Raspberry Pi Setup

The 8-DSI-TOUCH-A supports all modern Raspberry Pi models with DSI connectivity.

Supported Models

Model	DSI Connector	Cable Required
Pi 5	22-pin	FFC 22-pin 200mm (opposite direction)
CM5	22-pin	FFC 22-pin 200mm (opposite direction)
CM4	22-pin	FFC 22-pin 200mm (opposite direction)
CM3+	22-pin	FFC 22-pin 200mm (opposite direction)
CM3	22-pin	FFC 22-pin 200mm (opposite direction)
Pi 4B	15-pin	DSI-Cable-12cm
Pi 3B+	15-pin	DSI-Cable-12cm
Pi 3B	15-pin	DSI-Cable-12cm
Pi 3A+	15-pin	DSI-Cable-12cm

Quick Start

1. Hardware Setup Connect DSI cable and power

2. Software Setup Configure config.txt overlay

3. Display Config Rotation and resolution

4. Touch Calibration Calibration matrices

Operating System Requirements

Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm (2023+) includes native support:

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

Features:

Native driver support (no additional downloads)
GUI touch configuration
Squeekboard virtual keyboard
Automatic touch rotation with display

Raspberry Pi OS Bullseye requires the same overlay:

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

DSI Port Selection

Pi 5 / CM5 (Dual DSI)

Pi 5 has two DSI ports. By default, the overlay uses DSI1:

# DSI1 (default)
dtoverlay=vc4-kms-dsi-waveshare-panel-v2,8_0_inch_a

# DSI0 (if using second port)
dtoverlay=vc4-kms-dsi-waveshare-panel-v2,8_0_inch_a,dsi0

Pi 4 / Pi 3 (Single DSI)

Only one DSI port exists - no configuration needed.

Backlight Control

GUI Method

Menu → Preferences → Control Center → Screens
Select DSI-2
Adjust Brightness slider (0-100%)
Click Apply

Terminal Method

# Set brightness (0-255)
echo 200 | sudo tee /sys/class/backlight/*/brightness

# Maximum
echo 255 | sudo tee /sys/class/backlight/*/brightness

# Minimum (not off)
echo 10 | sudo tee /sys/class/backlight/*/brightness

Waveshare Brightness Tool

wget https://files.waveshare.com/wiki/common/Brightness.zip
unzip Brightness.zip && cd Brightness
sudo chmod +x install.sh && ./install.sh

Access via Start Menu → Accessories → Brightness.

Automatic touch rotation included:

Menu → Preferences → Control Center → Screens
Select DSI-2
Choose Orientation: Normal, Left, Right, Inverted
Enable Touchscreen checkbox
Click Apply

Edit kernel command line:

sudo nano /boot/firmware/cmdline.txt

Add at the beginning (before console=):

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

Rotation	Parameter
90° (landscape left)	`rotate=90`
180° (portrait inverted)	`rotate=180`
270° (landscape right)	`rotate=270`

Touch Modes

Raspberry Pi OS supports two touch modes:

Mouse Emulation (Default)

Single touch controls cursor
Tap = left click
Long press = right click
Double-tap supported
Best for desktop applications

Multitouch Mode

Full 10-point multitouch
Gestures (pinch, swipe)
No right-click or double-tap
Best for touch-optimized apps

Switch modes in Control Center → Screens → Touchscreen.

Virtual Keyboard

Bookworm includes Squeekboard:

Auto-appears during text input
Toggle via keyboard icon in taskbar
Configure in Preferences → Control Centre → Display

Power Requirements

Parameter	Requirement
Voltage	4.75V - 5.30V
Current	≥0.8A dedicated to display
Connection	GPIO 5V + GND (not DSI)

Troubleshooting Quick Reference

Symptom	Likely Cause	Solution
No display	Missing overlay	Add dtoverlay to config.txt
White screen	Wrong cable direction	Check FFC orientation
Touch offset	Rotation mismatch	Apply calibration matrix
Flicker	Low current	Use higher-rated PSU

See Troubleshooting for detailed solutions.