Trouble with the Blinkt! HAT with RPi4 devices

Support
1

Hi,

I’ve got four Blinkt! HATs that I bought some years ago and I just stripped those old RPi2 and 3 devices and put the four HATs on my four RPi4. While pysically fitting, the LEDs stay dark.

The Pimoroni website states that the Blinkt! HATs are compatible with all 40 pin layout RPis but some reseller websites do not list the RPi4.

I did some simple tests with the python3-blinkt package and set_pixel(), set_brightness() or get_pixel() all seem to work. But on show() not one LED lights up.

I first thought that maybe the device is broken, but all four?

Any ideas for what to do or what I am missing?

2

Start with the basics:

  • Do other HATs work with this Pi4?
  • Have you got the Blinkt’s oriented the correct way round?

The rounded corners should be towards the edge of the Pi (the word Blinkt between the LEDs should be readable normally if you hold the Pi up vertically so that the GPIO pins are at the top).

3

Hi Darren,

thanks for the questions, let me answer them. I have four of these blinkt! modules and none of them works. Each of my four RPi4 has one connected.

The modules are connected to a pin extension which bends 90 degree and yes, in fact I had them mounted into the wrong direction. The blinkt module was pointing to the outside and the first LED was at the pin 40 position and not at pin 0.

Just installed an older Pi3 and tested the positioning as my Pi4’s are mounted in a passive cooling metal case. And guess what, now the modules work. I managed to mount them all four in the wrong position on that adapters.

Many thanks for the tip.

4

You aren’t the first to make that mistake, and I doubt you’ll be the last.
Especially with a right-angled header causing mental gymnastics ;)

Anyway glad it’s resolved!