Hello Forum,
I am a 66 year old retired Mechanial Engineer (inventor) from Utah building my very first electro-mechanical device and learning coding for the first time. I have always wanted to integrate a micro-controller into a useful new device. I decided to build a large pellet smoker from scratch this summer using the brand new Raspberry Pi Pico and MicroPython. I think the project can be completed in the range of $350 instead of $1200-$1300 for a new Traeger.
I have a Raspberry Pi 4 to program the Pico and I bought the book "Getting Started with MicroPython on Raspberry Pi Pico". I have watched hours of Bill's workshop videos which I find very informative and exactly at the level of detail I need as a beginner. Thanks Bill. I have 50% of the program written and functioning and I need help with integrating the 4x3 matrix keypad as an input device and the 16×2 LED display as an output to display the cooking temperatures and messages.
I have watched Bill's Workshop "Using Keypads with Arduino" and I was wishing for help with doing exactly the same thing with a Raspberry Pi Pico. The Arduino Uno used in Bill's Workshop has different pinouts than the Pico and I am not sure if the MicroPython programming is the same as he used in the Arduino Workshop.
As background, my project has 4 very simple inputs which control 3 very simple outputs. The inputs are 3 ADC Temps from 3 probes: Cook_temp - a type K thermocouple in the cabinet, and Meat_probe1 and Meat_probe2. The fourth input is from the 4x3 matrix keypad so the user can input the desired cooking temp and meat finishing temps.
The outputs are to 3 relays that control 120v loads for the auger motor, igniter, and convection fan. All the 120V loads are less than 2 amps each.
I have all the hardware and software working except for the 4x3 matrix keypad input and 16x2 LCD output. I am currently using the Raspberry Pi 4 keyboard and screen for the temperature inputs and display outputs in the shell.
Can someone help me with integrating these 2 pieces of hardware into the Raspberry Pi Pico?
1) Adafruit P1115 blue and white 16x2 kit for Pi
2) Adafruit Membrane 3x4 matrix Keypad
Thanks for any help you can give.
Ignatz
I see that Pimoroni just received inventory today on the 16 pad RGB keypad that the Pico chip plugs directly into. This would resolve the keyboard input issue albeit at a higher cost. I would still like a solution for the 4x3 membrane keypad.