IO Pi Plus

The IO Pi Plus is a 32 channel GPIO expander designed for use on the Raspberry Pi. The development board is based around the MCP23017 16-bit I/O expander from Microchip Technology Inc. A pair of MCP23017 expanders are included on the board allowing you to connect up to 32 digital inputs or outputs to the Raspberry Pi.  The IO Pi Plus is powered through the host Raspberry Pi using the GPIO port and extended pins on the GPIO connector allow you to stack the IO Pi Plus along with other expansion boards.

The I2C address bits are selectable using the on-board solder jumpers. The MCP23017 supports up to 8 different I2C addresses so with two MCP23017 devices on each IO Pi you can stack up to 4 IO Pi boards on a single Raspberry Pi giving a maximum of 128 I/O ports.

The IO Pi Plus includes a 5V port that can be isolated from the Raspberry Pi via an isolation solder jumper marked "Link" on the PCB so you can use a separate high current power supply to power the IO Pi reducing the load on the Raspberry Pi. Use of an external supply is recommended if you plan on connecting more than one IO Pi Plus to your Raspberry Pi.  The 5V input is compatible with our 5mm screw terminals.

To use the IO Pi Plus externally from the Raspberry Pi you will need to connect the 3.3V (Pin 1), SDA (Pin 3), SCL (Pin 5) and Ground (Pin 6) pins from the Raspberry Pi GPIO header to the corresponding pins on the IO Pi Plus.  The 5V pin will also need to be connected if you are not using an external 5V power supply.

Features

•  32 GPIO pins
• Control via the Raspberry Pi I2C port
• Open Source Python, MicroPython, Home Assistant, C, C++, Node.js and .Net Core software libraries
• Stack up to 4 IO Pi Plus boards on a single Raspberry Pi
• Solder jumper selectable I2C addresses
• External 5V Input with an isolation solder jumper
• Based on the MCP23017 from Microchip Technologies Inc
• Configurable interrupt output pins - Configurable as active-high, active-low or open-drain
• Polarity Inversion register to configure the polarity of the input port data

If you have any questions on how to use the IO Pi Plus you can browse through our Frequently Asked Questions.

Our Knowledge Base has a series of step-by-step guides that will guide you through setting up and using your IO Pi Plus.

We have a Support Forum where you can post questions and find answers.

The IO Pi Plus is supplied with the 40-pin GPIO connector unsoldered. Before using the IO Pi Plus, you need to solder the connector onto the PCB. The power link and I2C address selection are configured using solder jumpers. For convenience, we supply the IO Pi Plus with the power link jumper and one address selection jumper pre-soldered.

The I/O input pads are spaced 2.54mm apart. You can solder wires directly to the board or use 2.54mm pitch headers. The IO Pi Plus is compatible with 20-pin IDC vertical and right-angle headers allowing you to use ribbon cables to connect your external devices to the board.

To install the IO Pi, press the 40-pin connector down onto the Raspberry Pi GPIO pins with the board sitting over the top of the Raspberry Pi.

When installing more than one IO Pi on a single Raspberry Pi board, you must configure the address select jumpers for each IO Pi.

Remove the isolation jumper when connecting an external power supply to the 5V port.

Watch our assembly guide on YouTube. (opens in a new window)

PCB Header Assembly Jig

Download and print our PCB Header Assembly Jig to hold your circuit board when soldering the header pins.

Microchip MCP23017

This expansion board has Python, MicroPython, C, C++, Node.JS, .Net Core, Arduino and Home Assistant libraries available to get you started with your next project. All of our software libraries are open source and can be download from our GitHub repository or by clicking on the logos below for your selected programming language.