Raspberry Pi’s touchscreen display has set the world on fire with its beautifully crafted features. It’s is compatible with all Raspberry Pi models, except for the Raspberry Pi Zero and Zero 2 W, as these lack a DSI connector. Early Raspberry Pi models also do not have the necessary mounting holes, requiring additional mounting hardware to attach the display to the PCB stand-offs. In this step by step guide we have shown you the best ways to use Raspberry Pi touchscreen display. All the necessary settings are shown below, so keep reading.
Screen Display Features
I. 800×480 RGB LCD display with 24-bit color
II. Industrial-grade: 140° horizontal and 120° vertical viewing angles
III. 10-point multi-touch touchscreen
IV. PWM backlight control and power management over an I2C interface
V. Metal-framed back with mounting points for both the Raspberry Pi and display conversion board
VI. Backlight lifespan: 20,000 hours
VII. Operating temperature: -20°C to +70°C; Storage temperature: -30°C to +80°C
VIII. 500 contrast ratio
IX. 250 cd/m² brightness
X. Viewing angles: Top – 50°, Bottom – 70°, Left – 70°, Right – 70°
XI. Power requirements: 200mA at 5V (at maximum brightness)
XII. Outer dimensions: 192.96mm × 110.76mm; Viewable area: 154.08mm × 85.92mm
Mounting the Touch Display
To mount the Raspberry Pi to the back of the display, secure it to the stand-offs and connect the required cables. Alternatively, the display can be installed in a separate chassis, but longer cables might be needed depending on the setup.
1. Attach one end of the Flat Flexible Cable (FFC) to the RPI-DISPLAY port on the Touch Display PCB, with the metallic contacts facing away from the screen.
2. Connect the other end of the FFC to the DISPLAY port on the Raspberry Pi, ensuring the contacts face inward toward the Raspberry Pi.
If the FFC is not properly inserted or aligned, the display may malfunction, such as showing no image or only a single color. When troubleshooting, always ensure this connection is correct.
Powering the Touch Display
Power via GPIO
We recommend powering the Touch Display through the Raspberry Pi’s GPIO. This requires two jumper wires to connect the 5V and GND pins from the Raspberry Pi to the corresponding pins on the display.
Ensure that the Raspberry Pi is powered off before making connections. Attach one end of the black jumper wire to pin six (GND) on the Raspberry Pi, and the other end to the GND pin on the display. Similarly, connect the red jumper wire from pin four (5V) on the Raspberry Pi to the 5V pin on the display.
Power via Micro USB
You can also power the Touch Display using a separate micro USB power supply. It is recommended to use the Raspberry Pi 12.5W power supply to ensure the display operates correctly. If using this method, do not connect the GPIO pins between the Raspberry Pi and the display—only use the Flat Flexible Cable.
Warning: When using a micro USB cable for power, ensure the display is mounted inside a chassis to prevent direct access to the PCB during use.
On-Screen Keyboard
For Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm and later versions, you can install and use the wvkbd on-screen keyboard by running the following command:
sudo apt install wvkbd
For earlier versions, the matchbox-keyboard can be used.
Changing the Screen Orientation
From the Desktop
To adjust screen orientation from the desktop, go to the Preferences menu, select Screen Configuration, right-click on the DSI-1 display, and choose Orientation. Pick the option that suits your setup. You can also adjust the touchscreen overlay through the Touchscreen option.
Without a Desktop
If using a device without a desktop environment, adjust screen orientation by modifying the `/boot/firmware/cmdline.txt` file. Add the following line:
video=DSI-1:800x480@60,rotate=<rotation-value>
Replace <rotation-value> with either 0, 90, 180, or 270 to achieve the desired rotation.
Note: DSI and HDMI displays share the same rotation value, and it is not possible to rotate them independently with this method.
Rotating Touch Input
Warning: Rotating touch input via device tree might cause conflicts with your input library. Whenever possible, configure touch event rotation within the input library or desktop.
To manually adjust touch input rotation, add this line to `/boot/firmware/config.txt`:
dtoverlay=vc4-kms-dsi-7inch,invx,invy
Remove the `display_auto_detect=1` line if it is present in the config file.
Note: A bug in Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm’s Wayfire prevents cursor movement rotation when using WayVNC. As a workaround, switch to labwc (currently in beta) by installing it with:
sudo apt install labwc
After installation, use the `raspi-config` command to switch to labwc by selecting Advanced Options > Wayland > labwc. Exit and reboot the system. Be aware that switching to labwc might reset some configurations, such as keyboard layout and screen rotation settings.
To configure these options, add them to the `dtoverlay` line in `/boot/firmware/config.txt`, separating each option with a comma. Boolean values default to true when included, but can be set to false by appending `=0`. Integer options must be assigned a value, such as `sizey=240`. For example, to set the X resolution to 400 pixels and invert both the X and Y coordinates, use the following line:
dtoverlay=vc4-kms-dsi-7inch,sizex=400,invx,invy
DSI display autodetection is disabled by default on these boards. To enable it, add the following line to the `/boot/firmware/config.txt` file:
ignore_lcd=0
Power the setup using the PWR IN micro-USB connector on the display board. Avoid powering it through the Raspberry Pi’s micro-USB port, as this could exceed the input polyfuse’s current limit, since the display draws approximately 400mA.