Interactive traffic
lights with Python
Introduction
Connect the LEDs
1 Connect your LEDs to the following pins:
LED GPIO
Button 21
Red LED 25
Amber LED 28
Green LED 27
Buzzer 15
Control the LEDs
Introduction
and button
1 Open Mu from the main menu.
1
2 Enter the following code:
from gpiozero import LED, Button
red = LED(25)
button = Button(21)
while True:
if button.is_pressed:
red.on()
else:
red.off()
1
3 Save your code and run it with F5
This project is provided free by the Raspberry Pi Foundation under a Creative Commons licence.
See more at projects.raspberrypi.org and github.com/raspberrypilearning
1
4 Remove the while loop and add two more LEDs
from gpiozero import LED, Button
red = LED(25)
amber = LED(28)
green = LED(27)
button = Button(21)
1
5 Get them to come on when the
button is pressed: while True:
if button.is_pressed:
green.on()
6 Run the code and press the amber.on()
button. red.on()
else:
green.off()
amber.off()
red.off()
Traffic lights
Introduction
You can use the built-in TrafficLights class instead of three individual LEDs.
1 Amend the from gpiozero import... line to replace LED with TrafficLights:
from gpiozero import TrafficLights, Button
from time import sleep
button = Button(21)
lights = TrafficLights(25, 28, 27)
while True:
button.wait_for_press()
lights.on()
button.wait_for_release()
lights.off()
This project is provided free by the Raspberry Pi Foundation under a Creative Commons licence.
See more at projects.raspberrypi.org and github.com/raspberrypilearning
21 Try changing the lights to blink:
while True:
lights.blink()
button.wait_for_press()
lights.off()
button.wait_for_release()
Traffic lights sequence
As well as controlling the whole set of lights together, you can also control each LED individually.
With traffic light LEDs, a button, and a buzzer, you can create your own traffic lights sequence,
complete with pedestrian crossing!
1 Modify your loop to perform an 1
2 Add a wait_for_press() so that pressing
automated sequence of LEDs being lit: the button initiates the sequence:
while True: while True:
lights.green.on() button.wait_for_press()
sleep(1) lights.green.on()
lights.amber.on() sleep(1)
sleep(1) lights.amber.on()
lights.red.on() sleep(1)
sleep(1) lights.red.on()
lights.off() sleep(1)
lights.off()
Try some more sequences of your own.
3 Now try creating the full traffic lights sequence:
Green on
Amber on
Red on
Red and amber on
Green on
Be sure to turn the correct lights on and off at the right time, and make sure you use
sleep to time the sequence perfectly.
This project is provided free by the Raspberry Pi Foundation under a Creative Commons licence.
See more at projects.raspberrypi.org and github.com/raspberrypilearning
14 Try adding the button for a pedestrian crossing. The button should move the lights to red
(not immediately), and give the pedestrians time to cross before moving the lights back
to green until the button is pressed again.
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5 Now try adding a buzzer to beep quickly to indicate
that it is safe to cross, for the benefit of visually buzzer = Buzzer(15)
impaired pedestrians:
buzzer.on()
buzzer.off()
buzzer.beep(0.1, 0.1)
16 Your final interactive traffic lights code should start on a green light and then:
Wait for the button to be pressed
When pressed, change to red/amber, then green
Beep for a while to say it’s time to cross
Go to amber and then green
Repeat
RASPBERRY
This project is provided free by the Raspberry Pi Foundation under a Creative Commons licence.
See more at projects.raspberrypi.org and github.com/raspberrypilearning