Question 1

How do I set up spi-device on a Raspberry Pi?

Accepted Answer

Enable SPI via raspi-config, install with npm install spi-device, and use open with bus and device numbers (e.g., 0,0 for /dev/spidev0.0). Ensure user permissions for /dev/spidev* devices to avoid access errors.

Question 2

spi-device vs Python spidev: which is better for IoT?

Accepted Answer

Choose based on your stack: spi-device is for Node.js, ideal for web-integrated IoT projects, while spidev is for Python, often used in scripting-heavy environments. Both offer low-level control, but spi-device leverages Node.js's async nature for event-driven applications.

Question 3

Can spi-device work with Arduino over SPI?

Accepted Answer

spi-device is designed for Linux-based SPI masters; for Arduino, you'd need to configure it as an SPI slave and handle communication manually. It doesn't support direct cross-platform SPI without additional hardware or firmware setup.

Question 4

How to read data from an MCP3008 using spi-device?

Accepted Answer

Use the example from the README: open the SPI device, create a message with sendBuffer and receiveBuffer, transfer data, then convert raw buffer values to meaningful units like voltage or temperature based on the sensor's datasheet.

Question 5

Does spi-device support all SPI modes (0,1,2,3)?

Accepted Answer

Yes, spi-device supports all four SPI modes through constants like MODE0 and MODE3, configurable in options for compatibility with various devices, as detailed in the API documentation.

Question 6

How to handle chip select on Linux kernel 5 with spi-device?

Accepted Answer

With kernel 5, avoid chipSelectHigh; instead, manually control chip select using a GPIO library like onoff to toggle pins before and after transfers, as recommended in the README due to kernel changes.

spi-device

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