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    Custom PiGRRL with external HDMI

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Projects and Themes
    pigrrl 2
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    • S
      smartroad
      last edited by

      Hi all,

      Just wanted to post about my current project. I am making an adaption to the Adafruit PiGRRL console case. I recently brought some 3.5" 480x320 HDMI screens from Banggood and while the screens work well (with a little playing with config.txt to get the right resolution) I have never been able to get the touch part working right. I had already made a custom 'PiGRRL' that used a small composite LCD monitor but wanted something that was clearer, so I repurposed the screen from BG for this.

      0_1535969384771_IMG_20180903_105238a.jpg

      The case needed quite a bit of modification as the screen attaches to the GPIO for power (and the SPI bus for touch but not using that). So first off the Raspberry Pi needed rotating around so that the HDMI port was on top and the screen would be the right way up. This initially was done so that the HDMI link connector had room but also allows for removal of the link and connection direct to a monitor/TV as well. The rest is pretty much as with the PiGRRL, I used the Adafruit PCB for the buttons on front (there are two rear buttons as well), it has a LiPo charger and cylindrical battery (another modification as those were the only ones I could buy at the time). That also means the charge port is out the side, not out the bottom like the original PiGRRL. There is also the little amp and speaker as well - something I would like to also attach to a headphone port as well.

      The insides are a mess! Which I can't show at the moment as I had to glue the two halves together. They should be a press fit, but my printer messed up the face half and it didn't fuse the plastics that well - V0.2 should be fixing that when I get a chance to print it out. Also some of the mounts are slightly off and as such the front part bows as the screw holes don't line up right with the button PCBs. Some of the connections are soldered to the Pi (power, audio and one of the connections for the buttons) the rest are removable easily enough.

      If I had the time I would love to make a proper PCB that held all the buttons, LiPo charger and amp to neaten it up a little. Still it works at the moment!

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      • C
        Chuck_B
        last edited by

        @smartroad said in Custom PiGRRL with external HDMI:

        PCB that held all the buttons, Li

        Hi! Can you please share your custom 3d case model?

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