Display Configuration

Display Rotation

The 8-DSI-TOUCH-A is a portrait display (800×1280). You may want to rotate it for landscape use.

GUI (Desktop)

Trixie / Bookworm:

1. Open Menu → Preferences → Control Center → Screens
2. Select Screens → DSI-2 (your display)
3. Choose Orientation: Normal, Left, Right, or Inverted
4. Click Apply

Tip

The GUI method automatically rotates both display and touch together.

Command Line (Lite)

For headless or Lite installations, edit the kernel command line:

sudo nano /boot/firmware/cmdline.txt

Add at the beginning of the line (before console=):

video=DSI-1:800x1280e,rotate=90

Rotation options:

• rotate=90 - Landscape (rotated left)
• rotate=180 - Portrait (upside down)
• rotate=270 - Landscape (rotated right)

Caution

This only rotates the display. Touch requires separate calibration - see Touch Calibration.

Identifying Your Display

On Pi 5/CM5, multiple DSI ports exist. Find your display identifier:

# List connected displays
ls /sys/class/drm/*/status

# Or use xrandr (with desktop)
xrandr --query

Common identifiers:

• DSI-1 or DSI-2 - Primary DSI display
• HDMI-A-1 - HDMI output (if connected)

Dual Display Setup

You can use the DSI display alongside HDMI:

config.txt

dtoverlay=vc4-kms-v3d
dtoverlay=vc4-kms-dsi-waveshare-panel-v2,8_0_inch_a

Note

When using DSI and HDMI simultaneously, you cannot rotate them independently. Both displays share the same rotation setting.

Resolution Notes

Parameter	Value
Native Resolution	800 × 1280
Orientation	Portrait (taller than wide)
Aspect Ratio	5:8
Pixel Density	~189 PPI

The display always runs at its native 800×1280 resolution. Lower resolutions will be scaled, potentially causing blur.

Refresh Rate

The display supports up to 60 Hz. This is typically handled automatically by the driver. To verify:

# Check current mode
cat /sys/class/drm/*/modes

Color and Contrast

As an IPS panel, the display provides:

• Wide color gamut
• 178° viewing angles
• Consistent colors at all angles
• No color inversion when viewed off-axis

No additional color calibration is typically needed.