Using a keypad with Raspberry Pi

I got two keypads from Jameco.com that I wanted to use with my Raspberry Pi.  Turns out it's quite easy, as long as you know what the pinout structure is for the keypad.

This instructable will take you through the steps I had to go through to discover the pinout on my keypads, and how I hooked it up to my Raspberry Pi.  I'll include the code I'm currently using to "drive" my keypad, and then offer some "next step" type insights into what can be done better, and what could be done next.

Finally, this instructable will really be a sub-instructable that will be part of something I'm calling Voiceberry Pi.

Step 1: Taking a look at what you've got

Because my keypad didn't come with a datasheet of any kind, my first step was to make a visual inspection of the keypads.

So, I took a look at the back, saw that there were 10 wires, and three "jumpers" on the outside, but no other indication of how things were wired on the inside.  So, I took out the five screws, and looked at the actual circuit board to trace the leads.

Comments

[jcksparr0w]

For idea #1, how about a lock of some type?
#2, Maybe some computer shortcuts.
#3, I bet you could control something like your house's lighting and electrical outlets somehow.
The possibilities are endless. The sky's the limit and all those metaphors.

[WhiteTigerTails]

Could you imagine using a RasPi to unlock your house!?

[amandaghassaei]

great ideas!

[chefwear]

You have some really great instructables!

[mrmath]

Thank you so much! I'm blushing!

[dubstepmaker]

good job :)

[mrmath]

Thank you!

[sail4sea]

I am thinking maybe using a keypad to set the ip address of the pi. Sounds useful for a headless system.

[mettaurlover]

The thing to remember about keypads is that the vast majority share the same pinout, for simplicity; you appear to have one of the very few exceptions, since it has more than seven pins.