Pi Display 2 not working with custom OS

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1

Hello all,

I recently delved into the Pi world after ~20 years of Duino/microcontrollers.
I bought, from Pimoroni a Pi4 and a Pi Display 2.
The intention was to use these with a app/os called TS Dash, a well established ECU dashboard for cars.
I initially booted the Pi4 with the latest version if the Raspberry Pi OS and it all works great. I also plugged in a full size monitor (via micro HDMI) to the second display port and that also works great.
I then booted using the TS Dash OS. While the second monitor connected via HDMI works, I get nothing on the Pi Display 2 (via DSI).
I assumed it would be something in the config.txt
But comparing the config.txt from TS Dash OS with the one from the Raspberry Pi OS the settings that will effect the display appear to be the same. Could something outside of the config.txt also effect the function of the Display?

2

The second paragraph in the Touch Display 2 Product Brief states that ā€œRaspberry Pi OS provides touchscreen driversā€¦ā€ so yes, it works with Pi OS. If TS Dash OS does not include the driver software by default then you need to contact the developers to find out if it can be activated or added.

3

Thankyou for your reply David,

I ā€˜believeā€™ that the TS Dash and the Pi OS use the same driver based on this:

#Automatically load overlays for detected DSI displays
display_auto_detect=1

#Enable DRM VC4 V3D driver
dtoverlay=vc4-kms-v3d

Both config.txt files call thisā€¦

But I may be wrong :)

4

You can install TS Dash in your own Pi OS distribution - I assume Bookworm - if you have Touch Display 2 working there.

Looking at the requirements on their website, you will need to install Java first. This can be done from the Add/Remove Software option in Preferences.

Search for jdk. Select Standard ā€¦ Runtime and Runtime(headless) unless you really want the full Development Kit. This will install Version 17 of Java - you might have to check with TS Dash for compatibility.

I have successfully installed and used a Java application (JMRI) with the Touch Display 2 by using this approach. I did not need to edit any config files.

I do not know anything more about TS Dash so that is all I can try to help you with.

5

Hello David,
Sorry, I missed that you had replied.
I did install TS Dash onto the Pi OS, but it wasnā€™t great as TS Dash is now out of date and isnā€™t really compatible. Although I hear there is an updated version coming.
The same goes for the full image I had originally downloaded from TS Dash, it was a few years old and not really compatible.
I currently have TS Dash working on my own modified install of a new version of DietPi, I still havenā€™t been able to get it to work on the Pi Display 2, but I gave that up and bought a chinese HDMI display (rather than DSI)
I spent hours studying the Pi OS config files and looking for differences to the DietPi, I even launched DietPi with the config.txt file from the Pi OSā€¦ Display 2 still didnā€™t work.
I tried 8 different DSI drivers, including the one mentioned in the Display 2 documents and combinations thereofā€¦
My only hope is that someone with better Linux knowledge than me will one day tell me where I have a # where I shouldnā€™tā€¦

6

I hope you get it working. I have probably missed something but the problem seems to be with TS Dash. All the other elements (Pi 5 [ok, not a 4], Bookworm, T. Display 2, Java) I have working here. There have been a couple of cases of updates upsetting touch-response registration but that is history now.

7

So far, the only OS for which the Display 2 works is the offical Pi OS.

A clean install of Dietpi doesnā€™t work.

Iā€™ve posted to dietpi forum, but tumbleweedsā€¦

8

The first sentence was the point I was making in an admittedly obtuse fashion. We can construct a functioning Pi OS system with a T. Display 2 and Java runtime. It works well here. Then TS Dash doesnā€™t play well because it is old software? I would say this is a problem for TS Dash to assist you with, if they can. Do they support their software?

9

I have had a look at the Diet Pi Forum. The Touch Display 2 being a genuine display does not mean that the driver software is available to the Diet Pi developers. They have yet to fully integrate the Pi 5 so I would not expect rapid progress.

10

Thanks David, Iā€™m on pi4ā€¦ Not pi5ā€¦ I deliberately bought the 4 for this project for this reason šŸ˜€

Iā€™ve done a fresh install, without TSDash, of Dietpi and Iā€™m surprised that it doesnā€™t work with display 2. Even when I install the driver for display 2. Like you say, maybe when Dietpi release a pi5 update it may resolve this.

Iā€™ve put it all back in the box and moved onto another project now šŸ˜„

I appreciate your input šŸ‘

11

I realise you have a 4 - see 4 posts back. It was a comment on Diet Piā€™s speed of response to new hardware. This is not a criticism - they have different objectives and priorities.

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