, 213
red (gpiozero.StatusBoard attribute), 161 SPIFixedWordSize, 213
red (gpiozero.StatusZero attribute), 160 SPIInvalidClockMode, 213
red (gpiozero.TrafficLights attribute), 148 SPIInvalidWordSize, 213
release_all() (gpiozero.Factory method), 198 SPISoftwareFallback, 216
release_pins() (gpiozero.Factory method), 198 SPIWarning, 215
release_pins() (gpiozero.pins.pi.PiFactory method), star (gpiozero.PiHutXmasTree attribute), 150
205 start_time (gpiozero.TimeOfDay attribute), 168
released (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191 state (gpiozero.Pin attribute), 201
reserve_pins() (gpiozero.Factory method), 199 StatusBoard (class in gpiozero), 160
reserve_pins() (gpiozero.pins.pi.PiFactory method), StatusZero (class in gpiozero), 160
205 stop() (gpiozero.Motor method), 121
reset() (gpiozero.pins.mock.MockFactory method), 209 stop() (gpiozero.PhaseEnableMotor method), 122
reverse() (gpiozero.Motor method), 121 stop() (gpiozero.PhaseEnableRobot method), 157
reverse() (gpiozero.PhaseEnableMotor method), 122 stop() (gpiozero.Robot method), 156
reverse() (gpiozero.PhaseEnableRobot method), 157 stop() (gpiozero.TonalBuzzer method), 120
reverse() (gpiozero.Robot method), 156 storage (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191
revision (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 190 summed() (in module gpiozero.tools), 184
RGBLED (class in gpiozero), 115
right() (gpiozero.PhaseEnableRobot method), 157 T
right() (gpiozero.Robot method), 156 temperature (gpiozero.CPUTemperature attribute), 169
right_motor (gpiozero.PhaseEnableRobot attribute), threshold (gpiozero.SmoothedInputDevice attribute),
157 107
right_motor (gpiozero.Robot attribute), 155 threshold_distance (gpiozero.DistanceSensor attribute),
Robot (class in gpiozero), 155 103
row (gpiozero.PinInfo attribute), 193 ThresholdOutOfRange, 216
rows (gpiozero.HeaderInfo attribute), 192 ticks() (gpiozero.Factory method), 199
RPiGPIOFactory (class in gpiozero.pins.rpigpio), 207 ticks() (gpiozero.pins.local.LocalPiFactory static
RPiGPIOPin (class in gpiozero.pins.rpigpio), 207 method), 206
RPIOFactory (class in gpiozero.pins.rpio), 207 ticks_diff() (gpiozero.Factory method), 199
RPIOPin (class in gpiozero.pins.rpio), 207 ticks_diff() (gpiozero.pins.local.LocalPiFactory static
RyanteckRobot (class in gpiozero), 158 method), 206
TimeOfDay (class in gpiozero), 167
S to_gpio() (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo method), 190
scaled() (in module gpiozero.tools), 182 toggle() (gpiozero.Buzzer method), 119
select_high (gpiozero.SPI attribute), 204 toggle() (gpiozero.CompositeOutputDevice method),
Servo (class in gpiozero), 123 164
SharedMixin (class in gpiozero), 176 toggle() (gpiozero.LED method), 112
sides (gpiozero.PumpkinPi attribute), 162 toggle() (gpiozero.LEDBoard method), 143
sin_values() (in module gpiozero.tools), 185 toggle() (gpiozero.OutputDevice method), 130
smoothed() (in module gpiozero.tools), 182 toggle() (gpiozero.PWMLED method), 114
SmoothedInputDevice (class in gpiozero), 105 toggle() (gpiozero.PWMOutputDevice method), 129
SnowPi (class in gpiozero), 161 toggle() (gpiozero.RGBLED method), 117
soc (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191 TonalBuzzer (class in gpiozero), 119
socket (gpiozero.Energenie attribute), 159 Tone (class in gpiozero.tones), 187
source (gpiozero.LEDBarGraph attribute), 145 tone (gpiozero.TonalBuzzer attribute), 120
source (gpiozero.SourceMixin attribute), 176 TrafficHat (class in gpiozero), 153
source_delay (gpiozero.SourceMixin attribute), 176 TrafficLights (class in gpiozero), 147
SourceMixin (class in gpiozero), 176 TrafficLightsBuzzer (class in gpiozero), 148
Index 233
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
transfer() (gpiozero.SPI method), 202 ValuesMixin (class in gpiozero), 176
trigger (gpiozero.DistanceSensor attribute), 103 voltage (gpiozero.AnalogInputDevice attribute), 139
U W
up() (gpiozero.tones.Tone method), 188 wait_for_active() (gpiozero.DigitalInputDevice
usage (gpiozero.DiskUsage attribute), 171 method), 105
usb (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191 wait_for_active() (gpiozero.EventsMixin method), 177
utc (gpiozero.TimeOfDay attribute), 168 wait_for_dark() (gpiozero.LightSensor method), 100
wait_for_in_range() (gpiozero.DistanceSensor
V method), 102
value (gpiozero.AnalogInputDevice attribute), 139 wait_for_inactive() (gpiozero.DigitalInputDevice
value (gpiozero.AngularServo attribute), 126 method), 105
value (gpiozero.Button attribute), 95 wait_for_inactive() (gpiozero.EventsMixin method),
value (gpiozero.ButtonBoard attribute), 147 177
value (gpiozero.Buzzer attribute), 119 wait_for_light() (gpiozero.LightSensor method), 100
value (gpiozero.CompositeDevice attribute), 166 wait_for_line() (gpiozero.LineSensor method), 96
value (gpiozero.CompositeOutputDevice attribute), 164 wait_for_motion() (gpiozero.MotionSensor method),
value (gpiozero.CPUTemperature attribute), 169 98
value (gpiozero.Device attribute), 175 wait_for_no_line() (gpiozero.LineSensor method), 97
value (gpiozero.DigitalInputDevice attribute), 105 wait_for_no_motion() (gpiozero.MotionSensor
value (gpiozero.DigitalOutputDevice attribute), 127 method), 98
value (gpiozero.DiskUsage attribute), 171 wait_for_out_of_range() (gpiozero.DistanceSensor
value (gpiozero.DistanceSensor attribute), 103 method), 102
value (gpiozero.Energenie attribute), 159 wait_for_press() (gpiozero.Button method), 94
value (gpiozero.GPIODevice attribute), 109 wait_for_press() (gpiozero.ButtonBoard method), 146
value (gpiozero.InputDevice attribute), 108 wait_for_release() (gpiozero.Button method), 94
value (gpiozero.LED attribute), 112 wait_for_release() (gpiozero.ButtonBoard method),
value (gpiozero.LEDBarGraph attribute), 145 146
value (gpiozero.LightSensor attribute), 100 when_activated (gpiozero.DigitalInputDevice at-
value (gpiozero.LineSensor attribute), 97 tribute), 105
value (gpiozero.LoadAverage attribute), 170 when_activated (gpiozero.EventsMixin attribute), 177
value (gpiozero.MCP3001 attribute), 134 when_changed (gpiozero.Pin attribute), 201
value (gpiozero.MCP3002 attribute), 134 when_dark (gpiozero.LightSensor attribute), 100
value (gpiozero.MCP3004 attribute), 135 when_deactivated (gpiozero.DigitalInputDevice at-
value (gpiozero.MCP3008 attribute), 135 tribute), 105
value (gpiozero.MCP3201 attribute), 135 when_deactivated (gpiozero.EventsMixin attribute),
value (gpiozero.MCP3202 attribute), 136 177
value (gpiozero.MCP3204 attribute), 136 when_held (gpiozero.Button attribute), 95
value (gpiozero.MCP3208 attribute), 137 when_held (gpiozero.HoldMixin attribute), 178
value (gpiozero.MCP3301 attribute), 137 when_in_range (gpiozero.DistanceSensor attribute),
value (gpiozero.MCP3302 attribute), 137 103
value (gpiozero.MCP3304 attribute), 138 when_light (gpiozero.LightSensor attribute), 101
value (gpiozero.MotionSensor attribute), 99 when_line (gpiozero.LineSensor attribute), 97
value (gpiozero.Motor attribute), 121 when_motion (gpiozero.MotionSensor attribute), 99
value (gpiozero.OutputDevice attribute), 130 when_no_line (gpiozero.LineSensor attribute), 97
value (gpiozero.PhaseEnableMotor attribute), 123 when_no_motion (gpiozero.MotionSensor attribute),
value (gpiozero.PhaseEnableRobot attribute), 157 99
value (gpiozero.PingServer attribute), 169 when_out_of_range (gpiozero.DistanceSensor at-
value (gpiozero.PWMLED attribute), 114 tribute), 103
value (gpiozero.PWMOutputDevice attribute), 129 when_pressed (gpiozero.Button attribute), 95
value (gpiozero.RGBLED attribute), 117 when_pressed (gpiozero.ButtonBoard attribute), 147
value (gpiozero.Robot attribute), 156 when_released (gpiozero.Button attribute), 95
value (gpiozero.Servo attribute), 124 when_released (gpiozero.ButtonBoard attribute), 147
value (gpiozero.SmoothedInputDevice attribute), 107 wifi (gpiozero.PiBoardInfo attribute), 191
value (gpiozero.TimeOfDay attribute), 168 write() (gpiozero.SPI method), 202
value (gpiozero.TonalBuzzer attribute), 120
values (gpiozero.LEDBarGraph attribute), 145 Y
values (gpiozero.ValuesMixin attribute), 176 yellow (gpiozero.TrafficLights attribute), 148
234 Index
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.5.0
Z
zip_values() (in module gpiozero.tools), 184
ZombieThread, 212
Index 235
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