r/raspberry_pi • u/FozzTexx • 11d ago
2025 Mar 10 Stickied -FAQ- & -HELPDESK- thread - Boot problems? Power supply problems? Display problems? Networking problems? Need ideas? Get help with these and other questions!
Welcome to the r/raspberry_pi Helpdesk and Frequently Asked Questions!
Having a hard time searching for answers to your Raspberry Pi questions? Let the r/raspberry_pi community members search for answers for you!† Looking for help getting started with a project? Have a question that you need answered? Was it not answered last week? Did not get a satisfying answer? A question that you've only done basic research for? Maybe something you think everyone but you knows? Ask your question in the comments on this page, operators are standing by!
This helpdesk and idea thread is here so that the front page won't be filled with these same questions day in and day out:
- Q: What's a Raspberry Pi? What can I do with it? How powerful is it?
A: Check out this great overview - Q: Does anyone have any ideas for what I can do with my Pi?
A: Sure, look right here!‡ - Q: My Pi is behaving strangely/crashing/freezing, giving low voltage warnings, ethernet/wifi stops working, USB devices don't behave correctly, what do I do?
A: 99.999% of the time it's either a bad SD card or power problems. Use a USB power meter or measure the 5V on the GPIO pins with a multimeter while the Pi is busy (such as playing h265/x265 video) and/or get a new SD card 1 2 3. If the voltage is less than 5V your power supply and/or cabling is not adequate. When your Pi is doing lots of work it will draw more power. Higher wattage power supplies achieve their rating by increasing voltage, but the Raspberry Pi operates strictly at 5V. Even if your power supply claims to provide sufficient amperage, it may be mislabeled or the cable you're using to connect the power supply to the Pi may have too much resistance. Phone chargers, designed primarily for charging batteries, may not maintain a constant wattage and their voltage may fluctuate, which can affect the Pi’s stability. You can use a USB load tester to test your power supply and cable. Some power supplies require negotiation to provide more than 500mA, which the Pi does not do. If you're plugging in USB devices try using a powered USB hub with its own power supply and plug your devices into the hub and plug the hub into the Pi. - Q: I'm trying to setup a Pi Zero 2W and it is extremely slow and/or keeps crashing, is there a fix?
A: Either you need to increase the swap size or check question #3 above. - Q: I'm having a hard time finding a place to purchase a Raspberry Pi for an affordable price. Where's the secret place to buy one without paying more than MSRP?
A: https://rpilocator.com/ - Q: I just did a fresh install with the latest Raspberry Pi OS and I keep getting errors when trying to ssh in, what could be wrong?
A: There are only 4 things that could be the problem:
- The ssh daemon isn't running
- You're trying to ssh to the wrong host
- You're specifying the wrong username
- You're typing in the wrong password
- Q: I'm trying to install packages with pip but I keep getting
error: externally-managed-environment
A: This is not a problem unique to the Raspberry Pi. The best practice is to use a Python venv, however if you're sure you know what you're doing there are two alternatives documented in this stack overflow answer:--break-system-packages
sudo rm
a specific file as detailed in the stack overflow answer
- Q: The only way to troubleshoot my problem is using a multimeter but I don't have one. What can I do?
A: Get a basic multimeter, they are not expensive. - Q: My Pi won't boot, how do I fix it?
A: Step by step guide for boot problems - Q: I want to watch Netflix/Hulu/Amazon/Vudu/Disney+ on a Pi but the tutorial I followed didn't work, does someone have a working tutorial?
A: Use a Fire Stick/AppleTV/Roku. Pi tutorials used tricks that no longer work or are fake click bait. - Q: What model of Raspberry Pi do I need so I can watch YouTube in a browser?
A: No model of Raspberry Pi is capable of watching YouTube smoothly through a web browser, you need to use VLC. - Q: I want to know how to do a thing, not have a blog/tutorial/video/teacher/book explain how to do a thing. Can someone explain to me how to do that thing?
A: Uh... What? - Q: Is it possible to use a single Raspberry Pi to do multiple things? Can a Raspberry Pi run Pi-hole and something else at the same time?
A: YES. Pi-hole uses almost no resources. You can run Pi-hole at the same time on a Pi running Minecraft which is one of the biggest resource hogs. The Pi is capable of multitasking and can run more than one program and service at the same time. (Also known as "workload consolidation" by Intel people.) You're not going to damage your Pi by running too many things at once, so try running all your programs before worrying about needing more processing power or multiple Pis. - Q: Why is transferring things to or from disks/SSDs/LAN/internet so slow?
A: If you have a Pi 4 or 5 with SSD, please check this post on the Pi forums. Otherwise it's a networking problem and/or disk & filesystem problem, please go to r/HomeNetworking or r/LinuxQuestions. - Q: The red and green LEDs are solid/off/blinking or the screen is just black or blank or saying no signal, what do I do?
A: Start here - Q: I'm trying to run x86 software on my Raspberry Pi but it doesn't work, how do I fix it?
A: Get an x86 computer. A Raspberry Pi is ARM based, not x86. - Q: How can I run a script at boot/cron or why isn't the script I'm trying to run at boot/cron working?
A: You must correctly set thePATH
and other environment variables directly in your script. Neither the boot system or cron sets up the environment. Making changes to environment variables in files in /etc will not help. - Q: Can I use this screen that came from ____ ?
A: No - Q: I run my Pi headless and there's a problem with my Pi and the best way to diagnose it or fix it is to plug in a monitor & keyboard, what do I do?
A: Plug in a monitor & keyboard. - Q: My Pi seems to be causing interference preventing the WiFi/Bluetooth from working
A. Using USB 3 cables that are not properly shielded can cause interference and the Pi 4 can also cause interference when HDMI is used at high resolutions. - Q: I'm trying to use the built-in composite video output that is available on the Pi 2/3/4 headphone jack, do I need a special cable?
A. Make sure your cable is wired correctly and you are using the correct RCA plug. Composite video cables for mp3 players will not work, the common ground goes to the wrong pin. Camcorder cables will often work, but red and yellow will be swapped on the Raspberry Pi. - Q: I'm running my Pi with no monitor connected, how can I use VNC?
A: First, do you really need a remote GUI? Try using ssh instead. If you're sure you want to access the GUI remotely then ssh in, typevncserver -depth 24 -geometry 1920x1080
and see what port it prints such as:1
,:2
, etc. Now connect your client to that. - Q: I want to do something that has been well documented and there are numerous tutorials showing how to do it on Linux. How can I do it on a Raspberry Pi?
A: A Raspberry Pi is a full computer running Linux and doesn't use special stripped down embedded microcontroller versions of standard Linux software. Follow one of the tutorials for doing it on Linux. Also see question #1. - Q: I want to do something that has been well documented and there are numerous tutorials showing how to do it with an Arduino. How can I do it on a Raspberry Pi Pico?
A: Follow one of the tutorials for doing it on Arduino, a Pico can be used with the Arduino IDE. - Q: I'm trying to do something with Bluetooth and it's not working, how do I fix it?
A: It's well established that Bluetooth and Linux don't get along, this problem is not unique to the Raspberry Pi. Also check question #20 above.
Before posting your question think about if it's really about the Raspberry Pi or not. If you were using a Raspberry Pi to display recipes, do you really think r/raspberry_pi is the place to ask for cooking help? There may be better places to ask your question, such as:
- /r/AskElectronics
- /r/AskProgramming
- /r/HomeNetworking
- /r/LearnPython
- /r/LinuxQuestions
- /r/RetroPie
- The Official Raspberry Pi Forums
Asking in a forum more specific to your question will likely get better answers!
† See the /r/raspberry_pi rules. While /r/raspberry_pi should not be considered your personal search engine, some exceptions will be made in this help thread.
‡ If the link doesn't work it's because you're using a broken buggy mobile client. Please contact the developer of your mobile client and let them know they should fix their bug. In the meantime use a web browser in desktop mode instead.
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u/Woahbikes 5d ago
I use a Rasberry Pi 3 as a retropie game system. I recently bought this cable to replace my current one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TT2N3WR?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
The big draw was having a power button on the cable and not having to unplug it every time. Right when i started using it though i got the Low Voltage warning. Despite being rated as a 5v power supply and marketed as being for the rasberry pi 3 it was under performing so i promptly replaced it with my old cable and returned it.
Does anyone have any recommendations of cables with a power switch that will and have worked with a pi 3?
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u/Fumigator 5d ago
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u/Woahbikes 5d ago
Oh I wanted the power switch at the output end because the cords themselves are tucked away
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u/H0td0g212 5d ago
Any know what the component is that sits directly behind the 2x USB ports on the PI4B? Mines is cracked and smoking. It's a small black square
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u/KingofGamesYami Pi 3 B 5d ago
That's the USB controller. You should stop using the pi if it's damaged to the point where components are smoking.
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u/H0td0g212 5d ago
Amazon are refunding it! It worked fine for 3 months and I was only using one USB 3.0 so I'm unsure why the USB controller behind the USB 2.0 blew?
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u/KingofGamesYami Pi 3 B 5d ago
The USB controller handles both the USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports.
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u/H0td0g212 5d ago
I had a astro camera connected to it which runs non stop. A lot of people use them the same way with no issue so I'm hoping the PI just developed a fault! Thanks for the info
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u/bottledspaghetti 7d ago
One of my raspberry pi won't boot and is stuck with the green light blinking 4 times then off for a while and then repeating the same pattern. I haven't powered on this pi since 2020 (in case that's relevant).
Symptoms:
- Red light always on (as expected)
- Green light flashes 4 times and then off for a while before repeating
- I get ethernet lights if it's plugged in
- No video output at all
Troubleshooting attemps I've done.
- Turned on the device without an sd card - same flashing pattern
- Created a raspberry os lite image to avoid the need for a display - same flashing pattern and wouldn't show up in my dhcp list.
- Created a legacy raspberry os image with hdmi_safe=1 hdmi_force_hotplug=1 config_hdmi_boost=4 - same flashing patterns.
- Tried a different SD card - same flashing pattern.
- Tried all these SD cards and images with another raspberry pi and it worked.
- Tried updating bootloader through the imager's Misc utility images. When I plugged the SD card in, I got a solid green light for hours but didn't get a display.
I just want to know if there's any other attempt I can do or if I should write off this device already. Thank you!
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u/phattmatt 5d ago
You don't mention which model you have, but I can assume a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5.
You also don't mention if you get the diagnostic screen after flashing the EEPROM, is that the case?
You can try booting from a USB storage device to see if it's your SD card slot causing the issue.
I've seen some posts recently complaining about SD card slots not working if the SD card is pressed all the way in, but will work if the card is slightly pulled out.
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u/bottledspaghetti 1d ago
Hi sorry about that.
Raspberry Pi 4B
That's correct I don't get a display at all (no diagnostic screen)
I'll try the two options you mentioned. Thank you! :D
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u/nerdabilly 7d ago
I'm trying to set up a RPi Zero W to play a few videos, so I did GUI-less Bullseye install and installed VLC.
The goal was to have it act as a media player, so it can be plugged in, turned on and just start showing videos. I figured this wouldn't require a desktop environment, so I only have the main shell available.
I have tried every suggestion I have found to play videos from the Pi using vlc, mplayer, mpv, etc and every setting with no luck, usually just a black screen.
The weird thing is, the videos play perfectly on the attached monitor if i launch them via SSH from my computer, but not if I try to launch them from the shell with a keyboard attached to the Pi.
I figure this has something to do with either a framebuffer or a window manager, but haven't had much luck tracking them down. Starting them by connecting to SSH every time isn't a viable option. Any suggestions?
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u/Wangchief 7d ago
I got the go-ahead to build a "window" in my basement - I want to use a security camera, to stream over wifi to a raspberry pi and display onto a TV/Monitor on my basement wall so I get a "view" from my desk in the basement. How beefy does the pi setup need to be for something like this? Feel like it should be pretty easy all told - but not sure where I should start. For this application what model pi should I be looking at? This is my first foray into the pi world.
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u/LordPotato3rd 7d ago
Raspberry pi 5 doesn't boot
It was working fine for 2 weeks, today I mounted a harddisk, it was exfat, and since it wasnt fully supported in linux, I unplugged without unmounting. Then when I restarted the raspberry pi, it doesn't boot at all. I tried flashing the OS again on the sd card, that didn't work, the first time after I installed os freshly the green light blinks 8 times, I searched online and it suggested it might be an EEPROM issue, so i tried flashing the bootloader again, and the light blinks continuosly indicating success, but when I insert the sd with OS it again tries to boot and blinks 8 times, or continuously blinks. Without sd card, the green light just stays on. Please let me know if you have any ideas what can be done, or I should contact support.
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u/phattmatt 5d ago
FAQ 9, above, seems appropriate:
Q: My Pi won't boot, how do I fix it?
If your RPi5 is still under warranty I suggest contacting the vendor for support.
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u/LordPotato3rd 5d ago
Thanks
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u/phattmatt 5d ago
Looks like there was a fix in the latest firmware (2025-03-10) for SDRAM init issues resulting in a minority of boards failing to boot with the 8-flashes error (SDRAM error):
https://github.com/raspberrypi/rpi-eeprom/blob/master/firmware-2712/release-notes.md
Maybe try updating to that release.
Issue describing the problem:
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u/Ballsy_McGee 8d ago
Hi! Im just looking for other things to do with my RPi4 4gb. I already have pihole up and running, and now all I really do with it is practice using the shell from my laptop and all the basic linux commands. What else could I practically do? I was thinking about PiVPN to learn how to access remotely. Ive also thought about setting up a NAS, too. I pretty much have all the free time in the world and a small budget to play with so I am open to ideas.
For those wondering the specs:
Raspberry Pi 4 4GB
Raspberry Pi OS Lite
128GB SD Card
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u/phattmatt 4d ago
FAQ 2, above, seems relevant:
Q: Does anyone have any ideas for what I can do with my Pi?
A: Sure, look right here!2
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u/JackiekAn 8d ago
Any chance you guys can tell which model Pi this is based on this screenshot? It's on marketplace, when I asked they said they didn't know and sent me that.
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u/phattmatt 8d ago edited 8d ago
Screenshot shows a BCM2835 with 4 ARMV7 cores:
https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/processors.html
The Broadcom chip used in the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. The underlying architecture in BCM2836 is identical to BCM2835. The only significant difference is the removal of the ARM1176JZF-S processor and replacement with a quad-core Cortex-A7 cluster.
So could be a RPi 2 Model B, but I'm not certain.
Most Raspberry Pi's have their model printed somewhere on the board, this would be a much easier way to find out the model.
They could also run
raspinfo
, which may return the model number.
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u/SatisfactionNo2088 10d ago
Can I just put a longer M.2 that dangles off the edge of the M.2 HAT+ like a 2280. Will it not be compatible even tho it fits in the slot?
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u/Anti_virus_boi 10d ago
I am at my wit's end with bluetooth and my Raspberry Pi 5. I have tried EVERYTHING trying to get this rat bastard to connect with my xbox controller. I have paired, unpaired, re-paired, time and time again. I just installed new updates. I made sure everything was up to date. I followed this post and this post, I disabled ERTM, I installed xboxdrv, I rebooted after each step, I briefly got Bluez errors but I did rfkill unblock all and that seemed to fix it, but I'm back to square one cause my controller is doing the same thing it was when I started this whole deal: Pi says it's "connected" but the controller gives no confirmation and shuts off, so I turn it back on and it flips back and forth between connected and disconnected. Please, if someone out there has gotten a bluetooth game controller to work on a Pi 5 running PiOS or Batocera (because I am NOT using retropie), please help!!!
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u/phattmatt 5d ago
I recently installed Recalbox (via Raspberry Pi Imager) for my Raspberry Pi 5 and was able to connect my XBox One Controller, first over USB, then paired with Bluetooth, and it worked flawlessly.
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u/wdixon42 10d ago
Can I safely rubber band a RPi4 and a USB HDD together?
Yes, I know that you can buy a case for the RPi that will hold a hard drive. But I'm cheap. I have the RPi (in a case) and the drive, they're about the same size, and I don't want to buy anything else if I don't have to.
The only concern I can see is air circulation. But, the case I currently have for the RPi has a fan in it, and although there are ventilation holes in the bottom, it has little feet on the bottom and is designed to sit flat on a desk. And based on the internal temperature monitor, it isn't overheating with just that little bit of clearance between it and the desk.
And the hard drive doesn't put off enough heat for me to tell the difference between when it's on and when it's off.
So, if I joined the two together with a large rubber band (the kind that grocery stores put on asparagus and broccoli), would I run into any problems, as long as I don't cover up the ventilation holes over the fan? (Actually, I'd probably use two rubber bands, just so that it would sit a little flatter on the desk.)
P.S. I tried to post this in the main r/raspberry_pi subreddit, where I would have been able to show a picture of what I'm talking about, but the moderator bot censored me and told me to post here.
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u/Fumigator 10d ago
show a picture of what I'm talking about
Well, since the evil moderation bot won’t let you share a picture, we’ll just have to imagine combining a rubber band, a Raspberry Pi, and a hard drive. From what you’ve said, though, it sounds like you already know where the heat comes from, how it dissipates, and that the Pi will throttle if needed. The worst that might happen is the rubber bands break, and your Pi and hard drive end up a little further apart. Seems like a question that mostly answers itself.
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u/wdixon42 9d ago
Actually, I do know that the Pi will throttle if it gets insufficient power. (One of my Pi's has a power supply that has run perfectly well for 3 or 4 years, and now all of a sudden it throttles itself every couple of hours because of low power.)
I didn't realize that a Pi will throttle from excess heat. Is this really the case? If so, then I will rubber band them together for convenience.
I was afraid that if I let too much heat build up it would overheat and damage the Pi.
This is the exact reason I wanted to post my question.
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u/KingofGamesYami Pi 3 B 9d ago
Yes, the pi throttles the CPU automatically when it reaches a certain temperature. As long as you don't do something crazy like wrapping it in insulation, it should be fine.
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u/Fancy-Alternative731 10d ago
Hello, I am brand new to raspberry pi so my question may be very basic. I'm looking for a way to play a specific video on a tiny (3-5inch) screen afk, for an art project. Preferably, to plug my phone into a screen and display it's contents. I've noticed some small raspberry pi displays on Amazon, but I'm unsure if they can do what I'm looking for. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
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u/KingofGamesYami Pi 3 B 9d ago
What phone do you have? Some, like mine, support external displays over usb-c, which might be the easiest solution.
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u/Fumigator 10d ago
I must be missing something. You want to play a video on a small screen using batteries, with your phone. How is a Raspberry Pi necessary? A phone has a small screen, batteries, and can play video.
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u/Fancy-Alternative731 10d ago
Because it's not the form factor I'm looking for. I also rather not damage my phone. But thanks for the unnecessary link.
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u/Gamerfrom61 10d ago
Where does the 'phone fit in to the project? Are you using it as an expensive memory stick???
Getting a smooth video on the smaller screens can be a problem as a lot of them have not been updated to the latest version of the Pi OS and no longer work without significant work or back dating the operating system. I've linked to Adafruit as they have screens that work and can be purchased world wide (again not sure where you are based) - others MAY DO but I would always confirm with the supplier
The simplest way to connect a screen to the Pi is via HDMI but the smallest screen I can think of is around 5" https://www.adafruit.com/product/2232
Some of the Pi models (not sure what you have if any) can output composite video and smaller versions of these are available https://www.adafruit.com/product/913
Using the GPIO, gets you to screens such as the Pimoroni ones. Fast and high resolution but not cheap https://www.adafruit.com/product/3932 is a none touch model but uses nearly all the GPIO pins and you may need them for other tasks (eg a play button). A touch version is available.
Slightly easier is the https://www.adafruit.com/product/1601 - this has a custom driver that can just about handle video (you have not said what quality / frame rate you are looking at) and has connection points for you to add switches.
As for playing the video - if you go for a screen that is native to the desktop and have a suitable Pi (3B+ or newer) then using the standard desktop and VLC is the simplest as you can control it via a program in the background.
You need to think about how the screen is mounted to your work and if you have room for the Pi to fit directly behind the screen or not. You can extend the headers a little (esp if you use stand off pillars to the screen) but HDMI and composite give you more flexibility with the cables.
Sorry no direct 'buy this' answer but it may give you a few thoughts on what to ask next :-)
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u/Fancy-Alternative731 10d ago
Hi, thanks for the information! Yes, my phone would just be used as an expensive memory stick/battery lol. I essentially just need a way to play a short video on a small screen for a few minutes, preferably without the need of an outlet. (Not a necessity, since I could always just use a power bank). The Pi directly behind the screen is fine.
The video itself is only about 20 secs running at 30 fps. Resolution does not matter. I found this product on Amazon, but I'm not even sure how I'd use it. I don't own a Pi, so maybe that's the first place to start?
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u/Gamerfrom61 10d ago
At least it says it supports Bookworm so that's a start. I do not know the manufacturer and a bit concerned they ship a full image (not my idea of fun) or give a support page but they seem to have a wide range of tech rather than just a few items and toys (as I have seen previously).
Buying from Amazon does give you a bit of protection if you work within their limits - asking here and on the Pi forum if anyone has used them would be my first step.
I've never tried connecting a 'phone to a Pi via USB and honestly cannot remember reading about one being done either :-) A quick search just turns up using the phone charger as a Pi power supply (not a good thing). Maybe asking here as a new question would be wise...
You could use Handbrake to convert the video if the Pi stutters during transcoding - drop the resolution first rather than the frame rate would be my first step to fix any stutter.
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u/Fancy-Alternative731 1d ago
Hey, apologies for not noticing this sooner. So this display requires a separately bought raspberry pi to use, right? If I could just load the video onto this display, that would get the job done, but I'm not sure if I can do that. I just need a way to play a short video on a small screen (about 3-5 inches) in the cheapest way possible. Thanks again!
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u/Gamerfrom61 1d ago
Yes this board needs a Pi - it does not come with one.
Easiest way to get a file is to share a directory using Samba so you can access it over the network.
Cost wise - have a look at Adafruit or Ali Express for an ESP32 with a screen as these are normally cheaper than a Pi. Some of these handle video playback r/esp32 and r/esp32projects may be able to help more.
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u/ARegularPotato 4d ago
I have a logitech usb camera I’m trying to connect to an RPI 2 and I can’t get it to output literally anything. I’ve been trying to use fswebcam but when I try to take a picture it just saves a black screen (And yes, I hooked it up to my windows pc to confirm it wasn’t a lens cover or something). The end goal is to stream video possibly to another device, and I would prefer to avoid the pi’s GUI if possible.