Teach Your Raspberry Pi Pico to Count With a Seven-Segment Display

The low-cost Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller board offers great flexibility for enthusiasts to explore projects to increase their technical knowledge. Learning the basics will provide you with a solid knowledge base to confidently work toward more complex tasks.

Here we’ll explore how you can control each part of a seven-segment display with a Raspberry Pi Pico and some MicroPython code.

Connecting the Hardware

The wiring for this project isn’t complex; however, with a handful of resistors and jumper wires in play. This will require that you stay alert to ensure all pieces are connected to the correct pins. With that in mind, let’s dive into how the components are being connected between your Raspberry Pi Pico and breadboard.

First, run a wire from a GND pin on the Pico and place the other end in any hole along the negative breadboard rail. The remaining connectors will connect to parts of the breadboard around the seven-segment display and resistors.

Jumper wires being routed from GP16, GP17, and GP18 will connect to the right side of the display. And in line with the resistors sitting above the display.

On the left side of the seven-segment display, you’ll need to run the other side of the wires that run from GP15, GP14, GP13, and GP12 to breadboard connections. Again, be sure to connect the wires in line with the correct resistors.

There is a smaller jumper wire that will need to be connected along the negative rail of the breadboard. The other side of this connection will go between two resistors just above the display. Be sure to confirm that your resistor bands are red, red, brown, and gold (for 220 ohms).

Running into issues? Consider testing your resistors (especially if you’ve been accumulating electronics components for some time).

Read More: Teach Your Raspberry Pi Pico to Count With a Seven-Segment Display – MakeUseOf