Raspberry pi doesn't work

Question

I received a raspberry pi 2 for my birthday from my parents, and I have tried multiple times to get it to work. I've tried installing multiple OS on multiple micro SD cards. I even bought a new power supply specifically for the raspberry pi even though the one i had before probably shoul've worked. The lights show up on the pi (red and green lights) but nothing shows up on the tv. I have tried multiple HDMI cords with multiple TVs. i have no receipt, what do you recommend i do?

Robert Peter Oakes · Accepted Answer

short of the pi being broken, the most common issues are power and a bad SD card. Even if you have a good power supply, if it uses a separate USB lead then this also needs to be a good quality one. If the new PSU you got is the official one with integrated lead then this should be ok. You also need to get the latest image from raspberrypi.org and put this in a good class 10 SD card., with nothing plugged into the PI except the HDMI Screen, apply power you should get at least a rainbow on the HDMI screen and then it should start to boot., if the PSU is good and the SD card is a good class 10 version then it should work, if not then the chances are the board is faulty Where was it bought from, it may be replaceable under warranty if you have verified the above steps, Peter

royleith · Answer

Hi Luke,

I think the Raspi is working well. The problem is getting it to deliver an HDMI signal to the HDMI port.

There is a config.txt file in the /boot partition which needs editing. Since the Raspi is not appearing on the screen, you will have to use another computer to edit the file.

Hopefully, you have access to a computer that either has a slot for an SD or microSD card or you have a USB connected card reader. When viewed in a file manager, the config.txt file appears in its own partition with the label 'boot'. (Once booted in the Raspberry Pi, this folder appears as a /boot folder). The partition is formatted as FAT and can be viewed, and the files edited, in the same way as a flash drive.

Use the text editor (Notepad, gedit, kate, etc.) that comes with the operating system. Don't use a word processor such as Microsoft Word or LibreOffice. Backup the default version of config.txt on the computer you are using so that you can always go back to the starting point.

Each of the lines in the default config.txt come with an explanation of what it's for. Here are the lines you might want to edit.

# uncomment if you get no picture on HDMI for a default "safe" mode

#hdmi_safe=1

# uncomment if hdmi display is not detected and composite is being output

#hdmi_force_hotplug=1

# uncomment to increase signal to HDMI, if you have interference, blanking, or

# no display

#config_hdmi_boost=4

Try un-commenting (delete the #) the lines #hdmi_force_hotplug=1 and #config_hdmi_boost=4 so that they appear;

# uncomment if hdmi display is not detected and composite is being output

hdmi_force_hotplug=1

# uncomment to increase signal to HDMI, if you have interference, blanking, or

# no display

config_hdmi_boost=4

You should then get the HDMI screen to appear. If you are using a TV then you may then have to change the overscan settings to get the whole of the Raspi screen to be visible. If your TV has a 'computer monitor' mode, then use that (sometimes it appears in tv preferences as 'Overscan' settings). If you are using a monitor (or the TV equivalent), you will have a black border. Try,

# uncomment this if your display has a black border of unused pixels visible

# and your display can output without overscan

disable_overscan=1

Browse to

RPiconfig - eLinux.org

for a rather scarily detailed explanation of config.txt.

I had the problem that a battery powered monitor kept making the Raspi boot into a very low resolution.

The following configuration (in addition to the hotplug and boost lines above) makes the Raspi output a 16:9 PAL 1920x1080- 60Hz at the HDMI port:

sdtv_mode=2

sdtv_aspect=3

hdmi_group=1

hdmi_mode=16

disable_overscan=1

If that is not right for the TV or monitor you are using, browse to the following,

'config.txt' tag wiki - Raspberry Pi Stack Exchange

Until you get the screen to display, you will have to power down the Raspi to remove the microSD card and re-edit the config.txt file. With luck, the Linux system will not be corrupted. Once you have the display working, always close Linux before powering down (Shutdown, in the Raspi applications launcher, bottom-Left).

The application launcher also gives access to Raspberry Pi Configuration that may prove easier to make the changes than directly editing config.txt. You may be able to get the configuration page by typing the following after launching Terminal using the Applications Launcher (see, above) ,

sudo raspi-config

It is possible to edit the file and then reboot from within the booted Raspberry Pi. You will need to run the text editor as 'super user'.

sudo leafpad

Edit the file and don't forget to save it.

Choose Reboot in the Shutdown menu.

If your Raspberry Pi ever asks for a password, try 'raspberry'. Your username is 'pi'.