Help connecting an e-ink display

DevTerm
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1

I’m considering an attempt an installing of a 7.8" eink display for using the DevTerm outside in the sun. I’ve never installed a display through Raspeberry Pi GPIO connections, so I’d appreciate some advice…

The manufacturer seems very compatible with Raspberry Pis, and they have a guide on setup which seems compatible with various Raspberry Pi models. The display includes a ribbon cable which can optionally interface via a “hat” before connecting to the Pi’s GPIO pins.

My questions are these:

  • The A04 DevTerm uses a Raspberry Pi core and not a conventional Raspberry Pi. Will I be able to connect the display through the DevTerm Mainboad’s GPIO connection instead of the “normal” Raspberry Pi GPIO pins?
  • Assuming the answer to the above is “yes”, will I need a Raspberry Pi “hat” to facilitate the connection? Waveshare sells two versions of this display, one with a hat and one without. As far as I can tell the “hat” is optional, but I’m not sure…

Thanks!!!

2

Connecting a display through the DevTerm Mainboard’s GPIO connection should be possible, but it’s important to ensure that the pin configuration is compatible with the display and that you have the necessary knowledge and skills to make the connection safely and correctly.

Regarding the use of a hat, this would depend on the specific display and ribbon cable being used. Some displays may require a hat or adapter to interface with the GPIO pins, while others may not. It’s important to check the documentation and specifications for the specific display you are using to determine whether a hat or adapter is required.

Additionally, it’s important to ensure that the display and ribbon cable are compatible with the DevTerm’s GPIO pin configuration. The DevTerm’s GPIO pin configuration may differ from that of a conventional Raspberry Pi, so it’s important to check the documentation and specifications for the DevTerm to ensure compatibility.

3

If you look around here, I think there is a thread that has a chart comparing devterm pins to Pi pins. They are not in the same order between the two systems. Same goes for the CSI camera connection and I think the DSI display connection. Pretty sure all the differences have been explained in one or two threads.

For a lot of what I want my DT to do, a color eink would be perfect and certainly help with battery life.

4

Easiest way to find info is to search the forum for “devterm gpio”.

I hope it’s possible to connect your eink display, but it won’t be trivial. From what I’ve read there aren’t many available GPIO pins on any of the Devterm models, as they are already used internally for other stuff. If you got really lucky and the default display and eink display required the same pins (though almost certainly in a different order) you may be able to build some sort of adaptor.

Here’s a potentially relevant thread:

1 Like
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Whoa, that’s not what I was expecting! Damn… thanks for sharing. Sounds like GPIO is a total non-starter… That “booby trapped GPIO” thread shows thay zero GPIO pins are available.

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One possible solution is to replace the expansion module with your eInk interface. Some GPIO facilities are accessible on the PCIe styled connector of the main board. If you don’t need the printer and the extra ports that might be a way to connect the eInk display. Or you may find signals you need present on the printer and/or camera ports available on the expansion board, if you don’t want those peripherals. When I get the time to search out appropriate connectorage :slight_smile: I plan to install my I2C RTC on the camera port since I have no use for a camera on this gizmo.