How to connect your Raspberry Pi to a mobile screen for a touch-enabled experience

Learn how to connect your Raspberry Pi to a mobile screen and turn it into a touch-enabled device with this step-by-step guide. …


Updated October 7, 2023

Stay up to date on the latest trends in AI. Don't be left behind!

Intuit Mailchimp

Learn how to connect your Raspberry Pi to a mobile screen and turn it into a touch-enabled device with this step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Choose the right screen

The first step is to choose the right mobile screen for your project. You need a screen that supports touch input and has an HDMI or MicroHDMI port. Some popular options include:

Make sure to check the specifications of your chosen screen to ensure compatibility with your Raspberry Pi model and operating system.

Step 2: Connect the screen to your Raspberry Pi

Once you have selected a mobile screen, connect it to your Raspberry Pi using an HDMI or MicroHDMI cable. If your screen has audio output, connect it to the Pi’s headphone jack for better multimedia experience.

Step 3: Install necessary software

To enable touch support on your Raspberry Pi, you need to install some additional software. Follow these steps:

  1. First, make sure your Raspberry Pi is up-to-date by running the following command in a terminal window:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
  1. Install the xinput_calibrator package which helps calibrate touchscreens:
sudo apt install xinput-calibrator
  1. Download and install the latest version of LXDE or XFCE desktop environment, depending on your Raspberry Pi OS version: For Raspbian Buster (or later):
sudo apt install xfce4

For older versions of Raspbian:

sudo apt install lxde
  1. Install the tslib package for touchscreen support:
sudo apt install tslib
  1. Reboot your Raspberry Pi to apply changes:
sudo reboot

Step 4: Calibrate the touchscreen

After installing the necessary software, you need to calibrate the touchscreen so that it works correctly with your Raspberry Pi. Follow these steps:

  1. Run the xinput_calibrator tool by typing the following command in a terminal window:
xinput_calibrator
  1. Follow the on-screen instructions to calibrate your touchscreen. You will need to tap on the corners of the screen as prompted.
  2. Once calibration is complete, xinput_calibrator will output a configuration file. Save this file somewhere safe, as you will need it later.

Step 5: Configure your desktop environment

Finally, you need to configure your desktop environment to use the touchscreen calibration file created in the previous step. For XFCE, edit (or create) the file ~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-desktop.xml and add the following content:

<property name="Touchscreen" type="empty"/>
<property name="Calibration" type="string" value="/path/to/your/calibration/file.cal"/>
<property name="Rotation" type="int" value="0"/>

For LXDE, edit the file ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart and add the following line:

@xinput_calibrator --calibfile /path/to/your/calibration/file.cal

Replace /path/to/your/calibration/file.cal with the actual path to your calibration file saved earlier.

Step 6: Reboot and enjoy!

Now you can reboot your Raspberry Pi using the following command:

sudo reboot

After it restarts, you should see the touchscreen working correctly on your Raspberry Pi. You can now use your Pi like a tablet or smartphone by interacting with it through the screen.

That’s it! You have successfully connected your Raspberry Pi to a mobile screen and enabled touch support. This opens up a world of new possibilities for using your Pi as a portable, touch-enabled device. Enjoy your new setup!