MicroPython 4x4 keypad on a Pico, GP13 to GP6
MicroPython on a Raspberry Pi Pico: a 4x4 keypad with its rows on GP13 to GP10 and columns on GP9 to GP6 prints each key as it is pressed. The whole build, a Raspberry Pi Pico and 1 more part, runs here in your browser on the firmware below; open it in the editor to change the wiring or the code and run it again.
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Intermediate About 15 minutes to build and run. Runs in your browser. Free, and no account needed.
The parts retail for about $5.50. On Mokxi they're free.
What you'll learn
- How a matrix keypad scans rows and columns
- Pull-down resistors on input pins
- MicroPython
Pinsetup - Splitting code into a module and a main file
- Reporting a key once per press
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Time: About 15 minutes
- Board: Raspberry Pi Pico
- Parts: 2
How it works
A 4x4 keypad has 16 keys in a grid of 4 rows and 4 columns, so it uses 8 pins. The rows are on GP13 to GP10 and the columns on GP9 to GP6.
In keypad.py, the Pico drives one row high at a time. The columns are pulled down. When a key is pressed, it joins its row to its column, so that column reads high. The row and column together pick the character.
main.py scans every 20 ms and prints each key once per press, for example key 7. Holding the key down prints nothing more.
Parts list
2 parts, plus the jumper wires. They retail for about $5.50; on Mokxi they're free.
- 1 × Raspberry Pi PicoIn Fight Stick Kit.
- 1 × Keypad, 4x4In Vending Machine Kit, Escape Box Kit.
Kits that can build it
This starter kit has every part in the circuit. Each kit's page lists what else it can build.
Wiring table
Every connection, pin by pin, read from the circuit itself. Each row joins the pin on the left to the pin on the right, by a jumper wire or a breadboard strip.
| Part and pin | Connects to |
|---|---|
| Keypad, 4x4 pin C4 | Raspberry Pi Pico pin GP6 |
| Keypad, 4x4 pin C3 | Raspberry Pi Pico pin GP7 |
| Keypad, 4x4 pin C2 | Raspberry Pi Pico pin GP8 |
| Keypad, 4x4 pin C1 | Raspberry Pi Pico pin GP9 |
| Keypad, 4x4 pin R4 | Raspberry Pi Pico pin GP10 |
| Keypad, 4x4 pin R3 | Raspberry Pi Pico pin GP11 |
| Keypad, 4x4 pin R2 | Raspberry Pi Pico pin GP12 |
| Keypad, 4x4 pin R1 | Raspberry Pi Pico pin GP13 |
The code
The MicroPython code exactly as the editor opens it. Change a line there and press Run: the board runs it on the official MicroPython firmware, with nothing to compile.
# A 4x4 keypad: rows on GP13 to GP10, columns on GP9 to GP6. keypad.py,
# in the next tab, scans it; each key is printed once per press.
import time
from keypad import Keypad
keys = Keypad(rows=(13, 12, 11, 10), cols=(9, 8, 7, 6))
print("Press a key")
while True:
key = keys.scan()
if key:
print("key", key)
time.sleep_ms(20)
# keypad.py: a 4x4 matrix keypad.
# Each row is driven high in turn; a held key joins its row to its column,
# so that column reads high. The columns are pulled down when nothing is held.
from machine import Pin
import time
KEYS = ("123A", "456B", "789C", "*0#D")
class Keypad:
def __init__(self, rows, cols):
self.rows = [Pin(n, Pin.OUT, value=0) for n in rows]
self.cols = [Pin(n, Pin.IN, Pin.PULL_DOWN) for n in cols]
self.last = None
def held(self):
for r, row in enumerate(self.rows):
row.value(1)
time.sleep_us(50)
for c, col in enumerate(self.cols):
if col.value():
row.value(0)
return KEYS[r][c]
row.value(0)
return None
def scan(self):
"""The key just pressed, once per press, or None."""
key = self.held()
pressed = key if key != self.last else None
self.last = key
return pressed
Troubleshooting
The usual mistakes with this circuit, and the fix for each.
- The wrong character prints This project
Check the row and column order in theKeypadcall: rows 13, 12, 11, 10 and columns 9, 8, 7, 6 must match the R1 to R4 and C1 to C4 pins. - Nothing prints when you press a key This project
Wait for "Press a key" in the console first. Also check thatkeypad.pyis present in its own tab. - Pressing one key reports several keys, or the wrong key. Keypad
Match the keymap and the row and column pin order to your keypad's pinout. Without diodes, pressing three keys at once can ghost a fourth. - No keys are detected. Keypad
Rows need pull-ups, or use INPUT_PULLUP, while one column is driven low at a time. The Keypad library does this for you if you pass the pins in the right order. - The Pico does not show up as a drive, or the program will not load. Raspberry Pi Pico
Hold the BOOTSEL button while you plug in USB. A drive named RPI-RP2 appears. Then copy the UF2 file onto it. - A 5 V signal or sensor is wired to a GPIO pin. Raspberry Pi Pico
Pico GPIO pins are 3.3 V only and are not 5 V tolerant. Use a level shifter or a voltage divider for any 5 V output going into the board.
Change it and keep it
Open it in the editor, change the circuit or the code, and keep your version in a free account.