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wtf is hdmi-pi?

peng-zhihui/hdmi-pi — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-03 · repo last pushed 2023-09-10

★ 6,114CAudience · developerComplexity · 5/5DormantSetup · hard

TL;DR

An open hardware project that converts HDMI video signals to the MIPI format used by phone screens, letting you build a compact high-resolution monitor from a salvaged smartphone display panel.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((hdmi-pi))
    What It Does
      HDMI to MIPI
      Drive phone screens
      Open hardware design
    Components
      TC358870 chip
      LT6911 chip
      Phone display panel
    Use Cases
      Compact monitors
      Camera monitoring
      Dev board displays
    Audience
      Hardware makers
      Embedded developers

Code map

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Build a compact external monitor for a Raspberry Pi or other single-board computer using a salvaged phone screen.

REASON 2

Create a portable on-set monitor for an action camera by connecting a phone display panel via HDMI.

REASON 3

Use a high-density phone screen as a development display for an embedded Linux board.

What's in the stack?

CHDMIMIPI DSI

How it stacks up

peng-zhihui/hdmi-pitianocore/edk2rpisec/mbe
Stars6,1145,9865,970
LanguageCCC
Last pushed2023-09-10——
MaintenanceDormant——
Setup difficultyhardhardmoderate
Complexity5/55/55/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1day+

Requires sourcing the TC358870 or LT6911 chips, fabricating a custom PCB, and soldering SMD components.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Using the hdmi-pi project, what hardware components do I need to build an HDMI-to-MIPI converter for a 5.5-inch phone screen?
Prompt 2
How do I flash the hdmi-pi firmware onto the converter board so it correctly drives a phone MIPI DSI display?
Prompt 3
Explain the key differences between the TC358870 and LT6911 chip designs in hdmi-pi and which one is easier to source and build.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is hdmi-pi?

An open hardware project that converts HDMI video signals to the MIPI format used by phone screens, letting you build a compact high-resolution monitor from a salvaged smartphone display panel.

What language is hdmi-pi written in?

Mainly C. The stack also includes C, HDMI, MIPI DSI.

Is hdmi-pi actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2023-09-10).

How hard is hdmi-pi to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated hard, with roughly 1day+ to a first successful run.

Who is hdmi-pi for?

Mainly developer.

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