Add a dirt-cheap screen to the Raspberry Pi B+
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Add a dirt-cheap screen to the Raspberry Pi B+
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Re: Add a dirt-cheap screen to the Raspberry Pi B+
#2This really should be the next thing the RPi team tackles, IMO. It's nice we have this great cheap computer, but trying to find a screen to plug into it is terrible. A computer monitor or TV is fine, but both of them draw too much power and are far too big and stationary. And have you seen the prices of small HDMI screens? I can buy a 8" Windows tablet, full PC mind you, for the price of a single 5" HDMI screen.
Far too often I find myself saying "it shouldn't be this hard". Surely there exists a market for an adapter to plug an easily available iPhone screen into an RPi?
Re: Add a dirt-cheap screen to the Raspberry Pi B+
#3This looks extremely fun, and I can see it being used for creating homemade mobile devices, and stand-alone packaged hardware.
I will say fun and small size notwithstanding the current cost of doing this ($50) is a little high relative to just buying a super-low end LCD monitor ($85 for an 18" by Samsung, Asus, and Acer, $54 for a refurb from NewEgg). But I'm sure that misses most of the point...
Just seems like the $30 for the 5" LCD is a little steep but maybe you're paying a premium because it is so small(?).
Re: Add a dirt-cheap screen to the Raspberry Pi B+
#4This really should be the next thing the RPi team tackles, IMO. It's nice we have this great cheap computer, but trying to find a screen to plug into it is terrible. A computer monitor or TV is fine, but both of them draw too much power and are far too big and stationary. And have you seen the prices of small HDMI screens? I can buy a 8" Windows tablet, full PC mind you, for the price of a single 5" HDMI screen. Far…
That would be great. If you're starting from scratch, the display is likely to be the most expensive piece to get a pi running. Sure, you can plug it into a TV like the old days, but who has a TV that small anymore?
Re: Add a dirt-cheap screen to the Raspberry Pi B+
#5This looks extremely fun, and I can see it being used for creating homemade mobile devices, and stand-alone packaged hardware. I will say fun and small size notwithstanding the current cost of doing this ($50) is a little high relative to just buying a super-low end LCD monitor ($85 for an 18" by Samsung, Asus, and Acer, $54 for a refurb from NewEgg). But I'm sure that misses most of the point... Just seems like the…
[Author] The premium was mostly Adafruit markup and convenience. I'm totally not mad at the price, I received parts next day. If I really wanted to save money I would design an adapter board, and order bulk screens from China.
Keep in mind this is prototype cost, typically inflated seriously because it's a one off.
Re: Add a dirt-cheap screen to the Raspberry Pi B+
#6This has been an issue for me for awhile. I've been scouting for screens for awhile for something cheap. I've been visiting GoodWill often as they have a large selection of monitors to choose from but most of them are far too large for a small screen. $15 is a great deal for a cheap monitor, but it takes up a huge amount of room.
Re: Add a dirt-cheap screen to the Raspberry Pi B+
#7The pi-s have a display interface connector for DSI panels, and they are planning to bring one out, but it seems to be taking a long time. The intent is that it will be very inexpensive, in line with their education focus. The resolution I saw mentioned was 800 x 480, like the one in this article. A bit small, but usable.
Re: Add a dirt-cheap screen to the Raspberry Pi B+
#8This really should be the next thing the RPi team tackles, IMO. It's nice we have this great cheap computer, but trying to find a screen to plug into it is terrible. A computer monitor or TV is fine, but both of them draw too much power and are far too big and stationary. And have you seen the prices of small HDMI screens? I can buy a 8" Windows tablet, full PC mind you, for the price of a single 5" HDMI screen. Far…
That would be great. If you're starting from scratch, the display is likely to be the most expensive piece to get a pi running. Sure, you can plug it into a TV like the old days, but who has a TV that small anymore?
And being able to run the Pi and the screen from a portable USB battery pack would be nice. It would help hobbyist projects (who wants a robot plugged into a wall?), it would help kids using them to learn (take your whole setup wherever you go), and it would help people in developing areas of the world (where there might not be an abundance of cheaply available and reliable power).
Re: Add a dirt-cheap screen to the Raspberry Pi B+
#9Maybe they can tackle the long-lived, widely-experienced SD card corruption issues of the RPi in the next version instead of adding a bunch more pins and an extra core.
Meanwhile the competition even has eMMC in the same price range.
Re: Add a dirt-cheap screen to the Raspberry Pi B+
#10A friend of mine is currently working on a Raspberry Pi laptop, with a DIY kit. Quite similar. www.pi-top.com