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Step-by-Step Wiring Guide

Complete wiring instructions for connecting all Tinko hardware components.

Before You Start

Safety First

  1. Power off Raspberry Pi before wiring
  2. Double-check connections before powering on
  3. Use proper resistor values to protect components
  4. Keep away from water and conductive surfaces

Tools Needed

  • Breadboard (half-size or full-size)
  • Jumper wires (various colors)
  • Wire strippers (if using custom wires)
  • Multimeter (optional, for testing)
  • Small screwdriver (for some connectors)

Activity Timer Wiring

Components

  • 1x RGB LED (common cathode)
  • 3x 220Ω resistors
  • Optional: 1x buzzer module
  • Jumper wires

Wiring Steps

Step 1: RGB LED Setup

Place the RGB LED on the breadboard. Common cathode LEDs have one longer leg (cathode/negative) and three shorter legs (RGB anodes).

RGB LED (Common Cathode):
      __
   __|  |__
  | |    | |
  | |____| |
  |__    __|
     |__|

   Pins (from left to right):
   [1] Red anode (longer leg)
   [2] Common cathode (longest leg, negative)
   [3] Green anode
   [4] Blue anode

Step 2: Connect Cathode to Ground

  1. Identify the longest leg (cathode/negative)
  2. Connect it to Raspberry Pi ground:
  3. Breadboard rail → Jumper wire → Physical Pin 6 (GND)

Step 3: Connect Color Channels

Connect each color through a 220Ω resistor to GPIO pins:

Color LED Pin Resistor GPIO Pin Physical Pin
Red Pin 1 220Ω GPIO 17 Pin 11
Green Pin 3 220Ω GPIO 27 Pin 13
Blue Pin 4 220Ω GPIO 22 Pin 15

Step 4: Optional Buzzer

If using a buzzer: - Buzzer VCC → GPIO 24 (Pin 18) - Buzzer GND → Ground rail

Testing

  1. Power on Raspberry Pi
  2. Run Tinko
  3. Start Activity Timer
  4. LED should light up based on timer state

Noise Monitor Wiring

Components

  • 2x RGB LEDs (common cathode)
  • 6x 220Ω resistors
  • USB microphone
  • Jumper wires

Wiring Steps

LED 1 (Instant Noise - 10-second average):

Same as Activity Timer RGB LED wiring, but using different pins:

Color LED Pin Resistor GPIO Pin Physical Pin
Red Pin 1 220Ω GPIO 5 Pin 29
Green Pin 3 220Ω GPIO 6 Pin 31
Blue Pin 4 220Ω GPIO 13 Pin 33

LED 2 (Session Average - 5-10 minute average):

Color LED Pin Resistor GPIO Pin Physical Pin
Red Pin 1 220Ω GPIO 19 Pin 35
Green Pin 3 220Ω GPIO 26 Pin 37
Blue Pin 4 220Ω GPIO 16 Pin 36

USB Microphone:

Simply plug the USB microphone into any available USB port on the Raspberry Pi.

Testing

  1. Connect microphone to USB port
  2. Power on Raspberry Pi
  3. Run Tinko and start Noise Monitor
  4. Make noise - LEDs should change color

Touch Piano Wiring

Components

  • 6x touch inputs (can use TTP223 modules or bare wire)
  • 6x 10kΩ pull-up resistors (if using bare wire)
  • Conductive materials (bananas, foil, etc.)
  • Jumper wires

TTP223 Module Pinout:

    ┌──────────┐
    │  VCC  ●  │  → Connect to 3.3V (Pin 1)
    │  GND  ●  │  → Connect to GND (Pin 6)
    │  I/O  ●  │  → Connect to GPIO pin
    └──────────┘

Wiring 6 TTP223 Modules:

Key GPIO Pin Physical Pin TTP223 I/O
Key 1 (C) GPIO 23 Pin 16 Module 1
Key 2 (D) GPIO 24 Pin 18 Module 2
Key 3 (E) GPIO 10 Pin 19 Module 3
Key 4 (F) GPIO 9 Pin 21 Module 4
Key 5 (G) GPIO 25 Pin 22 Module 5
Key 6 (A) GPIO 11 Pin 23 Module 6

Common Connections: - All TTP223 VCC → 3.3V (Pin 1) - All TTP223 GND → Ground rail → Pin 6

Attach Conductive Materials: - Connect wire from each TTP223 I/O pad to conductive material - Banana, foil, copper tape, etc.

Option 2: Using Bare Wire with Pull-up Resistors

Circuit for Each Key:

3.3V (Pin 1) ──┬──[10kΩ]──┬── GPIO Pin
               │          │
               │          └── Touch wire to conductive material
               │
               └───[220Ω]──┬── Common Ground (if needed)

Wiring 6 Keys:

Key GPIO Physical Pull-up Resistor Touch Wire
Key 1 23 16 10kΩ to 3.3V To banana
Key 2 24 18 10kΩ to 3.3V To banana
Key 3 10 19 10kΩ to 3.3V To banana
Key 4 9 21 10kΩ to 3.3V To banana
Key 5 25 22 10kΩ to 3.3V To banana
Key 6 11 23 10kΩ to 3.3V To banana

Common Ground: - All pull-up resistor other ends → Common ground - Common ground → Physical Pin 6

Testing

  1. Connect speaker to 3.5mm jack
  2. Run Tinko and open Touch Piano
  3. Touch conductive materials
  4. Each should play a different note

Complete System Wiring

Breadboard Layout Suggestion

Left Side - Power Rails: - Blue rail: Ground (GND) - Red rail: 3.3V

Component Placement:

Breadboard Layout (top view):

[Power Rails]
Red (3.3V) ────────────────────────────────────
Blue (GND) ─────────────────────────────────────

[Section 1: Activity Timer LED]
         R1    R2    R3
         ├─────┼─────┤
    LED1 [R]   [G]   [B]
         │     │     │
         17    27    22

[Section 2: Noise Monitor LED 1]
         R4    R5    R6
         ├─────┼─────┤
    LED2 [R]   [G]   [B]
         │     │     │
         5     6     13

[Section 3: Noise Monitor LED 2]
         R7    R8    R9
         ├─────┼─────┤
    LED3 [R]   [G]   [B]
         │     │     │
         19    26    16

[Section 4: Touch Piano Inputs]
    TTP1  TTP2  TTP3  TTP4  TTP5  TTP6
    (23)  (24)  (10)  (9)   (25)  (11)

Wire Color Coding

Use consistent colors for easier troubleshooting:

  • Red: Power (3.3V or 5V)
  • Black: Ground
  • Yellow: GPIO signals
  • White: Touch inputs
  • Blue, Green, Orange: LED connections

Wiring Checklist

Activity Timer

  • [ ] RGB LED cathode connected to GND
  • [ ] Red channel → 220Ω → GPIO 17
  • [ ] Green channel → 220Ω → GPIO 27
  • [ ] Blue channel → 220Ω → GPIO 22
  • [ ] Optional: Buzzer → GPIO 24

Noise Monitor

  • [ ] LED 1 cathode connected to GND
  • [ ] LED 1 Red → 220Ω → GPIO 5
  • [ ] LED 1 Green → 220Ω → GPIO 6
  • [ ] LED 1 Blue → 220Ω → GPIO 13
  • [ ] LED 2 cathode connected to GND
  • [ ] LED 2 Red → 220Ω → GPIO 19
  • [ ] LED 2 Green → 220Ω → GPIO 26
  • [ ] LED 2 Blue → 220Ω → GPIO 16
  • [ ] USB microphone plugged in

Touch Piano

  • [ ] 6 touch sensors or pull-up circuits wired
  • [ ] All VCC connections to 3.3V
  • [ ] All GND connections to ground
  • [ ] Each I/O connected to correct GPIO
  • [ ] Conductive materials attached
  • [ ] Speaker connected to 3.5mm jack

Troubleshooting

LED Not Lighting

  1. Check cathode/anode orientation
  2. Verify resistor connections
  3. Test with known-good LED
  4. Check GPIO pin number (BCM vs Physical)

Touch Not Registering

  1. Check TTP223 module power
  2. Verify conductive material connection
  3. Test with multimeter for continuity
  4. Check GPIO pin numbers

No Sound

  1. Verify speaker connection
  2. Check system volume
  3. Test with: speaker-test -t wav
  4. Check audio device settings

Intermittent Connections

  1. Check breadboard contacts
  2. Verify wire seating
  3. Look for loose jumper wires
  4. Replace worn components

Next Steps