Access Raspberry Pi GPIO with ARM64 assembly
The Three Rs
© Lead Image © drizzd, 123RF.com
Reading, writing, and arithmetic with the Raspberry Pi in ARM64 assembly language.
In this article, I explore the Raspberry Pi's general purpose input/output (GPIO) system and look at how to use it to perform some basic input and output tasks with four separate programs that run simultaneously and communicate with each other. Table 1 lists the various programs discussed in this article [1].
Recon
The first program, gpiocount.asm, counts up or down in various number systems: binary, octal, decimal, and hexadecimal – or really, any number system up to base 16. The count mode is changed with a switch that causes an interrupt to a loadable kernel module. That's the arithmetic portion of the project.
The gpiocount program writes its values to 4 bytes of memory that is shared with gpiomux.asm, which runs in the background, reads the 4 bytes written by gpiocount, and writes the bytes into a four-digit, seven-segment display. All segment lines of the four displays are wired together inside the chip so that, to see the separate digits, you must turn on the four displays one at a time, faster than the eye can detect. That takes care of the reading, writing, and arithmetic.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
MX Linux 25.1 Features Dual Init System ISO
The latest release of MX Linux caters to lovers of two different init systems and even offers instructions on how to transition.
-
Photoshop on Linux?
A developer has patched Wine so that it'll run specific versions of Photoshop that depend on Adobe Creative Cloud.
-
Linux Mint 22.3 Now Available with New Tools
Linux Mint 22.3 has been released with a pair of new tools for system admins and some pretty cool new features.
-
New Linux Malware Targets Cloud-Based Linux Installations
VoidLink, a new Linux malware, should be of real concern because of its stealth and customization.
-
Say Goodbye to Middle-Mouse Paste
Both Gnome and Firefox have proposed getting rid of a long-time favorite Linux feature.
-
Manjaro 26.0 Primary Desktop Environments Default to Wayland
If you want to stick with X.Org, you'll be limited to the desktop environments you can choose.
-
Mozilla Plans to AI-ify Firefox
With a new CEO in control, Mozilla is doubling down on a strategy of trust, all the while leaning into AI.
-
Gnome Says No to AI-Generated Extensions
If you're a developer wanting to create a new Gnome extension, you'd best set aside that AI code generator, because the extension team will have none of that.
-
Parrot OS Switches to KDE Plasma Desktop
Yet another distro is making the move to the KDE Plasma desktop.
-
TUXEDO Announces Gemini 17
TUXEDO Computers has released the fourth generation of its Gemini laptop with plenty of updates.

