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Built-in project · Raspberry Pi 5

HC-SR04 distance sensor with gpiozero on a Raspberry Pi 5

gpiozero DistanceSensor on a Raspberry Pi 5: an HC-SR04 with its echo divided down to 3.3 V, the distance in the Serial Monitor and an LED inside 20 cm. The whole build, a Raspberry Pi 5 and 5 more parts, runs here in your browser on the Python below; open it in the editor to change the wiring or the code and run it again.

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The parts retail for about $66. On Mokxi they're free.

HC-SR04 distance sensor with gpiozero · Raspberry Pi 5live0.000 s 0.00x
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The circuit itself, running here on the simulator. Press what can be pressed; click anything else to open it in the editor.

The code

The Python exactly as the editor opens it. Change a line there and press Run: the board runs main.py in a Python engine in the page, with gpiozero and RPi.GPIO, and nothing to compile.

main.py · Raspberry Pi 5
# An HC-SR04 with gpiozero on a Raspberry Pi 5.
# TRIG on GPIO23 (pin 16). ECHO is a 5 V signal, so it reaches GPIO24 (pin 18)
# through a 1 k and 2 k divider: 5 V x 2/3 is 3.3 V, all a Pi's pin can take.
from gpiozero import DistanceSensor, LED
from time import sleep

sensor = DistanceSensor(echo=24, trigger=23, max_distance=2, threshold_distance=0.2)
led = LED(17)

sensor.when_in_range = led.on       # closer than 20 cm: the LED lights
sensor.when_out_of_range = led.off

while True:
    print(f"{sensor.distance * 100:.1f} cm")
    sleep(0.5)

Parts list

7 parts, plus the jumper wires. They retail for about $66; on Mokxi they're free.

How it is wired

9 connections, pin by pin, read from the circuit itself. Each line is one set of pins joined together, by a jumper wire or a breadboard strip.

  • Raspberry Pi 5 pin 5V; Ultrasonic ranger pin VCC
  • Ground: Raspberry Pi 5 pin GND; Ultrasonic ranger pin GND
  • Raspberry Pi 5 pin GPIO17; Resistor, 330 Ω pin 1
  • Ground: Raspberry Pi 5 pin GND; Resistor, 2k Ω pin 2
  • Raspberry Pi 5 pin GPIO23; Ultrasonic ranger pin TRIG
  • Raspberry Pi 5 pin GPIO24; Resistor, 1k Ω pin 2; Resistor, 2k Ω pin 1
  • Ground: Raspberry Pi 5 pin GND; LED, red pin C
  • Ultrasonic ranger pin ECHO; Resistor, 1k Ω pin 1
  • Resistor, 330 Ω pin 2; LED, red pin A

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