Raspberry PI monitor not working; doesn't show up after startup

When we connect the Raspberry PI to the monitor and try to boot the device, there is no display. The monitor says no signal and then goes into standby mode. In this article, we will discuss this issue and see what you can do if your Raspberry Pi display is not working and has no display after powering on.

Why is my Raspberry Pi screen black when I boot up?

Raspberry PI does not support HDMI hot-plug function. If you connect or turn on the monitor after the Raspberry PI is powered on, only a black screen will appear. Additionally, if the operating system is not installed on the Raspberry Pi, it will not boot and will just show a black screen.

Fix Raspberry PI monitor not working issue

If the Raspberry PI display is not working properly and there is no display after booting, please follow the solutions mentioned below to resolve the issue.

Make sure you are using the correct PSU

Check if the boot device is connected

Analyzing LEDs and doing a fresh install

Edit configuration file

Use the correct HDMI cable

Force HDMI detection

Contact your manufacturer

Let’s talk about it in detail.

No display after startup of Raspberry Pi monitor

1]Make sure you are using the correct PSU

According to the newly released Raspberry Pi 5, it requires up to 27W of USB-C power to ensure normal operation. While some users say the older Raspberry Pi 4 performs well in terms of power supply, it doesn't always work as expected when connecting multiple external devices.

While it may be difficult to purchase the official Raspberry Pi 27w PSU in some regions, we recommend not choosing to purchase third-party alternatives as this may result in a waste of money.

Similar to the Raspberry Pi 5, the Raspberry Pi 4 also requires a different power supply unit (PSU) than older models, which is equipped with a USB Type-C interface. To ensure normal operation, it is best to use the officially recommended 5.1V 3A PSU. It's worth noting that using your phone or tablet's charger to power it is not enough for any Raspberry Pi model. If you need to purchase official products, you can go to the official website of raspberrypi.com for more details.

2] Check if the boot device is connected

Raspberry Pi 5 has multiple boot methods, including booting from USB or microSD card. Similar to the Raspberry Pi 4, it also supports booting over Ethernet. And, unlike before, Raspberry Pi 5 can also boot from a PCIe-connected solid-state drive, providing users with more choices and flexibility.

However, since the Raspberry Pi's display is not booting, the device is most likely not booting because the boot media is connected correctly. So please check to make sure the correct boot device is connected correctly.

3]Analyze LED and do a clean install

The Raspberry Pi's LED is set up so that people can decipher what is causing the problem by looking at it. A red (PWR) light indicates power and a green (ACT) light indicates activity. While there are other highlights, we need to focus on these two aspects.

If you notice the PWR flickering occasionally, your power supply is consistently dropping below 4.65V. However, if there is no red light, we can assume there is no electricity. If the red PWR LED only lights up and does not blink, we can safely assume that there are no readable boot instructions on the SD card.

It is worth noting that during the boot process of Raspberry Pi, the green ACT light should flash irregularly. However, if there is a problem with the system, it may flash in a more supervised mode to indicate the problem. Here are some possible error indicators and their meanings:

• If the indicator light flashes three times, it means that the start.self file cannot be found.
• If the indicator light flashes four times, it means that the start.self file is damaged or cannot be started. This could also mean that the SD card is not inserted correctly or that the card slot is not working properly.
• If the indicator light flashes seven times, it means that the kernel.img file cannot be found.
• If the indicator light flashes eight times, the SDRAM cannot be recognized. This could be due to corrupted SDRAM or an unreadable bootcode.bin or start.elf file.

If you notice any of these error indicators, we recommend that you connect a new SD card with a newly installed Raspberry PI operating system.

4]Edit configuration file

There is a solution that works for most victims and can do the trick for you too. We need to edit the configuration file and comment out the override string. So to do the same, first SSH to your Raspberry PI, navigate to /ot/config.txt and comment out dtoverlay=vc4-kms-v3d by adding a # to the string.

5]Use the correct HDMI cable

We need to use the correct HDMI cable supported by our monitor for the Raspberry PI 5 to work. If you use a micro HDMI adapter, switch to a good quality micro HDMI to HDMI cable.

Read: How to install Windows 11 on Raspberry Pi4?

6]Force HDMI detection

For a display device to work with the Raspberry Pi, it must be able to detect its signal. If we encounter a situation where the Pi doesn't seem to boot up and the screen remains blank, we can try pushing HDMI detection. Since the Raspberry Pi does not have a BIOS, it relies on a configuration file on the SD card. To force HDMI detection, you need to insert the SD card into your desktop or laptop and navigate to the /boot/ partition. Open this file and add the following lines at the end:

hdmi_force_hotplug=1

Finally, save your changes, eject the SD card, and check if the problem is resolved.

Read: How to Create a Raspberry PI Virtual Machine

7]Contact your manufacturer

If all else fails, you must contact the manufacturer and have them check the hardware. There may be some issues with your motherboard; in this case, consulting the manufacturer is your only option.

Hope you are able to solve this problem using the solutions mentioned in this article.

Read: How to stress test a Raspberry Pi 4 in a Windows PC?

How do I get my Raspberry Pi to show up?

To connect your Raspberry PI 4 to the screen, you will need a micro HDMI to HDMI cable or a standard HDMI to HDMI cable and a micro HDMI to HDMI adapter. Alternatively, if you have a Raspberry Pi 1, 2, or 3, you can easily connect them to the screen using a standard HDMI-to-HDMI cable, since they all come with a full-size HDMI port.

Also Read: Best Raspberry PI4 ideas for Science Project using Windows PC.

The above is the detailed content of Raspberry PI monitor not working; doesn't show up after startup. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!