SENSORS/ACTUATORS

Raspberry Pi Pico - Control Fan

This tutorial instructs you how to manage a 12V or 5V fan with a Raspberry Pi Pico. We will cover:

How to connect a 12V/5V fan to a Raspberry Pi Pico
How to code the Raspberry Pi Pico to switch the fan on and off.

Hardware Preparation

1	×	Raspberry Pi Pico W
1	×	Raspberry Pi Pico (Alternatively)
1	×	Micro USB Cable
1	×	Relay
1	×	12V DC Cooling Fan
1	×	(Alternative) 5V DC Cooling Fan
1	×	12V Power Adapter
1	×	DC Power Jack
1	×	Jumper Wires
1	×	Breadboard
1	×	(Optional) Screw Terminal Expansion Board for Raspberry Pi Pico

Or you can buy the following sensor kits:

1	×	DIYables Sensor Kit (30 sensors/displays)
1	×	DIYables Sensor Kit (18 sensors/displays)

Disclosure: Some of the links provided in this section are Amazon affiliate links. We may receive a commission for any purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.
Additionally, some of these links are for products from our own brand, DIYables.

Overview of DC Fan

Pinout

A DC fan usually comes with two pins.

Connect the black pin, labeled as negative (-), to the negative wire of the DC power supply.
Connect the red pinned labeled as positive (+), to the positive wire of the DC power supply.

image source: diyables.io

Make sure that the voltage of the DC power supply is the same as the voltage needed by the fan. In this guide, we use fans that require 12VDC and 5VDC.

How to Control Fan

When a DC fan uses a 12V/5V power supply, it operates at maximum speed.
When a DC fan uses a 12V/5V PWM signal, you can adjust the speed of the fan.

In this guide, we will teach you how to turn a fan on and off using a Raspberry Pi Pico. We will show you how to control the fan speed in another guide. To control the fan, we connect a relay between the Raspberry Pi Pico and the fan. The Raspberry Pi Pico uses the relay to operate the fan. If you're new to relay or MicroPython programming for the Raspberry Pi Pico, I recommend checking out the below tutorial:

Raspberry Pi Pico - Relay tutorial.

Wiring Diagram

This image is created using Fritzing. Click to enlarge image

Raspberry Pi Pico Code

This code turns the fan ON for five seconds and then turns it OFF for another five seconds.

""" This Raspberry Pi Pico MicroPython code was developed by newbiely.com This Raspberry Pi Pico code is made available for public use without any restriction For comprehensive instructions and wiring diagrams, please visit: https://newbiely.com/tutorials/raspberry-pico/raspberry-pi-pico-controls-fan """ from machine import Pin import time RELAY_PIN = 1 # The Raspberry Pi Pico pin GP1 connected to the fan via relay pin # Initialize the relay pin as an output relay = Pin(RELAY_PIN, Pin.OUT) # Infinite loop while True: relay.value(1) # Turn on fan for 5 seconds time.sleep(5) relay.value(0) # Turn off fan for 5 seconds time.sleep(5)

Detailed Instructions

Please follow these instructions step by step:

Ensure that Thonny IDE is installed on your computer.
Ensure that MicroPython firmware is installed on your Raspberry Pi Pico.
If this is your first time using a Raspberry Pico, refer to the Raspberry Pi Pico - Getting Started tutorial for detailed instructions.
Connect the Raspberry Pi Pico to the fan according to the provided diagram.
Connect the Raspberry Pi Pico to your computer using a USB cable.
Launch the Thonny IDE on your computer.
On Thonny IDE, select MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico) Interpreter by navigating to Tools Options.
In the Interpreter tab, select MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico) from the drop-down menu.
Ensure the correct port is selected. Thonny IDE should automatically detect the port, but you may need to select it manually (e.g., COM3 on Windows or /dev/ttyACM0 on Linux).
Copy the above code and paste it to the Thonny IDE's editor.
Save the script to your Raspberry Pi Pico by:

Click the Save button, or use Ctrl+S keys.
In the save dialog, you will see two sections: This computer and Raspberry Pi Pico. Select Raspberry Pi Pico
Save the file as main.py

Click the green Run button (or press F5) to run the script. The script will execute.
Check how the fan is working.

If you name your script main.py and save it to the root directory of the Raspberry Pi Pico, it will automatically run each time the Pico is powered on or reset. This is useful for standalone applications that need to start running immediately upon power-up. If you name your script another name other than main.py, you will need to manually run it from Thonnys's Shell.

Code Explanation

The comments in the Raspberry Pi Pico code above explain the details.

Video Tutorial

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