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SPI Configuration

Follow the steps below to enable and verify the SPI interface on your Raspberry Pi. These instructions apply to Raspberry Pi 5, 4, 3, and Zero 2W.

Enable the SPI Interface

  1. Open a terminal on your computer (Windows: PowerShell; macOS/Linux: Terminal) and connect to your Raspberry Pi:

    ssh <username>@<hostname>.local

    or:

    ssh <username>@<ip_address>

  2. Open the Raspberry Pi configuration tool:

    sudo raspi-config

  3. Select Interfacing Options and press Enter.

    ../../_images/ssh_interface.png

  4. Select SPI.

    ../../_images/ssh_spi_spi.png

  5. Choose <Yes>, then <Ok> → <Finish> to apply the changes. If prompted, reboot your Raspberry Pi.

    ../../_images/ssh_spi_enable.png

Verify SPI Interface

  1. Check whether the SPI device nodes exist:

    ls /dev/sp*

  2. If the SPI interface is enabled, the output will include:

    /dev/spidev0.0
/dev/spidev0.1

    • If these devices appear, SPI is active and ready to use.

    • If not, reboot your Raspberry Pi and check again.

Install spidev (Python SPI Library)

  1. Install the spidev package to use SPI in Python:

    sudo apt install python3-spidev

    The spidev library provides access to SPI devices through the /dev/spidevX.Y interface.

Your Raspberry Pi is now configured to communicate with SPI devices using both command-line tools and Python.