Raspberry Pi 7” Touchscreen Display

Install Virtual Keyboard* Other Pi Accessories

The 7” Touchscreen Monitor for Raspberry Pi gives users the ability to create all-in-one, integrated projects such as tablets, infotainment systems and embedded projects. The 800 x 480 display connects via an adapter board which handles power and signal conversion. Only two connections to the Pi are required; power from the Pi’s GPIO port and a ribbon cable that connects to the DSI port present on all Raspberry Pi’s. Touchscreen drivers with support for 10-finger touch and an on-screen keyboard will be integrated into the latest Raspbian OS for full functionality without the need for a physical keyboard or mouse.

*Note: Your NEW Rasp Pi 7.0 needs you to Add a Virtual Keyboard….

Raspberry Pi Sense HAT

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Technical Specification:

7” Touchscreen Display

Screen Dimensions: 194mm x 110mm x 20mm (including standoffs)

Viewable screen size: 155mm x 86mm

Screen Resolution 800 x 480 pixels

10 finger capacitive touch

Connects to the Raspberry Pi board using a ribbon cable connected to the DSI port

Adapter board is used to power the display and convert the parallel signals from the display to the serial (DSI) port on the Raspberry Pi

Will require the latest version of Raspbian OS to operate correctly

Features and Benefits

Turn your Raspberry Pi into a touch screen tablet, infotainment system, or standalone device.

Truly Interactive - the latest software drivers will support a virtual ‘on screen’ keyboard, so there is no need to plug in a keyboard and mouse.

Make your own ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) devices including a visual display. Simply connect your Raspberry Pi, develop a Python script to interact with the display, and you’re ready to create your own home automation devices with touch screen capability.

A range of educational software and programs available on the Raspberry Pi will be touch enabled, making learning and programming easier on the Raspberry Pi.

Kit Contents

7” Touchscreen Display

Adapter Board

DSI Ribbon cable

4 x stand-offs and screws (used to mount the adapter board and Raspberry Pi board to the back of the display

4 x jumper wires (used to connect the power from the Adapter Board and the GPIO pins on the Pi so the 2Amp power is shared across both units)

NOTE: THE RASPBERRY PI AND POWER SUPPLY ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS KIT AND ARE SOLD SEPARATELY.

Compatible With:

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

Raspberry Pi 2 Model B

Raspberry Pi Model B+

Raspberry Pi Model A+

The display will technically work with the Model A and Model B boards (connecting it to the DSI port on the Pi board), however the mounting holes on the back of the display will only line up with the newer board design (A+, B+, Pi 2 and Pi 3).

How to Install the Matchbox-Keyboard for your Pi

1. Connect a physical keyboard to the Raspberry Pi (or SSH into it if that’s your thing.)

2. Connect to the internet via WiFi or Ethernet.

3. Open the terminal.

4. Type sudo apt-get install matchbox-keyboard

5. Let the program download & install (takes 30s-1min depending on your connection.)

6. Exit the terminal & reboot your Pi.

7. The keyboard can be found by clicking the Menu -> Accessories -> Keyboard.

Operating System Support

In order to be sure you’re running the latest version of Raspbian, connect your Raspberry Pi to the Internet and then open LX Terminal. Type ‘sudo apt-get update’ to download the latest version of the OS. Once that’s complete, type ‘sudo apt-get upgrade’ to apply the download to your Raspberry Pi. That way you’ll have all of the latest drivers and software needed to support the touch screen display.

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Top Comments

ebbosto over 10 years ago in reply to clem57

Yes, I performed the software installation.

I messed around with the settings for Menu->Preferences->Main Menu Editor went down to Accessories and the Keyboard was in the list
I clicked on it to see its properties, and I noticed a 'Launch in Terminal?' setting, so I checked it because it was unchecked.
This time when I went to Accessories from the Menu the Keyboard showed up, but with a terminal window.
So I repeated the steps to turn off the terminal launch, and NOW the keyboard shows up in the Menu -> Accessories
All that makes no logical sense why it now appears on the menu and works.
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clem57 over 10 years ago in reply to ebbosto

Did you install virtual keyboard software? See the button above.
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ebbosto over 10 years ago

I have performed the software installation for the matchbox-keyboard, rebooted, but there is no keyboard item showing up under Menu-> Accessories

I performed the sudo apt-get update and then the sudo apt-get upgrade before performing the sudo apt-get install matchbox-keyboard.

The touchscreen appears to be working just fine, just no on-screen keyboard available. I performed the installation using putty with the RPi tied into my network on an ethernet cable.
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clem57 over 10 years ago in reply to e14 Contributor

Derek Beney follow the last steps to interface GPIO to the control board.
https://www.jeremymorgan.com/tutorials/raspberry-pi/how-to-raspberry-pi-7-touchscreen/
Clem
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e14 Contributor over 10 years ago

The screen outputs fine and mouse and keyboard are fine but how do you get the touch input to work?
regards
derekb
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shabaz over 10 years ago in reply to phuhque

I'm guessing (85% sure) they are standard pitch for M2.5, since that is the largest metric size that fits the 'pi, and standoffs usually have the same thread on both ends. However as mentioned it is just a reasonable guess (I don't have a display to measure).

EDIT: Confirmed here: https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=121176&p=818793
M2.5 for the main ones in the center (the ones that attach the Pi and the board that comes with the display), and M3 on the outer part of the display (which affix the entire assembly to a panel or enclosure).
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phuhque over 10 years ago

I am looking for the pitch of the screws for the standoffs. I am not worried about the mounting at the moment. I need to purchase additional standoffs and longer screws but the documentation graciously omitted the details. If someone would be so kind as to provide this information, I would appreciate it.
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enigma4242 over 10 years ago

Looking for some additional spec's on touchscreen glass. For example,

1. Does it have AR (anti-reflective) coating
2. Type of glass used (gorilla or similar)

Thanks
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gabaryza over 10 years ago in reply to Robert Peter Oakes

Thanks for the quick answers. As I said, I'm a hardware newbie, so I thought that having a common ground would be safest. Much obliged to all.
<G>
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Robert Peter Oakes over 10 years ago in reply to gabaryza

That is correct, the + power (Red wire assuming that's the colour you used) should not be connected

All that is needed when both boards are separately powered is a common ground

Now you probably dont even need the black wire as there are a few grounds provided in the flex cable too and should be sufficient for the signalling
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