{"id":430050,"date":"2022-04-11T21:00:37","date_gmt":"2022-04-11T18:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-is-gpio-and-what-can-you-use-it-for\/"},"modified":"2022-04-11T21:00:37","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T18:00:37","slug":"what-is-gpio-and-what-can-you-use-it-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-gpio-and-what-can-you-use-it-for\/","title":{"rendered":"#What Is GPIO, and What Can You Use It For?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a39add74b83d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a39add74b83d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-gpio-and-what-can-you-use-it-for\/#%E2%80%9CWhat_Is_GPIO_and_What_Can_You_Use_It_For%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;What Is GPIO, and What Can You Use It For?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-gpio-and-what-can-you-use-it-for\/#GPIO_Is_a_Set_of_Pins\" >GPIO Is a Set of Pins<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-gpio-and-what-can-you-use-it-for\/#What_Is_GPIO_Used_For\" >What Is GPIO Used For?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-gpio-and-what-can-you-use-it-for\/#How_To_Use_GPIO\" >How To Use GPIO<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-gpio-and-what-can-you-use-it-for\/#The_Dangers_of_GPIO\" >The Dangers of GPIO<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhat_Is_GPIO_and_What_Can_You_Use_It_For%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;What Is GPIO, and What Can You Use It For?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-789150\" data-pagespeed-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/gpio-pins-computer.jpg?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/gpio-pins-computer.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/gpio-pins-computer.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Closeup of goldpin connectors on a Raspberry Pi 4 computer.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/silesia-poland-july-8th-2019-goldpin-1446082613\">mattcabb\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you own a Raspberry Pi or other similar hobbyist computer, you may have noticed it has a GPIO (<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a>-Purpose Input-Output) feature. Most users will never use GPIO, but if you want to build things, GPIO is essential.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>What Is the Raspberry Pi?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"GPIO_Is_a_Set_of_Pins\"><\/span>GPIO Is a Set of Pins<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>At the most basic level, GPIO refers to a set of pins on your computer\u2019s mainboard or add-on card. These pins can send or receive electrical signals, but they aren\u2019t designed for any specific purpose. This is why they\u2019re called \u201cgeneral-purpose\u201d IO.<\/p>\n<p>This is unlike common port standards such as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/53587\/usb-explained-all-the-different-types-and-what-theyre-used-for\/\">USB<\/a> or DVI. With those cables, each pin wired inside the connection has a designated purpose, which is determined by the governing body that created the standard.<\/p>\n<p>GPIO puts you in charge of what each pin actually does. Although there are still different types of pins on the GPIO array.<\/p>\n<p>Using the Raspberry Pi as the example again, you\u2019ll find a few types of pin:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pins that provide power at typical voltages such as 3.3V or 5V. This is to power connected devices that don\u2019t have their own power source, such as a simple LED.<\/li>\n<li>Ground pins that do not output power, but are necessary to complete some circuits.<\/li>\n<li>GPIO pins, which can be configured to send or receive electrical signals.<\/li>\n<li>Special purpose pins, which vary based on the specific GPIO in question.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>GPIO implementations can vary in the exact details on a per-device basis, but the idea is always to allow users to receive or send an electrical signal to almost anything.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Build an LED Indicator with a Raspberry Pi (for Email, Weather, or Anything)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_GPIO_Used_For\"><\/span>What Is GPIO Used For?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The most common use for GPIO is to operate custom electronics. Whether you\u2019re building your own robot arm or a DIY weather station, a GPIO interface lets you customize signals so that they operate your equipment correctly.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-789158 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/raspberry-pi-breadboard.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Raspberry Pi single-board computer connected to a breadboard in a table-top experiment.\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/ljubljana-slovenia-april-6-2016-illustrative-402269407\" data-credittext=\"goodcat\/Shutterstock.com\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Raspberry Pi project featuring a breadboard. <span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/ljubljana-slovenia-april-6-2016-illustrative-402269407\">goodcat\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>GPIO interfaces are usually used in conjunction with a \u201cbreadboard\u201d. Breadboards are a type of temporary circuit board. You can prototype circuits by adding, removing, or moving electronic components around. Many projects that involve devices like a Raspberry Pi have you assemble your device on a breadboard and then connect it to your GPIO pins using wires.<\/p>\n<p>Some advanced Raspberry Pi kits come with an integrated breadboard, such as the CrowPi 2 Laptop, which includes both a Raspberry Pi and more sensors than you can shake a stick at.<\/p>\n<div class=\"product-box \">\n<div class=\"product-img product-img-noaward\">\n<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"presentation\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B08YRGZ2JD?tag=hotoge-20&amp;linkCode=ogi&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1\" onclick=\"fbq('track', 'Buy Button'); if (fb_t_convert){fb_t_convert();}\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41KKBpIGPpL._SL160_.jpg\" height=\"147px\" alt=\"\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><br \/>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>One of the most simple GPIO projects for Raspberry Pi computers is to add a simple power button, which the standard board lacks.<\/p>\n<p>Another popular device that features GPIO is the Arduino microcontroller. This isn\u2019t a full computer like a Raspberry Pi, but rather a device that\u2019s designed to be programmable specifically to control other equipment. For example, you could hook up a light sensor to an Arduino and then program it to turn on your garden lights when the sun goes down. Arduinos have been pivotal to opening the world of robotics and invention to people who may otherwise not have the means to get into engineering and programming.<\/p>\n<p>The Raspberry Pi Foundation has its own Arduino competitor, in the form of the $4 <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/68286\/raspberry-pis-new-4-pico-is-an-arduino-like-microcontroller\/\">Pico<\/a>. The Pico features 30 GPIO pins, some of which can handle analog signals, rather than the digital pulses that are more commonplace.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_To_Use_GPIO\"><\/span>How To Use GPIO<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Apart from connecting your GPIO pins to the correct connections on your external circuit board or devices, your computer or microcontroller needs to know what to send over those wires or how to understand the signals that are coming into the GPIO interface.<\/p>\n<p>That means you need software, which more often than not you have to write! On Raspberry Pi systems it\u2019s common to write software in Python that can tell the GPIO controller what to send or listen in on the signals that are arriving. After all, \u201cPi\u201d refers to Python!<\/p>\n<p>Python in particular has two modules known as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/redirect.viglink.com\/?key=204a528a336ede4177fff0d84a044482&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ics.com%2Fblog%2Fcontrol-raspberry-pi-gpio-pins-python\">Rpi.GPIO and Gpiozero<\/a>. By invoking these modules, you can take control of the GPIO system and make it do your bidding.<\/p>\n<p>The Arduino microcontrollers have their <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hackerearth.com\/blog\/developers\/arduino-programming-for-beginners\/\">own programming language<\/a>, which makes it particularly easy to put together projects. You can however use a special version of Python known as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.arduino.cc\/learn\/programming\/arduino-and-python\">MicroPython<\/a>\u00a0as well.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Dangers_of_GPIO\"><\/span>The Dangers of GPIO<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When you plug a USB device into a USB port, using a certified USB cable, there\u2019s an almost zero chance anything will go catastrophically wrong. That\u2019s because these IO standards have been carefully designed, tested, and then tested some more to make sure they are safe.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to GPIO, the buck stops with you. You are the one designing your interface and circuitry. If you short pins, hook up power to things that should not get power, or otherwise play fast and loose with your circuits and connections, you could have a pile of dead components (and GPIO boards) on your hands. This is why you might want to invest in a good Raspberry Pi Kit, since they often come with both the hardware you need and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/19098\/16-cool-projects-for-your-new-raspberry-pi-4\/\">practice projects<\/a>\u00a0so that you can learn the ropes safely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/787928\/what-is-gpio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;What Is GPIO, and What Can You Use It For?&#8221; mattcabb\/Shutterstock.com If you own a Raspberry Pi or other similar hobbyist computer, you may have noticed it has a GPIO (General-Purpose Input-Output) feature. Most users will never use GPIO, but if you want to build things, GPIO is essential. RELATED: What Is the Raspberry Pi?&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":430051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/gpio-pins-computer.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-430050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/430051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}