# SPI on = Black Screen **URL:** \ **Category:** uConsole\ **Created:** [March 8, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/spi-on-black-screen/21783 "2026-03-08T19:43:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![munsterrr](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/munsterrr/32/14045_2.png) [@munsterrr](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/munsterrr)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/spi-on-black-screen/21783/1 "2026-03-08T19:43:48Z")
Probably something silly I’m missing but I don’t mind looking the part. Both the older dragon os and the current rex(stock) Trixie with just aiov2\_ctl (with recent update) if I go into raspi-config (sudo) and turn on SPI in interfaces, the screen goes black and I cannot get it back. Plug it into monitor and I can only get monitor out. Tried Wayland and tried the “screen blanking” with no luck. What I was trying to do is setup pyMC\_Repeater and skipped the first SPI steps the first time but service failed to start. Tried including the SPI steps and I’m here now. It’s actually why I tried both images because dragon gets wonky with how where things are installed. ---
**Author:** ![trinity](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/trinity/32/16167_2.png) [@trinity](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/trinity)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 8:11pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/spi-on-black-screen/21783/2 "2026-03-08T20:11:24Z")
> [@Raspberry Pis' config.txt](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/raspberry-pis-config-txt/19360/1): > > ```auto > # On the CM5, using SPI causes the backlight to be disabled (TODO: why?), > # requiring the operating system to re-enable it. This is necessary if using > # other things on the SPI bus, such as the HackerGadgets SDR board. Comment > # this line out to re-enable it. > dtparam=spi=off > > ``` I haven’t gotten around to fixing this on my own uConsole, but I might start here: > [@HackerGadgets AIO Board Package](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/hackergadgets-aio-board-package/17875/292): > > For that it was also important to enable only `dtoverlay=spi1-1cs` and **NOT** `dtparam=spi=on`, because otherwise the display won’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Rex](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/rex/32/16852_2.png) [@Rex](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/Rex)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 2:11am UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/spi-on-black-screen/21783/3 "2026-03-09T02:11:11Z")
I have a package called `clockworkpi-backlight` in my repo that will solve the problem with spi fully enabled. ---
**Author:** ![munsterrr](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/munsterrr/32/14045_2.png) [@munsterrr](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/munsterrr)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/spi-on-black-screen/21783/4 "2026-04-10T20:01:09Z")
@Rex the king himself! By any chance, have you tried pymc\_repeater by rightup? I can never seem to get past step one. I have clockworkpi-backlight installed through apt but dtparam=spi=on in /boot/firmware/config.txt that shows up at the very bottom doesn’t seem to take and when I turn it on through raspi-config, black screen, I reboot, spi is on in the config, but not in raspi-config. Cm5lite 16 64. HG aioV2 with expansion board and carrier > **[GitHub - rightup/pyMC\_Repeater: A lightweight Repeater Daemon implemented in...](https://github.com/rightup/pyMC_Repeater)** > > A lightweight Repeater Daemon implemented in Python, built using the pymc\_core library. ---
**Author:** ![Rex](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/rex/32/16852_2.png) [@Rex](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 8:23pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/spi-on-black-screen/21783/5 "2026-04-10T20:23:49Z")
add this to you config.txt located in /boot/firmware CM5 add this to the pi5 section `dtoverlay=spi0-0cs` add this to the all section `dtoverlay=spi1-1cs` add this to the all section `dtparam=spi=on` let me know if that fixes it. ---
**Author:** ![munsterrr](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/munsterrr/32/14045_2.png) [@munsterrr](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/munsterrr)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/spi-on-black-screen/21783/6 "2026-04-10T20:26:24Z")
I’ll try it now! 20char ---
**Author:** ![munsterrr](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/munsterrr/32/14045_2.png) [@munsterrr](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/munsterrr)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 9:22pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/spi-on-black-screen/21783/7 "2026-04-10T21:22:47Z")
That seemed to do it! Got dang scholar and a saint, I tell ya! Seriously appreciate you. ---
**Author:** ![Rex](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/rex/32/16852_2.png) [@Rex](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/spi-on-black-screen/21783/8 "2026-04-10T21:45:07Z")
Thank you for the kind words, I appreciate it. Feel free to reach out anytime. ---
**Author:** ![munsterrr](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/munsterrr/32/14045_2.png) [@munsterrr](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/munsterrr)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/spi-on-black-screen/21783/9 "2026-04-11T15:42:33Z")
![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/clockworkpi/original/3X/8/f/8fde44436f5b5b48d2015704834a18be6be2961b.png) Yesterday i put them in. did an update && full-upgrade and now they vanished. anyway to make them stick? (and yes. i bought 6 coffees so i could at least be in 3rd place, lol.) ---
**Author:** ![Rex](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/rex/32/16852_2.png) [@Rex](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/spi-on-black-screen/21783/10 "2026-04-11T15:47:40Z")
That’s weird they shouldn’t have been removed. Just put them back in and monitor and see if they get removed again maybe try to record what gets updated that might have caused it. I updated this morning and all my settings are still there. ---
**Author:** ![Rex](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/rex/32/16852_2.png) [@Rex](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/spi-on-black-screen/21783/11 "2026-04-11T15:48:27Z")
Thanks for the coffee by the way I really appreciate it!