Power, no boot

I have a smaller touchscreen that required its own Kernal files.  This is because the display needed what is called a different Device Tree for Linux - which is fancy for saying the pins had to be configured to drive the display.

To see if this is the case, go to the manufacturers page and look for a hookup guide or tutorial for installation.  Here is mine just to serve as an example:  https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-pitft-3-dot-5-touch-screen-for-raspberry-pi

This was my process:

• Get the latest Raspian image to a SD card
• Hook up the raspberry pi to an HDMI ready TV and connect a mouse and keyboard
• Boot up successfully and follow all the prompts for initial set up including setting up WiFi and enabling SSH.  Shutdown.
• I could then go headless - meaning disconnect everything but the power cord and connect through the WiFi.
• I turned it on and used my PC with the program Putty to connect to the terminal of the Pi via WiFi.
• I cloned the manufacturers Kernal files per their instructions and ran their install script.
• Followed the prompts.
• Rebooted.
• Ran their calibration script for the touchscreen.

See ya',

Sean

Hi Sean_Miller

I read the installation instructions at Adafruit as you linked.

PiTFT no longer needs any custom kernels or modules, so you can continue to update/upgrade your Pi and it will work with the most recent releases.

Did you need a custom kernel for the device tree? Or did you need no kernel per your process steps?

I noticed there is an HDMI/Touchscreen mirror mode.  That could help you get closer.

PiTFT as HDMI Mirror (Best for Raspbian Full/PIXEL)

This option is the easiest to understand: whatever appears on the HDMI display will be 'mirrored' to the PiTFT. Note that HDMI is much higher resolution so it's not like it turns the PiTFT into a 1080p display. This is great for when you want to run OpenGL-optimized software, PIXEL desktop software, or really anything. The down-side is its a little slower than drawing directly to the framebuffer. You may not notice it but it's worth us mentioning!

If you have trouble getting it working in mirror mode, then dougw 's hints could be very useful.

I wish the adafruit page mentioned display-specific logs.

Is there anything in the output of

dmesg

related to this display?

Tony

I was referring to this quote on that page:

The PiTFT requires some device tree support and a couple other things to make it a nice stand-alone display. If you just want to get going, check out the following for easy-install instructions!

I thought it was doing something with the kernel, but it may just be the device tree overlay files.

I then used the instructions that followed assuming that is where the device tree overlay stuff was happening.  I definitely had no screen until I ran that stuff.

However, Kyle, you may not have an Adafruit TFT, so try to locate an installer similar to my experience from your manufacturer page.

See ya',

Sean

Hi Sean_Miller

I just now noticed you're not Kyle

My bad.

Diagnosing something that already works is not productive at all!

Tony

Hi Sean_Miller

I just now noticed you're not Kyle

My bad.

Diagnosing something that already works is not productive at all!

Tony