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How to Control GPIO pins with your Raspberry Pi 

By on May 8, 2017
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Thanks to PHP and a temperature sensor, we’ll see how to operate relays and control GPIO pins with a Raspberry Pi.

Using AJAX and installing Apache web server on the Pi, this maker is able to control his Christmas lights using any mobile phone, tablet or laptop.

All you need is:

Hardware requirements

  • Raspberry Pi
  • SD Card with Raspbian installed (any SD card would work, but I prefer to use a 32GB class 10 card)
  • Power adapter
  • Jumper wires (female to female and male to female)
  • Relay board (I use a 12V relay board with for relays)
  • DS18B20 temperature probe
  • Wi-Fi adapter for Raspberry Pi
  • Router (for Internet access, you need to have a port-forwarding supported router)
  • 10K-ohm resistor

Software requirements

  • Download and install Raspbian on your SD Card
  • Working Internet connection
  • Apache web server
  • PHP
  • WiringPi
  • SSH client on a Mac or Windows client

After the initial board’s configuration and Apache installing phase, you can get on with PHP installation.

Next step is connecting the DS18B20 temperature sensor to Raspberry Pi. Just keep in mind to activate the kernel module for the GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi and the DS18B20. Enable these modules on every boot.

Caution! Be very careful with the relay connections with Pi because if it causes a backflow of current, you have a short circuit.

Check out the opensource.com related page for full project steps.

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About Luca Ruggeri

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