How do you use the GPIO status registers? (e.g. GPEDS0)

Question

I'm having some trouble trying to figure out how to use the GPIO status registers. These are used to set up monitoring of some event (e.g. GPIO input rising, falling, etc.) and then you read the status register to figure out whether the event has happened yet.

The datasheet suggests I should write a value into GPREN0 to monitor those pins for a rising signal. I have written 3000000 there because I want to monitor GPIO24 and GPIO25.

However if I read back the value of GPREN0, the value I have set does stay there for a few moments, but then it is set back to zero, disabling the triggers. So when I inspect GPEDS0 to find out whether a GPIO event has happened yet, it tells me that no, it hasn't - because it stopped monitoring that GPIO pin.

Why does GPREN0 get set back to zero shortly after I have set it? Am I using it incorrectly? I'm running a barebones Arch install on the Pi with no extra programs running other than the usual basic system ones - certainly I can't see anything running that should interfere with the GPIO settings.

Answer 1

This is how you can do it in python

#!/usr/bin/env python2.7  
# script by Alex Eames http://RasPi.tv  

import RPi.GPIO as GPIO  
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)  

# GPIO 23 & 24 set up as inputs. One pulled up, the other down.  
# 23 will go to GND when button pressed and 24 will go to 3V3 (3.3V)  
# this enables us to demonstrate both rising and falling edge detection  
GPIO.setup(23, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP)  
GPIO.setup(24, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_DOWN)  

# now we'll define the threaded callback function  
# this will run in another thread when our event is detected  
def my_callback(channel):  
    print "Rising edge detected on port 24 - even though, in the main thread,"  
    print "we are still waiting for a falling edge - how cool?\n"  

print "Make sure you have a button connected so that when pressed"  
print "it will connect GPIO port 23 (pin 16) to GND (pin 6)\n"  
print "You will also need a second button connected so that when pressed"  
print "it will connect GPIO port 24 (pin 18) to 3V3 (pin 1)"  
raw_input("Press Enter when ready\n>")  

# The GPIO.add_event_detect() line below set things up so that  
# when a rising edge is detected on port 24, regardless of whatever   
# else is happening in the program, the function "my_callback" will be run  
# It will happen even while the program is waiting for  
# a falling edge on the other button.  
GPIO.add_event_detect(24, GPIO.RISING, callback=my_callback)  

try:  
    print "Waiting for falling edge on port 23"  
    GPIO.wait_for_edge(23, GPIO.FALLING)  
    print "Falling edge detected. Here endeth the second lesson."  

except KeyboardInterrupt:  
    GPIO.cleanup()       # clean up GPIO on CTRL+C exit  
GPIO.cleanup()           # clean up GPIO on normal exit  

And here is a similar example with callbacks:

#!/usr/bin/env python2.7  
# script by Alex Eames http://RasPi.tv  
# http://RasPi.tv/how-to-use-interrupts-with-python-on-the-raspberry-pi-and-rpi-gpio-part-3  
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO  
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)  

# GPIO 23 & 17 set up as inputs, pulled up to avoid false detection.  
# Both ports are wired to connect to GND on button press.  
# So we'll be setting up falling edge detection for both  
GPIO.setup(23, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP)  
GPIO.setup(17, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP)  

# GPIO 24 set up as an input, pulled down, connected to 3V3 on button press  
GPIO.setup(24, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_DOWN)  

# now we'll define two threaded callback functions  
# these will run in another thread when our events are detected  
def my_callback(channel):  
    print "falling edge detected on 17"  

def my_callback2(channel):  
    print "falling edge detected on 23"  

print "Make sure you have a button connected so that when pressed"  
print "it will connect GPIO port 23 (pin 16) to GND (pin 6)\n"  
print "You will also need a second button connected so that when pressed"  
print "it will connect GPIO port 24 (pin 18) to 3V3 (pin 1)\n"  
print "You will also need a third button connected so that when pressed"  
print "it will connect GPIO port 17 (pin 11) to GND (pin 14)"  
raw_input("Press Enter when ready\n>")  

# when a falling edge is detected on port 17, regardless of whatever   
# else is happening in the program, the function my_callback will be run  
GPIO.add_event_detect(17, GPIO.FALLING, callback=my_callback, bouncetime=300)  

# when a falling edge is detected on port 23, regardless of whatever   
# else is happening in the program, the function my_callback2 will be run  
# 'bouncetime=300' includes the bounce control written into interrupts2a.py  
GPIO.add_event_detect(23, GPIO.FALLING, callback=my_callback2, bouncetime=300)  

try:  
    print "Waiting for rising edge on port 24"  
    GPIO.wait_for_edge(24, GPIO.RISING)  
    print "Rising edge detected on port 24. Here endeth the third lesson."  

except KeyboardInterrupt:  
    GPIO.cleanup()       # clean up GPIO on CTRL+C exit  
GPIO.cleanup()           # clean up GPIO on normal exit