GPIO Pin Types

Learn about the different types of GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi Pico and their basic functions.

By Kevin McAleer,    3 Minutes

Overview

Welcome to Lesson 1 of the Raspberry Pi Pico with MicroPython - GPIO Mastery course. In this lesson, we will discuss the different types of GPIO pins available on the Raspberry Pi Pico and their basic functions. We will cover the following types of pins:

• Digital I/O
• Analog I/O (ADC)
• PWM
• UART
• I2C
• SPI
• GND

Course Content

GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) pins are used to connect electronic components to the Raspberry Pi Pico. In this lesson, you will learn:

• Different types of GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi Pico
• Their basic functions and how they can be used in various applications
• Pin numbering and how to identify pins on the Pico board

Different types of GPIO pins

The Raspberry Pi Pico has several types of GPIO pins, including:

• Digital I/O pins, which can be used to send or receive digital signals
• PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) pins, which can be used to control the brightness of LEDs or the speed of motors
• ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) pins, which can be used to read analog signals from sensors
• I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) pins, which can be used to communicate with other devices using the I2C protocol
• SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) pins, which can be used to communicate with other devices using the SPI protocol

Basic functions of GPIO pins

Digital I/O pins can be used to send or receive digital signals, which can be used to control LEDs, read button presses, or communicate with other digital devices.

PWM pins can be used to control the brightness of LEDs, the speed of motors, or the position of servos by adjusting the duty cycle of the PWM signal.

ADC pins can be used to read analog signals from sensors, such as temperature or light sensors, and convert them into digital values that can be processed by the Pico.

I2C and SPI pins can be used to communicate with other devices, such as sensors, displays, or other microcontrollers, using the I2C or SPI protocol.

Key Results

After you have completed this lesson, you will have a solid understanding of the various GPIO pins available on the Raspberry Pi Pico. This knowledge will enable you to confidently use these pins in your projects, allowing you to interface with various devices and components.

MicroPython code example

The code below imports the machine module, which provides access to hardware-related functionality on the Raspberry Pi Pico.

Then it initializes a GPIO pin with the number 25 as an output pin using the machine.Pin class, and assigns it to the variable pin.

Finally, it sets the value of the output pin to 1 using the pin.value(1) method. This means that the pin will output a voltage of 3.3V, which can be used to turn on a connected device, such as an LED.

import machine
pin = machine.Pin(25, machine.Pin.OUT)
pin.value(1)