Exploring Raspberry Pi

Chapter 6Interfacing to the Raspberry Pi Input/Outputs

This chapter integrates the Linux, programming, and electronics groundwork from earlier chapters to show you how to build circuits and write programs that interface to the Raspberry Pi's single-wire inputs and outputs. In this chapter, you will see practical examples that explain how to use general-purpose input/outputs (GPIOs) to interface to different types of electronic circuits. GPIO interfacing is first performed using sysfs to ensure that you have skills that are transferrable to other embedded Linux devices. Next, memory-mapped approaches are investigated that have impressive performance, but are largely specific to the RPi platform. Finally, the wiringPi library of C functions is discussed in detail. It uses sysfs and memory-mapped approaches to provide a custom GPIO interfacing library for the RPi platform that is very accessible. Examples are provided of how it can be used to communicate with one-wire sensors, to generate pulse-width modulated (PWM) signals, and to generate high-frequency timing signals. Finally, there is a brief discussion on the impact of udev rules and Linux permissions on GPIO interfacing.

Equipment Required for This Chapter:

• Raspberry Pi (ideally an RPi 2/3 for the multicore examples)
• Components from Chapter 4 (e.g., button, LED, optocoupler)
• An Aosong AM230x humidity and temperature sensor
• A generic servo motor (e.g., Hitec HS-422)

Further details on this chapter are available at www.exploringrpi.com/chapter6/ ...