Gpiozero Documentation

Release 1.4.1

Ben Nuttall

Jun 13, 2018

 Contents

1 Installing GPIO Zero 1

2 Basic Recipes 3

3 Advanced Recipes 27

4 Configuring Remote GPIO 35

5 Remote GPIO Recipes 43

6 Pi Zero USB OTG 47

7 Source/Values 51

8 Command-line Tools 57

9 Frequently Asked Questions 65

10 Contributing 69

11 Development 71

12 API - Input Devices 73

13 API - Output Devices 87

14 API - SPI Devices 105

15 API - Boards and Accessories 113

16 API - Internal Devices 155

17 API - Generic Classes 159

18 API - Device Source Tools 165

19 API - Pi Information 173

20 API - Pins 177

21 API - Exceptions 191

22 Changelog 195

i
23 License 201

Python Module Index 203

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 35) 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 71) page.
1 [Link]
2 [Link]
3 [Link]
4 [Link]

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

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 35) 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 73) interface from GPIO Zero, it should be explicitly imported:

from gpiozero import Button

Now Button (page 73) 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 = [Link](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.
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 [Link]

3
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

All Models

3V3 5V
Power
1 2 Power

GPIO2 5V
SDA I²C
3 4 Power

GPIO3 Ground
SCL I²C
5 6

GPIO4 GPIO14
7 8 UART0 TXD

Ground GPIO15
9 10 UART0 RXD

GPIO17 GPIO18
11 12

GPIO27 Ground
13 14

GPIO22 GPIO23
15 16

3V3 GPIO24
Power
17 18

GPIO10 Ground
SPI MOSI
19 20

GPIO9 GPIO25
SPI MISO
21 22

GPIO11 GPIO8
SPI SCLK
23 24 SPI CE0

Ground GPIO7
25 26 SPI CE1

ID SD ID SC
I²C ID
27 28 I²C ID

GPIO5 Ground
29 30

GPIO6 GPIO12
31 32

GPIO13 Ground
33 34

GPIO19 GPIO16
35 36

GPIO26 GPIO20
37 38

Ground GPIO21
39 40
40-pin
models only

USB Ports

4 Chapter 2. Basic Recipes

 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

2.3 LED

Turn an LED (page 87) on and off repeatedly:

from gpiozero import LED

from time import sleep

red = LED(17)

while True:
[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()
sleep(1)

Alternatively:

from gpiozero import LED

from signal import pause

red = LED(17)

[Link]()

pause()

Note: Reaching the end of a Python script will terminate the process and GPIOs may be reset. Keep your script
alive with [Link]()6 . See How do I keep my script running? (page 65) for more information.

2.4 LED with variable brightness

Any regular LED can have its brightness value set using PWM (pulse-width-modulation). In GPIO Zero, this can
be achieved using PWMLED (page 88) using values between 0 and 1:
6 [Link]

2.3. LED 5
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

from gpiozero import PWMLED

from time import sleep

led = PWMLED(17)

while True:
[Link] = 0 # off
sleep(1)
[Link] = 0.5 # half brightness
sleep(1)
[Link] = 1 # full brightness
sleep(1)

Similarly to blinking on and off continuously, a PWMLED can pulse (fade in and out continuously):

from gpiozero import PWMLED

from signal import pause

led = PWMLED(17)

[Link]()

pause()

2.5 Button

Check if a Button (page 73) 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")

6 Chapter 2. Basic Recipes

 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

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

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 None (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()

2.5. Button 7
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

2.6 Button controlled LED

A B C D E F G H I J
1 1
DSI (DISPLAY)
Power

GPIO
[Link]

5 5

10 10
HDMI

© Raspberry Pi 2014
Raspberry Pi Model 2 v1.1

15 15

CSI (CAMERA)
Audio

20 20

ETHERNET 25 25

USB 2x USB 2x

30 30
A B C D E F G H I J

Turn on an LED (page 87) when a Button (page 73) is pressed:

from gpiozero import LED, Button

from signal import pause

led = LED(17)
button = Button(2)

button.when_pressed = [Link]
button.when_released = [Link]

pause()

Alternatively:

from gpiozero import LED, Button

from signal import pause

led = LED(17)
button = Button(2)

[Link] = [Link]

pause()

2.7 Button controlled camera

Using the button press to trigger PiCamera7 to take a picture using button.when_pressed = camera.
capture would not work because the capture()8 method requires an output parameter. However, this can
be achieved using a custom function which requires no parameters:
7 [Link]
8 [Link]

8 Chapter 2. Basic Recipes

 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

from gpiozero import Button

from picamera import PiCamera
from datetime import datetime
from signal import pause

button = Button(2)
camera = PiCamera()

def capture():
datetime = [Link]().isoformat()
[Link]('/home/pi/%[Link]' % datetime)

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():
datetime = [Link]().isoformat()
[Link]('/home/pi/%[Link]' % datetime)

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 73) 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()

2.9 LEDBoard

A collection of LEDs can be accessed using LEDBoard (page 113):

2.8. Shutdown button 9

Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

from gpiozero import LEDBoard

from time import sleep
from signal import pause

leds = LEDBoard(5, 6, 13, 19, 26)

[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link] = (1, 0, 1, 0, 1)
sleep(1)
[Link]()

pause()

Using LEDBoard (page 113) 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)

[Link] = (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0)

pause()

See more LEDBoard (page 113) examples in the advanced LEDBoard recipes (page 27).

2.10 LEDBarGraph

A collection of LEDs can be treated like a bar graph using LEDBarGraph (page 116):
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph
from time import sleep

graph = LEDBarGraph(5, 6, 13, 19, 26, pwm=True)

[Link] = 1/10 # (0.5, 0, 0, 0, 0)

sleep(1)
[Link] = 3/10 # (1, 0.5, 0, 0, 0)
sleep(1)
[Link] = -3/10 # (0, 0, 0, 0.5, 1)
sleep(1)
[Link] = 9/10 # (1, 1, 1, 1, 0.5)
sleep(1)
[Link] = 95/100 # (1, 1, 1, 1, 0.75)
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 116) with pwm=True allows more precise values using LED brightness:
from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph
from time import sleep

graph = LEDBarGraph(5, 6, 13, 19, 26, pwm=True)

[Link] = 1/10 # (0.5, 0, 0, 0, 0)

(continues on next page)

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

sleep(1)
[Link] = 3/10 # (1, 0.5, 0, 0, 0)
sleep(1)
[Link] = -3/10 # (0, 0, 0, 0.5, 1)
sleep(1)
[Link] = 9/10 # (1, 1, 1, 1, 0.5)
sleep(1)
[Link] = 95/100 # (1, 1, 1, 1, 0.75)
sleep(1)

2.11 Traffic Lights

A B C D E F G H I J
1 1

5 5

DSI (DISPLAY)
Power

GPIO

10 10
[Link]

15 15
HDMI

© Raspberry Pi 2014
Raspberry Pi Model 2 v1.1

20 20

CSI (CAMERA)
25 25
Audio

30 30
A B C D E F G H I J
ETHERNET

USB 2x USB 2x

A full traffic lights system.

Using a TrafficLights (page 120) kit like Pi-Stop:

from gpiozero import TrafficLights

from time import sleep

lights = TrafficLights(2, 3, 4)

[Link]()

while True:
sleep(10)
[Link]()
[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()
[Link]()
sleep(10)
(continues on next page)

2.11. Traffic Lights 11

Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()
[Link]()
[Link]()

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)

[Link] = traffic_light_sequence()

pause()

Using LED (page 87) components:

from gpiozero import LED

from time import sleep

red = LED(2)
amber = LED(3)
green = LED(4)

[Link]()
[Link]()
[Link]()

while True:
sleep(10)
[Link]()
[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()
[Link]()
sleep(10)
[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()
[Link]()
[Link]()

2.12 Push button stop motion

Capture a picture with the camera module every time a button is pressed:

12 Chapter 2. Basic Recipes

 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

from gpiozero import Button

from picamera import PiCamera

button = Button(2)
camera = PiCamera()

camera.start_preview()
frame = 1
while True:
button.wait_for_press()
[Link]('/home/pi/frame%[Link]' % frame)
frame += 1

See Push Button Stop Motion9 for a full resource.

2.13 Reaction Game

A B C D E F G H I J
1 1
DSI (DISPLAY)
Power

GPIO
[Link]

5 5

10 10
HDMI

© Raspberry Pi 2014
Raspberry Pi Model 2 v1.1

15 15

CSI (CAMERA)
Audio

20 20

ETHERNET 25 25

USB 2x USB 2x

30 30
A B C D E F G H I J

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 = [Link](5, 10)

sleep(time)
[Link]()

while True:
if player_1.is_pressed:
print("Player 1 wins!")
(continues on next page)
9 [Link]

2.13. Reaction Game 13

Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

break
if player_2.is_pressed:
print("Player 2 wins!")
break

[Link]()

See Quick Reaction Game10 for a full resource.

2.14 GPIO Music Box

Each button plays a different sound!

from gpiozero import Button

import [Link]
from [Link] import Sound
from signal import pause

[Link]()

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 = [Link]

pause()

See GPIO Music Box11 for a full resource.

2.15 All on when pressed

While the button is pressed down, the buzzer and all the lights come on.
FishDish (page 134):

from gpiozero import FishDish

from signal import pause

fish = FishDish()

[Link].when_pressed = [Link]
[Link].when_released = [Link]

pause()

Ryanteck TrafficHat (page 135):

from gpiozero import TrafficHat

from signal import pause

th = TrafficHat()
(continues on next page)
10 [Link]
11 [Link]

14 Chapter 2. Basic Recipes

 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

[Link].when_pressed = [Link]
[Link].when_released = [Link]

pause()

Using LED (page 87), Buzzer (page 92), and Button (page 73) 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:
[Link]()

def things_off():
for thing in things:
[Link]()

button.when_pressed = things_on
button.when_released = things_off

pause()

2.16 Full color LED

A B C D E F G H I J
1 1

DSI (DISPLAY)
Power

GPIO
[Link]

5 5

10 10
HDMI

© Raspberry Pi 2014
Raspberry Pi Model 2 v1.1

15 15

CSI (CAMERA)

20 20
Audio

25 25
ETHERNET

USB 2x USB 2x

30 30
A B C D E F G H I J

Making colours with an RGBLED (page 90):

2.16. Full color LED 15

Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

from gpiozero import RGBLED

from time import sleep

led = RGBLED(red=9, green=10, blue=11)

[Link] = 1 # full red

sleep(1)
[Link] = 0.5 # half red
sleep(1)

[Link] = (0, 1, 0) # full green

sleep(1)
[Link] = (1, 0, 1) # magenta
sleep(1)
[Link] = (1, 1, 0) # yellow
sleep(1)
[Link] = (0, 1, 1) # cyan
sleep(1)
[Link] = (1, 1, 1) # white
sleep(1)

[Link] = (0, 0, 0) # off

sleep(1)

# slowly increase intensity of blue

for n in range(100):
[Link] = n/100
sleep(0.1)

2.17 Motion sensor

A B C D E F G H I J
DSI (DISPLAY)
1 1
Power

GPIO
[Link]

5 5
HDMI

10 10
© Raspberry Pi 2014
Raspberry Pi Model 2 v1.1

15 15
CSI (CAMERA)
Audio

20 20

ETHERNET
25 25
USB 2x USB 2x

30 30
A B C D E F G H I J

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

Light an LED (page 87) when a MotionSensor (page 76) detects motion:

from gpiozero import MotionSensor, LED

from signal import pause

pir = MotionSensor(4)
led = LED(16)

pir.when_motion = [Link]
pir.when_no_motion = [Link]

pause()

2.18 Light sensor

A B C D E F G H I J
DSI (DISPLAY)
1 1
Power

GPIO
[Link]

5 5
HDMI

10 10
© Raspberry Pi 2014
Raspberry Pi Model 2 v1.1

15 15
CSI (CAMERA)
Audio

20 20

ETHERNET
25 25
USB 2x USB 2x

30 30
A B C D E F G H I J

Have a LightSensor (page 78) 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 = [Link]
(continues on next page)

2.18. Light sensor 17

Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

sensor.when_light = [Link]

pause()

Or make a PWMLED (page 88) change brightness according to the detected light level:

from gpiozero import LightSensor, PWMLED

from signal import pause

sensor = LightSensor(18)
led = PWMLED(16)

[Link] = [Link]

pause()

2.19 Distance sensor

A B C D E F G H I J
DSI (DISPLAY) 1 1
Power

GPIO
[Link]

5 5

10 10
HDMI

© Raspberry Pi 2014
Raspberry Pi Model 2 v1.1

15 15

CSI (CAMERA)
Audio

20 20

ETHERNET
25 25

USB 2x USB 2x

30 30
A B C D E F G H I J

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 sensor’s diagram obscuring most of the breadboard!)

Have a DistanceSensor (page 79) 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', [Link], 'm')
sleep(1)

18 Chapter 2. Basic Recipes

 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

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 = [Link]
sensor.when_out_of_range = [Link]

pause()

2.20 Motors

A B C D E F G H I J
1 1
DSI (DISPLAY)
Power

GPIO
[Link]

5 5

10 10
HDMI

© Raspberry Pi 2014
Raspberry Pi Model 2 v1.1

15 15

CSI (CAMERA)
Audio

20 20

ETHERNET 25 25

USB 2x USB 2x

30 30
A B C D E F G H I J

Spin a Motor (page 93) around forwards and backwards:

from gpiozero import Motor
from time import sleep

motor = Motor(forward=4, backward=14)

while True:
[Link]()
sleep(5)
[Link]()
sleep(5)

2.21 Robot

Make a Robot (page 136) drive around in (roughly) a square:

from gpiozero import Robot
from time import sleep

robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))

(continues on next page)

2.20. Motors 19
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

for i in range(4):
[Link]()
sleep(10)
[Link]()
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

sensor = DistanceSensor(23, 24, max_distance=1, threshold_distance=0.2)

robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))

sensor.when_in_range = [Link]
sensor.when_out_of_range = [Link]
pause()

2.22 Button controlled robot

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)
right = Button(16)
fw = Button(21)
bw = Button(20)

fw.when_pressed = [Link]
fw.when_released = [Link]

left.when_pressed = [Link]
left.when_released = [Link]

right.when_pressed = [Link]
right.when_released = [Link]

bw.when_pressed = [Link]
bw.when_released = [Link]

pause()

2.23 Keyboard controlled robot

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 = {
(continues on next page)

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

curses.KEY_UP: [Link],
curses.KEY_DOWN: [Link],
curses.KEY_LEFT: [Link],
curses.KEY_RIGHT: [Link],
}

def main(window):
next_key = None
while True:
[Link](1)
if next_key is None:
key = [Link]()
else:
key = next_key
next_key = None
if key != -1:
# KEY DOWN
[Link](3)
action = [Link](key)
if action is not None:
action()
next_key = key
while next_key == key:
next_key = [Link]()
# KEY UP
[Link]()

[Link](main)

Note: This recipe uses the standard curses12 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([Link]().get(ecodes.EV_KEY, [])),)
if must_have.issubset(keys)
and must_not_have.isdisjoint(keys)
]
# Pick the first keyboard
keyboard = devices[0]

keypress_actions = {
(continues on next page)
12 [Link]

2.23. Keyboard controlled robot 21

Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

ecodes.KEY_UP: [Link],
ecodes.KEY_DOWN: [Link],
ecodes.KEY_LEFT: [Link],
ecodes.KEY_RIGHT: [Link],
}

for event in keyboard.read_loop():

if [Link] == ecodes.EV_KEY and [Link] in keypress_actions:
if [Link] == 1: # key down
keypress_actions[[Link]]()
if [Link] == 0: # key up
[Link]()

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

Make a robot drive forward when it detects motion:

from gpiozero import Robot, MotionSensor

from signal import pause

robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))

pir = MotionSensor(5)

pir.when_motion = [Link]
pir.when_no_motion = [Link]

pause()

Alternatively:

from gpiozero import Robot, MotionSensor

from signal import pause

robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))

pir = MotionSensor(5)

[Link] = zip([Link], [Link])

pause()

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

2.25 Potentiometer

DSI (DISPLAY)
Power

GPIO
[Link]
HDMI

© Raspberry Pi 2014
Raspberry Pi Model 2 v1.1

CSI (CAMERA)
Audio

10

15

20

25

30
1

5
ETHERNET
J

J
I

I
G H

G H
USB 2x USB 2x
F

F
MCP3008
A B C D E

A B C D E
10

15

20

25

30
1

Continually print the value of a potentiometer (values between 0 and 1) connected to a MCP3008 (page 107)
analog to digital converter:

from gpiozero import MCP3008

pot = MCP3008(channel=0)

while True:
print([Link])

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)
[Link] = [Link]
pause()

2.26 Measure temperature with an ADC

Wire a TMP36 temperature sensor to the first channel of an MCP3008 (page 107) analog to digital converter:

from gpiozero import MCP3008

from time import sleep
(continues on next page)

2.25. Potentiometer 23
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

def convert_temp(gen):
for value in gen:
yield (value * 3.3 - 0.5) * 100

adc = MCP3008(channel=0)

for temp in convert_temp([Link]):

print('The temperature is', temp, 'C')
sleep(1)

2.27 Full color LED controlled by 3 potentiometers

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:
[Link] = red_pot.value
[Link] = green_pot.value
[Link] = blue_pot.value

Alternatively, the following example is identical, but uses the source (page 162) property rather than a while13
loop:

from gpiozero import RGBLED, MCP3008

from signal import pause

led = RGBLED(2, 3, 4)
red_pot = MCP3008(0)
green_pot = MCP3008(1)
blue_pot = MCP3008(2)

[Link] = zip(red_pot.values, green_pot.values, blue_pot.values)

pause()

Note: Please note the example above requires Python 3. In Python 2, zip()14 doesn’t support lazy evaluation
so the script will simply hang.

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-mote15 to remotely control the lamp, and the TimeOfDay (page 155) class to
control the timing:
13 [Link]
14 [Link]
15 [Link]

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

from gpiozero import Energenie, TimeOfDay

from datetime import time
from signal import pause

lamp = Energenie(1)
daytime = TimeOfDay(time(8), time(20))

[Link] = [Link]
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 156) class to identify whether a ping to [Link] is successful. If successful, the
green LED is lit, and if not, the red LED is lit:

from gpiozero import LED, PingServer

from [Link] import negated
from signal import pause

green = LED(17)
red = LED(18)

google = PingServer('[Link]')

[Link] = [Link]
green.source_delay = 60
[Link] = negated([Link])

pause()

2.30 CPU Temperature Bar Graph

You can read the Raspberry Pi’s own CPU temperature using the built-in CPUTemperature (page 156) class,
and display this on a “bar graph” of LEDs:

from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph, CPUTemperature

from signal import pause

cpu = CPUTemperature(min_temp=50, max_temp=90)

leds = LEDBarGraph(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, pwm=True)

[Link] = [Link]

pause()

2.31 More recipes

Continue to:
• Advanced Recipes (page 27)
• Remote GPIO Recipes (page 43)

2.29. Internet connection status indicator 25

Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

26 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 113) object one-by-one:

from gpiozero import LEDBoard

from time import sleep

leds = LEDBoard(5, 6, 13, 19, 26)

for led in leds:

[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()

LEDBoard (page 113) also supports indexing. This means you can access the individual LED (page 87) 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
(continues on next page)

27
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

leds = LEDBoard(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

for led in leds[3:]: # leds 3 and onward

[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()

for led in leds[:2]: # leds 0 and 1

[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()

for led in leds[::2]: # even leds (0, 2, 4...)

[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()

for led in leds[1::2]: # odd leds (1, 3, 5...)

[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()

LEDBoard (page 113) 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)

[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()
sleep(1)

LEDBoard (page 113) objects can also be nested within other LEDBoard (page 113) objects:

from gpiozero import LEDBoard

from time import sleep

leds = LEDBoard(red=LEDBoard(top=2, bottom=3), green=LEDBoard(top=4, bottom=5))

[Link]() ## both reds on

sleep(1)
[Link]() # both greens on
sleep(1)
[Link]() # all off
sleep(1)
[Link]() # top red on
sleep(1)
[Link]() # bottom green on
sleep(1)

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

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 [Link] 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('[Link]'): [Link],
PingServer('[Link]'): [Link],
PingServer('[Link]'): [Link],
}

for server, leds in [Link]():

[Link] = [Link]
[Link].source_delay = 60
[Link] = negated([Link])

pause()

Alternatively, using the STATUS Zero16 board:

from gpiozero import PingServer, StatusZero

from [Link] import negated
from signal import pause

status = StatusZero('mum', 'dad', 'alice')

statuses = {
PingServer('[Link]'): [Link],
PingServer('[Link]'): [Link],
PingServer('[Link]'): [Link],
}

for server, leds in [Link]():

[Link] = [Link]
[Link].source_delay = 60
[Link] = negated([Link])

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)
16 [Link]

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

from [Link] import negated
from time import sleep
from signal import pause

def build_passed(repo):
t = TravisPy()
r = [Link](repo)
while True:
yield r.last_build_state == 'passed'

red = LED(12)
green = LED(16)

[Link] = build_passed('RPi-Distro/python-gpiozero')
green.source_delay = 60 * 5 # check every 5 minutes
[Link] = negated([Link])

pause()

Note this recipe requires travispy17 . 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):
[Link]({
left: (-1, 1),
right: (1, -1),
forward: (1, 1),
backward: (-1, -1),
}[btn])

def do_instructions():
[Link]((0, 0))
robot.source_delay = 0.5
[Link] = 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)
17 [Link]

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(continued from previous page)

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 signal import pause

robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))

left = MCP3008(0)
right = MCP3008(1)

[Link] = zip([Link], [Link])

pause()

Note: Please note the example above requires Python 3. In Python 2, zip()18 doesn’t support lazy evaluation
so the script will simply hang.

To include reverse direction, scale the potentiometer values from 0-1 to -1-1:

from gpiozero import Robot, MCP3008

from [Link] import scaled
from signal import pause

robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))

left = MCP3008(0)
right = MCP3008(1)

[Link] = zip(scaled([Link], -1, 1), scaled([Link], -1, 1))

pause()

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()
[Link]()
(continues on next page)
18 [Link]

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

bd.wait_for_release()
[Link]()

Note this recipe requires bluedot and the associated Android app. See the BlueDot documentation19 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 [Link]:
[Link]([Link])
elif [Link]:
[Link]([Link])
elif [Link]:
[Link]([Link])
elif [Link]:
[Link]([Link])

bd.when_pressed = move
bd.when_moved = move
bd.when_released = [Link]

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 = [Link].x, [Link].y
yield pos_to_values(x, y)
else:
yield (0, 0)

robot = Robot(left=(4, 14), right=(17, 18))

(continues on next page)
19 [Link]

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(continued from previous page)

bd = BlueDot()

[Link] = 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

[Link]()
[Link]()
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 3B the LEDs are controlled by a GPIO expander which is not accessible from gpiozero (yet).

3.8. Controlling the Pi’s own LEDs 33

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34 Chapter 3. Advanced Recipes

 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.GPIO20 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 177) documentation page.
One of the pin libraries supported, pigpio21 , 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 43) 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 [Link].uk22 .

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:
20 [Link]
21 [Link]
22 [Link]

35
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

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:

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

$ sudo pigpiod -n localhost # allow localhost only

$ sudo pigpiod -n [Link] # allow [Link] only
$ sudo pigpiod -n localhost -n [Link] # allow localhost and [Link] only

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 x8623 ), then you have everything you need. If you’re using another Linux
distribution, Mac OS or Windows then you’ll need to install the pigpio 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

23 [Link]

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(Alternatively, install pip with get-pip24 .)

Next, install GPIO Zero and pigpio for Python 3:

$ 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-pip25 .
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 guide26 . 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 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=[Link] python3 [Link]

$ PIGPIO_ADDR=[Link] python3
$ PIGPIO_ADDR=[Link] ipython3
$ PIGPIO_ADDR=[Link] idle3 &

If you are running this from a PC (not a Raspberry Pi) with gpiozero and the pigpio 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. If [Link] is installed, this will be selected as
the default pin factory, so either uninstall it, or use another environment variable to set it to PiGPIOFactory:

$ GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=pigpio PIGPIO_ADDR=[Link] python3 [Link]

This usage will set the pin factory to PiGPIOFactory with a default host of [Link]. 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:

24 [Link]
25 [Link]
26 [Link]

38 Chapter 4. Configuring Remote GPIO

 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

from gpiozero import LED

from time import sleep

red = LED(17)

while True:
[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()
sleep(1)

When run with:

$ PIGPIO_ADDR=[Link] python3 [Link]

will flash the LED connected to pin 17 of the Raspberry Pi with the IP address [Link]. And:

$ PIGPIO_ADDR=[Link] python3 [Link]

will flash the LED connected to pin 17 of the Raspberry Pi with the IP address [Link], 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 can be used, as pigpio 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 objects, and use them when instantiating device objects. For example, with no environment
variables set:

from gpiozero import LED

from [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep

factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')
led = LED(17, pin_factory=factory)

while True:
[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()
sleep(1)

This allows devices on multiple Raspberry Pis to be used in the same script:

from gpiozero import LED

from [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep

factory3 = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')
factory4 = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')
led_1 = LED(17, pin_factory=factory3)
led_2 = LED(17, pin_factory=factory4)

while True:
(continues on next page)

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

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 [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep

remote_factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')
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=[Link] set, the following script will behave exactly the same as the previous
one:
from gpiozero import LED
from [Link] 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 [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep

factory3 = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')
factory4 = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')

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

while True:
(continues on next page)

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

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 87) 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, Device.
pin_factory, or the pin_factory keyword argument:

import gpiozero
from gpiozero import TrafficHat
from [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep

[Link].pin_factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')
th = TrafficHat() # traffic hat on [Link] 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 [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from time import sleep

remote_factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')

th_1 = TrafficHat() # traffic hat using local pins

th_2 = TrafficHat(pin_factory=remote_factory) # traffic hat on [Link] using
˓→remote pins

You could even use a HAT which is not supported by GPIO Zero (such as the Sense HAT27 ) on one Pi, and use
remote pins to control another over the network:

from gpiozero import MotionSensor

from [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from sense_hat import SenseHat

remote_factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')
pir = MotionSensor(4, pin_factory=remote_factory) # remote motion sensor
sense = SenseHat() # local sense hat

while True:
pir.wait_for_motion()
sense.show_message([Link])

Note that in this case, the Sense HAT code must be run locally, and the GPIO remotely.

4.5 Remote GPIO usage

Continue to:
• Remote GPIO Recipes (page 43)
27 [Link]

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• Pi Zero USB OTG (page 47)

42 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 35).
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 on one Raspberry Pi control the LED of another:

from gpiozero import LED

from [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from signal import pause

factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')

button = Button(2)
led = LED(17, pin_factory=factory)

[Link] = [Link]

pause()

5.2 LED + 2 Buttons

The LED will come on when both buttons are pressed:

from gpiozero import LED

from [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from [Link] import all_values
from signal import pause

factory3 = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')
factory4 = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')
(continues on next page)

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(continued from previous page)

led = LED(17)
button_1 = Button(17, pin_factory=factory3)
button_2 = Button(17, pin_factory=factory4)

[Link] = all_values(button_1.values, button_2.values)

pause()

5.3 Multi-room motion alert

Install a Raspberry Pi with a motion sensor in each room of your house, and have an LED indicator showing when
there’s motion in each room:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard, MotionSensor
from [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from signal import pause

ips = ['[Link]', '[Link]', '[Link]', '[Link]']

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

for led, sensor in zip(leds, sensors):

[Link] = [Link]

pause()

5.4 Multi-room doorbell

Install a Raspberry Pi with a buzzer attached in each room you want to hear the doorbell, and use a push button as
the doorbell:
from gpiozero import LEDBoard, MotionSensor
from [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from signal import pause

ips = ['[Link]', '[Link]', '[Link]', '[Link]']

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:

[Link] = [Link]

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, 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 separate from the robot:

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

from gpiozero import Button, Robot

from [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from signal import pause

factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')
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 = [Link]
fw.when_released = [Link]

left.when_pressed = [Link]
left.when_released = [Link]

right.when_pressed = [Link]
right.when_released = [Link]

bw.when_pressed = [Link]
bw.when_released = [Link]

pause()

5.6 Light sensor + Sense HAT

The Sense HAT28 (not supported by GPIO Zero) includes temperature, humidity and pressure sensors, but no light
sensor. Remote GPIO allows an external light sensor 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 [Link] import PiGPIOFactory
from sense_hat import SenseHat

remote_factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')
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 [Link] > 0.5:
[Link](yellow)
else:
[Link](blue)

Note that in this case, the Sense HAT code must be run locally, and the GPIO remotely.

28 [Link]

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

46 Chapter 5. Remote GPIO Recipes

 CHAPTER 6

Pi Zero USB OTG

The Raspberry Pi Zero29 and Pi Zero W30 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 35) 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 OS31 from [Link] (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

29 [Link]
30 [Link]
31 [Link]

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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 (be sure to use ping6 as it’s IPv6 only) using the address fe80::1% followed
by the connection string. You can look this up using ifconfig.

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

Set the GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY and PIGPIO_ADDR environment variables on your PC so GPIO Zero con-
nects to the “remote” Pi Zero:

$ export GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=pigpio
$ export PIGPIO_ADDR=fe80::1%usb0

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 35).
Read more on the GPIO expander in blog posts on raspberrypi.org32 and bennuttall.com33 .

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 [Link] 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 [Link] and insert modules-load=dwc2,g_ether after rootwait.
(See guides on [Link].info34 and [Link].com35 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 [Link]. SSH into the Pi Zero, install pigpio and run the pigpio
daemon.
32 [Link]
33 [Link]
34 [Link]
35 [Link]

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

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=[Link] python3 [Link]

50 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:

from gpiozero import LED, Button

from signal import pause

led = LED(17)
button = Button(2)

[Link] = [Link]

pause()

which is equivalent to:

from gpiozero import LED, Button

from time import sleep

led = LED(17)
button = Button(2)

while True:
[Link] = [Link]
sleep(0.01)

Every device has a value (page 161) property (the device’s current value). Input devices can only have their
values read, but output devices can also have their value set to alter the state of the device:

>>> led = PWMLED(17)

>>> [Link] # LED is initially off
0.0
>>> [Link]() # LED is now on
>>> [Link]
1.0
>>> [Link] = 0 # LED is now off

Every device also has a values (page 162) property (a generator continuously yielding the device’s current
value). All output devices have a source (page 162) property which can be set to any iterator. The device will it-
erate over the values provided, setting the device’s value to each element at a rate specified in the source_delay

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(page 162) property.

The most common use case for this is to set the source of an output device to the values of an input device, like
the example above. A more interesting example would be a potentiometer controlling the brightness of an LED:

from gpiozero import PWMLED, MCP3008

from signal import pause

led = PWMLED(17)
pot = MCP3008()

[Link] = [Link]

pause()

It is also possible to set an output device’s source (page 162) to the values (page 162) of another output
device, to keep them matching:

from gpiozero import LED, Button

from signal import pause

red = LED(14)
green = LED(15)
button = Button(17)

[Link] = [Link]
[Link] = [Link]

pause()

The device’s values can also be processed before they are passed to the source:

For example:

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

from gpiozero import Button, LED

from signal import pause

def opposite(values):
for value in values:
yield not value

led = LED(4)
btn = Button(17)

[Link] = opposite([Link])

pause()

Alternatively, a custom generator can be used to provide values from an artificial source:

For example:

from gpiozero import LED

from random import randint
from signal import pause

def rand():
while True:
yield randint(0, 1)

led = LED(17)
[Link] = rand()

pause()

If the iterator is infinite (i.e. an infinite generator), the elements will be processed until the source (page 162) is
changed or set to None.
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)
[Link] = [1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1]

pause()

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7.1 Composite devices

Most devices have a value (page 161) range between 0 and 1. Some have a range between -1 and 1 (e.g. Motor
(page 93)). The value (page 161) of a composite device is a namedtuple of such values. For example, the Robot
(page 136) class:

>>> from gpiozero import Robot

>>> robot = Robot(left=(14, 15), right=(17, 18))
>>> [Link]
RobotValue(left_motor=0.0, right_motor=0.0)
>>> tuple([Link])
(0.0, 0.0)
>>> [Link]()
>>> tuple([Link])
(1.0, 1.0)
>>> [Link]()
>>> tuple([Link])
(-1.0, -1.0)
>>> [Link] = (1, 1) # robot is now driven forwards

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 [Link] (page 165).
Some of these source tools are artificial sources which require no input:

In this example, random values between 0 and 1 are passed to the LED, giving it a flickering candle effect:

from gpiozero import PWMLED

from [Link] import random_values
from signal import pause

led = PWMLED(4)
[Link] = random_values()
led.source_delay = 0.1

pause()

Some tools take a single source and process its values:

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

In this example, the LED is lit only when the button is not pressed:

from gpiozero import Button, LED

from [Link] import negated
from signal import pause

led = LED(4)
btn = Button(17)

[Link] = negated([Link])

pause()

Some tools combine the values of multiple sources:

In this example, the LED is lit only if both buttons are pressed (like an AND36 gate):

from gpiozero import Button, LED

from [Link] import all_values
from signal import pause

button_a = Button(2)
button_b = Button(3)
led = LED(17)

[Link] = all_values(button_a.values, button_b.values)

pause()

36 [Link]

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56 Chapter 7. Source/Values
 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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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

8.1 pinout

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

8.1.1 Synopsis

pinout [-h] [-r REVISION] [-c] [-m]

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 35)) 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 60)
-m, --monochrome
Force monochrome output. See also --color (page 60)

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
Bluetooth : True
Camera ports (CSI) : 1
Display ports (DSI): 1

(continues on next page)

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

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 60):

$ pinout --monochrome

Or forced to be --color (page 60), 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 60). The tool understands both
old-style revision codes37 (such as for the model B):

$ pinout -r 000d

Or new-style revision codes38 (such as for the Pi Zero W):

$ pinout -r 9000c1

37 [Link]
38 [Link]

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

You can also use the tool with Configuring Remote GPIO (page 35) to query remote Raspberry Pi’s:

$ GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=pigpio PIGPIO_ADDR=other_pi pinout

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

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):

$ 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 attempt-
ing to load [Link], 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.

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64 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 on:

from gpiozero import LED

led = LED(17)
[Link]()

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()39 to keep the script alive:

from gpiozero import LED

from signal import pause

led = LED(17)
[Link]()

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()

39 [Link]

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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, the thing that is assigned is the result of calling the
pushed function. Because pushed doesn’t explicitly return anything, the result is None. Hence this is equiva-
lent 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).

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 [Link]. 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 [Link]

When GPIO Zero is imported it attempts to find a pin driver by importing them in a preferred order (detailed in API
- Pins (page 177)). If it fails to load its first preference ([Link]) 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 an environment variable. For example:

$ GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=pigpio python3

In this case no warning is issued because there’s no fallback; either the specified factory loads or it fails in
which case an ImportError40 will be raised.
2. Suppress the warnings and let the fallback mechanism work:

>>> import warnings

>>> [Link]('ignore')
>>> import gpiozero

40 [Link]

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Refer to the warnings41 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 1.4.0 (/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages)]
>>> require('gpiozero')[0].version
'1.4.0'

If you have multiple versions installed (e.g. from pip and apt) they will not show up in the list returned by the
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-pip42 .

41 [Link]
42 [Link]

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68 Chapter 9. Frequently Asked Questions

 CHAPTER 10

Contributing

Contributions to the library are welcome! Here are some guidelines to follow.

10.1 Suggestions

Please make suggestions for additional components or enhancements to the codebase by opening an issue43 ex-
plaining your reasoning clearly.

10.2 Bugs

Please submit bug reports by opening an issue44 explaining the problem clearly using code examples.

10.3 Documentation

The documentation source lives in the docs45 folder. Contributions to the documentation are welcome but should
be easy to read and understand.

10.4 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.
43 [Link]
44 [Link]
45 [Link]

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10.5 Backwards compatibility

Since this library reached v1.0 we aim to maintain backwards-compatibility thereafter. Changes which break
backwards-compatibility will not be accepted.

10.6 Python 2/3

The library is 100% compatible with both Python 2 and 3. We intend to drop Python 2 support in 2020 when
Python 2 reaches end-of-life46 .

46 [Link]

70 Chapter 10. Contributing

 CHAPTER 11

Development

The main GitHub repository for the project can be found at:
[Link]
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 87) and follow its heritage backward to DigitalOutputDevice
(page 99). Follow that back to OutputDevice (page 102) 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).

11.1 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
$ cd
$ mkvirtualenv -p /usr/bin/python3 python-gpiozero
$ workon python-gpiozero
(python-gpiozero) $ git clone [Link]
(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 largely experimental at this stage and not very useful):

(python-gpiozero) $ pip install [Link] 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):

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(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

11.2 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

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 docs/_build/html while the PDF output goes to docs/_build/latex.

11.3 Test suite

If you wish to run the GPIO Zero test suite, follow the instructions in Development installation (page 71) above
and then make the “test” target within the sandbox:

$ workon python-gpiozero
(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 330Ω 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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 CHAPTER 12

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. See the Basic Recipes (page 3) page for more
information.

12.1 Button

class [Link](pin, *, pull_up=True, bounce_time=None, hold_time=1,

hold_repeat=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends DigitalInputDevice (page 82) 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 False in the Button
(page 73) 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
• pin (int47 ) – The GPIO pin which the button is attached to. See Pin Numbering
(page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• pull_up (bool48 ) – If True (the default), the GPIO pin will be pulled high by de-
fault. In this case, connect the other side of the button to ground. If False, the GPIO
pin will be pulled low by default. In this case, connect the other side of the button to
3V3.
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• bounce_time (float49 ) – If None (the default), no software bounce compensation

will be performed. Otherwise, this is the length of time (in seconds) that the component
will ignore changes in state after an initial change.
• hold_time (float50 ) – The length of time (in seconds) to wait after the button is
pushed, until executing the when_held (page 74) handler. Defaults to 1.
• hold_repeat (bool51 ) – If True, the when_held (page 74) handler will be re-
peatedly executed as long as the device remains active, every hold_time seconds. If
False (the default) the when_held (page 74) handler will be only be executed once
per hold.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 (float52 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (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 (float53 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (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
execution of the when_held (page 74) event rather than when the device activated, in contrast to
active_time (page 163). If the device is not currently held, this is None.
hold_repeat
If True, when_held (page 74) will be executed repeatedly with hold_time (page 74) 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 74) handler. If hold_repeat (page 74) is True, this is also the length of time between invo-
cations of when_held (page 74).
is_held
When True, the device has been active for at least hold_time (page 74) seconds.
is_pressed
Returns True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value. Unlike value, this is always a boolean.
pin
The Pin (page 181) that the device is connected to. This will be None if the device has been closed
(see the close() method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query [Link] to discover the
GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
pull_up
If True, the device uses a pull-up resistor to set the GPIO pin “high” by default.
when_held
The function to run when the device has remained active for hold_time (page 74) seconds.
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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 None (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 None (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 None (the default) to disable the event.

12.2 Line Sensor (TRCT5000)

class [Link](pin, *, queue_len=5, sample_rate=100, threshold=0.5, par-

tial=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends SmoothedInputDevice (page 82) and represents a single pin line sensor like the TCRT5000
infra-red proximity sensor found in the CamJam #3 EduKit54 .
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 (int55 ) – The GPIO pin which the sensor is attached to. See Pin Numbering
(page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• queue_len (int56 ) – The length of the queue used to store values read from the
sensor. This defaults to 5.
• sample_rate (float57 ) – The number of values to read from the device (and ap-
pend to the internal queue) per second. Defaults to 100.
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• threshold (float58 ) – Defaults to 0.5. When the mean of all values in the internal
queue rises above this value, the sensor will be considered “active” by the is_active
(page 84) property, and all appropriate events will be fired.
• partial (bool59 ) – When False (the default), the object will not return a value for
is_active (page 84) until the internal queue has filled with values. Only set this to
True if you require values immediately after object construction.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

wait_for_line(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is deactivated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float60 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (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 (float61 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is active.
pin
The Pin (page 181) that the device is connected to. This will be None if the device has been closed
(see the close() method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query [Link] to discover the
GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
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 None (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 None (the default) to disable the event.

12.3 Motion Sensor (D-SUN PIR)

class [Link](pin, *, queue_len=1, sample_rate=10, threshold=0.5, par-

tial=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends SmoothedInputDevice (page 82) and represents a passive infra-red (PIR) motion sensor like
the sort found in the CamJam #2 EduKit62 .
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:
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from gpiozero import MotionSensor

pir = MotionSensor(4)
pir.wait_for_motion()
print("Motion detected!")

Parameters
• pin (int63 ) – The GPIO pin which the sensor is attached to. See Pin Numbering
(page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• queue_len (int64 ) – 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 (float65 ) – The number of values to read from the device (and ap-
pend to the internal queue) per second. Defaults to 100.
• threshold (float66 ) – Defaults to 0.5. When the mean of all values in the internal
queue rises above this value, the sensor will be considered “active” by the is_active
(page 84) property, and all appropriate events will be fired.
• partial (bool67 ) – When False (the default), the object will not return a value for
is_active (page 84) until the internal queue has filled with values. Only set this to
True if you require values immediately after object construction.
• pull_up (bool68 ) – If False (the default), the GPIO pin will be pulled low by
default. If True, the GPIO pin will be pulled high by the sensor.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 (float69 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (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 (float70 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is inactive.
motion_detected
Returns True if the device is currently active and False otherwise.
pin
The Pin (page 181) that the device is connected to. This will be None if the device has been closed
(see the close() method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query [Link] to discover the
GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
when_motion
The function to run when the device changes state from inactive to active.
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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 None (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 None (the default) to disable the event.

12.4 Light Sensor (LDR)

class [Link](pin, *, queue_len=5, charge_time_limit=0.01, threshold=0.1, par-

tial=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends SmoothedInputDevice (page 82) 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 (int71 ) – The GPIO pin which the sensor is attached to. See Pin Numbering
(page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• queue_len (int72 ) – The length of the queue used to store values read from the
circuit. This defaults to 5.
• charge_time_limit (float73 ) – 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 EduKit74 .
You may need to adjust this value for different valued capacitors or LDRs.
• threshold (float75 ) – Defaults to 0.1. When the mean of all values in the internal
queue rises above this value, the area will be considered “light”, and all appropriate
events will be fired.
• partial (bool76 ) – When False (the default), the object will not return a value for
is_active (page 84) until the internal queue has filled with values. Only set this to
True if you require values immediately after object construction.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
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wait_for_dark(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is deactivated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float77 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (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 (float78 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is active.
light_detected
Returns True if the device is currently active and False otherwise.
pin
The Pin (page 181) that the device is connected to. This will be None if the device has been closed
(see the close() method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query [Link] to discover the
GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
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.
Set this property to None (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 None (the default) to disable the event.

12.5 Distance Sensor (HC-SR04)

class [Link](echo, trigger, *, queue_len=30, max_distance=1, thresh-

old_distance=0.3, partial=False, pin_factory=None)
Extends SmoothedInputDevice (page 82) and represents an HC-SR04 ultrasonic distance sensor, as
found in the CamJam #3 EduKit79 .
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 divider80 .
6. Finally, connect the VCC pin of the sensor to a 5V pin on the Pi.
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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 divider81 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: ', [Link] * 100)
sleep(1)

Parameters
• echo (int82 ) – The GPIO pin which the ECHO pin is attached to. See Pin Numbering
(page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• trigger (int83 ) – The GPIO pin which the TRIG pin is attached to. See Pin Num-
bering (page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• queue_len (int84 ) – The length of the queue used to store values read from the
sensor. This defaults to 30.
• max_distance (float85 ) – The value attribute reports a normalized value be-
tween 0 (too close to measure) and 1 (maximum distance). This parameter specifies the
maximum distance expected in meters. This defaults to 1.
• threshold_distance (float86 ) – Defaults to 0.3. This is the distance (in meters)
that will trigger the in_range and out_of_range events when crossed.
• partial (bool87 ) – When False (the default), the object will not return a value for
is_active (page 84) until the internal queue has filled with values. Only set this to
True if you require values immediately after object construction.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 (float88 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (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 (float89 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is active.
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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 81).
echo
Returns the Pin (page 181) that the sensor’s echo is connected to. This is simply an alias for the usual
pin attribute.
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 attribute. When distance (page 80) is equal to
max_distance (page 81), value will be 1.
threshold_distance
The distance, measured in meters, that will trigger the when_in_range (page 81) and
when_out_of_range (page 81) events when crossed. This is simply a meter-scaled variant of
the usual threshold attribute.
trigger
Returns the Pin (page 181) that the sensor’s trigger is connected to.
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 None (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 None (the default) to disable the event.

12.6 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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MotionSensor

LightSensor

SmoothedInputDevice LineSensor

Device GPIODevice InputDevice

DistanceSensor

DigitalInputDevice

Button

The following sections document these base classes for advanced users that wish to construct classes for their own
devices.

12.7 DigitalInputDevice

class [Link](pin, *, pull_up=False, bounce_time=None,

pin_factory=None)
Represents a generic input device with typical on/off behaviour.
This class extends InputDevice (page 84) 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
• bounce_time (float90 ) – Specifies the length of time (in seconds) that the compo-
nent will ignore changes in state after an initial change. This defaults to None which
indicates that no bounce compensation will be performed.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

12.8 SmoothedInputDevice

class [Link](pin, *, pull_up=False, threshold=0.5, queue_len=5,

sample_wait=0.0, partial=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 84) 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
the queue is compared to a threshold which is used to determine the state of the is_active (page 84)
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.

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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
• threshold (float91 ) – The value above which the device will be considered “on”.
• queue_len (int92 ) – The length of the internal queue which is filled by the back-
ground thread.
• sample_wait (float93 ) – 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 (bool94 ) – If False (the default), attempts to read the state of the device
(from the is_active (page 84) property) will block until the queue has filled. If
True, 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 [Link]()95 which a good selection for discarding outliers from
jittery sensors. The function specific must accept a sequence of numbers and return a
single number.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with96 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
(continues on next page)
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... [Link]()
...

is_active
Returns True if the device is currently active and False otherwise.
partial
If False (the default), attempts to read the value (page 84) or is_active (page 84) properties
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 84) exceeds this amount, then is_active (page 84) will return True.
value
Returns the mean of the values in the internal queue. This is compared to threshold (page 84) to
determine whether is_active (page 84) is True.

12.9 InputDevice

class [Link](pin, *, pull_up=False, pin_factory=None)

Represents a generic GPIO input device.
This class extends GPIODevice (page 84) 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 property is adjusted accordingly so that True still means active regardless of the pull_up
(page 84) setting.
Parameters
• pin (int97 ) – The GPIO pin (in Broadcom numbering) that the device is connected to.
If this is None a GPIODeviceError (page 192) will be raised.
• pull_up (bool98 ) – If True, the pin will be pulled high with an internal resistor. If
False (the default), the pin will be pulled low.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
pull_up
If True, the device uses a pull-up resistor to set the GPIO pin “high” by default.

12.10 GPIODevice

class [Link](pin, pin_factory=None)

Extends Device (page 161). 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 85)).
Parameters pin (int99 ) – The GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.
If this is None, GPIOPinMissing (page 192) will be raised. If the pin is already in use
by another device, GPIOPinInUse (page 192) will be raised.
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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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with100 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 84) 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 181) that the device is connected to. This will be None if the device has been closed
(see the close() (page 84) method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query [Link] to dis-
cover 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.

100 [Link]

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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. See the Basic Recipes (page 3) page for more
information.

13.1 LED

class [Link](pin, *, active_high=True, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)

Extends DigitalOutputDevice (page 99) 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)
[Link]()

Parameters
• pin (int101 ) – The GPIO pin which the LED is attached to. See Pin Numbering
(page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• active_high (bool102 ) – If True (the default), the LED will operate normally with
the circuit described above. If False you should wire the cathode to the GPIO pin, and
the anode to a 3V3 pin (via a limiting resistor).
101 [Link]
102 [Link]

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• initial_value (bool103 ) – If False (the default), the LED will be off initially.
If None, the LED will be left in whatever state the pin is found in when configured for
output (warning: this can be on). If True, the LED will be switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 (float104 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float105 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• n (int106 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool107 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value. Unlike value, this is always a boolean.
pin
The Pin (page 181) that the device is connected to. This will be None if the device has been closed
(see the close() method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query [Link] to discover the
GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.

13.2 PWMLED

class [Link](pin, *, active_high=True, initial_value=0, frequency=100,

pin_factory=None)
Extends PWMOutputDevice (page 100) 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 (int108 ) – The GPIO pin which the LED is attached to. See Pin Numbering
(page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• active_high (bool109 ) – If True (the default), the on() (page 89) method will set
the GPIO to HIGH. If False, the on() (page 89) method will set the GPIO to LOW
(the off() (page 89) method always does the opposite).
103 [Link]
104 [Link]
105 [Link]
106 [Link]
107 [Link]
108 [Link]
109 [Link]

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• initial_value (float110 ) – 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
None cannot be specified (unlike the parent class) as there is no way to tell PWM not
to alter the state of the pin.
• frequency (int111 ) – The frequency (in Hz) of pulses emitted to drive the LED.
Defaults to 100Hz.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 (float112 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float113 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float114 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
• fade_out_time (float115 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0.
• n (int116 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool117 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (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 (float118 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float119 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• n (int120 ) – Number of times to pulse; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool121 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue pulsing and return immediately. If False, 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 90) is 0.0), this changes it
to “fully” on (value (page 90) is 1.0). If the device has a duty cycle (value (page 90)) of 0.1, this
will toggle it to 0.9, and so on.
110 [Link]
111 [Link]
112 [Link]
113 [Link]
114 [Link]
115 [Link]
116 [Link]
117 [Link]
118 [Link]
119 [Link]
120 [Link]
121 [Link]

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is_lit
Returns True if the device is currently active (value (page 90) is non-zero) and False otherwise.
pin
The Pin (page 181) that the device is connected to. This will be None if the device has been closed
(see the close() method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query [Link] 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.

13.3 RGBLED

class [Link](red, green, blue, *, active_high=True, initial_value=(0, 0, 0), pwm=True,

pin_factory=None)
Extends Device (page 161) 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 can either use three limiting resistors (one per anode)
or a single limiting resistor on the cathode.
The following code will make the LED purple:

from gpiozero import RGBLED

led = RGBLED(2, 3, 4)
[Link] = (1, 0, 1)

Parameters
• red (int122 ) – The GPIO pin that controls the red component of the RGB LED.
• green (int123 ) – The GPIO pin that controls the green component of the RGB LED.
• blue (int124 ) – The GPIO pin that controls the blue component of the RGB LED.
• active_high (bool125 ) – Set to True (the default) for common cathode RGB
LEDs. If you are using a common anode RGB LED, set this to False.
• initial_value (tuple126 ) – The initial color for the RGB LED. Defaults to black
(0, 0, 0).
• pwm (bool127 ) – If True (the default), construct PWMLED (page 88) instances for
each component of the RGBLED. If False, construct regular LED (page 87) instances,
which prevents smooth color graduations.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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, on_color=(1, 1, 1),

off_color=(0, 0, 0), n=None, background=True)
Make the device turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
122 [Link]
123 [Link]
124 [Link]
125 [Link]
126 [Link]
127 [Link]

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• on_time (float128 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.

• off_time (float129 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float130 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError131 will
be raised if not).
• fade_out_time (float132 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0. Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError133
will be raised if not).
• on_color (tuple134 ) – The color to use when the LED is “on”. Defaults to white.
• off_color (tuple135 ) – The color to use when the LED is “off”. Defaults to black.
• n (int136 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool137 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (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 (float138 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float139 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• on_color (tuple140 ) – The color to use when the LED is “on”. Defaults to white.
• off_color (tuple141 ) – The color to use when the LED is “off”. Defaults to black.
• n (int142 ) – Number of times to pulse; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool143 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue pulsing and return immediately. If False, 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 is (0, 0, 0)), this changes it
to “fully” on (value is (1, 1, 1)). If the device has a specific color, this method inverts the color.
128 [Link]
129 [Link]
130 [Link]
131 [Link]
132 [Link]
133 [Link]
134 [Link]
135 [Link]
136 [Link]
137 [Link]
138 [Link]
139 [Link]
140 [Link]
141 [Link]
142 [Link]
143 [Link]

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color
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 True when the class was constructed (and only 0 or 1 if not).
For example, purple would be (1, 0, 1) and yellow would be (1, 1, 0), while orange would
be (1, 0.5, 0).
is_lit
Returns True if the LED is currently active (not black) and False otherwise.

13.4 Buzzer

class [Link](pin, *, active_high=True, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)

Extends DigitalOutputDevice (page 99) and represents a digital buzzer component.
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)
[Link]()

Parameters
• pin (int144 ) – The GPIO pin which the buzzer is attached to. See Pin Numbering
(page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• active_high (bool145 ) – If True (the default), the buzzer will operate normally
with the circuit described above. If False you should wire the cathode to the GPIO
pin, and the anode to a 3V3 pin.
• initial_value (bool146 ) – If False (the default), the buzzer will be silent ini-
tially. If None, the buzzer will be left in whatever state the pin is found in when con-
figured for output (warning: this can be on). If True, the buzzer will be switched on
initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 (float147 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float148 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• n (int149 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool150 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
144 [Link]
145 [Link]
146 [Link]
147 [Link]
148 [Link]
149 [Link]
150 [Link]

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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_active
Returns True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value. Unlike value, this is always a boolean.
pin
The Pin (page 181) that the device is connected to. This will be None if the device has been closed
(see the close() method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query [Link] to discover the
GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to.

13.5 Motor

class [Link](forward, backward, *, pwm=True, pin_factory=None)

Extends CompositeDevice (page 153) and represents a generic motor connected to a bi-directional
motor driver circuit (i.e. an H-bridge151 ).
Attach an H-bridge152 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)

[Link]()

Parameters
• forward (int153 ) – The GPIO pin that the forward input of the motor driver chip is
connected to.
• backward (int154 ) – The GPIO pin that the backward input of the motor driver chip
is connected to.
• pwm (bool155 ) – If True (the default), construct PWMOutputDevice (page 100)
instances for the motor controller pins, allowing both direction and variable speed con-
trol. If False, construct DigitalOutputDevice (page 99) instances, allowing
only direction control.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

backward(speed=1)
Drive the motor backwards.
Parameters speed (float156 ) – The speed at which the motor should turn. Can be any
value between 0 (stopped) and the default 1 (maximum speed) if pwm was True when
the class was constructed (and only 0 or 1 if not).
151 [Link]
152 [Link]
153 [Link]
154 [Link]
155 [Link]
156 [Link]

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forward(speed=1)
Drive the motor forwards.
Parameters speed (float157 ) – The speed at which the motor should turn. Can be any
value between 0 (stopped) and the default 1 (maximum speed) if pwm was True 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.

13.6 PhaseEnableMotor

class [Link](phase, enable, *, pwm=True, pin_factory=None)

Extends CompositeDevice (page 153) 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)
[Link]()

Parameters
• phase (int158 ) – The GPIO pin that the phase (direction) input of the motor driver
chip is connected to.
• enable (int159 ) – The GPIO pin that the enable (speed) input of the motor driver
chip is connected to.
• pwm (bool160 ) – If True (the default), construct PWMOutputDevice (page 100)
instances for the motor controller pins, allowing both direction and variable speed con-
trol. If False, construct DigitalOutputDevice (page 99) instances, allowing
only direction control.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

backward(speed=1)
Drive the motor backwards.
Parameters speed (float161 ) – 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 (float162 ) – The speed at which the motor should turn. Can be any
value between 0 (stopped) and the default 1 (maximum speed).
157 [Link]
158 [Link]
159 [Link]
160 [Link]
161 [Link]
162 [Link]

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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.

13.7 Servo

class [Link](pin, *, initial_value=0, min_pulse_width=1/1000,

max_pulse_width=2/1000, frame_width=20/1000, pin_factory=None)
Extends CompositeDevice (page 153) 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:
[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()
sleep(1)
[Link]()
sleep(1)

Parameters
• pin (int163 ) – The GPIO pin which the device is attached to. See Pin Numbering
(page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• initial_value (float164 ) – 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. None
means to start the servo un-controlled (see value (page 96)).
• min_pulse_width (float165 ) – The pulse width corresponding to the servo’s min-
imum position. This defaults to 1ms.
• max_pulse_width (float166 ) – The pulse width corresponding to the servo’s max-
imum position. This defaults to 2ms.
• frame_width (float167 ) – 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 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

detach()
Temporarily disable control of the servo. This is equivalent to setting value (page 96) to None.
163 [Link]
164 [Link]
165 [Link]
166 [Link]
167 [Link]

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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.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() method). Once a device is closed you can no
longer use any other methods or properties to control or query the device.
frame_width
The time between control pulses, measured in seconds.
is_active
Returns True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 96). Unlike value (page 96), this is always a boolean.
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.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 96).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 96). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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 None indicating that the servo is currently “un-
controlled”, 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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

13.8 AngularServo

class [Link](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 95) 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 95) 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:

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>>> from gpiozero import Servo

>>> s = Servo(17)
>>> [Link]() # measure the angle
>>> [Link]() # measure the angle

You should now be able to construct an AngularServo (page 96) instance with the correct bounds:

>>> from gpiozero import AngularServo

>>> s = AngularServo(17, min_angle=-42, max_angle=44)
>>> [Link] = 0.0
>>> [Link]
0.0
>>> [Link] = 15
>>> [Link]
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 (int168 ) – The GPIO pin which the device is attached to. See Pin Numbering
(page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• initial_angle (float169 ) – 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. None means to start the servo un-controlled (see value (page 98)).
• min_angle (float170 ) – 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 (float171 ) – 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 (float172 ) – The pulse width corresponding to the servo’s min-
imum position. This defaults to 1ms.
• max_pulse_width (float173 ) – The pulse width corresponding to the servo’s max-
imum position. This defaults to 2ms.
• frame_width (float174 ) – 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 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

detach()
Temporarily disable control of the servo. This is equivalent to setting value (page 98) to None.
max()
Set the servo to its maximum position.
168 [Link]
169 [Link]
170 [Link]
171 [Link]
172 [Link]
173 [Link]
174 [Link]

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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 and
max_angle have been set appropriately in the constructor.
This can also be the special value None 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.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() method). Once a device is closed you can no
longer use any other methods or properties to control or query the device.
frame_width
The time between control pulses, measured in seconds.
is_active
Returns True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 98). Unlike value (page 98), this is always a boolean.
max_angle
The maximum angle that the servo will rotate to when max() (page 97) is called.
max_pulse_width
The control pulse width corresponding to the servo’s maximum position, measured in seconds.
min_angle
The minimum angle that the servo will rotate to when min() (page 98) is called.
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.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 98).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 98). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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 None indicating that the servo is currently “un-
controlled”, 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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

13.9 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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LED

DigitalOutputDevice Buzzer

GPIODevice OutputDevice

Device PWMOutputDevice PWMLED

RGBLED LedBorg

The following sections document these base classes for advanced users that wish to construct classes for their own
devices.

13.10 DigitalOutputDevice

class [Link](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 102) with a blink() (page 99) method which uses an optional
background thread to handle toggling the device state without further interaction.
blink(on_time=1, off_time=1, n=None, background=True)
Make the device turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float175 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float176 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• n (int177 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool178 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
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)
(continues on next page)
175 [Link]
176 [Link]
177 [Link]
178 [Link]

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(continued from previous page)

>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with179 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

off()
Turns the device off.
on()
Turns the device on.
value
Returns True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. Setting this property changes
the state of the device.

13.11 PWMOutputDevice

class [Link](pin, *, active_high=True, initial_value=0, frequency=100,

pin_factory=None)
Generic output device configured for pulse-width modulation (PWM).
Parameters
• pin (int180 ) – The GPIO pin which the device is attached to. See Pin Numbering
(page 3) for valid pin numbers.
• active_high (bool181 ) – If True (the default), the on() (page 101) method will
set the GPIO to HIGH. If False, the on() (page 101) method will set the GPIO to
LOW (the off() (page 101) method always does the opposite).
• initial_value (float182 ) – 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 None cannot be specified (unlike the parent class) as there is no way to tell PWM
not to alter the state of the pin.
• frequency (int183 ) – The frequency (in Hz) of pulses emitted to drive the device.
Defaults to 100Hz.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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
179 [Link]
180 [Link]
181 [Link]
182 [Link]
183 [Link]

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• on_time (float184 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.

• off_time (float185 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float186 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
• fade_out_time (float187 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0.
• n (int188 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool189 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with190 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

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
184 [Link]
185 [Link]
186 [Link]
187 [Link]
188 [Link]
189 [Link]
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• fade_in_time (float191 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.

• fade_out_time (float192 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• n (int193 ) – Number of times to pulse; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool194 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue pulsing and return immediately. If False, 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 102) is 0.0), this changes
it to “fully” on (value (page 102) is 1.0). If the device has a duty cycle (value (page 102)) 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 True if the device is currently active (value (page 102) is non-zero) and False 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.

13.12 OutputDevice

class [Link](pin, *, active_high=True, initial_value=False,

pin_factory=None)
Represents a generic GPIO output device.
This class extends GPIODevice (page 84) to add facilities common to GPIO output devices: an on()
(page 102) method to switch the device on, a corresponding off() (page 102) method, and a toggle()
(page 102) method.
Parameters
• pin (int195 ) – The GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected to. If
this is None a GPIOPinMissing (page 192) will be raised.
• active_high (bool196 ) – If True (the default), the on() (page 102) method will
set the GPIO to HIGH. If False, the on() (page 102) method will set the GPIO to
LOW (the off() (page 102) method always does the opposite).
• initial_value (bool197 ) – If False (the default), the device will be off initially.
If None, the device will be left in whatever state the pin is found in when configured
for output (warning: this can be on). If True, the device will be switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
off()
Turns the device off.
on()
Turns the device on.
191 [Link]
192 [Link]
193 [Link]
194 [Link]
195 [Link]
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toggle()
Reverse the state of the device. If it’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
active_high
When True, the value (page 103) property is True when the device’s pin is high. When False
the value (page 103) property is True 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 103)
(i.e. changing this property doesn’t change the device’s pin state - it just changes how that state is
interpreted).
value
Returns True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. Setting this property changes
the state of the device.

13.13 GPIODevice

class [Link](pin, *, pin_factory=None)

Extends Device (page 161). 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 85)).
Parameters pin (int198 ) – The GPIO pin (in BCM numbering) that the device is connected
to. If this is None, GPIOPinMissing (page 192) will be raised. If the pin is already in
use by another device, GPIOPinInUse (page 192) 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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with199 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

198 [Link]
199 [Link]

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closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 84) 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 181) that the device is connected to. This will be None if the device has been closed
(see the close() (page 84) method). When dealing with GPIO pins, query [Link] to dis-
cover 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.

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API - SPI Devices

SPI stands for Serial Peripheral Interface200 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.

14.1 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 192) being raised. However, you can omit any arguments from either scheme. The defaults are:
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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 177) 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.

14.2 Analog to Digital Converters (ADC)

class gpiozero.MCP3001(max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)

The MCP3001201 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).
class gpiozero.MCP3002(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3002202 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 107) 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).
class gpiozero.MCP3004(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3004203 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.
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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 MCP3008 (page 107) 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).
class gpiozero.MCP3008(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3008204 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 107) 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).
class gpiozero.MCP3201(max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3201205 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).
class gpiozero.MCP3202(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3202206 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 107) 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).
class gpiozero.MCP3204(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3204207 is a 12-bit analog to digital converter with 4 channels (0-3).
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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 107) 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).
class gpiozero.MCP3208(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3208208 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).
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 107) 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).
class gpiozero.MCP3301(max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3301209 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).
class gpiozero.MCP3302(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3302210 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).
208 [Link]
209 [Link]
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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 MCP3304 (page 109) 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).
class gpiozero.MCP3304(channel=0, differential=False, max_voltage=3.3, **spi_args)
The MCP3304211 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.
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 109) 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).

14.3 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):
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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
devices.

14.4 AnalogInputDevice

class [Link](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 converters212 (ADCs). Several classes are provided for
specific ADC chips, including MCP3004 (page 106), MCP3008 (page 107), MCP3204 (page 107), and
MCP3208 (page 108).
The following code demonstrates reading the first channel of an MCP3008 chip attached to the Pi’s SPI
pins:

from gpiozero import MCP3008

(continues on next page)

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(continued from previous page)

pot = MCP3008(0)
print([Link])

The value (page 111) 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 88) like so:
from gpiozero import MCP3008, PWMLED

pot = MCP3008(0)
led = PWMLED(17)
[Link] = [Link]

The voltage (page 111) 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.

14.5 SPIDevice

class [Link](**spi_args)
Extends Device (page 161). Represents a device that communicates via the SPI protocol.
See SPI keyword args (page 105) 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.
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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
(continues on next page)

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(continued from previous page)

>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with213 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 111) method). Once a device is closed
you can no longer use any other methods or properties to control or query the device.

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 CHAPTER 15

API - Boards and Accessories

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 73) and API
- Output Devices (page 87) provided by GPIO Zero. See those pages for more information on using components
individually.

Note: All GPIO pin numbers use Broadcom (BCM) numbering. See the Basic Recipes (page 3) page for more
information.

15.1 LEDBoard

class [Link](*pins, pwm=False, active_high=True, initial_value=False,

pin_factory=None, **named_pins)
Extends LEDCollection (page 152) 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)
[Link]()

Parameters
• *pins (int214 ) – Specify the GPIO pins that the LEDs of the board are attached
to. You can designate as many pins as necessary. You can also specify LEDBoard
(page 113) instances to create trees of LEDs.
• pwm (bool215 ) – If True, construct PWMLED (page 88) instances for each pin. If
False (the default), construct regular LED (page 87) instances. This parameter can
only be specified as a keyword parameter.
214 [Link]
215 [Link]

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• active_high (bool216 ) – If True (the default), the on() (page 115) method will
set all the associated pins to HIGH. If False, the on() (page 115) method will set all
pins to LOW (the off() (page 115) method always does the opposite). This parameter
can only be specified as a keyword parameter.
• initial_value (bool217 ) – If False (the default), all LEDs will be off initially.
If None, each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found in when configured
for output (warning: this can be on). If True, the device will be switched on initially.
This parameter can only be specified as a keyword parameter.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 113) 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 (float218 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float219 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float220 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError221 will
be raised if not).
• fade_out_time (float222 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0. Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError223
will be raised if not).
• n (int224 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool225 ) – If True, start a background thread to continue blinking
and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is finished (warning:
the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
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:
216 [Link]
217 [Link]
218 [Link]
219 [Link]
220 [Link]
221 [Link]
222 [Link]
223 [Link]
224 [Link]
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>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> bz = Buzzer(16)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with226 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

off(*args)
Turn all the output devices off.
on(*args)
Turn all the output devices 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 (float227 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float228 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• n (int229 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool230 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
toggle(*args)
Toggle all the output devices. For each device, if it’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 114) 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 116). Unlike value (page 116), this is always a boolean.
leds
A flat tuple of all LEDs contained in this collection (and all sub-collections).
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 116).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 115). Defaults to
226 [Link]
227 [Link]
228 [Link]
229 [Link]
230 [Link]

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0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.2 LEDBarGraph

class [Link](*pins, pwm=False, active_high=True, initial_value=0,

pin_factory=None)
Extends LEDCollection (page 152) 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)
[Link] = 2/5 # Light the first two LEDs only
sleep(1)
[Link] = -2/5 # Light the last two LEDs only
sleep(1)
[Link]()

As with other output devices, source (page 117) and values (page 117) are supported:

from gpiozero import LEDBarGraph, MCP3008

from signal import pause

graph = LEDBarGraph(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, pwm=True)

pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
[Link] = [Link]
pause()

Parameters
• *pins (int231 ) – Specify the GPIO pins that the LEDs of the bar graph are attached
to. You can designate as many pins as necessary.
• pwm (bool232 ) – If True, construct PWMLED (page 88) instances for each pin. If
False (the default), construct regular LED (page 87) instances. This parameter can
only be specified as a keyword parameter.
• active_high (bool233 ) – If True (the default), the on() (page 117) method will
set all the associated pins to HIGH. If False, the on() (page 117) method will set all
pins to LOW (the off() (page 117) method always does the opposite). This parameter
can only be specified as a keyword parameter.
• initial_value (float234 ) – The initial value (page 117) 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.
231 [Link]
232 [Link]
233 [Link]
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• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

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.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 117). Unlike value (page 117), this is always a boolean.
leds
A flat tuple of all LEDs contained in this collection (and all sub-collections).
lit_count
The number of LEDs on the bar graph actually lit up. Note that just like value, 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 117).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 117). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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)

[Link] = 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 117) is effectively -1 <
value <= 1.

values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.3 ButtonBoard

class [Link](*pins, pull_up=True, bounce_time=None, hold_time=1,

hold_repeat=False, pin_factory=None, **named_pins)
Extends CompositeDevice (page 153) and represents a generic button board or collection of buttons.

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Parameters
• *pins (int235 ) – Specify the GPIO pins that the buttons of the board are attached to.
You can designate as many pins as necessary.
• pull_up (bool236 ) – If True (the default), the GPIO pins will be pulled high by
default. In this case, connect the other side of the buttons to ground. If False, the
GPIO pins will be pulled low by default. In this case, connect the other side of the
buttons to 3V3. This parameter can only be specified as a keyword parameter.
• bounce_time (float237 ) – If None (the default), no software bounce compensation
will be performed. Otherwise, this is the length of time (in seconds) that the buttons will
ignore changes in state after an initial change. This parameter can only be specified as
a keyword parameter.
• hold_time (float238 ) – The length of time (in seconds) to wait after any button
is pushed, until executing the when_held (page 119) handler. Defaults to 1. This
parameter can only be specified as a keyword parameter.
• hold_repeat (bool239 ) – If True, the when_held (page 119) handler will be
repeatedly executed as long as any buttons remain held, every hold_time seconds. If
False (the default) the when_held (page 119) handler will be only be executed
once per hold. This parameter can only be specified as a keyword parameter.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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_active(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is activated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float240 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (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 (float241 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (the default), then wait indefinitely until the device is inactive.
wait_for_press(timeout=None)
Pause the script until the device is activated, or the timeout is reached.
Parameters timeout (float242 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (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 (float243 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (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
None.
235 [Link]
236 [Link]
237 [Link]
238 [Link]
239 [Link]
240 [Link]
241 [Link]
242 [Link]
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closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() method). Once a device is closed you can no
longer use any other methods or properties to control or query the device.
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 119) event rather than when the device activated, in contrast to
active_time (page 163). If the device is not currently held, this is None.
hold_repeat
If True, when_held (page 119) will be executed repeatedly with hold_time (page 119) 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 119) handler. If hold_repeat (page 119) is True, this is also the length of time between
invocations of when_held (page 119).
inactive_time
The length of time (in seconds) that the device has been inactive for. When the device is active, this is
None.
is_active
Returns True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 119). Unlike value (page 119), this is always a boolean.
is_held
When True, the device has been active for at least hold_time (page 119) seconds.
is_pressed
Returns True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 119). Unlike value (page 119), this is always a boolean.
pressed_time
The length of time (in seconds) that the device has been active for. When the device is inactive, this is
None.
pull_up
If True, 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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.
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 None (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 None (the default) to disable the event.

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when_held
The function to run when the device has remained active for hold_time (page 119) 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 None (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 None (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 None (the default) to disable the event.

15.4 TrafficLights

class [Link](red=None, amber=None, green=None, pwm=False, ini-

tial_value=False, yellow=None, pin_factory=None)
Extends LEDBoard (page 113) 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)
[Link]()

Parameters
• red (int244 ) – The GPIO pin that the red LED is attached to.
• amber (int245 ) – The GPIO pin that the amber LED is attached to.
• green (int246 ) – The GPIO pin that the green LED is attached to.
• pwm (bool247 ) – If True, construct PWMLED (page 88) instances to represent each
LED. If False (the default), construct regular LED (page 87) instances.
• initial_value (bool248 ) – If False (the default), all LEDs will be off initially.
If None, each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found in when configured
for output (warning: this can be on). If True, the device will be switched on initially.
• yellow (int249 ) – 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.
244 [Link]
245 [Link]
246 [Link]
247 [Link]
248 [Link]
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• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 all the LEDs turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float250 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float251 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float252 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError253 will
be raised if not).
• fade_out_time (float254 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0. Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError255
will be raised if not).
• n (int256 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool257 ) – If True, start a background thread to continue blinking
and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is finished (warning:
the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with258 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
(continues on next page)
250 [Link]
251 [Link]
252 [Link]
253 [Link]
254 [Link]
255 [Link]
256 [Link]
257 [Link]
258 [Link]

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(continued from previous page)

>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

off(*args)
Turn all the output devices off.
on(*args)
Turn all the output devices 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 (float259 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float260 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• n (int261 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool262 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
toggle(*args)
Toggle all the output devices. For each device, if it’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 121) 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 122). Unlike value (page 122), this is always a boolean.
leds
A flat tuple of all LEDs contained in this collection (and all sub-collections).
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 122).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 122). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.
259 [Link]
260 [Link]
261 [Link]
262 [Link]

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15.5 LedBorg

class [Link](initial_value=(0, 0, 0), pwm=True, pin_factory=None)

Extends RGBLED (page 90) for the PiBorg LedBorg263 : 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()
[Link] = (1, 0, 1)

Parameters
• initial_value (tuple264 ) – The initial color for the LedBorg. Defaults to black
(0, 0, 0).
• pwm (bool265 ) – If True (the default), construct PWMLED (page 88) instances for
each component of the LedBorg. If False, construct regular LED (page 87) instances,
which prevents smooth color graduations.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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, 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 (float266 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float267 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float268 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError269 will
be raised if not).
• fade_out_time (float270 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0. Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError271
will be raised if not).
• on_color (tuple272 ) – The color to use when the LED is “on”. Defaults to white.
• off_color (tuple273 ) – The color to use when the LED is “off”. Defaults to black.
• n (int274 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool275 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
263 [Link]
264 [Link]
265 [Link]
266 [Link]
267 [Link]
268 [Link]
269 [Link]
270 [Link]
271 [Link]
272 [Link]
273 [Link]
274 [Link]
275 [Link]

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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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with276 statement.
For example:
>>> from gpiozero import *
>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

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 (float277 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float278 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• on_color (tuple279 ) – The color to use when the LED is “on”. Defaults to white.
• off_color (tuple280 ) – The color to use when the LED is “off”. Defaults to black.
• n (int281 ) – Number of times to pulse; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool282 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue pulsing and return immediately. If False, only return when the pulse is finished
(warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
276 [Link]
277 [Link]
278 [Link]
279 [Link]
280 [Link]
281 [Link]
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toggle()
Toggle the state of the device. If the device is currently off (value (page 125) is (0, 0, 0)), this
changes it to “fully” on (value (page 125) is (1, 1, 1)). If the device has a specific color, this
method inverts the color.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 123) method). Once a device is closed
you can no longer use any other methods or properties to control or query the device.
color
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 True when the class was constructed (and only 0 or 1 if not).
For example, purple would be (1, 0, 1) and yellow would be (1, 1, 0), while orange would
be (1, 0.5, 0).
is_active
Returns True if the LED is currently active (not black) and False otherwise.
is_lit
Returns True if the LED is currently active (not black) and False otherwise.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 125).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 125). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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 True when the class was constructed (and only 0 or 1 if not).
For example, purple would be (1, 0, 1) and yellow would be (1, 1, 0), while orange would
be (1, 0.5, 0).
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.6 PiLITEr

class [Link](pwm=False, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)

Extends LEDBoard (page 113) for the Ciseco Pi-LITEr283 : a strip of 8 very bright LEDs.
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()
[Link]()

Parameters
• pwm (bool284 ) – If True, construct PWMLED (page 88) instances for each pin. If
False (the default), construct regular LED (page 87) instances.
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• initial_value (bool285 ) – If False (the default), all LEDs will be off initially.
If None, each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found in when configured
for output (warning: this can be on). If True, the device will be switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 all the LEDs turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float286 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float287 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float288 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError289 will
be raised if not).
• fade_out_time (float290 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0. Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError291
will be raised if not).
• n (int292 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool293 ) – If True, start a background thread to continue blinking
and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is finished (warning:
the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with294 statement.
For example:
285 [Link]
286 [Link]
287 [Link]
288 [Link]
289 [Link]
290 [Link]
291 [Link]
292 [Link]
293 [Link]
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>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

off(*args)
Turn all the output devices off.
on(*args)
Turn all the output devices 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 (float295 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float296 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• n (int297 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool298 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
toggle(*args)
Toggle all the output devices. For each device, if it’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 126) 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 127). Unlike value (page 127), this is always a boolean.
leds
A flat tuple of all LEDs contained in this collection (and all sub-collections).
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 127).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 127). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.
295 [Link]
296 [Link]
297 [Link]
298 [Link]

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15.7 PiLITEr Bar Graph

class [Link](pwm=False, initial_value=0.0, pin_factory=None)

Extends LEDBarGraph (page 116) to treat the Ciseco Pi-LITEr299 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()
[Link] = 0.5

Parameters
• pwm (bool300 ) – If True, construct PWMLED (page 88) instances for each pin. If
False (the default), construct regular LED (page 87) instances.
• initial_value (float301 ) – The initial value (page 128) of the graph given as a
float between -1 and +1. Defaults to 0.0.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

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.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 128). Unlike value (page 128), this is always a boolean.
leds
A flat tuple of all LEDs contained in this collection (and all sub-collections).
lit_count
The number of LEDs on the bar graph actually lit up. Note that just like value, 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 128).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 128). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
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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)

[Link] = 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 128) is effectively -1 <
value <= 1.

values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.8 PI-TRAFFIC

class [Link](pwm=False, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)

Extends TrafficLights (page 120) for the Low Voltage Labs PI-TRAFFIC302 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()
[Link]()

To use the PI-TRAFFIC board when attached to a non-standard set of pins, simply use the parent class,
TrafficLights (page 120).
Parameters
• pwm (bool303 ) – If True, construct PWMLED (page 88) instances to represent each
LED. If False (the default), construct regular LED (page 87) instances.
• initial_value (bool304 ) – If False (the default), all LEDs will be off initially.
If None, each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found in when configured
for output (warning: this can be on). If True, the device will be switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 all the LEDs turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float305 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float306 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
302 [Link]
303 [Link]
304 [Link]
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• fade_in_time (float307 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.

Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError308 will
be raised if not).
• fade_out_time (float309 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0. Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError310
will be raised if not).
• n (int311 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool312 ) – If True, start a background thread to continue blinking
and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is finished (warning:
the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with313 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

off(*args)
Turn all the output devices off.
on(*args)
Turn all the output devices on.
pulse(fade_in_time=1, fade_out_time=1, n=None, background=True)
Make the device fade in and out repeatedly.
Parameters
307 [Link]
308 [Link]
309 [Link]
310 [Link]
311 [Link]
312 [Link]
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• fade_in_time (float314 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.

• fade_out_time (float315 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• n (int316 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool317 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
toggle(*args)
Toggle all the output devices. For each device, if it’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 130) 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 131). Unlike value (page 131), this is always a boolean.
leds
A flat tuple of all LEDs contained in this collection (and all sub-collections).
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 131).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 131). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.9 Pi-Stop

class [Link](location=None, pwm=False, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)

Extends TrafficLights (page 120) for the PiHardware Pi-Stop318 : 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+')
[Link]()

Parameters
• location (str 319 ) – The location320 on the GPIO header to which the Pi-Stop is
connected. Must be one of: A, A+, B, B+, C, D.
314 [Link]
315 [Link]
316 [Link]
317 [Link]
318 [Link]
319 [Link]
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• pwm (bool321 ) – If True, construct PWMLED (page 88) instances to represent each
LED. If False (the default), construct regular LED (page 87) instances.
• initial_value (bool322 ) – If False (the default), all LEDs will be off initially.
If None, each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found in when configured
for output (warning: this can be on). If True, the device will be switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 all the LEDs turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float323 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float324 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float325 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError326 will
be raised if not).
• fade_out_time (float327 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0. Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError328
will be raised if not).
• n (int329 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool330 ) – If True, start a background thread to continue blinking
and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is finished (warning:
the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

321 [Link]
322 [Link]
323 [Link]
324 [Link]
325 [Link]
326 [Link]
327 [Link]
328 [Link]
329 [Link]
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Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with331 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

off(*args)
Turn all the output devices off.
on(*args)
Turn all the output devices 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 (float332 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float333 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• n (int334 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool335 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
toggle(*args)
Toggle all the output devices. For each device, if it’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 132) 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 133). Unlike value (page 133), this is always a boolean.
leds
A flat tuple of all LEDs contained in this collection (and all sub-collections).
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 133).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 133). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.
331 [Link]
332 [Link]
333 [Link]
334 [Link]
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15.10 TrafficLightsBuzzer

class [Link](lights, buzzer, button, pin_factory=None)

Extends CompositeOutputDevice (page 152) and is a generic class for HATs with traffic lights, a
button and a buzzer.
Parameters
• lights (TrafficLights (page 120)) – An instance of TrafficLights
(page 120) representing the traffic lights of the HAT.
• buzzer (Buzzer (page 92)) – An instance of Buzzer (page 92) representing the
buzzer on the HAT.
• button (Button (page 73)) – An instance of Button (page 73) representing the
button on the HAT.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
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.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 134). Unlike value (page 134), this is always a boolean.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 134).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 134). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.11 Fish Dish

class [Link](pwm=False, pin_factory=None)

Extends TrafficLightsBuzzer (page 134) for the Pi Supply FishDish336 : 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:
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from gpiozero import FishDish

fish = FishDish()
[Link].wait_for_press()
[Link]()

Parameters
• pwm (bool337 ) – If True, construct PWMLED (page 88) instances to represent each
LED. If False (the default), construct regular LED (page 87) instances.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

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.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 135). Unlike value (page 135), this is always a boolean.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 135).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 135). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.12 Traffic HAT

class [Link](pwm=False, pin_factory=None)

Extends TrafficLightsBuzzer (page 134) for the Ryanteck Traffic HAT338 : 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()
(continues on next page)
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(continued from previous page)

[Link].wait_for_press()
[Link]()

Parameters
• pwm (bool339 ) – If True, construct PWMLED (page 88) instances to represent each
LED. If False (the default), construct regular LED (page 87) instances.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

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.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 136). Unlike value (page 136), this is always a boolean.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 136).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 136). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.13 Robot

class [Link](left=None, right=None, pin_factory=None)

Extends CompositeDevice (page 153) 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))

[Link]()

Parameters
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• left (tuple340 ) – A tuple of two GPIO pins representing the forward and backward
inputs of the left motor’s controller.
• right (tuple341 ) – A tuple of two GPIO pins representing the forward and backward
inputs of the right motor’s controller.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

backward(speed=1, **kwargs)
Drive the robot backward by running both motors backward.
Parameters
• speed (float342 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between 0
(stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
• curve_left (float343 ) – 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 (float344 ) – 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.
forward(speed=1, **kwargs)
Drive the robot forward by running both motors forward.
Parameters
• speed (float345 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between 0
(stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
• curve_left (float346 ) – 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 (float347 ) – 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 (float348 ) – 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.
340 [Link]
341 [Link]
342 [Link]
343 [Link]
344 [Link]
345 [Link]
346 [Link]
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Parameters speed (float349 ) – 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.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 138). Unlike value (page 138), this is always a boolean.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 138).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 138). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.14 PhaseEnableRobot

class [Link](left=None, right=None, pin_factory=None)

Extends CompositeDevice (page 153) 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))

[Link]()

Parameters
• left (tuple350 ) – A tuple of two GPIO pins representing the phase and enable inputs
of the left motor’s controller.
• right (tuple351 ) – A tuple of two GPIO pins representing the phase and enable
inputs of the right motor’s controller.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

backward(speed=1)
Drive the robot backward by running both motors backward.
349 [Link]
350 [Link]
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Parameters speed (float352 ) – 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 (float353 ) – 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 (float354 ) – 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 (float355 ) – 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.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 139). Unlike value (page 139), this is always a boolean.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 139).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 139). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.15 Ryanteck MCB Robot

class [Link](pin_factory=None)
Extends Robot (page 136) for the Ryanteck motor controller board356 .
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:
352 [Link]
353 [Link]
354 [Link]
355 [Link]
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from gpiozero import RyanteckRobot

robot = RyanteckRobot()
[Link]()

Parameters pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more
information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

backward(speed=1, **kwargs)
Drive the robot backward by running both motors backward.
Parameters
• speed (float357 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between 0
(stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
• curve_left (float358 ) – 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 (float359 ) – 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.
forward(speed=1, **kwargs)
Drive the robot forward by running both motors forward.
Parameters
• speed (float360 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between 0
(stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
• curve_left (float361 ) – 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 (float362 ) – 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 (float363 ) – 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.
357 [Link]
358 [Link]
359 [Link]
360 [Link]
361 [Link]
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Parameters speed (float364 ) – 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.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 141). Unlike value (page 141), this is always a boolean.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 141).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 141). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.16 CamJam #3 Kit Robot

class [Link](pin_factory=None)
Extends Robot (page 136) for the CamJam #3 EduKit365 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()
[Link]()

Parameters pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more
information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

backward(speed=1, **kwargs)
Drive the robot backward by running both motors backward.
Parameters
• speed (float366 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between 0
(stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
• curve_left (float367 ) – 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.
364 [Link]
365 [Link]
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• curve_right (float368 ) – 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.
forward(speed=1, **kwargs)
Drive the robot forward by running both motors forward.
Parameters
• speed (float369 ) – Speed at which to drive the motors, as a value between 0
(stopped) and 1 (full speed). The default is 1.
• curve_left (float370 ) – 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 (float371 ) – 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 (float372 ) – 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 (float373 ) – 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.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 142). Unlike value (page 142), this is always a boolean.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 142).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 142). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
368 [Link]
369 [Link]
370 [Link]
371 [Link]
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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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.17 Pololu DRV8835 Robot

class gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot(pin_factory=None)
Extends PhaseEnableRobot (page 138) for the Pololu DRV8835 Dual Motor Driver Kit374 .
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()
[Link]()

Parameters pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more
information (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

backward(speed=1)
Drive the robot backward by running both motors backward.
Parameters speed (float375 ) – 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 (float376 ) – 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 (float377 ) – 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 (float378 ) – 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.
374 [Link]
375 [Link]
376 [Link]
377 [Link]
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closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 144). Unlike value (page 144), this is always a boolean.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 144).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 144). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.18 Energenie

class [Link](socket=None, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)

Extends Device (page 161) to represent an Energenie socket379 controller.
This class is constructed with a socket number and an optional initial state (defaults to False, meaning
off). Instances of this class can be used to switch peripherals on and off. For example:

from gpiozero import Energenie

lamp = Energenie(1)
[Link]()

Parameters
• socket (int380 ) – Which socket this instance should control. This is an integer num-
ber between 1 and 4.
• initial_value (bool381 ) – 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 False which will switch the
socket off.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

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
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380 [Link]
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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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with382 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 144) 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 145). Unlike value (page 145), this is always a boolean.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 145).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 145). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.19 StatusZero

class [Link](*labels, pwm=False, active_high=True, initial_value=False,

pin_factory=None)
Extends LEDBoard (page 113) for The Pi Hut’s STATUS Zero383 : 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:
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from gpiozero import StatusZero

status = StatusZero('wifi', 'raining')

[Link]()
[Link]()

Parameters
• *labels (str 384 ) – 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 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 all the LEDs turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float385 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float386 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float387 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError388 will
be raised if not).
• fade_out_time (float389 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0. Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError390
will be raised if not).
• n (int391 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool392 ) – If True, start a background thread to continue blinking
and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is finished (warning:
the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
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:

384 [Link]
385 [Link]
386 [Link]
387 [Link]
388 [Link]
389 [Link]
390 [Link]
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>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> bz = Buzzer(16)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with393 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

off(*args)
Turn all the output devices off.
on(*args)
Turn all the output devices 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 (float394 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float395 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• n (int396 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool397 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
toggle(*args)
Toggle all the output devices. For each device, if it’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 146) 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 148). Unlike value (page 148), this is always a boolean.
leds
A flat tuple of all LEDs contained in this collection (and all sub-collections).
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 148).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 147). Defaults to
393 [Link]
394 [Link]
395 [Link]
396 [Link]
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0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.20 StatusBoard

class [Link](*labels, pwm=False, active_high=True, initial_value=False,

pin_factory=None)
Extends CompositeOutputDevice (page 152) for The Pi Hut’s STATUS398 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')

[Link]()
[Link].when_pressed = [Link]

Parameters
• *labels (str 399 ) – 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 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).

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.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 148). Unlike value (page 148), this is always a boolean.
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 148).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 148). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.21 SnowPi

class [Link](pwm=False, initial_value=False, pin_factory=None)

Extends LEDBoard (page 113) for the Ryanteck SnowPi400 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)
[Link]()
[Link]()
[Link]()

Parameters
• pwm (bool401 ) – If True, construct PWMLED (page 88) instances to represent each
LED. If False (the default), construct regular LED (page 87) instances.
• initial_value (bool402 ) – If False (the default), all LEDs will be off initially.
If None, each device will be left in whatever state the pin is found in when configured
for output (warning: this can be on). If True, the device will be switched on initially.
• pin_factory (Factory (page 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (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 all the LEDs turn on and off repeatedly.
Parameters
• on_time (float403 ) – Number of seconds on. Defaults to 1 second.
• off_time (float404 ) – Number of seconds off. Defaults to 1 second.
• fade_in_time (float405 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 0.
Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError406 will
be raised if not).
• fade_out_time (float407 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 0. Must be 0 if pwm was False when the class was constructed (ValueError408
will be raised if not).
• n (int409 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
400 [Link]
401 [Link]
402 [Link]
403 [Link]
404 [Link]
405 [Link]
406 [Link]
407 [Link]
408 [Link]
409 [Link]

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• background (bool410 ) – If True, start a background thread to continue blinking

and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is finished (warning:
the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with411 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

off(*args)
Turn all the output devices off.
on(*args)
Turn all the output devices 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 (float412 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading in. Defaults to 1.
• fade_out_time (float413 ) – Number of seconds to spend fading out. Defaults
to 1.
• n (int414 ) – Number of times to blink; None (the default) means forever.
• background (bool415 ) – If True (the default), start a background thread to con-
tinue blinking and return immediately. If False, only return when the blink is fin-
ished (warning: the default value of n will result in this method never returning).
410 [Link]
411 [Link]
412 [Link]
413 [Link]
414 [Link]
415 [Link]

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toggle(*args)
Toggle all the output devices. For each device, if it’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 150) 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 151). Unlike value (page 151), this is always a boolean.
leds
A flat tuple of all LEDs contained in this collection (and all sub-collections).
source
The iterable to use as a source of values for value (page 151).
source_delay
The delay (measured in seconds) in the loop used to read values from source (page 151). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.
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.
values
An infinite iterator of values read from value.

15.22 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:

PiLiter

PiTraffic

TrafficLights
LEDBoard
PiStop

SnowPi

LEDCollection LEDBarGraph
PiLiterBarGraph

CompositeOutputDevice TrafficLightsBuzzer FishDish

Robot RyanteckRobot TrafficHat

CompositeDevice Motor CamJamKitRobot

Device

Energenie Servo AngularServo

ButtonBoard

For composite devices, the following chart shows which devices are composed of which other devices:

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RGBLED LEDBoard LEDBarGraph ButtonBoard TrafficLightsBuzzer Robot

LED PWMLED Button TrafficLights Buzzer Motor Servo

DigitalOutputDevice PWMOutputDevice

The following sections document these base classes for advanced users that wish to construct classes for their own
devices.

15.23 LEDCollection

class [Link](*pins, pwm=False, active_high=True, initial_value=False,

pin_factory=None, **named_pins)
Extends CompositeOutputDevice (page 152). Abstract base class for LEDBoard (page 113) and
LEDBarGraph (page 116).
leds
A flat tuple of all LEDs contained in this collection (and all sub-collections).

15.24 CompositeOutputDevice

class [Link](*args, _order=None, pin_factory=None,

**kwargs)
Extends CompositeDevice (page 153) with on() (page 152), off() (page 152), and toggle()
(page 152) methods for controlling subordinate output devices. Also extends value (page 152) to be
writeable.
Parameters
• _order (list416 ) – If specified, this is the order of named items specified by key-
word arguments (to ensure that the value (page 152) tuple is constructed with a spe-
cific 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 180)) – See API - Pins (page 177) for more informa-
tion (this is an advanced feature which most users can ignore).
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.
416 [Link]

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15.25 CompositeDevice

class [Link](*args, _order=None, pin_factory=None, **kwargs)

Extends Device (page 161). Represents a device composed of multiple devices like simple HATs, H-
bridge motor controllers, robots composed of multiple motors, etc.
The constructor accepts subordinate devices as positional or keyword arguments. Positional arguments form
unnamed devices accessed via the all attribute, while keyword arguments are added to the device as named
(read-only) attributes.
Parameters _order (list417 ) – If specified, this is the order of named items specified by
keyword arguments (to ensure that the value (page 153) tuple is constructed with a spe-
cific order). All keyword arguments must be included in the collection. If omitted, an
alphabetically sorted order will be selected for keyword arguments.
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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with418 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 153) 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 153). Unlike value (page 153), this is always a boolean.
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.
417 [Link]
418 [Link]

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 CHAPTER 16

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!

16.1 TimeOfDay

class [Link](start_time, end_time, utc=True)

Extends InternalDevice (page 157) 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 time419 instances.
The following example turns on a lamp attached to an Energenie (page 144) plug between 7 and 8 AM:

from gpiozero import TimeOfDay, Energenie

from datetime import time
from signal import pause

lamp = Energenie(0)
morning = TimeOfDay(time(7), time(8))

[Link] = [Link]

pause()

Parameters
• start_time (time420 ) – The time from which the device will be considered active.
• end_time (time421 ) – The time after which the device will be considered inactive.
419 [Link]
420 [Link]
421 [Link]

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• utc (bool422 ) – If True (the default), a naive UTC time will be used for the compar-
ison rather than a local time-zone reading.

16.2 PingServer

class [Link](host)
Extends InternalDevice (page 157) 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 162) to ensure the server is not flooded with pings):

from gpiozero import PingServer, LED

from signal import pause

google = PingServer('[Link]')
led = LED(4)

led.source_delay = 60 # check once per minute

[Link] = [Link]

pause()

Parameters host (str 423 ) – The hostname or IP address to attempt to ping.

16.3 CPUTemperature

class [Link](sensor_file=’/sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp’,
min_temp=0.0, max_temp=100.0, threshold=80.0)
Extends InternalDevice (page 157) 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([Link]))

graph = LEDBarGraph(5, 6, 13, 19, 25, pwm=True)

[Link] = [Link]

pause()

Parameters
• sensor_file (str 424 ) – 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.
422 [Link]
423 [Link]
424 [Link]

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• min_temp (float425 ) – The temperature at which value will read 0.0. This defaults
to 0.0.
• max_temp (float426 ) – The temperature at which value will read 1.0. This defaults
to 100.0.
• threshold (float427 ) – The temperature above which the device will be considered
“active”. This defaults to 80.0.

is_active
Returns True when the CPU temperature (page 157) exceeds the threshold.
temperature
Returns the current CPU temperature in degrees celsius.

16.4 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):

TimeOfDay

Device InternalDevice PingServer

CPUTemperature

The following sections document these base classes for advanced users that wish to construct classes for their own
devices.

16.5 InternalDevice

class [Link]
Extends Device (page 161) 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.

425 [Link]
426 [Link]
427 [Link]

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158 Chapter 16. API - Internal Devices

 CHAPTER 17

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 161) is the root of the hierarchy, implementing base functionality like close() (page 161)
and context manager handlers.
• GPIODevice (page 84) represents individual devices that attach to a single GPIO pin
• SPIDevice (page 111) represents devices that communicate over an SPI interface (implemented as four
GPIO pins)
• InternalDevice (page 157) represents devices that are entirely internal to the Pi (usually operating
system related services)
• CompositeDevice (page 153) represents devices composed of multiple other devices like HATs
There are also several mixin classes428 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):
428 [Link]

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MCP3304

MCP3301

MCP33xx

MCP3302

MCP3008

MCP3001

MCP30xx MCP3004

MCP3002
MCP3xxx MCP3xx2

MCP3202

AnalogInputDevice
MCP32xx
MCP3208

CPUTemperature
MCP3201

SPIDevice TimeOfDay
MCP3204

InternalDevice PingServer

MotionSensor

LightSensor

EventsMixin SmoothedInputDevice LineSensor

InputDevice DigitalInputDevice DistanceSensor

LedBorg Button
RGBLED

ValuesMixin Device
DigitalOutputDevice LED
GPIODevice

OutputDevice

HoldMixin Buzzer

Servo PWMOutputDevice PWMLED

SnowPi
SourceMixin
Motor AngularServo
ButtonBoard
PiLiter
CompositeDevice
SharedMixin

LEDBoard StatusZero
CompositeOutputDevice StatusBoard

PiTraffic

TrafficLights
Robot LEDCollection LEDBarGraph

PiStop

PiLiterBarGraph
Energenie TrafficLightsBuzzer FishDish

CamJamKitRobot TrafficHat

RyanteckRobot

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17.1 Device

class [Link](*, 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 161) property, the value (page 161) property, and the close() (page 161) method).
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)
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> [Link]()
>>> led = LED(16)
>>> [Link]()

Device (page 161) descendents can also be used as context managers using the with429 statement.
For example:

>>> from gpiozero import *

>>> with Buzzer(16) as bz:
... [Link]()
...
>>> with LED(16) as led:
... [Link]()
...

closed
Returns True if the device is closed (see the close() (page 161) 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 True if the device is currently active and False otherwise. This property is usually derived
from value (page 161). Unlike value (page 161), this is always a boolean.
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.

17.2 ValuesMixin

class [Link](...)
Adds a values (page 162) property to the class which returns an infinite generator of readings from the
429 [Link]

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value 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.

17.3 SourceMixin

class [Link](...)
Adds a source (page 162) property to the class which, given an iterable, sets value 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 162). Defaults to
0.01 seconds which is generally sufficient to keep CPU usage to a minimum while providing adequate
responsiveness.

17.4 SharedMixin

class [Link](...)
This mixin marks a class as “shared”. In this case, the meta-class (GPIOMeta) will use _shared_key()
(page 162) 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() 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.

17.5 EventsMixin

class [Link](...)
Adds edge-detected when_activated() (page 163) and when_deactivated() (page 163) events
to a device based on changes to the is_active (page 161) property common to all devices. Also
adds wait_for_active() (page 162) and wait_for_inactive() (page 163) 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

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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 (float430 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (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 (float431 ) – Number of seconds to wait before proceeding. If this
is None (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
None.
inactive_time
The length of time (in seconds) that the device has been inactive for. When the device is active, this is
None.
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 None (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 None (the default) to disable the event.

17.6 HoldMixin

class [Link](...)
Extends EventsMixin (page 162) to add the when_held (page 163) event and the machinery to fire
that event repeatedly (when hold_repeat (page 163) is True) at internals defined by hold_time
(page 163).
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 163) event rather than when the device activated, in contrast to
active_time (page 163). If the device is not currently held, this is None.
hold_repeat
If True, when_held (page 163) will be executed repeatedly with hold_time (page 163) 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 163) handler. If hold_repeat (page 163) is True, this is also the length of time between
invocations of when_held (page 163).
430 [Link]
431 [Link]

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

is_held
When True, the device has been active for at least hold_time (page 163) seconds.
when_held
The function to run when the device has remained active for hold_time (page 163) 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 None (the default) to disable the event.

164 Chapter 17. API - Generic Classes

 CHAPTER 18

API - Device Source Tools

GPIO Zero includes several utility routines which are intended to be used with the Source/Values (page 51) 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 [Link] import scaled, negated, all_values

Given that source (page 162) and values (page 162) deal with infinite iterators, another excellent source of
utilities is the itertools432 module in the standard library.

Warning: While the devices API is now considered stable and won’t change in backwards incompatible
ways, the tools API is not yet considered stable. It is potentially subject to change in future versions. We
welcome any comments from testers!

18.1 Single source conversions

[Link](values)
Returns values with all negative elements negated (so that they’re positive). For example:

from gpiozero import PWMLED, Motor, MCP3008

from [Link] import absoluted, scaled
from signal import pause

led = PWMLED(4)
motor = Motor(22, 27)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)

[Link] = scaled([Link], -1, 1)

[Link] = absoluted([Link])

pause()

[Link](values, min_value, max_value, hysteresis=0)

Returns True for each item in values between min_value and max_value, and False otherwise. hysteresis
432 [Link]

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can optionally be used to add hysteresis433 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 1/4 and 3/4 of its full range:

from gpiozero import LED, MCP3008

from [Link] import booleanized
from signal import pause

led = LED(4)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
[Link] = booleanized([Link], 0.25, 0.75)
pause()

[Link](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 [Link] import clamped
from signal import pause

led = PWMLED(4)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)

[Link] = clamped([Link], 0.5, 1.0)

pause()

[Link](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 [Link] import inverted
from signal import pause

led = PWMLED(4)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
[Link] = inverted([Link])
pause()

[Link](values)
Returns the negation of the supplied values (True becomes False, and False becomes True). For
example:

from gpiozero import Button, LED

from [Link] import negated
from signal import pause

led = LED(4)
btn = Button(17)
[Link] = negated([Link])
pause()

[Link].post_delayed(values, delay)
Waits for delay seconds after returning each item from values.
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[Link].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 167), repeat_after can’t be 0. For example, to block every tenth
item read from an ADC:

from gpiozero import MCP3008

from [Link] import post_periodic_filtered

adc = MCP3008(channel=0)

for value in post_periodic_filtered([Link], 9, 1):

print(value)

[Link].pre_delayed(values, delay)
Waits for delay seconds before returning each item from values.
[Link].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 [Link] import pre_periodic_filtered

adc = MCP3008(channel=0)

for value in pre_periodic_filtered([Link], 50, 0):

print(value)

Or to only display every even item read from an ADC:

from gpiozero import MCP3008

from [Link] import pre_periodic_filtered

adc = MCP3008(channel=0)

for value in pre_periodic_filtered([Link], 1, 1):

print(value)

[Link](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 [Link] import quantized
from signal import pause

led = PWMLED(4)
pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
[Link] = quantized([Link], 4)
pause()

[Link](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 [Link] import queued
from signal import pause

leds = LEDBoard(5, 6, 13, 19, 26)

(continues on next page)

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(continued from previous page)

btn = Button(17)

for i in range(4):
leds[i].source = queued(leds[i + 1].values, 5)
leds[i].source_delay = 0.01

leds[4].source = [Link]

pause()

[Link](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 [Link] import smoothed

adc = MCP3008(channel=0)

for value in smoothed([Link], 5):

print(value)

[Link](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 [Link] import scaled
from signal import pause

motor = Motor(20, 21)

pot = MCP3008(channel=0)
[Link] = scaled([Link], -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).

18.2 Combining sources

[Link].all_values(*values)
Returns the logical conjunction434 of all supplied values (the result is only True if and only if all input
values are simultaneously True). One or more values can be specified. For example, to light an LED only
when both buttons are pressed:

from gpiozero import LED, Button

from [Link] import all_values
from signal import pause

led = LED(4)
btn1 = Button(20)
(continues on next page)
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btn2 = Button(21)
[Link] = all_values([Link], [Link])
pause()

[Link].any_values(*values)
Returns the logical disjunction435 of all supplied values (the result is True if any of the input values are
currently True). One or more values can be specified. For example, to light an LED when any button is
pressed:
from gpiozero import LED, Button
from [Link] import any_values
from signal import pause

led = LED(4)
btn1 = Button(20)
btn2 = Button(21)
[Link] = any_values([Link], [Link])
pause()

[Link](*values)
Returns the mean of all supplied values. One or more values can be specified. For example, to light a
PWMLED as the average of several potentiometers connected to an MCP3008 ADC:
from gpiozero import MCP3008, PWMLED
from [Link] import averaged
from signal import pause

pot1 = MCP3008(channel=0)
pot2 = MCP3008(channel=1)
pot3 = MCP3008(channel=2)
led = PWMLED(4)

[Link] = averaged([Link], [Link], [Link])

pause()

[Link](*values)
Returns the product of all supplied values. One or more values can be specified. For example, to light a
PWMLED as the product (i.e. multiplication) of several potentiometers connected to an MCP3008 ADC:
from gpiozero import MCP3008, PWMLED
from [Link] import multiplied
from signal import pause

pot1 = MCP3008(channel=0)
pot2 = MCP3008(channel=1)
pot3 = MCP3008(channel=2)
led = PWMLED(4)

[Link] = multiplied([Link], [Link], [Link])

pause()

[Link](*values)
Returns the sum of all supplied values. One or more values can be specified. For example, to light a
PWMLED as the (scaled) sum of several potentiometers connected to an MCP3008 ADC:
from gpiozero import MCP3008, PWMLED
from [Link] import summed, scaled
(continues on next page)
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(continued from previous page)

from signal import pause

pot1 = MCP3008(channel=0)
pot2 = MCP3008(channel=1)
pot3 = MCP3008(channel=2)
led = PWMLED(4)

[Link] = scaled(summed([Link], [Link], [Link]), 0, 1, 0, 3)

pause()

18.3 Artificial sources

[Link].alternating_values(initial_value=False)
Provides an infinite source of values alternating between True and False, starting wth initial_value
(which defaults to False). For example, to produce a flashing LED:

from gpiozero import LED

from [Link] import alternating_values
from signal import pause

red = LED(2)

red.source_delay = 0.5
[Link] = alternating_values()

pause()

[Link].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 [Link] 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
[Link] = scaled(cos_values(100), 0, 1, -1, 1)
[Link] = inverted([Link])

pause()

If you require a different range than -1 to +1, see scaled() (page 168).
[Link].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 [Link] import ramping_values
from signal import pause

red = PWMLED(2)

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red.source_delay = 0.01
[Link] = ramping_values(100)

pause()

If you require a wider range than 0 to 1, see scaled() (page 168).

[Link].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 [Link] import random_values
from signal import pause

led = PWMLED(4)

[Link] = random_values()

pause()

If you require a wider range than 0 to 1, see scaled() (page 168).

[Link].sin_values(period=360)
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 [Link] 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
[Link] = scaled(sin_values(100), 0, 1, -1, 1)
[Link] = inverted([Link])

pause()

If you require a different range than -1 to +1, see scaled() (page 168).

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 CHAPTER 19

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:
gpiozero.pi_info(revision=None)
Returns a PiBoardInfo (page 173) instance containing information about a revision of the Raspberry Pi.
Parameters revision (str 436 ) – The revision of the Pi to return information about. If this
is omitted or None (the default), then the library will attempt to determine the model of Pi
it is running on and return information about that.
class [Link]
This class is a namedtuple()437 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 codes438 . If
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 193). If multiple pins support the desired function,
436 [Link]
437 [Link]
438 [Link]

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PinMultiplePins (page 193) will be raised (use physical_pins() (page 174) if you expect
multiple pins in the result, such as for electrical ground).
Parameters function (str 439 ) – 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 set440 which is not indexable. Use physical_pin() (page 173) if you are expecting a single
return value.
Parameters function (str 441 ) – 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 None (the default), the diagram will include ANSI color codes if stdout is a color-capable
terminal. Otherwise color can be set to True or False 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 193) or PinMultiplePins (page 193) may be raised if the
function is not associated with a single pin.
Parameters function (str 442 ) – The pin function you wish to determine pull-up for.
Usually this is something like “GPIO9” for Broadcom GPIO pin 9.
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 chip443 ) 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.
439 [Link]
440 [Link]
441 [Link]
442 [Link]
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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 175) 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].
A rendered version of this data can be obtained by using the PiBoardInfo (page 173) 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 173) object in a
format string. For example:

from gpiozero import *

print('{0:board}'.format(pi_info()))

class [Link]
This class is a namedtuple()444 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']))

444 [Link]

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‘color’ and ‘mono’ can be prefixed to format specifications to force the use of ANSI color codes445 . 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 None (the default, the diagram will include ANSI color codes if stdout is a color-capable
terminal). Otherwise color can be set to True or False 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 176) tuples.
class [Link]
This class is a namedtuple()446 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
False but GPIO2 and GPIO3 are usually True). 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)

445 [Link]
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 CHAPTER 20

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 180)
which turns it into a Pin (page 181) implementation. The default factory can be queried (and changed) with
Device.pin_factory, i.e. the pin_factory attribute of the Device (page 161) class. However, all
classes 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 later in the Configuring Remote
GPIO (page 35) chapter).
This is illustrated in the following flow-chart:

LED(pin_spec, ...,
pin_factory=None)

pin_factory == None?

yes no

self.pin_factory = Device.pin_factory self.pin_factory = pin_factory

[Link] = 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
ImportError447 will be raised.

20.1 Changing the pin factory

The default pin factory can be replaced by specifying a value for the GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY environment
variable. For example:

$ GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=native python
Python 3.4.2 (default, Oct 19 2014, [Link])
[GCC 4.9.1] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import gpiozero
>>> [Link].pin_factory
<[Link] object at 0x762c26b0>

To set the GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY 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, [Link])
[GCC 4.9.1] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import gpiozero
>>> [Link].pin_factory
<[Link] object at 0x762c26b0>
>>> quit()
$ python
Python 3.4.2 (default, Oct 19 2014, [Link])
[GCC 4.9.1] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import gpiozero
>>> [Link].pin_factory
<[Link] 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 180) and Pin (page 181) 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- [Link]. [Link].
pio RPiGPIOFactory (page 187) RPiGPIOPin (page 188)
rpio [Link] [Link]
(page 188) (page 188)
pig- [Link] [Link]
pio (page 188) (page 189)
na- [Link] [Link]
tive (page 189) (page 189)

If you need to change the default pin factory from within a script, either set Device.pin_factory to the new
factory instance to use:

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from [Link] 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 [Link] 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 [Link] (page 189) on a remote pi called remote-pi you can set the
PIGPIO_ADDR environment variable when running your script:

$ GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY=pigpio PIGPIO_ADDR=remote-pi python3 my_script.py

Like the GPIOZERO_PIN_FACTORY 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 for one pin, and NativeFactory for another. This is unsupported, 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 35).

20.2 Mock pins

There’s also a [Link] (page 190) 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 [Link] 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)
[Link] = [Link]
(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([Link])

# 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 eletrically when the button is
# pushed)
btn_pin.drive_low()
sleep(0.1) # give source some time to re-read the button state
print([Link])

btn_pin.drive_high()
sleep(0.1)
print([Link])

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.

20.3 Base classes

class [Link]
Generates pins and SPI interfaces for devices. This is an abstract base class for pin factories. Descendents
may override the following methods, if applicable:
• close() (page 180)
• reserve_pins() (page 180)
• release_pins() (page 180)
• release_all() (page 180)
• pin() (page 180)
• spi() (page 181)
• _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 181) 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 180) 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 180) for further
information).
release_pins(reserver, *pins)
Releases the reservation of reserver against pins. This is typically called during [Link]()
(page 161) 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).

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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 180).
spi(**spi_args)
Returns an instance of an SPI (page 183) 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 192).
pi_info
Returns a PiBoardInfo (page 173) 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 None.
class [Link]
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 181)
• output_with_state() (page 182)
• input_with_pull() (page 181)
• _set_state()
• _get_frequency()
• _set_frequency()
• _get_pull()
• _set_pull()
• _get_bounce()
• _set_bounce()
• _get_edges()
• _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 181) 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:

[Link] = 'input'
[Link] = pull

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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:

[Link] = 'output'
[Link] = 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 None.
For example, if edges (page 182) is currently “rising”, bounce (page 182) is currently 5/1000 (5ms),
then the waveform below will only fire when_changed (page 183) 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 193). 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 183). This can be one of the strings “both” (the default), “rising”, “falling”, or “none”:

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 193).
frequency
The frequency (in Hz) for the pin’s PWM implementation, or None if PWM is not currently in use.
This value always defaults to None and may be changed with certain pin types to activate or deactivate
PWM.
If the pin does not support PWM, PinPWMUnsupported (page 193) will be raised when attempting
to set this to a value other than None.

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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 193) 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 193). If the specified value is not
supported by the underlying hardware, PinInvalidPull (page 193) 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 183) 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 182) is not None) 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 193) will be raised. If an invalid value is specified for this attribute, PinInvalidState
(page 193) 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 182) is detected on the pin). The function or bound method must take
no parameters.
If the pin does not support edge detection, attempts to set this property will raise
PinEdgeDetectUnsupported (page 193).
class [Link]
Abstract interface for Serial Peripheral Interface448 (SPI) implementations. Descendents must override the
following methods:
• transfer() (page 184)
• _get_clock_mode()
Descendents may override the following methods, if applicable:
• read() (page 184)
• write() (page 184)
• _set_clock_mode()
• _get_lsb_first()
• _set_lsb_first()
• _get_select_high()
• _set_select_high()
• _get_bits_per_word()
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• _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 184) of the interface.
This method is typically used with read-only devices that feature half-duplex communication. See
transfer() (page 184) 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 184) 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 184) 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 184) 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 184) 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.
clock_mode
Presents a value representing the clock_polarity (page 185) and clock_phase (page 184)
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 185) and clock_phase (page 184)
attributes simultaneously.
clock_phase
The phase of the SPI clock pin. If this is False (the default), data will be read from the MISO
pin when the clock pin activates. Setting this to True 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 185) attribute (corresponding to CPOL).
The following diagram indicates when data is read when clock_polarity (page 185) is False,
and clock_phase (page 184) is False (the default), equivalent to CPHA 0:

,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.

CLK | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
----' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `-------
: : : : : : :
MISO---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
-{ Bit X Bit X Bit X Bit X Bit X Bit X Bit }------
(continues on next page)

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

\ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ /
`---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---'

The following diagram indicates when data is read when clock_polarity (page 185) is False,
but clock_phase (page 184) is True, 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 False (the default), the clock pin will idle low, and pulse
high. Setting this to True will cause the clock pin to idle high, and pulse low. On many data sheets
this is documented as the CPOL value.
The following diagram illustrates the waveform when clock_polarity (page 185) is False (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 185) is True,
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
False indicating that words are read and written in MSB (Most Significant Bit first) order. Effec-
tively, this controls the Bit endianness449 of the connection.
The following diagram shows the a word containing the number 5 (binary 0101) transmitted on
MISO with bits_per_word (page 184) set to 4, and clock_mode (page 184) set to 0, when
lsb_first (page 185) is False (the default):

,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.

CLK | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
----' `---' `---' `---' `-----
: ,-------. : ,-------.
MISO: | : | : | : |
: | : | : | : |
----------' : `-------' : `----
(continues on next page)
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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

(continued from previous page)

: : : :
MSB LSB

And now with lsb_first (page 185) set to True (and all other parameters the same):

,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.

CLK | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
----' `---' `---' `---' `-----
,-------. : ,-------. :
MISO: | : | : | :
| : | : | : | :
--' : `-------' : `-----------
: : : :
LSB MSB

select_high
If False (the default), the chip select line is considered active when it is pulled low. When set to
True, 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 185) is False, and select_high (page 186) is False (the default):

---. ,------
__ | |
CS | chip is selected, and will react to clock | idle
`-----------------------------------------------------'

,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.

CLK | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
----' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `-------

And when select_high (page 186) is True:

,-----------------------------------------------------.
CS | chip is selected, and will react to clock | idle
| |
---' `------

,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---. ,---.

CLK | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
----' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `---' `-------

class [Link]
Abstract base class representing hardware attached to a Raspberry Pi. This forms the base of
LocalPiFactory (page 187).
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 186) for the same pin specification must return
the same object.

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

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.
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
SPIHardwareInterface instance will be returned. Otherwise, a SPISoftwareInterface
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 [Link](factory, number)
Abstract base class representing a multi-function GPIO pin attached to a Raspberry Pi. This overrides
several methods in the abstract base Pin (page 181). 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 [Link]
Abstract base class representing pins attached locally to a Pi. This forms the base class for local-only pin
interfaces (RPiGPIOPin (page 188), RPIOPin (page 188), and NativePin (page 189)).
class [Link](factory, number)
Abstract base class representing a multi-function GPIO pin attached to the local Raspberry Pi.

20.4 [Link]

class [Link]
Uses the RPi.GPIO450 library to interface to the Pi’s GPIO pins. This is the default pin implementation if
450 [Link]

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

the [Link] 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 [Link] pins manually if you wish:

from [Link] import RPiGPIOFactory

from gpiozero import LED

factory = RPiGPIOFactory()
led = LED(12, pin_factory=factory)

class [Link](factory, number)

Pin implementation for the RPi.GPIO451 library. See RPiGPIOFactory (page 187) for more information.

20.5 RPIO
class [Link]
Uses the RPIO452 library to interface to the Pi’s GPIO pins. This is the default pin implementation if the
[Link] 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 [Link] import RPIOFactory

from gpiozero import LED

factory = RPIOFactory()
led = LED(12, pin_factory=factory)

class [Link](factory, number)

Pin implementation for the RPIO453 library. See RPIOFactory (page 188) for more information.

20.6 PiGPIO

class [Link](host=’localhost’, port=8888)

Uses the pigpio454 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 dae-
mon 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 pigpio455 client library installed on it)
451 [Link]
452 [Link]
453 [Link]
454 [Link]
455 [Link]

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

• 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 [Link] 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 [Link] import PiGPIOFactory

from gpiozero import LED

factory = PiGPIOFactory(host='[Link]')
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 [Link](factory, number)

Pin implementation for the pigpio456 library. See PiGPIOFactory (page 188) for more information.

20.7 Native

class [Link]
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 re-
quests PWM will raise an exception. This implementation is also experimental; we make no guarantees
it will not eat your Pi for breakfast!

You can construct native pin instances manually like so:

from [Link] import NativeFactory

from gpiozero import LED

factory = NativeFactory()
led = LED(12, pin_factory=factory)

class [Link](factory, number)

Native pin implementation. See NativeFactory (page 189) for more information.
456 [Link]

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

20.8 Mock

class [Link](revision=’a02082’, pin_class=<class ’gpi-

[Link]’>)
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 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 190) method
by default. This can be changed after construction by modifying the pin_class attribute.
pin(spec, pin_class=None, **kwargs)
The pin method for MockFactory (page 190) additionally takes a pin_class attribute which can be
used to override the class’ pin_class attribute. Any additional keyword arguments will be passed
along to the pin constructor (useful with things like MockConnectedPin (page 190) 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 [Link](factory, number)
A mock pin used primarily for testing. This class does not support PWM.
close()
Cleans up the resources allocated to the pin. After this method is called, this Pin instance may no
longer be used to query or control the pin’s state.
class [Link](factory, number)
This derivative of MockPin (page 190) adds PWM support.
class [Link](factory, number, input_pin=None)
This derivative of MockPin (page 190) 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 [Link](factory, number, charge_time=0.01)
This derivative of MockPin (page 190) 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 [Link](factory, number, echo_pin=None,
echo_time=0.04)
This derivative of MockPin (page 190) is intended to be used with another MockPin (page 190) 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.

190 Chapter 20. API - Pins

 CHAPTER 21

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:
[Link] = 2
except GPIOZeroError:
print('A GPIO Zero error occurred')

Since all GPIO Zero’s exceptions descend from GPIOZeroError (page 191), this will work. However,
certain specific errors have multiple parents. For example, in the case that an out of range value is passed
to [Link] (page 103) you would expect a ValueError457 to be raised. In fact, a
OutputDeviceBadValue (page 192) error will be raised. However, note that this descends from both
GPIOZeroError (page 191) (indirectly) and from ValueError458 so you can still do:

from gpiozero import *

led = PWMLED(17)
try:
[Link] = 2
except ValueError:
print('Bad value specified')

21.1 Errors

exception [Link]
Base class for all exceptions in GPIO Zero
exception [Link]
Error raised when an operation is attempted on a closed device
457 [Link]
458 [Link]

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exception [Link]
Error raised when an event handler with an incompatible prototype is specified
exception [Link]
Error raised when non-positive queue length is specified
exception [Link]
Error raised when an invalid wait time is specified
exception [Link]
Base class for errors specific to the CompositeDevice hierarchy
exception [Link]
Error raised when a composite device is constructed with a reserved name
exception [Link]
Error raised when socket number is not specified
exception [Link]
Error raised when an invalid socket number is passed to Energenie (page 144)
exception [Link]
Base class for errors related to the SPI implementation
exception [Link]
Error raised when invalid arguments are given while constructing SPIDevice (page 111)
exception [Link]
Error raised when an invalid channel is given to an AnalogInputDevice (page 110)
exception [Link]
Error raised when the SPI clock mode cannot be changed
exception [Link]
Error raised when an invalid clock mode is given to an SPI implementation
exception [Link]
Error raised when the SPI bit-endianness cannot be changed
exception [Link]
Error raised when the SPI select polarity cannot be changed
exception [Link]
Error raised when the number of bits per word cannot be changed
exception [Link]
Error raised when an invalid (out of range) number of bits per word is specified
exception [Link]
Base class for errors specific to the GPIODevice hierarchy
exception [Link]
Deprecated descendent of DeviceClosed (page 191)
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to use a pin already in use by another device
exception [Link]
Error raised when a pin specification is not given
exception [Link]
Base class for errors specific to the InputDevice hierarchy
exception [Link]
Base class for errors specified to the OutputDevice hierarchy
exception [Link]
Error raised when value is set to an invalid value

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 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

exception [Link]
Base class for errors related to pin implementations
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to change the function of a pin to an invalid value
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to assign an invalid state to a pin
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to assign an invalid pull-up to a pin
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to assign an invalid edge detection to a pin
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to assign an invalid bounce time to a pin
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to set a read-only pin
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to set the pull of a pin with fixed pull-up
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to use edge detection on unsupported pins
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to obtain a pin interface on unsupported pins
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to obtain an SPI interface on unsupported pins
exception [Link]
Base class for errors related to PWM implementations
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to activate PWM on unsupported pins
exception [Link]
Error raised when attempting to initialize PWM on an input pin
exception [Link]
Error raised when gpiozero doesn’t recognize a revision of the Pi
exception [Link]
Error raised when multiple pins support the requested function
exception [Link]
Error raised when no pins support the requested function
exception [Link]
Error raised when an invalid pin specification is provided

21.2 Warnings

exception [Link]
Base class for all warnings in GPIO Zero
exception [Link]
Base class for warnings related to the SPI implementation
exception [Link]
Warning raised when falling back to the software implementation

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

exception [Link]
Warning raised when a default pin factory fails to load and a fallback is tried
exception [Link]
Warning raised when a non-physical pin is specified in a constructor

194 Chapter 21. API - Exceptions

 CHAPTER 22

Changelog

22.1 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 [Link]() (page 137) and Robot.
backward() (page 137).(#306459 and #619460 )
• Fixed DistanceSensor (page 79) returning incorrect readings after a long pause, and added a lock to
ensure multiple distance sensors can operate simultaneously in a single project (#584461 , #595462 , #617463 ,
#618464 )
• Added support for phase/enable motor drivers with PhaseEnableMotor (page 94),
PhaseEnableRobot (page 138), and descendants, thanks to Ian Harcombe! (#386465 )
• A variety of other minor enhancements, largely thanks to Andrew Scheller! (#479466 , #489467 , #491468 ,
#492469 )

22.2 Release 1.4.0 (2017-07-26)

• Pin factory is now configurable from device constructors (page 178) 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
(#279470 )
459 [Link]
460 [Link]
461 [Link]
462 [Link]
463 [Link]
464 [Link]
465 [Link]
466 [Link]
467 [Link]
468 [Link]
469 [Link]
470 [Link]

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Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

• Major work on SPI, primarily to support remote hardware SPI (#421471 , #459472 , #465473 , #468474 , #575475 )
• Pin reservation now works properly between GPIO and SPI devices (#459476 , #468477 )
• Lots of work on the documentation: source/values chapter (page 51), better charts, more recipes, remote
GPIO configuration (page 35), mock pins, better PDF output (#484478 , #469479 , #523480 , #520481 , #434482 ,
#565483 , #576484 )
• Support for StatusZero (page 145) and StatusBoard (page 148) HATs (#558485 )
• Added pinout command line tool to provide a simple reference to the GPIO layout and information about
the associated Pi (#497486 , #504487 ) thanks to Stewart Adcock for the initial work
• pi_info() (page 173) made more lenient for new (unknown) Pi models (#529488 )
• Fixed a variety of packaging issues (#535489 , #518490 , #519491 )
• Improved text in factory fallback warnings (#572492 )

22.3 Release 1.3.2 (2017-03-03)

• Added new Pi models to stop pi_info() (page 173) breaking

• Fix issue with pi_info() (page 173) breaking on unknown Pi models

22.4 Release 1.3.1 (2016-08-31 . . . later)

• Fixed hardware SPI support which Dave broke in 1.3.0. Sorry!

• Some minor docs changes

22.5 Release 1.3.0 (2016-08-31)

• Added ButtonBoard (page 117) for reading multiple buttons in a single class (#340493 )
• Added Servo (page 95) and AngularServo (page 96) classes for controlling simple servo motors
(#248494 )
471 [Link]
472 [Link]
473 [Link]
474 [Link]
475 [Link]
476 [Link]
477 [Link]
478 [Link]
479 [Link]
480 [Link]
481 [Link]
482 [Link]
483 [Link]
484 [Link]
485 [Link]
486 [Link]
487 [Link]
488 [Link]
489 [Link]
490 [Link]
491 [Link]
492 [Link]
493 [Link]
494 [Link]

196 Chapter 22. Changelog

 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

• Lots of work on supporting easier use of internal and third-party pin implementations (#359495 )
• Robot (page 136) now has a proper value (page 138) attribute (#305496 )
• Added CPUTemperature (page 156) as another demo of “internal” devices (#294497 )
• A temporary work-around for an issue with DistanceSensor (page 79) was included but a full fix is in
the works (#385498 )
• More work on the documentation (#320499 , #295500 , #289501 , 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!

22.6 Release 1.2.0 (2016-04-10)

• Added Energenie (page 144) class for controlling Energenie plugs (#69502 )
• Added LineSensor (page 75) class for single line-sensors (#109503 )
• Added DistanceSensor (page 79) class for HC-SR04 ultra-sonic sensors (#114504 )
• Added SnowPi (page 149) class for the Ryanteck Snow-pi board (#130505 )
• Added when_held (page 74) (and related properties) to Button (page 73) (#115506 )
• Fixed issues with installing GPIO Zero for python 3 on Raspbian Wheezy releases (#140507 )
• Added support for lots of ADC chips (MCP3xxx family) (#162508 ) - many thanks to pcopa and lurch!
• Added support for pigpiod as a pin implementation with PiGPIOPin (page 189) (#180509 )
• Many refinements to the base classes mean more consistency in composite devices and several bugs
squashed (#164510 , #175511 , #182512 , #189513 , #193514 , #229515 )
• GPIO Zero is now aware of what sort of Pi it’s running on via pi_info() (page 173) 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) (#222516 )
• The source/values system was enhanced to ensure normal usage doesn’t stress the CPU and lots of utilities
were added (#181517 , #251518 )
495 [Link]
496 [Link]
497 [Link]
498 [Link]
499 [Link]
500 [Link]
501 [Link]
502 [Link]
503 [Link]
504 [Link]
505 [Link]
506 [Link]
507 [Link]
508 [Link]
509 [Link]
510 [Link]
511 [Link]
512 [Link]
513 [Link]
514 [Link]
515 [Link]
516 [Link]
517 [Link]
518 [Link]

22.6. Release 1.2.0 (2016-04-10) 197

Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

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!

22.7 Release 1.1.0 (2016-02-08)

• Documentation converted to reST and expanded to include generic classes and several more recipes (#80519 ,
#82520 , #101521 , #119522 , #135523 , #168524 )
• New CamJamKitRobot (page 141) class with the pre-defined motor pins for the new CamJam EduKit
• New LEDBarGraph (page 116) class (many thanks to Martin O’Hanlon!) (#126525 , #176526 )
• New Pin (page 181) implementation abstracts out the concept of a GPIO pin paving the way for alternate
library support and IO extenders in future (#141527 )
• New [Link]() (page 114) method which works properly even when background is set to
False (#94528 , #161529 )
• New [Link]() (page 90) method which implements (rudimentary) color fading too! (#135530 ,
#174531 )
• New initial_value attribute on OutputDevice (page 102) ensures consistent behaviour on con-
struction (#118532 )
• New active_high attribute on PWMOutputDevice (page 100) and RGBLED (page 90) allows use of
common anode devices (#143533 , #154534 )
• Loads of new ADC chips supported (many thanks to GitHub user pcopa!) (#150535 )

22.8 Release 1.0.0 (2015-11-16)

• Debian packaging added (#44536 )

• PWMLED (page 88) class added (#58537 )
• TemperatureSensor removed pending further work (#93538 )
519 [Link]
520 [Link]
521 [Link]
522 [Link]
523 [Link]
524 [Link]
525 [Link]
526 [Link]
527 [Link]
528 [Link]
529 [Link]
530 [Link]
531 [Link]
532 [Link]
533 [Link]
534 [Link]
535 [Link]
536 [Link]
537 [Link]
538 [Link]

198 Chapter 22. Changelog

 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

• [Link]() (page 92) alias method added (#75539 )

• Motor (page 93) PWM devices exposed, and Robot (page 136) motor devices exposed (#107540 )

22.9 Release 0.9.0 (2015-10-25)

Fourth public beta

• Added source and values properties to all relevant classes (#76541 )
• Fix names of parameters in Motor (page 93) constructor (#79542 )
• Added wrappers for LED groups on add-on boards (#81543 )

22.10 Release 0.8.0 (2015-10-16)

Third public beta

• Added generic AnalogInputDevice (page 110) class along with specific classes for the MCP3008
(page 107) and MCP3004 (page 106) (#41544 )
• Fixed [Link]() (page 99) (#57545 )

22.11 Release 0.7.0 (2015-10-09)

Second public beta

22.12 Release 0.6.0 (2015-09-28)

First public beta

22.13 Release 0.5.0 (2015-09-24)

22.14 Release 0.4.0 (2015-09-23)

22.15 Release 0.3.0 (2015-09-22)

22.16 Release 0.2.0 (2015-09-21)

Initial release

539 [Link]
540 [Link]
541 [Link]
542 [Link]
543 [Link]
544 [Link]
545 [Link]

22.9. Release 0.9.0 (2015-10-25) 199

Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

200 Chapter 22. Changelog

 CHAPTER 23

License

Copyright 2015-2017 Raspberry Pi Foundation546 .

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.

546 [Link]

201
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

202 Chapter 23. License

 Python Module Index

g
gpiozero, 3
[Link], 113
[Link], 159
gpiozero.input_devices, 73
gpiozero.other_devices, 155
gpiozero.output_devices, 87
[Link], 177
[Link], 187
[Link], 190
[Link], 189
[Link], 186
[Link], 188
[Link], 187
[Link], 188
gpiozero.spi_devices, 105
[Link], 165

203
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

204 Python Module Index

 Index

Symbols blink() ([Link] method), 123

-c, –color blink() ([Link] method), 126
pinout command line option, 60 blink() ([Link] method), 132
-h, –help blink() ([Link] method), 129
pinout command line option, 60 blink() ([Link] method), 89
-m, –monochrome blink() ([Link] method), 100
pinout command line option, 60 blink() ([Link] method), 90
-r REVISION, –revision REVISION blink() ([Link] method), 149
pinout command line option, 60 blink() ([Link] method), 146
_shared_key() ([Link] class method), blink() ([Link] method), 121
162 bluetooth ([Link] attribute), 175
board ([Link] attribute), 175
A booleanized() (in module [Link]), 165
absoluted() (in module [Link]), 165 bounce ([Link] attribute), 182
active_high ([Link] attribute), 103 Button (class in gpiozero), 73
active_time ([Link] attribute), 118 ButtonBoard (class in gpiozero), 117
active_time ([Link] attribute), 163 Buzzer (class in gpiozero), 92
all_values() (in module [Link]), 168
alternating_values() (in module [Link]), 170 C
AnalogInputDevice (class in gpiozero), 110 CamJamKitRobot (class in gpiozero), 141
angle ([Link] attribute), 98 channel (gpiozero.MCP3002 attribute), 106
AngularServo (class in gpiozero), 96 channel (gpiozero.MCP3004 attribute), 106
any_values() (in module [Link]), 169 channel (gpiozero.MCP3008 attribute), 107
averaged() (in module [Link]), 169 channel (gpiozero.MCP3202 attribute), 107
channel (gpiozero.MCP3204 attribute), 107
B channel (gpiozero.MCP3208 attribute), 108
backward() ([Link] method), 141 channel (gpiozero.MCP3302 attribute), 108
backward() ([Link] method), 93 channel (gpiozero.MCP3304 attribute), 109
backward() ([Link] method), 94 clamped() (in module [Link]), 166
backward() ([Link] method), 138 clock_mode ([Link] attribute), 184
backward() (gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot method), clock_phase ([Link] attribute), 184
143 clock_polarity ([Link] attribute), 185
backward() ([Link] method), 137 close() ([Link] method), 153
backward() ([Link] method), 140 close() ([Link] method), 161
BadEventHandler, 191 close() ([Link] method), 99
BadQueueLen, 192 close() ([Link] method), 144
BadWaitTime, 192 close() ([Link] method), 180
beep() ([Link] method), 92 close() ([Link] method), 84
bits ([Link] attribute), 111 close() ([Link] method), 114
bits_per_word ([Link] attribute), 184 close() ([Link] method), 123
blink() ([Link] method), 99 close() ([Link] method), 126
blink() ([Link] method), 88 close() ([Link] method), 181
blink() ([Link] method), 114 close() ([Link] method), 190
close() ([Link] method), 186

205
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

close() ([Link] method), 132 differential (gpiozero.MCP3302 attribute), 108

close() ([Link] method), 130 differential (gpiozero.MCP3304 attribute), 109
close() ([Link] method), 101 DigitalInputDevice (class in gpiozero), 82
close() ([Link] method), 83 DigitalOutputDevice (class in gpiozero), 99
close() ([Link] method), 150 distance ([Link] attribute), 80
close() ([Link] method), 111 DistanceSensor (class in gpiozero), 79
close() ([Link] method), 146 dsi ([Link] attribute), 175
close() ([Link] method), 121
closed ([Link] attribute), 98 E
closed ([Link] attribute), 118 echo ([Link] attribute), 81
closed ([Link] attribute), 142 edges ([Link] attribute), 182
closed ([Link] attribute), 153 Energenie (class in gpiozero), 144
closed ([Link] attribute), 161 EnergenieBadSocket, 192
closed ([Link] attribute), 145 EnergenieSocketMissing, 192
closed ([Link] attribute), 135 environment variable
closed ([Link] attribute), 85 PIGPIO_ADDR, 179
closed ([Link] attribute), 117 ethernet ([Link] attribute), 175
closed ([Link] attribute), 115 EventsMixin (class in gpiozero), 162
closed ([Link] attribute), 125
closed ([Link] attribute), 139 F
closed ([Link] attribute), 127 Factory (class in gpiozero), 180
closed ([Link] attribute), 128 FishDish (class in gpiozero), 134
closed ([Link] attribute), 133 forward() ([Link] method), 142
closed ([Link] attribute), 131 forward() ([Link] method), 94
closed (gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot attribute), 143 forward() ([Link] method), 94
closed ([Link] attribute), 138 forward() ([Link] method), 139
closed ([Link] attribute), 141 forward() (gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot method),
closed ([Link] attribute), 96 143
closed ([Link] attribute), 151 forward() ([Link] method), 137
closed ([Link] attribute), 112 forward() ([Link] method), 140
closed ([Link] attribute), 148 frame_width ([Link] attribute), 98
closed ([Link] attribute), 147 frame_width ([Link] attribute), 96
closed ([Link] attribute), 136 frequency ([Link] attribute), 182
closed ([Link] attribute), 122 frequency ([Link] attribute), 102
closed ([Link] attribute), 134 function ([Link] attribute), 182
col ([Link] attribute), 176 function ([Link] attribute), 176
color ([Link] attribute), 125
color ([Link] attribute), 91 G
columns ([Link] attribute), 176
GPIODevice (class in gpiozero), 84
CompositeDevice (class in gpiozero), 153
GPIODeviceClosed, 192
CompositeDeviceBadName, 192
GPIODeviceError, 192
CompositeDeviceError, 192
GPIOPinInUse, 192
CompositeOutputDevice (class in gpiozero), 152
GPIOPinMissing, 192
cos_values() (in module [Link]), 170
gpiozero (module), 3
CPUTemperature (class in gpiozero), 156
[Link] (module), 113
csi ([Link] attribute), 175
[Link] (module), 159
D gpiozero.input_devices (module), 73
gpiozero.other_devices (module), 155
detach() ([Link] method), 97 gpiozero.output_devices (module), 87
detach() ([Link] method), 95 [Link] (module), 177
Device (class in gpiozero), 161 [Link] (module), 187
DeviceClosed, 191 [Link] (module), 190
differential (gpiozero.MCP3002 attribute), 106 [Link] (module), 189
differential (gpiozero.MCP3004 attribute), 106 [Link] (module), 186
differential (gpiozero.MCP3008 attribute), 107 [Link] (module), 188
differential (gpiozero.MCP3202 attribute), 107 [Link] (module), 187
differential (gpiozero.MCP3204 attribute), 108 [Link] (module), 188
differential (gpiozero.MCP3208 attribute), 108 gpiozero.spi_devices (module), 105

206 Index
 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

[Link] (module), 165 is_held ([Link] attribute), 163

GPIOZeroError, 191 is_lit ([Link] attribute), 88
GPIOZeroWarning, 193 is_lit ([Link] attribute), 125
is_lit ([Link] attribute), 89
H is_lit ([Link] attribute), 92
HeaderInfo (class in gpiozero), 175 is_pressed ([Link] attribute), 74
headers ([Link] attribute), 175 is_pressed ([Link] attribute), 119
held_time ([Link] attribute), 74
held_time ([Link] attribute), 119 L
held_time ([Link] attribute), 163 LED (class in gpiozero), 87
hold_repeat ([Link] attribute), 74 LEDBarGraph (class in gpiozero), 116
hold_repeat ([Link] attribute), 119 LEDBoard (class in gpiozero), 113
hold_repeat ([Link] attribute), 163 LedBorg (class in gpiozero), 123
hold_time ([Link] attribute), 74 LEDCollection (class in gpiozero), 152
hold_time ([Link] attribute), 119 leds ([Link] attribute), 117
hold_time ([Link] attribute), 163 leds ([Link] attribute), 115
HoldMixin (class in gpiozero), 163 leds ([Link] attribute), 152
leds ([Link] attribute), 127
I leds ([Link] attribute), 128
inactive_time ([Link] attribute), 119 leds ([Link] attribute), 133
inactive_time ([Link] attribute), 163 leds ([Link] attribute), 131
input_with_pull() ([Link] method), 181 leds ([Link] attribute), 151
InputDevice (class in gpiozero), 84 leds ([Link] attribute), 147
InputDeviceError, 192 leds ([Link] attribute), 122
InternalDevice (class in gpiozero), 157 left() ([Link] method), 142
inverted() (in module [Link]), 166 left() ([Link] method), 139
is_active ([Link] attribute), 98 left() (gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot method), 143
is_active ([Link] attribute), 119 left() ([Link] method), 137
is_active ([Link] attribute), 93 left() ([Link] method), 140
is_active ([Link] attribute), 142 light_detected ([Link] attribute), 79
is_active ([Link] attribute), 153 LightSensor (class in gpiozero), 78
is_active ([Link] attribute), 157 LineSensor (class in gpiozero), 75
is_active ([Link] attribute), 161 lit_count ([Link] attribute), 117
is_active ([Link] attribute), 145 lit_count ([Link] attribute), 128
is_active ([Link] attribute), 135 LocalPiFactory (class in [Link]), 187
is_active ([Link] attribute), 117 LocalPiPin (class in [Link]), 187
is_active ([Link] attribute), 115 lsb_first ([Link] attribute), 185
is_active ([Link] attribute), 125
is_active ([Link] attribute), 139 M
is_active ([Link] attribute), 127 manufacturer ([Link] attribute), 174
is_active ([Link] attribute), 128 max() ([Link] method), 97
is_active ([Link] attribute), 133 max() ([Link] method), 95
is_active ([Link] attribute), 131 max_angle ([Link] attribute), 98
is_active (gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot attribute), max_distance ([Link] attribute), 81
144 max_pulse_width ([Link] attribute),
is_active ([Link] attribute), 102 98
is_active ([Link] attribute), 138 max_pulse_width ([Link] attribute), 96
is_active ([Link] attribute), 141 max_voltage ([Link] attribute),
is_active ([Link] attribute), 96 111
is_active ([Link] attribute), 84 MCP3001 (class in gpiozero), 106
is_active ([Link] attribute), 151 MCP3002 (class in gpiozero), 106
is_active ([Link] attribute), 148 MCP3004 (class in gpiozero), 106
is_active ([Link] attribute), 147 MCP3008 (class in gpiozero), 107
is_active ([Link] attribute), 136 MCP3201 (class in gpiozero), 107
is_active ([Link] attribute), 122 MCP3202 (class in gpiozero), 107
is_active ([Link] attribute), 134 MCP3204 (class in gpiozero), 107
is_held ([Link] attribute), 74 MCP3208 (class in gpiozero), 108
is_held ([Link] attribute), 119 MCP3301 (class in gpiozero), 108

Index 207
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

MCP3302 (class in gpiozero), 108 on() ([Link] method), 115

MCP3304 (class in gpiozero), 109 on() ([Link] method), 124
memory ([Link] attribute), 174 on() ([Link] method), 102
mid() ([Link] method), 97 on() ([Link] method), 127
mid() ([Link] method), 96 on() ([Link] method), 128
min() ([Link] method), 98 on() ([Link] method), 133
min() ([Link] method), 96 on() ([Link] method), 130
min_angle ([Link] attribute), 98 on() ([Link] method), 89
min_pulse_width ([Link] attribute), 98 on() ([Link] method), 101
min_pulse_width ([Link] attribute), 96 on() ([Link] method), 91
MockChargingPin (class in [Link]), 190 on() ([Link] method), 150
MockConnectedPin (class in [Link]), 190 on() ([Link] method), 148
MockFactory (class in [Link]), 190 on() ([Link] method), 147
MockPin (class in [Link]), 190 on() ([Link] method), 136
MockPWMPin (class in [Link]), 190 on() ([Link] method), 122
MockTriggerPin (class in [Link]), 190 on() ([Link] method), 134
model ([Link] attribute), 174 output_with_state() ([Link] method), 182
motion_detected ([Link] attribute), 77 OutputDevice (class in gpiozero), 102
MotionSensor (class in gpiozero), 76 OutputDeviceBadValue, 192
Motor (class in gpiozero), 93 OutputDeviceError, 192
multiplied() (in module [Link]), 169
P
N partial ([Link] attribute), 84
name ([Link] attribute), 176 pcb_revision ([Link] attribute), 174
NativeFactory (class in [Link]), 189 PhaseEnableMotor (class in gpiozero), 94
NativePin (class in [Link]), 189 PhaseEnableRobot (class in gpiozero), 138
negated() (in module [Link]), 166 physical_pin() ([Link] method), 173
number ([Link] attribute), 176 physical_pins() ([Link] method), 174
pi_info ([Link] attribute), 181
O pi_info() (in module gpiozero), 173
off() ([Link] method), 92 PiBoardInfo (class in gpiozero), 173
off() ([Link] method), 152 PiFactory (class in [Link]), 186
off() ([Link] method), 100 PIGPIO_ADDR, 179
off() ([Link] method), 135 PiGPIOFactory (class in [Link]), 188
off() ([Link] method), 88 PiGPIOPin (class in [Link]), 189
off() ([Link] method), 117 PiLiter (class in gpiozero), 125
off() ([Link] method), 115 PiLiterBarGraph (class in gpiozero), 128
off() ([Link] method), 124 Pin (class in gpiozero), 181
off() ([Link] method), 102 pin ([Link] attribute), 74
off() ([Link] method), 127 pin ([Link] attribute), 93
off() ([Link] method), 128 pin ([Link] attribute), 85
off() ([Link] method), 133 pin ([Link] attribute), 88
off() ([Link] method), 130 pin ([Link] attribute), 79
off() ([Link] method), 89 pin ([Link] attribute), 76
off() ([Link] method), 101 pin ([Link] attribute), 77
off() ([Link] method), 91 pin ([Link] attribute), 90
off() ([Link] method), 150 pin() ([Link] method), 180
off() ([Link] method), 148 pin() ([Link] method), 190
off() ([Link] method), 147 pin() ([Link] method), 186
off() ([Link] method), 136 PinEdgeDetectUnsupported, 193
off() ([Link] method), 122 PinError, 192
off() ([Link] method), 134 PinFactoryFallback, 193
on() ([Link] method), 93 PinFixedPull, 193
on() ([Link] method), 152 PingServer (class in gpiozero), 156
on() ([Link] method), 100 PinInfo (class in gpiozero), 176
on() ([Link] method), 135 PinInvalidBounce, 193
on() ([Link] method), 88 PinInvalidEdges, 193
on() ([Link] method), 117 PinInvalidFunction, 193

208 Index
 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

PinInvalidPin, 193 R
PinInvalidPull, 193 ramping_values() (in module [Link]), 170
PinInvalidState, 193 random_values() (in module [Link]), 171
PinMultiplePins, 193 raw_value ([Link] attribute), 111
PinNonPhysical, 194 read() ([Link] method), 184
PinNoPins, 193 release_all() ([Link] method), 180
pinout command line option release_pins() ([Link] method), 180
-c, –color, 60 released ([Link] attribute), 174
-h, –help, 60 reserve_pins() ([Link] method), 180
-m, –monochrome, 60 reset() ([Link] method), 190
-r REVISION, –revision REVISION, 60 reverse() ([Link] method), 142
PinPWMError, 193 reverse() ([Link] method), 94
PinPWMFixedValue, 193 reverse() ([Link] method), 94
PinPWMUnsupported, 193 reverse() ([Link] method), 139
pins ([Link] attribute), 176 reverse() (gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot method),
PinSetInput, 193 143
PinSPIUnsupported, 193 reverse() ([Link] method), 137
PinUnknownPi, 193 reverse() ([Link] method), 140
PinUnsupported, 193 revision ([Link] attribute), 174
PiPin (class in [Link]), 187 RGBLED (class in gpiozero), 90
PiStop (class in gpiozero), 131 right() ([Link] method), 142
PiTraffic (class in gpiozero), 129 right() ([Link] method), 139
PololuDRV8835Robot (class in gpiozero), 143 right() (gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot method), 143
post_delayed() (in module [Link]), 166 right() ([Link] method), 137
post_periodic_filtered() (in module [Link]), 166 right() ([Link] method), 140
pprint() ([Link] method), 176 Robot (class in gpiozero), 136
pprint() ([Link] method), 174 row ([Link] attribute), 176
pre_delayed() (in module [Link]), 167 rows ([Link] attribute), 176
pre_periodic_filtered() (in module [Link]), 167 RPiGPIOFactory (class in [Link]), 187
pressed_time ([Link] attribute), 119 RPiGPIOPin (class in [Link]), 188
pull ([Link] attribute), 183 RPIOFactory (class in [Link]), 188
pull_up ([Link] attribute), 74 RPIOPin (class in [Link]), 188
pull_up ([Link] attribute), 119 RyanteckRobot (class in gpiozero), 139
pull_up ([Link] attribute), 84
pull_up ([Link] attribute), 176 S
pulled_up() ([Link] method), 174
scaled() (in module [Link]), 168
pulse() ([Link] method), 115
select_high ([Link] attribute), 186
pulse() ([Link] method), 124
Servo (class in gpiozero), 95
pulse() ([Link] method), 127
SharedMixin (class in gpiozero), 162
pulse() ([Link] method), 133
sin_values() (in module [Link]), 171
pulse() ([Link] method), 130
smoothed() (in module [Link]), 168
pulse() ([Link] method), 89
SmoothedInputDevice (class in gpiozero), 82
pulse() ([Link] method), 101
SnowPi (class in gpiozero), 149
pulse() ([Link] method), 91
soc ([Link] attribute), 174
pulse() ([Link] method), 150
source ([Link] attribute), 98
pulse() ([Link] method), 147
source ([Link] attribute), 142
pulse() ([Link] method), 122
source ([Link] attribute), 145
pulse_width ([Link] attribute), 98
source ([Link] attribute), 135
pulse_width ([Link] attribute), 96
source ([Link] attribute), 117
PWMLED (class in gpiozero), 88
source ([Link] attribute), 115
PWMOutputDevice (class in gpiozero), 100
source ([Link] attribute), 125
source ([Link] attribute), 139
Q source ([Link] attribute), 127
quantized() (in module [Link]), 167 source ([Link] attribute), 128
queue_len ([Link] attribute), source ([Link] attribute), 133
84 source ([Link] attribute), 131
queued() (in module [Link]), 167 source (gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot attribute), 144
source ([Link] attribute), 138

Index 209
Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

source ([Link] attribute), 141 stop() ([Link] method), 139

source ([Link] attribute), 96 stop() (gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot method), 143
source ([Link] attribute), 151 stop() ([Link] method), 138
source ([Link] attribute), 162 stop() ([Link] method), 141
source ([Link] attribute), 148 storage ([Link] attribute), 175
source ([Link] attribute), 147 summed() (in module [Link]), 169
source ([Link] attribute), 136
source ([Link] attribute), 122 T
source ([Link] attribute), 134 temperature ([Link] attribute), 157
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 98 threshold ([Link] attribute),
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 84
142 threshold_distance ([Link] attribute),
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 145 81
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 135 TimeOfDay (class in gpiozero), 155
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 117 toggle() ([Link] method), 93
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 115 toggle() ([Link] method),
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 125 152
source_delay ([Link] attribute), toggle() ([Link] method), 135
139 toggle() ([Link] method), 88
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 127 toggle() ([Link] method), 117
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 128 toggle() ([Link] method), 115
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 133 toggle() ([Link] method), 125
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 131 toggle() ([Link] method), 102
source_delay (gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot at- toggle() ([Link] method), 127
tribute), 144 toggle() ([Link] method), 128
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 138 toggle() ([Link] method), 133
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 141 toggle() ([Link] method), 131
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 96 toggle() ([Link] method), 89
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 151 toggle() ([Link] method), 102
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 162 toggle() ([Link] method), 91
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 148 toggle() ([Link] method), 150
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 147 toggle() ([Link] method), 148
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 136 toggle() ([Link] method), 147
source_delay ([Link] attribute), 122 toggle() ([Link] method), 136
source_delay ([Link] attribute), toggle() ([Link] method), 122
134 toggle() ([Link] method), 134
SourceMixin (class in gpiozero), 162 TrafficHat (class in gpiozero), 135
SPI (class in gpiozero), 183 TrafficLights (class in gpiozero), 120
spi() ([Link] method), 181 TrafficLightsBuzzer (class in gpiozero), 134
spi() ([Link] method), 186 transfer() ([Link] method), 184
SPIBadArgs, 192 trigger ([Link] attribute), 81
SPIBadChannel, 192
SPIDevice (class in gpiozero), 111 U
SPIError, 192 usb ([Link] attribute), 175
SPIFixedBitOrder, 192
SPIFixedClockMode, 192 V
SPIFixedSelect, 192
value ([Link] attribute), 111
SPIFixedWordSize, 192
value ([Link] attribute), 98
SPIInvalidClockMode, 192
value ([Link] attribute), 119
SPIInvalidWordSize, 192
value ([Link] attribute), 142
SPISoftwareFallback, 193
value ([Link] attribute), 153
SPIWarning, 193
value ([Link] attribute), 152
state ([Link] attribute), 183
value ([Link] attribute), 161
StatusBoard (class in gpiozero), 148
value ([Link] attribute), 100
StatusZero (class in gpiozero), 145
value ([Link] attribute), 145
stop() ([Link] method), 142
value ([Link] attribute), 135
stop() ([Link] method), 94
value ([Link] attribute), 85
stop() ([Link] method), 95
value ([Link] attribute), 117

210 Index
 Gpiozero Documentation, Release 1.4.1

value ([Link] attribute), 116 W

value ([Link] attribute), 125 wait_for_active() ([Link] method), 118
value (gpiozero.MCP3001 attribute), 106 wait_for_active() ([Link] method), 162
value (gpiozero.MCP3002 attribute), 106 wait_for_dark() ([Link] method), 79
value (gpiozero.MCP3004 attribute), 107 wait_for_in_range() ([Link]
value (gpiozero.MCP3008 attribute), 107 method), 80
value (gpiozero.MCP3201 attribute), 107 wait_for_inactive() ([Link] method),
value (gpiozero.MCP3202 attribute), 107 118
value (gpiozero.MCP3204 attribute), 108 wait_for_inactive() ([Link] method),
value (gpiozero.MCP3208 attribute), 108 163
value (gpiozero.MCP3301 attribute), 108 wait_for_light() ([Link] method), 79
value (gpiozero.MCP3302 attribute), 109 wait_for_line() ([Link] method), 76
value (gpiozero.MCP3304 attribute), 109 wait_for_motion() ([Link] method),
value ([Link] attribute), 103 77
value ([Link] attribute), 139 wait_for_no_line() ([Link] method), 76
value ([Link] attribute), 127 wait_for_no_motion() ([Link]
value ([Link] attribute), 128 method), 77
value ([Link] attribute), 133 wait_for_out_of_range() ([Link]
value ([Link] attribute), 131 method), 80
value (gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot attribute), 144 wait_for_press() ([Link] method), 74
value ([Link] attribute), 90 wait_for_press() ([Link] method), 118
value ([Link] attribute), 102 wait_for_release() ([Link] method), 74
value ([Link] attribute), 138 wait_for_release() ([Link] method),
value ([Link] attribute), 141 118
value ([Link] attribute), 96 when_activated ([Link] attribute), 119
value ([Link] attribute), 84 when_activated ([Link] attribute), 163
value ([Link] attribute), 151 when_changed ([Link] attribute), 183
value ([Link] attribute), 148 when_dark ([Link] attribute), 79
value ([Link] attribute), 148 when_deactivated ([Link] attribute),
value ([Link] attribute), 136 119
value ([Link] attribute), 122 when_deactivated ([Link] attribute),
value ([Link] attribute), 134 163
values ([Link] attribute), 98 when_held ([Link] attribute), 74
values ([Link] attribute), 119 when_held ([Link] attribute), 119
values ([Link] attribute), 143 when_held ([Link] attribute), 163
values ([Link] attribute), 145 when_in_range ([Link] attribute), 81
values ([Link] attribute), 135 when_light ([Link] attribute), 79
values ([Link] attribute), 117 when_line ([Link] attribute), 76
values ([Link] attribute), 116 when_motion ([Link] attribute), 77
values ([Link] attribute), 125 when_no_line ([Link] attribute), 76
values ([Link] attribute), 139 when_no_motion ([Link] attribute),
values ([Link] attribute), 127 78
values ([Link] attribute), 129 when_out_of_range ([Link] at-
values ([Link] attribute), 133 tribute), 81
values ([Link] attribute), 131 when_pressed ([Link] attribute), 75
values (gpiozero.PololuDRV8835Robot attribute), 144 when_pressed ([Link] attribute), 120
values ([Link] attribute), 138 when_released ([Link] attribute), 75
values ([Link] attribute), 141 when_released ([Link] attribute), 120
values ([Link] attribute), 96 wifi ([Link] attribute), 175
values ([Link] attribute), 151 write() ([Link] method), 184
values ([Link] attribute), 149
values ([Link] attribute), 148
values ([Link] attribute), 136
values ([Link] attribute), 122
values ([Link] attribute), 134
values ([Link] attribute), 162
ValuesMixin (class in gpiozero), 161
voltage ([Link] attribute), 111

Index 211