It's easy to use the NeoSlider with CircuitPython using the Adafruit CircuitPython seesaw library. It allows you to write Python code to read the potentiometer values and control the NeoPixel LEDs.
You can use the NeoSlider with any CircuitPython microcontroller board or with a computer that has GPIO and Python thanks to Adafruit_Blinka, our CircuitPython-for-Python compatibility library.
CircuitPython Microcontroller Wiring
First wire up a NeoSlider breakout to your board exactly as follows. The following is the breakout wired to a Feather using the STEMMA connector:
- Board 3V to breakout VIN (red wire)
- Board GND to breakout GND (black wire)
- Board SCL to breakout SCL (yellow wire)
- Board SDA to breakout SDA (blue wire)
The following is the breakout wired to a Feather using a solderless breadboard:
- Board 3V to breakout VIN (red wire)
- Board GND to breakout GND (black wire)
- Board SCL to breakout SCL (yellow wire)
- Board SDA to breakout SDA (blue wire)
Python Computer Wiring
Since there's dozens of Linux computers/boards you can use we will show wiring for Raspberry Pi. For other platforms, please visit the guide for CircuitPython on Linux to see whether your platform is supported.
Here's the Raspberry Pi wired with I2C using the STEMMA connector:
- Pi 3V to breakout VIN (red wire)
- Pi GND to breakout GND (black wire)
- Pi SCL to breakout SCL (yellow wire)
- Pi SDA to breakout SDA (blue wire)
Here's the Raspberry Pi wired with I2C using a solderless breadboard:
- Pi 3V to breakout VIN (red wire)
- Pi GND to breakout GND (black wire)
- Pi SCL to breakout SCL (yellow wire)
- Pi SDA to breakout SDA (blue wire)
Python Installation of seesaw Library
You'll need to install the Adafruit_Blinka library that provides the CircuitPython support in Python. This may also require enabling I2C on your platform and verifying you are running Python 3. Since each platform is a little different, and Linux changes often, please visit the CircuitPython on Linux guide to get your computer ready!
Once that's done, from your command line run the following command:
pip3 install adafruit-circuitpython-seesaw
If your default Python is version 3 you may need to run pip instead. Just make sure you aren't trying to use CircuitPython on Python 2.x, it isn't supported!
CircuitPython & Python Usage
To demonstrate using this breakout with CircuitPython, you'll install the necessary libraries, update your code, and then connect to the serial console to see the information printed out.
To use the NeoSlider breakout with CircuitPython, you need to first install the seesaw library, and its dependencies, into the lib folder on your CIRCUITPY drive.
Then you need to update code.py.
Click the Download Project Bundle button below to download the necessary libraries and the code.py file in a zip file. Extract the contents of the zip file, and copy the entire lib folder and the code.py file to your CIRCUITPY drive.
# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2021 Kattni Rembor for Adafruit Industries
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
"""
NeoSlider NeoPixel Rainbow Demo
"""
import board
from rainbowio import colorwheel
from adafruit_seesaw.seesaw import Seesaw
from adafruit_seesaw.analoginput import AnalogInput
from adafruit_seesaw import neopixel
# NeoSlider Setup
i2c = board.I2C() # uses board.SCL and board.SDA
# i2c = board.STEMMA_I2C() # For using the built-in STEMMA QT connector on a microcontroller
neoslider = Seesaw(i2c, 0x30)
potentiometer = AnalogInput(neoslider, 18)
pixels = neopixel.NeoPixel(neoslider, 14, 4, pixel_order=neopixel.GRB)
def potentiometer_to_color(value):
"""Scale the potentiometer values (0-1023) to the colorwheel values (0-255)."""
return value / 1023 * 255
while True:
print(potentiometer.value)
# Fill the pixels a color based on the position of the potentiometer.
pixels.fill(colorwheel(potentiometer_to_color(potentiometer.value)))
Now, connect to the serial console to see the potentiometer values printed out. Try moving the potentiometer slider to see the values change, and the NeoPixels change color!
That's all there is to using the NeoSlider with CircuitPython to read potentiometer values and control the built-in NeoPixels!
Page last edited January 22, 2025
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