Contents - Raspberry PI Community Projects

For more info about DVI, VGA, and SCART screens see The RPi Verified Peripherals
Page (http://elinux.org/RPi_Verified_Peripherals#Display_adapters)
HDMI
Directly from the board.
DVI
With an inexpensive passive HDMI to DVI-D cable or converter.
Composite video
Composite video (NTSC and PAL) via an RCA plug, directly from the board. You can
change between PAL and NTSC output by editing config.txt in the boot SD card.
Uncommenting: sdtv_mode=2 sets output to PAL (see RPi_config.txt).
RGB analog/VGA
The Broadcom BCM2835 only provides HDMI output and composite output. RGB and
other signals needed by RGB, S-VIDEO or VGA connectors are however not provided,
and the R-PI also isn't designed to power an unpowered converter box.
A couple of options for VGA or component RGB outputs, bridging from either
HDMI or, (much less obvious) the MIPI DSI interface:
Note that any conversion hardware that converts HDMI/DVI-D signals to VGA (or DVI-
A) signals may come with either an external PSU, or expects power can be drawn from
the HDMI port. In the latter case the device may initially appear to work, but there will
be a problem, as the HDMI specs only provide in a maximum of 50mA (@ 5 Volt) from
the HDMI port, but all of these adapters try to draw much more, up-to 500mA, in case of
the R-PI there is a limit of 200mA that can be drawn safely, as 200mA is the limit for the
BAT54 diode (D1) on the board. Any HDMI to VGA adapter without external PSU might
work for a time, but then burn out D1, therefore Do not use HDMI converters powered
by the HDMI port! The solution is to either only use externally powered converters, or
to replace D1 with a sturdier version, such as the PMEG2010AET, and to replace the
power input fuse F3 with a higher rated one, as the current one is only 700mA, and the
adapter may use 400mA itself. Also notice that the R-PI's power supply also must be able
to deliver the extra current.
Firstly, the following *might* work. Beagleboard people have reported various levels of
success (mainly "issues"):