When a new piece of hardware lands on your desk, it’s easy to get excited. Raspberry Pi enthusiasts are known for diving into new products with passion and creativity, and the new Raspberry Pi touch display is no exception.
The response to its release has been fantastic, and it's clear that this screen has great potential for a wide range of projects. But here’s the thing: it’s still early days, and while we all want to jump in and start building, there are a few things you should be aware of before hacking away at the Raspberry Pi Montors.
This post isn’t about the things you can do with the display, but rather the mistakes you should avoid when trying to modify or adapt it.
After a few missteps and lessons learned the hard way, I’ve gathered a list of what not to do with your new display.
So, buckle up, and let’s go over some practical advice on how not to hack the Raspberry Pi display.
The Maker Grotto Test
When new hardware arrives at Pi Towers, it doesn’t just get plugged in and tested. No, it undergoes what we lovingly call the “Maker Grotto” test.
Now, if you’re picturing a high-tech laboratory, let me tell you right away—this is actually my garage. But calling it the Maker Grotto just feels more exciting, don’t you think? It’s where I experiment, tinker, and sometimes break things.
And it was here that I decided to test out the new Raspberry Pi touch display.
Like any good maker, I had a couple of old external hard drive cases lying around. They seemed like a perfect fit for housing the new display.
One was a solid, anodized aluminium case by Freecom—sturdy and high-quality, but not quite the right size for my plans. The other case was a cheap third-party option, and that’s when the trouble began.
The First Mistake: Cutting Without a Plan
The first thing I did was grab the cheap third-party case, and after a few minutes of carefully (or not-so-carefully) using tinsnips, I cut the front panel off.
The display fit snugly in place, both vertically and horizontally, with only a slight overlap at one end. Now, you might think this is a good outcome, but let me tell you—it’s not.
The display fitting perfectly seemed like a small victory, but that overlap nagged at me. I needed it to be neat, so I decided to trim the excess glass with a glass cutter. Let me pause here and give you some advice: never, ever try to cut your display glass without knowing exactly what you’re doing.
My glass cutter was not sharp enough, and despite my best efforts, the glass cracked under pressure. What was intended to be a clean, straight line turned into a jagged edge, leaving behind a weak spot that cracked further as I continued to handle the case.
This wasn’t a minor issue—it ruined the glass, and I had to learn the hard way that these displays are not meant for aggressive modifications.
The Lesson: Don’t Attempt to Resize the Display
This brings me to my first major lesson: resizing the Raspberry Pi display is a bad idea. Sure, it’s tempting to customize and make things fit perfectly into your project.
But the reality is that the display’s glass is delicate, and trying to resize it will likely damage it beyond repair. If you want to make modifications, keep them to things that won’t compromise the integrity of the screen. In short: don’t try cutting the glass or resizing it.
The display works perfectly well as-is, and if you try to alter it, you risk voiding your warranty and ruining the device in the process. I quickly learned that it’s better to plan for the display’s dimensions and work within those constraints.
The Second Mistake: Mounting the Raspberry Pi Incorrectly
Next up, let's talk about mounting the Raspberry Pi and the display. After successfully trimming the case and fitting the display,
I tried to mount the Raspberry Pi in the most logical way: with the control board sitting directly on top of the display. It seemed like the obvious choice, right?
Wrong. The case simply wasn’t deep enough to accommodate the Raspberry Pi in this position, and that’s when I realized I needed to get a bit more creative.
At first, this seemed like a showstopper. But then, a lightbulb went off: I could flip the setup upside down.
By mounting the Raspberry Pi underneath the display, the height was reduced, and everything fit snugly.
The downside? I lost easy access to the GPIO pins, which would have been an issue if I needed to do any further wiring. But in this case, a simple ribbon cable could easily solve that problem.
The Lesson: Think Outside the Box, But Don’t Force It
The second lesson I learned is this: sometimes you need to think outside the box, but don’t force things into places where they don’t belong.
The Raspberry Pi is a versatile device, but it still has limitations in terms of size and mounting options. When things don’t fit, don’t try to make them work in a way that compromises the design. Take a step back, and think about alternative ways to mount the components or even consider modifying your case to accommodate the setup better.
The simple flip I made worked, but the risk of damaging the display or Pi in the process was still there. This is why planning ahead, measuring properly, and being careful with modifications is crucial.
The Third Mistake: Skipping Proper Power Management
As I continued with my project, I realized that one of the most important aspects of any DIY setup—especially one involving a Raspberry Pi—is managing power effectively.
In this case, I was using the GPIO pins to power the display, but I didn’t initially think about the long-term impact of using those pins for this purpose.
The Raspberry Pi monitors draw quite a bit of power, and while the GPIO pins can handle it, it’s always better to be cautious.
For any project, it's always best to use a dedicated power supply rather than drawing power from the Pi's GPIO pins.
This will ensure that both the display and the Pi receive enough power to run smoothly without overloading the system.
Skipping this step could lead to instability, and in the worst case, cause damage to your components.
The Lesson: Don’t Skip Power Management
Always plan for power. If you’re using the Raspberry Pi display in a project that requires constant operation, consider using an external power source for the display rather than relying solely on the Pi’s GPIO pins.
It may seem like a minor issue, but it can make a big difference in the stability and longevity of your setup.
The Final Word: Keep it Simple and Enjoy the Process
By now, you’ve probably realized that hacking the Raspberry Pi display isn’t as straightforward as it seems.
The temptation to modify and customize can be strong, but sometimes it’s better to step back and think about how to make things work with minimal interference.
The most successful projects are often the simplest ones—those that focus on getting the basics right before venturing into more complex modifications.
In conclusion, while hacking and experimenting with Raspberry Pi hardware can be incredibly rewarding, it’s important to learn from others’ mistakes and avoid jumping into modifications without proper consideration.
If you’re thinking about modifying the Raspberry Pi display, take your time, plan ahead, and don’t force anything into place. If you do, you’ll likely end up with a broken display and a very frustrated maker.
I’ve learned my lessons the hard way, and now I’m sharing them, so you don’t have to make the same mistakes.
The Raspberry Pi display is a fantastic tool for building exciting projects, and with the right care and attention, you can avoid the pitfalls and create something truly amazing.
So, take a deep breath, plan your project carefully, and remember hacking is fun, but sometimes it’s best to take it slow.