BrickPi

A board that connects a RPi to LEGO Mindstorms motors & sensors allowing you to control LEGO robots via the RPi.

Ports Overview

Port	Type	Use	Notes
Port A	Motor Port	Connect EV3/NXT motors	Speed + direction control
Port B	Motor Port	Connect EV3/NXT motors	Speed + direction control
Port C	Motor Port	Connect EV3/NXT motors	Speed + direction control
Port D	Motor Port	Connect EV3/NXT motors	Speed + direction control
Port 1	Sensor Port	EV3/NXT analog/digital sensors	Configurable
Port 2	Sensor Port	EV3/NXT analog/digital sensors	Configurable
Port 3	Sensor Port	EV3/NXT analog/digital sensors	Configurable
Port 4	Sensor Port	EV3/NXT analog/digital sensors	Configurable
Power Inp (9–12V DC)	Barrel jack / screw terminal	External battery pack \ DC adapter	Supplies power to motors + RPi
Power Switch	Slide switch	Turn BrickPi board ON/OFF	Main power to RPi + Motors
UART Port	4-Pin Header on BrickPi Board	Serial TX/RX + Power + GND	Configurable

BrickPi3 GPIO

Pins	GPIO	Name	Function
1	GPIO 1	MOTOR A +	Motor Port A Positive Connection
2	GPIO 2	MOTOR A -	Motor Port A Negative Connection
3	GPIO 3	MOTOR B +	Motor Port B Positive Connection
4	GPIO 4	MOTOR B -	Motor Port B Negative Connection
5	GPIO 5	MOTOR C +	Motor Port C Positive Connection
6	GPIO 6	MOTOR C -	Motor Port C Negative Connection
7	GPIO 7	MOTOR D +	Motor Port D Positive Connection
8	GPIO 8	MOTOR D -	Motor Port D Negative Connection
9	GPIO 9	SENSOR 1 +	Sensor Port 1 Positive
10	GPIO 10	SENSOR 1 -	Sensor Port 1 Ground
11	GPIO 11	SENSOR 1 SIG	Sensor Port 1 Signal (Analog/Digital)
12	GPIO 12	SENSOR 2 +	Sensor Port 2 Positive
13	GPIO 13	SENSOR 2 -	Sensor Port 2 Ground
14	GPIO 14	SENSOR 2 SIG	Sensor Port 2 Signal (Analog/Digital)
15	GPIO 15	SENSOR 3 +	Sensor Port 3 Positive
16	GPIO 16	SENSOR 3 -	Sensor Port 3 Ground
17	GPIO 17	SENSOR 3 SIG	Sensor Port 3 Signal (Analog/Digital)
18	GPIO 18	SENSOR 4 +	Sensor Port 4 Positive
19	GPIO 19	SENSOR 4 -	Sensor Port 4 Ground
20	GPIO 20	SENSOR 4 SIG	Sensor Port 4 Signal (Analog/Digital)
21	GPIO 21	UART 5V	Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter 5 Volt Power
22	GPIO 22	UART TX	Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter Transmit Data
23	GPIO 23	UART RX	Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter Receive Data
24	GPIO 24	UART GND	Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter Ground
25	GPIO 25	BP_GPIO0	General Purpose Inp/Out 0
26	GPIO 26	BP_GPIO1	General Purpose Inp/Out 1
27	GPIO 27	GND	Ground
28	GPIO 28	5V	5 Volt Power Output

Key Points

• Motors draw power from the 9–12 V DC input.
• Sensors get regulated 5 V/3.3 V from BrickPi.
• The Power Switch isolates the battery pack/DC input from the board & RPi.
• UART & SPI pins are available for use.

Installation

sudo raspi-config

• Interface Options -> Enable (I2C & SPI)

sudo reboot

sudo apt install git python3-pip python3-rpi.gpio python3-smbus -y

git clone https://github.com/DexterInd/BrickPi3.git

sudo python3 setup.py install

• Error & Verification