PERSONAL TECH
Extra display, extra pixels, and a Pi 5 required to drive the lot
Raspberry Pi has supersized its Contact Show 2 with a brand new 10.1-inch mannequin geared toward dashboards, leisure techniques, and different initiatives that want extra room for prodding.
The panel is designed to be used instances comparable to touch-enabled info shows. That is the large brother to the 5-inch and 7-inch variants, with a decision to match – 1,200 x 1,920 pixels can be found on the native portrait show.
The ten.1-inch panel helps 24-bit RGB shade and ten simultaneous contact factors, up from 5 on the smaller fashions. The in-plane switching, thin-film transistor, liquid crystal show additionally touts a black floor that acts as a magnet for greasy fingerprints.
Based on Raspberry Pi, the contact response time is a most of 35 ms, and its backlight brightness is 400 cd/m2 – not class-leading, however greater than ample at an inventory worth of $80.
The viewing angle is 85 levels and, as with the opposite Contact Show 2 variants, there’s a hefty bezel. The unit is 161.8 x 247.3 mm, whereas the precise energetic space is 135.4 mm x 216.6 mm. We might count on integrators to make use of that bezel when mounting the display in enclosures.
Talking of which, whereas there’s a helpful mounting level on the again for a Raspberry Pi, the gadget is simply suitable with the Raspberry Pi 5 and Compute Modules (not included). Because the display attracts energy from a pair of GPIO pins, you will want an IO Board or related to make use of it with a Compute Module.
The necessity for the Pi 5 might trigger some cooling points – we have noted earlier than how a lot warmth the unit can generate when underneath load.
Based on Raspberry Pi, the justification for the requirement is all these additional pixels. A spokesperson instructed The Register:
“The upper decision of the brand new show requires 4 DSI lanes of knowledge to speak with the host Raspberry Pi, moderately than the 2 utilized by earlier Contact Shows. The newer show connector on Raspberry Pi 5 and our Compute Module IO Boards help this!”
In any other case, attaching a Pi 5 to the again of the unit and connecting it’s ludicrously easy. There’s only a ribbon cable and one thing for energy (each offered within the field) earlier than screwing the Pi to the risers with the included screws and firing up the unit…
Which did not work initially. Does this display come pre-borked? No. It transpired that we wanted to replace the EEPROM on our Pi 5 – the firmware must be from February 2026 or later. After a swift sudo rpi-eeprom-update -a and a restart, we had been in enterprise.
In use, the display is shiny and comparatively responsive. It additionally must be stored effectively away from moisture, so think about the enclosure rigorously in environments the place that could be a difficulty.
Based on Raspberry Pi, “Raspberry Pi OS supplies touchscreen drivers with help for ten-finger contact and an on-screen keyboard, providing you with full performance with out the necessity to join a keyboard or mouse,” which is true. It could, nonetheless, be a stretch to name Raspberry Pi OS optimized for contact (even with the pop-up on-screen keyboard). In the event you’re anticipating to construct your self an iPad out of the field, you will be dissatisfied.
Nevertheless, that might miss the purpose of the ten.1-inch Contact Show 2. It is designed for leisure techniques and data dashboards. The picture is crisp, and the extra pixels will make for higher readability.
Contemplating the cost of Pi computer systems these days, the requirement for a Pi 5 may very well be irritating. It not solely runs sizzling, relying on workload, however including a 2 GB variant to the system will nearly double the value of the display. The technical cause is comprehensible, however the requirement might nonetheless hit prospects within the pocket.
Nonetheless, as with the sooner fashions, the Contact Show 2 represents a simple technique to get a touchscreen up and working with the diminutive pc. To be used instances that require customers to jab fingers at a multitouch display, we would advocate it. Simply do not forget the EEPROM replace – documented with the discharge, if not within the press equipment – and spend hours as we did repeatedly reconnecting cables in quest of life. ®
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