Monitor

[jackrik3]

Hi, im sorry if this is off topic or anything but this is my first post on a forum and im new. I'm considering buying a Raspberry Pi B+ but i have a small project in mind that im unsure of weather or not a certain aspect would work.

What i want to know is if it is possible to connect any moniter with a ribbon connection such as this psp screen http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Replacement-L ... 4d1636376d without much hassle, if so how would i connect it as a main, independant moniter. If it is too complicated then would something like this be any easier to use http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-TFT-LCD-LCD ... 19edf9cde7 ? Help is really appriciated as i have no clue and dont want to waste money...

Also, if when explaining could you please describe or better yet show me a picture of the component you are describing as i dont know what anything is called

Thanks alot for any help...

[ghans]

Forget wiring up random screens to the Pi , it won't work.
The second link looks better , but remember that is connected
via Composite and therefore has limited resolution.

If you are not using Composite , any screen with HDMI input
would work for you , but those seem more expensive by nature.

ghans

[jackrik3]

Thanks so much for the incredibly fast reply, i think ill stick with composite since i only want a small screen on it.

Also, where can i get cheap composite cables to fit the B+ model in the UK. It's not because im lazy that im asking its just, from what ive been told, the 3.5mm audio is now also the composite? And ive never seen them like that before... or would i just be better off getting a hdmi to composite?

Again thanks alot, i think im going to start using forums more often, particularly this one!

[DougieLawson]

Also, where can i get cheap composite cables to fit the B+ model in the UK. It's not because im lazy that im asking its just, from what ive been told, the 3.5mm audio is now also the composite? And ive never seen them like that before... or would i just be better off getting a hdmi to composite?

For a model A or model B
http://www.darlingtoncomputerrepairs.co ... cts_id=137

For model B+
http://www.raspberrypi-spy.co.uk/2014/0 ... ideo-jack/

HDMI to composite is the worst choice possible.

[fruitoftheloom]

I bought this as I have a selection of cables http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350843265424

[jackrik3]

Thanks again, i took what information i could from that, now i just have a few more questions...
1. So would something like this... http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listin ... dition=new plug into something like this... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Top-4-3-TFT-L ... 4d16afa62c
2. Why does the previously mentioned moniter have three ports when only one is for video?
3. Why does the red one go inwards? Is it something to do with a camera connection?
4. I would need some speakers aswell so would i be able to use a regular dual 3.5mm audio extension and still get video from whickever port i put the cable in.
5. Does adding a screen like this require any programming or will it work like plugging a regular pc into a monitor?

[ghans]

1) Yes and yes ( beware of the Problems mentioned in Dougies second Link)
2) two video inputs , one power input
3) Its propably the connector for the power supply (which is missing - you propably need to buy it sperately !)
4) I don't undestand what you mean
5) No , it should be plug-and-play (in the worst case you need to edit config.txt)

ghans

[jackrik3]

Thanks for the help, by 4 i mean would one of these work... http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/7662 ... Dual-b.jpg
I think ill look for a different moniter anyway because i want it to be completely portable

[jackrik3]

Also, i was wondering if anyone knew the name of the power cable needed as i could have a look to see if i can get one that is powered by usb... as i plan on powering it all on a portable battery powered usb charger...

[ghans]

I've no idea where you would want to plug those adaptors into , neither the Model B+ nor the screen you've linked to
have the necessary jack.

ghans

[jackrik3]

It would be to extend the audio jack, anyway thats of lesser concern, do you know if i can get power cables for the moniter that have a usb connection?

[RaTTuS]

Stand back ,
what exactly do you want to achieve ?

[jackrik3]

well, my entire project is a raspberry pi b+ with a moniter and keyboard and i want everything to be powered by a portable usb charger holding 4 duracell batteries, and if i can get atleast 2 hours charge then im happy

[RaTTuS]

http://skpang.co.uk/blog/archives/541
may help

[hansotten]

Thanks for the help, by 4 i mean would one of these work... http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/7662 ... Dual-b.jpg
I think ill look for a different moniter anyway because i want it to be completely portable

This adapter will not work. It is to attach two audio cables. As you can see it has only two rings on the 3.5 mal connector.

[hansotten]

well, my entire project is a raspberry pi b+ with a moniter and keyboard and i want everything to be powered by a portable usb charger holding 4 duracell batteries, and if i can get atleast 2 hours charge then im happy

Go for a powerpack. Same size and rechargeable instead of expensive throw away duracells.

[jackrik3]

Thats actually put me off quite a bit, im only 15 in a week and i dont waant to mess around with soldering or anything like that. Going back to my 1st post, is there a possibility at all that a psp screen may work as a have a spare psp 1000 somewhere that i would be willing to salvage the screen from, and if it would work it saves me messing around looking for a power supply as the ribbon should just clip in if im not mistaken... also if there is a possibility what roughly are the chances of it working. and would it need programming and if so, is programming a screen hard or is it just one line in command prompt or something?

[fruitoftheloom]

Thats actually put me off quite a bit, im only 15 in a week and i dont waant to mess around with soldering or anything like that. Going back to my 1st post, is there a possibility at all that a psp screen may work as a have a spare psp 1000 somewhere that i would be willing to salvage the screen from, and if it would work it saves me messing around looking for a power supply as the ribbon should just clip in if im not mistaken... also if there is a possibility what roughly are the chances of it working. and would it need programming and if so, is programming a screen hard or is it just one line in command prompt or something?

As stated those screens from HandHeld Devices require electronics to work.

This company specialise in Pi's and accessories see http://www.cjemicros.co.uk/micros/price ... #VAR-35LCD

[neema_t]

Long story short: Your PSP's LCD will not work; I think you might be planning on plugging it in to the DSI connector on your Pi, but this is currently dead weight as the software to activate it has not yet been written and the things you need to be able to write the software are firmly, definitely off-limits to normal people. Even if it did work, I'm 99% sure the signals wouldn't be compatible and even if they were, you'd still have to make a power supply for your LCD; that would require PCB manufacture, SMD soldering, exhaustive searching for parts (i.e. the specific ribbon connector you need)... Basically if you don't want to do any soldering at all, you definitely cannot use the PSP screen.

Your best options for portable applications are:
- An HDMIPi; not available yet and they cost £75, but they're high resolution (1280x800) and designed specifically for the Pi and, yeah, I want one.
- An iPad 1 or 2 LCD panel with an LVDS to HDMI adaptor board; the LCD costs around £30 and the adaptor is about £25, so this is only just cheaper than the HDMIPi. 1024x768 resolution isn't amazing but is probably second best.
- Salvaging the LCD panel from a dead laptop and finding an LVDS to HDMI adaptor for it, but this will most likely require a >=12V power supply. The benefit being a nice, big LCD and high resolution, but a) if the cathodes contain mercury and you don't know what you're doing, that's pretty dangerous, b) the laptop could electrocute you if you're not sensible and c) it's not completely straightforward. Still, a free panel is a free panel and it halves the cost of the display, so...
- One of the compact composite LCDs you linked to previously; by far the cheapest option but the image will be fuzzy and the resolution is pretty tiny so you'd really struggle to navigate the desktop with it to the point where it just won't work for some things purely due to the resolution.
- An Adafruit PiTFT is great, IF you just want to use the command line interface. Like the previous choice the low resolution makes it unsuitable for use with the desktop, but you can play ScummVM games on it (I've tried, it's fun!). It's powered by the Pi itself - consumes only 75mA, apparently - and uses neither composite nor HDMI as the signals come from the GPIO pins. That does make it hard to use some GPIO devices with the TFT, though, but it is possible.


Hm, that ended up being a long story anyway, but at least it's shorter than the post I'd originally typed. The bottom line is your PSP's display won't work.

[jackrik3]

Everyone, thank you so much for your help, i think ive finally figured it out and ive managed to find a way to make it completely portable after looking all day for the right power cable for the monitor but usb which is one of these... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-Male-To-5 ... c#shpCntId I think the voltage is too low but its worth a try, and ive learned alot if it doesnt work ill probably just use it for minecraft and videos anyway

[rfrazier]

Jackrik,

Welcome to the world of pi. I'm a newbie myself, and have only recently gotten a B+ model working. However, I've been doing lots of research on monitors and have written on a few threads about it. So, I thought I'd pass some info along.

Disclaimer, since I wrote some of the content on these threads, I'm biased in that those are the thread links I have immediate access to.

I have only skimmed this thread and haven't followed all the links.

But, I looked at the last link you posted. I would NOT recommend plugging an external monitor rated for 12v into the usb adapter cable you mentioned, particularly if plugging into the pi's power supply. It would probably not work and would probably deprive the pi of too much current and possibly crash it, potentially corrupting your operating system installation.

Even if the monitor is rated for 5v, which is what usb uses, I would be very hesitant to try to power from the pi's supply. I strongly suggest a separate power supply for any monitor.

You said you're considering buying a B+. I think that's a good choice. I don't know what power supply you're using for the pi. However, let's say you're using a 2 amp (2a) usb power supply (which is what many things I read recommend). If I remember correctly, the pi uses about .8a. That leaves only about 1.2a for all the other things attached to the pi through the usb ports or all the gpio ports. It's highly likely that a separate monitor will overload the power supply.

You might find the following thread interesting, as well as the threads that it links to. I go into some of the research I've done and implications of power supplies, etc. There are many other interesting comments by others as well.

http://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewt ... 91&t=82895

I have not attached any monitor other than my hdmi computer monitor yet, but I'm definitely considering it.

Somewhere in the thread, you were asking about the video cable for the B+. I think that was answered, but, if not, you need a 3.5mm 4 pole to rca plug cable.

I think this should work, which is basically the av cable for an ipod. I have one on order, but haven't had a chance to try it. Based on my reading, the yellow should output video. Red and white should be audio, but the left and right may be reversed.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UCU72U/

If you're booting the noobs OS on your B+, you may need to press a certain number key after boot to activate a composite monitor if you're not using hdmi. This is mentioned in some of these threads. I haven't had a chance to try that either.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Sincerely,

Ron

[jackrik3]

Thanks alot for the advice Ron, really usefull to know, and i was planning on using an external usb power source anyway to power the pi and monitor