raspberry pi - Using a laptop as a monitor

07
2014-07
  • user3730804

    I was just given a raspberry pi (Woo!!) but I have no monitor. I was wondering if I could use my laptop as a monitor. Or whether I could use my android tablet as a monitor.

    Thanks

    • Answers
  • Cfinley

    If your laptop (or tablet) has an HDMI video input it will work. However, this is unlikely. There might be software out there that would allow you to do this via the USB port, but I am not sure off the top of my head.

    A better idea would be to use a television set that has an HDMI port.


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    display - Raspberry PI and laptop screen
  • AppleZa

    I want to connect a mobile screen to the Raspberry PI in the cheapest way possible. I don't mind if I attach a touch screen (if it's possible) to it or an old laptop screen.

    How would I be able to connect a old Toshiba laptop screen to the Raspberry PI?


    • Related Answers
  • Journeyman Geek

    There's no easy way to - your laptop screen has a LVDS connection which needs a driver chip specific to it, your raspberry pi has a SPI video interface onboard (which there hasn't been any use for) as well as a composite out. You'd need to get a board that takes in a composite input, and output to LVDS - which probably exists - try the comments of this hackaday post for ideas - they suggest a company called NJYtouch.

    Alternately you can get a small LCD that will take in a composite input of some sort.

  • William J Bagshaw

    Use a lapdock. You have to find one cheap, second hand, then make up some cables. I managed this fine with an Atrix lap dock. I got a second lapdock which was an lapdock 100 and this was not as good. I could not get the keyboard layout correct. You need to make up some cables. I think the best approach is to remove/short the fuses on the USB port of RPi and feed power into it from the USB port as well as the usb key board. I have not done it that way yet. I tried the original method which is a spliced cable with power on the micro USB power port and keyboard on the RPi's USB port. Google this. Adafruit and others have made videos on how to do it. Be carful you get a keyboard for your region. Some stories of brits ending up with Norwegian keyboards with keys in the "wrong" place. I think the boxes have the region flag on the front and you can usually see this in the photo on ebay. Some offers on other sites too as this is an obsolete device. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZkz_a52I6s

  • Jawa

    For a really cheap solution, purchase a small LCD. Most of them are for rear backup cameras in cars but they are so cheap and would work perfectly for an RPi. Most of them take a composite input. A few have touch capabilities but those are pretty expensive. Here's an example from Amazon.