This repository is all based on the incredible work by Martin O'Hanlon for controlling the Pico RGB Keypad for the Raspberry Pi Pico
The instructions and software in this repository will guide you through setting up your Pico RGB Keypad to be used as a stream deck device for OBS Studio.
If you've not setup your Raspberry Pi Pico I recommend following the getting started guide over on https://learn.pirimon.com to get familiar with the process.
The guide will talk you through installing the Pimoroni MicroPython Firmware (time of writing pimoroni-pico-micropython.uf2 .uf2 version 0.0.8 Alpha) and how to write Python code and get it deployed onto your Pico with Thonny a lite Python IDE for beginners.
The above links described the process of installing the MicroPython Firmware however for our example we're going to install the CircuitPython Firmware which will replace the currently installed Pimoroni MicroPython Firmware.
- Download the latest firmware, at the time of writing this file is
adafruit-circuitpython-raspberry_pi_pico-en_US-6.2.0-beta.2.uf2 - Boot your Raspberry Pico into bootloader mode by holding down the "BOOTSEL" button whilst plugging in the USB cable.
- The Pico will boot and display in file explorer on your PC/Laptop.
- Copy the downloaded
adafruit-circuitpython-raspberry_pi_pico-en_US-6.2.0-beta.2.uf2file across to the explorer window. After a few seconds your Pico will reboot and you'll be running CircuitPython.
With the CircuitPython Firmware installed we are going to install Adafruit CircuitPython package. This package includes various modules for interacting with the Pico device and add-on boards, particularly the Pico RGB Keypad.
The Adafruit CircuitPython package is required to get our example up and running so head on over to the Adafruit CircuitPython GitHub page and checkout their latest releases. We're looking to download the py bundle which, at the time of writing is labelled adafruit-circuitpython-bundle-py-20210225.zip
Please note the date stamp used in the filename may differ depending on when you are reading this article. It
willshould be fine to download the latest bundle so long as you download thepybundle.
Download the powerful Pico RGB Keypad module by Martin O'Hanlon.
Now we are going to combine the required files from the Adafruit CircuitPython bundle and Martin O'Hanlon Pico RGB Keypad module.
Create a directory on your local machine called "OBS Interface". This will store the files we will copy to our Pico device.
Inside the "OBS Interface" directory create another directory called "lib".
Open the Adafruit CircuitPython archive bundle adafruit-circuitpython-bundle-py-20210225.zip and extract the directory "adafruit_hid" into the "lib" directory so we end up with OBS Interface\lib\adafruit_hid\
Now copy Martin O'Hanlon rgbkeypad.py module into the "lib" directory so we end up with OBS Interface\lib\rgbkeypad.py
Our "lib" directory structure should look like this:
From this repository save the main.py file into the "OBS Interface" root directory so we end up with OBS Interface\main.py
Our "OBS Interface" root directory structure should look like this:
Now to get these files copied over to the Pico.
Now Copy the lib directory and main.py file to the Pico so we have the following structure:
If you wish you can use Thonny to push your code in main.py to the Pico 🙂
The keyboard mapping used to control OBS Studio is is found within the main.py file. When the button on the Pico RGB Keypad are pressed the corresponding key combination is sent to your PC/Laptop:
| Pico Button | Key Combination |
|---|---|
| 0 | Left Ctrl + KeyPad 1 |
| 1 | Left Ctrl + KeyPad 2 |
| 2 | Left Ctrl + KeyPad 3 |
| 3 | Left Ctrl + KeyPad 4 |
| 4 | Left Ctrl + KeyPad 5 |
| 5 | Left Ctrl + KeyPad 6 |
| 6 | Left Ctrl + KeyPad 7 |
| 7 | Left Ctrl + KeyPad 8 |
| 8 | Left Ctrl + KeyPad 9 |
| 9 | Left Ctrl + KeyPad 0 |
| A | Left Alt + KeyPad 1 |
| B | Left Alt + KeyPad 2 |
| C | Left Alt + KeyPad 3 |
| D | Left Alt + KeyPad 4 |
| E | Left Alt + KeyPad 5 |
| F | Left Alt + KeyPad 6 |
If you wish to use different keycodes then checkout the Adafruit CircuitPython HID module.
Please feel free to use Thonny and amend the key combinations as you see fit, just remember to run/upload your script to the Pico via Thonny.
In order to get these key combination working in OBS Studio you need to map the key combinations to the "Hotkeys" function in OBS Studio. For example, the bottom right corner button "F" on the Pico RGB Keypad is mapped to the Left Alt + KeyPad 6 combination. In OBS Studio open "Settings" -> "Hotkeys" and map your desired function as Left Alt + KeyPad 6. It should appear like this:
Feel free to clone this repo and modify main.py to your own needs. I've included my 'lib' directory as reference along with the CircuitPython firmware but I recommend you download them from the official sources mentioned in this guide.
Don't forget to checkout Martin O'Hanlon module to ready about the various API functions for interacting with the Pico RGB Keypad!