# Monitors and RasPis



## TruvisT (Jan 3, 2014)

Hey all.

I've got some new office space setup for me and some co-workers and the plan is to mount 3~5 30"+ monitors up on the wall with charts for alerts. Now, I don't want to place a dedicated desktop machine to each so I was wondering if anyone has done this and what worked best for you?

Would mounting Pis behind the monitors and using the HDMI connection since all we really need is a web browser connection or should we consider using a desktop designed for 3+ monitor out puts. I figure the Pis would require less wires and power and simplify everything a little too.

I looked into ThinClients but unless from ebay used it's not as cost effective.

What are your view points and comments?


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## drmike (Jan 3, 2014)

Pi's should be lower power consumption too....

Should be feasible.  I haven't used a desktop on a Pi though...  Maybe someone can speak to that performance (or lack thereof).  While you contemplate the graphing complexity and any potential slow/horribleness from a Pi.

Prototype it with 1 Pi... Small investment


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## TruvisT (Jan 3, 2014)

drmike said:


> Pi's should be lower power consumption too....
> 
> Should be feasible.  I haven't used a desktop on a Pi though...  Maybe someone can speak to that performance (or lack thereof).  While you contemplate the graphing complexity and any potential slow/horribleness from a Pi.
> 
> Prototype it with 1 Pi... Small investment


You know. It actually is very sad I've not even had the time to make a small investment in 1 Pi just to play with it like everyone else


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## drmike (Jan 3, 2014)

TruvisT said:


> You know. It actually is very sad I've not even had the time to make a small investment in 1 Pi just to play with it like everyone else


I hadn't until a few months back.   Mainly cause the supply of Pi's was so short and online purchase options were sketchy wait and see when it would arrive, eventually.

I partook via the Ebay route.

Other day MannDude mentioned to me that RadioShack in the United States is now carrying a Raspberry Pi kit - includes the common needed parts and an electronics break out board in one kit.  $99~  a bit pricey, but swell for folks like you who later today are bound to run to the 'Shack and buy one


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## Aldryic C'boas (Jan 3, 2014)

Heh, I still hadn't gotten around to picking one up.  I don't do business with Radio Shack/Best Buy/etc though.. any recommendations for a trustworthy online retailer?


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## drmike (Jan 3, 2014)

I recommend trolling Ebay.  That's where I picked a few up, all new.  Prices can be reasonable and you have the whole prior sale history/good/bad/rating ratios.


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## drmike (Jan 3, 2014)

There are a lot of other boards out there now with more oomph!

Depending on your project and graphing, maybe require such:

Beagleboard Black

CubieBoard

Those are two somewhat available boards with additional cores and faster CPUs.  Some other nifty features the Pi lacks too.


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## BuyCPanel-Kevin (Jan 3, 2014)

If your solely doing web browsing I wouldn't go out and buy a desktop, but I'm not so sure the PI will be fast enough for you, how about you choose a happy medium and go with a small netbook or something.


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## Aldryic C'boas (Jan 3, 2014)

BuyCPanel-Kevin said:


> If your solely doing web browsing I wouldn't go out and buy a desktop, but I'm not so sure the PI will be fast enough for you, how about you choose a happy medium and go with a small netbook or something.


Pretty sure by Browsing he meant attaching the Pi to the back of a monitor to have it sit on a status/monitor page.  Not actual surfing around/etc.


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## TruvisT (Jan 3, 2014)

Aldryic C said:


> Pretty sure by Browsing he meant attaching the Pi to the back of a monitor to have it sit on a status/monitor page.  Not actual surfing around/etc.


Yep, that.

Resolutions will be no less then 1080p.

@drmike:

Thanks. I'll need to check those out.


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## wlanboy (Jan 3, 2014)

TruvisT said:


> Would mounting Pis behind the monitors and using the HDMI connection since all we really need is a web browser connection or should we consider using a desktop designed for 3+ monitor out puts. I figure the Pis would require less wires and power and simplify everything a little too.
> 
> 
> What are your view points and comments?


If you need something for your RaspberryPi look at Adafruit.

They have got a nice monitor mount.

I do need three wires:


1x USB for power
1x USB to USB hub
1x HDMI to monitor
Nothing else needed because I use a WIFI dongle.

All working out of the box thanks to Raspbian.

I installed one SD card with everything they needed and just made raw copies to other SD cards.


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## drmike (Jan 3, 2014)

Good post @wlanboy.   Adafruit comes up all the time in my searches/travels.  Good site.


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## TruvisT (Jan 3, 2014)

wlanboy said:


> If you need something for your RaspberryPi look at Adafruit.
> 
> They have got a nice monitor mount.
> 
> ...


Oh, nice!

This is why I wish I had a 3D printer!

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:202959/


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## drmike (Jan 3, 2014)

Nice little case there.  3d printers still are bleeding edge. 

I still am struggling to find a Raspberry Pi wifi dongle with removable antenna that isn't crap performance range and is supported under Raspbian...


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## bdtech (Jan 3, 2014)

30" monitors?


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## wlanboy (Jan 3, 2014)

TruvisT said:


> This is why I wish I had a 3D printer!


Second that.

I would have a long list of little things that I would like to "print".

Hopefully Santa is carring a 3D printer next year


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## drmike (Jan 3, 2014)

Going to be some strange years ahead with the 3D printer rage.

I can see the odd Christmas gift giving now...


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## mikho (Jan 3, 2014)

If you go the desktop way I would probably use something like this: http://www.ebay.com/bhp/usb-to-dvi-cable


Usb2dvi/hdmi and connect all monitors to o e desktop.


I'm sure there are cheaper ones around.


Perhaps the PI can handle multiple monitors with something like that? Or just get one PI/monitor.


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## wlanboy (Jan 3, 2014)

mikho said:


> Perhaps the PI can handle multiple monitors with something like that? Or just get one PI/monitor.


The GPU (Broadcom VideoCore IV) is able to handle Full-HD (1080p30 H.264 high-profile) but the RAM has to be splitted:



And this will limit the amount of displays to one.


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## mikho (Jan 3, 2014)

wlanboy said:


> The GPU (Broadcom VideoCore IV) is able to handle Full-HD (1080p30 H.264 high-profile) but the RAM has to be splitted:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So if you want one unit to control all monitors the PI is out and a desktop it is? Is that a correct assumption?


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## ocitysolutions (Jan 3, 2014)

mikho said:


> So if you want one unit to control all monitors the PI is out and a desktop it is? Is that a correct assumption?


Yes, that sounds about right, but the cost of a few PIs is most likely cheaper then a desktop.


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## willie (Jan 3, 2014)

My old office did that with cheap Android sticks (search for "mk808") and later upgraded to Chrome boxes.  The Android sticks worked pretty well.  They ran their built-in browser permanently pointed at a web page we set up to display various status and alerts, updating a few times a minute (someone else set it up, so I don't know if there was any sort of push update).


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## mikho (Jan 3, 2014)

ocitysolutions said:


> Yes, that sounds about right, but the cost of a few PIs is most likely cheaper then a desktop.


Depending on the infrastructure and company policy and if you could find other uses, a desktop could still be the right choice


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## drmike (Jan 3, 2014)

willie said:


> My old office did that with cheap Android sticks (search for "mk808")


@willie, how were those mk808's?  Work well?   Long been interested in them / newer models.  Haven't tinkered with one yet.


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## willie (Jan 3, 2014)

drmike said:


> @willie, how were those mk808's?  Work well?   Long been interested in them / newer models.  Haven't tinkered with one yet.


The ones we had worked pretty well in 720p.  There was a suspicious-looking firmware upgrade for 1080p that required running some equally suspicious binary blob under Windows to load the firmware into the stick, so I never ran that. It might be possible to find the source for that thing.  I spent a little while looking without success, but with more persistence it might turn up.  There are several makes/models of the mk808 and there's some newer ones now, so shop around.


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## KuJoe (Jan 3, 2014)

I use my RPi with my 27" monitor without any issue. I mostly run RPITC (Raspberry Pi Thin Client) and my Windows 7 VMs are hosted in various DCs around the country (locally hosted would be MUCH better but under 20ms is still usable).

Here's a video of my RPi connected to a VM in Virginia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpoflazJ-Pg


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## wlanboy (Jan 6, 2014)

mikho said:


> So if you want one unit to control all monitors the PI is out and a desktop it is? Is that a correct assumption?


Yup - one Pi - one monitor.

But you can use the Raspberry Pi "video wall" project for your usecase.


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## mikho (Jan 6, 2014)

wlanboy said:


> Yup - one Pi - one monitor.
> 
> 
> But you can use the Raspberry Pi "video wall" project for your usecase.


Cool project indeed, my mind was on a multiple monitor setup with something more in the line of network or client monitoring. Example: a website /monitor showing statistics or client information.


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## fusa (Jan 6, 2014)

Why don't you use the new smart-TV's this has an build in browser, just point this at your status page, full screen, done


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## drmike (Jan 6, 2014)

fusa said:


> Why don't you use the new smart-TV's this has an build in browser, just point this at your status page, full screen, done


I suspect OP has spare monitor(s) hanging out like most of us


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## Eased (Jan 6, 2014)

KuJoe said:


> I use my RPi with my 27" monitor without any issue. I mostly run RPITC (Raspberry Pi Thin Client) and my Windows 7 VMs are hosted in various DCs around the country (locally hosted would be MUCH better but under 20ms is still usable).
> 
> Here's a video of my RPi connected to a VM in Virginia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpoflazJ-Pg


That is awesome! I also have not had the time to play with a Raspberry Pi yet, but this makes me want to buy one right away.


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## Reece-DM (Jan 6, 2014)

Thanks everyone, i think its about time I go get myself a RasperryPI


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## SpeedBus (Jan 6, 2014)

How about this ? http://hardkernel.com/main/products/prdt_info.php


$59 / Quad-Core / 2 GB RAM / 1080p HDMI out 




> * 1.7GHz Quad-Core processor and 2GByte RAM
> 
> * 10/100Mbps Ethernet with RJ-45 LAN Jack
> * 3 x High speed USB2.0 Host ports
> ...


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## drmike (Jan 6, 2014)

SpeedBus said:


> How about this ? http://hardkernel.com/main/products/prdt_info.php
> 
> $59 / Quad-Core / 2 GB RAM / 1080p HDMI out


Yeah, that looks pretty awesome at the price.

Only catch is international ordering.  So mass delay + cost of shipping... Oh yeah, not general availability yet either, kind of pre-order.


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## tragic (Jan 6, 2014)

On a side note, has anyone tried using a Pi as a local backup node?


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## TruvisT (Jan 7, 2014)

tragic said:


> On a side note, has anyone tried using a Pi as a local backup node?


No. There is no point as it is not practical in anyway especially when you compare costs to an actual backup node device/system.


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## MartinD (Jan 7, 2014)

tragic said:


> On a side note, has anyone tried using a Pi as a local backup node?


Yes - it works perfectly fine with a drive attached.


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## peterw (Jan 7, 2014)

tragic said:


> On a side note, has anyone tried using a Pi as a local backup node?


With a external usb 2 disk? No!


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## drmike (Jan 7, 2014)

USB2 speed would be the limitation along with USB's flakiness and prone to fubaring drives.

For such a beast, there is the Cubieboard that packs a SATA port.

Contemplating a Cubieboard + big SSD for cache and file storage on a wireless network --- as the central out there "on center" storage.


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## MartinD (Jan 7, 2014)

"local backup node" = storing files locally. It doesn't mean uber fast, massively reliable, redundant storage array.

Come on people. It's a Pi for crying out loud.


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## tragic (Jan 7, 2014)

MartinD said:


> "local backup node" = storing files locally. It doesn't mean uber fast, massively reliable, redundant storage array.
> 
> Come on people. It's a Pi for crying out loud.


Yeah, I wasn't expecting anything super fast. Just something to play around with locally.


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## drmike (Jan 7, 2014)

You could backup to the Pi   Me I am just weary and have had too many issue with USB storage to revisit that again.


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## bdtech (Jan 8, 2014)

tragic said:


> On a side note, has anyone tried using a Pi as a local backup node?


 yes, 2tb drive attached and synced to S3. Works perfectly


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## tragic (Jan 8, 2014)

bdtech said:


> yes, 2tb drive attached and synced to S3. Works perfectly


I'll give this a try, time to buy a Pi.


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## tragic (Jan 12, 2014)

Picked up a Pi at the local Microcenter and they're great. Thought about doing a little fun project for my car, running a dashcam with the Pi.


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## drmike (Jan 12, 2014)

How much is Microcenter selling them for?


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## tragic (Jan 12, 2014)

drmike said:


> How much is Microcenter selling them for?


Bought the 'starter kit' comes with model B Pi, charger, 8GB SD card, and case for $60. Little higher than internet pricing but didn't want to wait a couple days. They had all sorts of kits depending on your needs.


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## wlanboy (Jul 24, 2014)

Found a nice adapter from MCT:

http://www.mct.com.tw/index.php?_Page=product&mode=show&cid=22&pid=38&_lang=E


The USB 2.0 Dual display HUB allows you to connect two extra monitors - 
1 by DVI-I port and 1 by VGA (DB-15) port and 2 USB devices to your 
desktop or laptops through a USB cable.

Anyone used that type of device?


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## pcan (Jul 29, 2014)

The commercial name of this technology is DisplayLink (I believe that the adapter you found is a unlicensed clone, therefore the trademark name has been removed from the sales literature). I had a similar device back when this standard came out in 2007, then I switched to a Thinkvision LT1421 USB monitor because it is powered by the USB port, and I can use it on the move. They both works well, it is even possible to watch low-res video on the USB monitor. The displaylink driver for Windows has no stability issues at all.

There is now a USB 3.0 DisplayLink chip with far better resolution and speed, but I haven't feel the need to upgrade. I also bought the displaylink app for iPad; it uses the ethernet variant of the DisplayLink protocol to convert the iPad as a secondary monitor for the PC; it is very handy sometimes.

I never tried to connect my displaylink monitor to the raspberry, but it seems to be fairly simple according to Google results (rebuild the kernel and enable DisplayLink support).

By the way, I am now testing the new Raspberry Pi B+; a very nice improvement over the original. It is also a good RDP thin client.


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