Pi zero w and pitft

[Otomic]

I had previously discussed this topic with someone on github however that was since closed by lady ada.

I have a raspberry pi zero w and a pitft that I am trying to run retropie on. I have tried various methods to no avail, running several scripts to help that were unsuccessful. I know there is an image that is for the pi zero and pitft but not the pi zero w. If there is an image for this please let me know. Otherwise I am open to try anything.

Details
-2.8" resistive pitft
-pi zero w
-good power source

I have soldered the pins onto the pi zero w which I think are okay. Please and thank you

[hodgyiam]

I have a Pitft 3.5inch screen

I tried to get this working with the Pi Zero w

I used the latest software and the screen seems to be working ( not tried the touch yet ) however this rolls the zero w back to before the W release and breaks the on board wifi and the only way I could get wifi working was to add the USB wifi dongle (which defeats the object of the W )

Is there goign to be some updated Drives or a patch for the Zero W

Details:
+ PiTFT Plus 480x320 3.5" TFT+Touchscreen for Raspberry Pi ADA2441
+ Pi Zero W

[Otomic]

How were you able to get the screen to function with the zero w? Me personally don't care too much about the wifi at the moment and would just like to see the screen work.

[chab]

Just jumping in with a "me too" post.
3.5 Plus. Screen has been successfully tested on a Zero (non-W) and a Pi3, including touch. On the Pi3, the wifi still functions.
On the Zero W...
With the 2016-11-08-pitft-35r.img, I first booted up on a Pi3, it worked. I then moved the 99-fbdev.conf file out of the X11 dir so that it will boot to HDMI. Many of the config GUIs don't fit on the 480x320 screen. While in this HDMI mode, I booted on the Zero W, and noticed that it did not see the wifi device. With the 99-fbdev.conf file back in its place, screen works on the other Pis, but on the Zero W the TFT screen stays white.

Using the 2017-03-02-raspbian-jessie.img (from the Pi Foundation), the Zero W boots, and the wifi functions. I follow the Adafruit instructions; the Zero W boots, the TFT shows the display; touch did not work, and for some reason the keyboard wasn't working either, so I couldn't do a graceful shutdown. Using another Pi, boot up, move that 99-fbdev.conf file so I can boot with HDMI; boot back to the Zero W, it does boot, but there was again no wifi.

Summary: 2016 Adafruit img, 0W boots, no wifi, no TFT.
Official 2017-03-02 img, 0W boots, has wifi.
Official 2017-03-02 img with Adafruit mod, 0W boots, no wifi, TFT displays, but no touch.

These various versions do work with other Pis; and the Pi3 has its wifi.

I will continue to beat this into submission, see if I can find a way to make it work; but it looks like we will need yet another img from Adafruit.

[Pin00b2017]

I need help with my adafruit 2.8 320x240 as well.

I am trying to run the adafruit with the pi zero W and installing the screen software breaks the wireless driver.

I am able to set up my pi zero W with raspbian lite and use...

iface wlan0 inet dhcp
wpa-ssid "ssid"
wpa-psk "password"

...in interfaces to get the wireless working ezpz.

Once I complete the tutorial to get the screen working, the wifi no longer works. ifconfig no longer shows a work wlan0 like before.

Is there a fix for this? I dont know where to go from here.

[bsileo]

Just also chiming in to confirm this same problem. I tried it via the prebuilt images and also tried running the manual install process on a fresh Raspbian install. The result is the same either way - we lose use of the wifi on the Zero.

As an aside, the store page clearly lists the Pi Zero, though it is not clear about the "W" portion...
https://www.adafruit.com/product/2423

[colinodell]

I can also confirm this issue with the Pi Zero W and the 3.5" TFT.

When I install the Adafruit image, the TFT works fine but onboard wifi does not - wlan0 doesn't show up in ifconfig.

When I install the latest Raspbian image, onboard wifi works fine. But as soon as I install the Adafruit kernel (with sudo apt-get install raspberrypi-bootloader) onboard wifi no longer works (nor does it appear in the ifconfig output).

I'd really appreciate a solution as I purchased this TFT specifically for a project using a Pi Zero W!

[chab]

I have successfully got the Pi zero w to work with the 3.5 pitft, including touch and wifi.

(Below I attached my notes. It's past my bed time right now, so I'm not editing them; I wrote this for myself, so if you don't understand something, just ask, and I'll get back when I'm free.)

(This is very similar to what Adafruit instructions have, but you skip the kernel and loader parts.)


(as root, or put sudo in front of everything)

Started with 2017-03-02 img


/boot/config.txt add :
device_tree=bcm2708-rpi-0-w.dtb
dtparam=spi=on
dtparam=i2c1=on
dtparam=i2c_arm=on
dtoverlay=pitft35-resistive,rotate=270,speed=42000000,fps=20



/boot/cmdline.txt after rootwait add:
fbcon=map:10 fbcon=font:VGA8x8


apt-get update


mv /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/99-fbturbo.conf /home/pi
mv /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/40-libinput.conf /home/pi

/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/99-pitft.conf : (create this file)
Section "Device"
Identifier "Adafruit PiTFT"
Driver "fbdev"
Option "fbdev" "/dev/fb1"
EndSection

apt-get install xserver-xorg-input-evdev
(this will put 10-evdev.conf in /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d )

/etc/modules add:
stmpe-ts

mkdir /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d
/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/99-calibration.conf : (create this file)
Section "InputClass"
Identifier "calibration"
MatchProduct "stmpe-ts"
Option "Calibration" "3800 120 200 3900"
Option "SwapAxes" "1"
EndSection

(After running a calibration it ended up being :
Option "Calibration" "3836 146 206 3906"

/home/pi/.profile add at top, after comments:
export FRAMEBUFFER=/dev/fb1
(is this really needed though?)


/etc/udev/rules.d/95-stmpe.rules :
SUBSYSTEM=="input",ATTRS{name}=="stmpe-ts",ENV{DEVNAME}=="*event*",SYMLINK+="input/touchscreen"

apt-get install xinput-calibrator

----------

to switch to hdmi, change /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/99-pitft.conf :
Option "fbdev" "/dev/fb0"

[colinodell]

chab,

Thanks for providing that information!

I followed your steps, but with the 2017-06-21 Lite image. Wireless works fine but the TFT does not.

During the boot process, all output is displayed via HDMI up until a certain point (where it should start appearing on the TFT); however, nothing appears. The screen stays white the entire time.

When I grep dmesg for "fb" I get the following:

Code: Select all

[    0.000000] Kernel command line: 8250.nr_uarts=0 bcm2708_fb.fbwidth=1824 bcm2708_fb.fbheight=984 bcm2708_fb.fbswap=1 smsc95xx.macaddr=B8:27:EB:A3:5E:1B vc_mem.mem_base=0x1ec00000 vc_mem.mem_size=0x20000000  dwc_otg.lpm_enable=0 console=ttyS0,115200 console=tty1 root=PARTUUID=f58d2871-02 rootfstype=ext4 elevator=deadline fsck.repair=yes rootwait fbcon=map:10 fbcon=font:VGA8x8
[   11.734708] fbtft: module is from the staging directory, the quality is unknown, you have been warned.
[   11.815895] fb_hx8357d: module is from the staging directory, the quality is unknown, you have been warned.
[   11.817513] fbtft_of_value: buswidth = 8
[   11.817527] fbtft_of_value: debug = 0
[   11.817534] fbtft_of_value: rotate = 90
[   11.817540] fbtft_of_value: fps = 20
[   13.433014] graphics fb1: fb_hx8357d frame buffer, 480x320, 300 KiB video memory, 4 KiB DMA buffer memory, fps=20, spi0.0 at 42 MHz

I tried using "fbi" to display an image on the TFT via /dev/fb1 - it did not appear (the TV on my HDMI port went black though). Changing the frame buffer to /dev/fb0 did show the image on my TV, so I don't think it's a problem with "fbi".

I can confirm that I do have a pitft35-resistive.dtbo file under /boot/overlays.

Any thoughts on what I should look at next?

I suppose I could retry with an older image, but I'd prefer staying up-to-date if possible.

[colinodell]

After unplugging the HDMI cable I get output on the TFT!



The display is unreadable and images do not render correctly, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

[colinodell]

Figured out the display issues - SPI and I2C were being enabled twice. Also dropped the speed down to 16MHz. Everything is working fine now :)

[skorpioskorpio]

With the 2.4/2.8/3.2 version TFT the same deal happens, TFT or WiFi, pick one, and this procedure listed above doesn't seem to do much of anything with the smaller displays "without the kernel and loader parts" (I am trying to get a 2.4 working FWIW). I am using Jessie Lite 2017-07-05, have also tried to force load the fbtft module as well, loads but no /dev/fb1 present and screen never switches or even flickers white to black, just straight white. Newer threads on this issue just reference this thread, I have no problem running a canned TFT distro --OR-- a working kernel patch script --OR-- doing a manual install procedure that works, but none of the 3 do, 2 of them brick the WiFi and one doesn't result in anything displayed on the TFT. Again seems it's TFT or WiFi, pick one, anyway I think an update to cover TFTs on the Pi0w is due here, this boils down to: need newer to get WiFi, need older to get TFT, and either way breaks the other.

[skorpioskorpio]

More screwing around and the missing deal here is that the overlay is no longer called pitft28r but pitft28-resistive.

[skorpioskorpio]

While I am able to get the TFT enabled -and- WiFi present at the same time, stability seems to be another issue entirely.

With the TFT enabled WiFi only seems to stay connected briefly before dropping, without it enabled it seem pretty stable and reliable, so there seems to be more going on here. I've tried this with 2017-03-02-Lite and with 2017-07-05-Full same issue either way. How logically is WiFi deployed on the Zero? As other threads have said, A configuration like this works on a Pi3 no problem, is there a fundamental difference in how the WiFi is integrated between the Zero and the 3? On Pi3s I actually have many of them displaying independent desktops (seats) on the TFTs (AdaFruit 3.5s using their touch screens) and HDMI (using USB keyboard and mouse) and WiFi and Ethernet all going at the same time and WiFi connections there stay up for days, inside aluminum cases no less. With TFT (AdaFruit 2.4s), just text enabled, WiFi is lucky to stay up for a minute or so. Board is being powered by the same power source I developed the Pi3s on which outputs up to around 3A at a flat 5V.

And just to be clear, I am only using the I2C, SPI and pitft28-resistive dtparams in config.txt, uncommented TFT displays and WiFi is flakey, commented out WiFi is stable, I've also removed the fbcon arguments in cmdline.txt when the dtparams are commented out and visa-versa. Most of the sucesses seem to be using the 3.5, is there perhaps a difference there in how, the 3.5 driver structure may effect WiFi vs the 2.4, 2.8 & 3.2 displays? Is there bus sharing going on here? DMA perhaps? Not that it should matter but I also have the optional switches unpopulated on the board, so there shouldn't be any stray closed GPIOs.

[royaltee85]

Hello. I'm brand new to Raspberry Pi but thought it would be neat to build a personal/portable media center. I ordered the 2.8" pitft and having a difficult time getting it to do anything other than power on to the white screen. I've tried the easy install with the image and the diy install script.

I'm just trying the basics:
Pi Zero W
Adafruit 1601
Latest Noobs v2.4.2 then
Raspbian Jessie 7/5/17 only