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Raspberry Pi 5 GPIO Setup for Desk Lifter Control

This document describes the setup required to run the desk lifter control scripts on a Raspberry Pi 5 running Debian Trixie.

Hardware Requirements

  • Raspberry Pi 5 (with BCM2712 SoC)
  • GPIO pins connected to the desk lifter motor controller:
    • UP_PIN: GPIO 18 (physical pin 12)
    • DOWN_PIN: GPIO 17 (physical pin 11)
  • Power supply: 5V USB-C (at least 3A, preferably 5A for high-power peripherals)

Software Requirements

  • Debian Trixie (13.x)
  • Python 3.11 or later
  • Virtual environment (venv)

GPIO Library Compatibility

The standard RPi.GPIO library does not support Raspberry Pi 5 due to changes in the BCM2712 SoC. Instead, use rpi-lgpio, a drop-in replacement that provides the same API but uses the lgpio library for GPIO access.

Installation Steps

  1. Clone the repository (if not already done):

    git clone https://github.com/AccelerationConsortium/progressive-automations-python.git
cd progressive-automations-python

  2. Create and activate a virtual environment:

    python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

  3. Install dependencies:

    pip install -r requirements.txt

  4. Remove incompatible RPi.GPIO package (if installed):

    sudo apt remove -y python3-rpi.gpio

  5. Ensure user is in the gpio group (for GPIO access without sudo):

    sudo usermod -a -G gpio $USER

    Reboot after adding the user to the group.

Running the Scripts

Activate the virtual environment and run the scripts from the scripts/ directory:

source venv/bin/activate
cd scripts
python move_to_height_no_reset.py

Available scripts:

  • move_to_height_no_reset.py: Move the desk to a target height
  • move_to_height.py: Alternative height control script
  • desk_control_prefect.py: Prefect-based workflow orchestration
  • test_up.py: Test upward movement
  • test_down.py: Test downward movement
  • reset_to_lowest.py: Reset to lowest position

Calibration

The scripts use calibration data:

  • Lowest height: 23.7 inches
  • Highest height: 54.5 inches
  • Up rate: 0.54 inches/second
  • Down rate: 0.55 inches/second

Adjust these values in the script if your setup differs.

State is saved in lifter_state.json in the scripts directory.

Troubleshooting

RuntimeError: Cannot determine SOC peripheral base address

This error occurs when using the old RPi.GPIO library on Raspberry Pi 5. Ensure you have installed rpi-lgpio and removed python3-rpi.gpio.

Permission denied on GPIO access

  • Ensure your user is in the gpio group: groups $USER should include gpio.
  • If not, run sudo usermod -a -G gpio $USER and reboot.

Script runs but motor doesn't move

  • Check GPIO pin connections.
  • Verify the motor controller is powered and connected correctly.
  • Test with test_up.py and test_down.py to isolate issues.

Virtual environment issues

  • Always activate the venv before running scripts: source venv/bin/activate
  • If pip installs fail with "externally-managed-environment", you're trying to install system-wide. Use the venv.

Notes

  • The scripts use BCM pin numbering.
  • GPIO access requires root permissions or membership in the gpio group.
  • On Raspberry Pi 5, USB peripherals may be limited to 600mA if using a 3A power supply. Use a 5A supply for high-power devices.
  • This setup is tested on Debian Trixie with Raspberry Pi 5.