Small chip, big picture: While generating analog signals like VGA is hardly a hurdle for many microcontrollers today, DVI is a challenge. With the Raspberry Pi Pico DVI Sock, a small extension is now available that allows a direct connection to a DVI- or HDMI-capable monitor.
The Raspberry Pi Pico with its PIO state machines is able to deliver amazing things. While generating analog signals like VGA is hardly a hurdle for many microcontrollers today, DVI is a challenge. In order for the chip to generate a suitable timing, it is also not sufficient to run it at its nominal 133 MHz, but the Raspberry Pi Pico must be “slightly” overclocked to 252 MHz for this purpose. With the Raspberry Pi Pico DVI Sock, a small extension is now available, which allows a direct connection to a DVI- or HDMI-capable monitor.
Raspberry Pi Pico DVI Sock
The Raspberry Pi Pico DVI Sock is a tiny board with an HDMI port and a few passive components.
Raspberry Pi Pico DVI Sock with a Raspberry Pi Pico
Digital Video with 16-bit Color
The result of this extension is excellent digital video (RGB565 / 16-bit color) from the Raspberry Pi Pico, which can be displayed directly by an HDMI/DVI monitor. On Luke Wren’s GitHub repository, you can find the technical documentation, schematics, and also manufacturing data for the Raspberry Pi Pico DVI Sock as well as a software library that makes it easy to get started with your own projects. One of the examples is a small demo for sprites and tiles, reminiscent of Zelda for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
But other demos are possible, too, such as terminal output or even displaying videos or images. If you are now wondering whether audio would be possible, too: Theoretically, yes. But as the name suggests, the Raspberry Pico DVI Sock is a DVI port in an HDMI form factor. For licensing reasons, this is not an HDMI port, so there is no official audio support for it either.
5 volts and an HDMI connection: That's all it takes
Now with Sound
However, the InfoNES project for the Raspberry Pi Pico shows impressively that video with sound is indeed possible. Surely more applications can be realized with the Sock. From a simple info display to a small game console, there are no limits to the imagination. And thanks to the existing software libraries, getting started with graphics on the Raspberry Pi Pico is not that difficult.
DVI Sock: The Bottom Line
At a price of about €7, the Raspberry Pi Pico DVI Sock is a nice addition for the Raspberry Pi Pico. If you realize a project with the Raspberry Pi Pico and the Sock, why don’t you share it on our project platform Elektor-Labs.com and let others participate in your creation? We would be interested to know what ideas you have realized or want to realize with the Sock.
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