Display Drivers

If your display is connected via GPIO instead of HDMI, it will initially appear blank.

To make it functional, you need to install the corresponding display driver. For the most common displays, we have already included the necessary drivers in the image, so no additional downloads are required.

Requirements

• A Raspberry Pi with the custom image flashed and running, connected to your network
• A display connected to the Raspberry Pi
• A PC connected to the same network

Automatic Installation

Starting with version 9 of our custom Raspberry Pi image, drivers for the most common displays are already included and can be installed automatically as part of the normal configuration process.

No SSH and no command-line interaction required!

Manual Installation

If your display is not supported automatically, you can install the drivers manually by connecting to the Raspberry Pi via SSH.

SSH Credentials:
Username: modbros
Password: modbros

If you're unfamiliar with SSH, open a terminal (or Command Prompt on Windows) and type:

ssh modbros@[YOUR_RASPBERRY_IP]

Disabling OverlayFS

Starting with version 12, the image uses OverlayFS. This means any configuration changes, including driver installations, will not be permanently saved to the SD card unless OverlayFS is temporarily disabled.

To install a display driver, you first need to disable OverlayFS:

1. Log in to the Raspberry Pi via SSH.
2. Run the following command:

   set_root_configurable
   This will disable OverlayFS and stop the MoBro service. The Raspberry Pi will then reboot.
3. After the reboot, log in again via SSH.
4. Check if the root partition is writable by running:

   status
   It should now show as RW (read/write).
5. Most display drivers require modifications to config.txt, which is located in the boot partition. To make it writable, run:

   set_boot_configurable
   No reboot is required for this step.
6. Run status again to confirm that both partitions are now writable.

Driver Installation

Since our custom image is based on Raspberry Pi OS, the display driver installation process is the same as on a standard Raspberry Pi setup.

1. Refer to the manufacturer’s website or the display’s manual for installation instructions.
2. Follow the provided instructions as you would on a regular Raspberry Pi OS installation.

note

We cannot guarantee that all displays will work, as there are too many to test.

Enabling OverlayFS

After installing the display driver, you need to enable the MoBro service again. We also strongly recommend re-enabling OverlayFS, as it extends the SD card’s lifespan and reduces the risk of data corruption.

To do this:

1. Log back in via SSH.
2. Run the following command:

   set_default
   This will re-enable OverlayFS and restart the MoBro service.

info

Re-enabling OverlayFS may take a minute (especially on the Raspberry Pi Zero), so please be patient. The Raspberry Pi will reboot once the process is complete.

Once the system reboots, your display should be working with the installed driver!