Printer Model: NA
MCU / Printerboard: Manta M5P + CM5
Host / SBC: NA
klippy.log: NA
Describe your issue:
So I am currently experiencing confusion when it comes to interfacing a Freenove raspberry pi 5inch touch screen with the Manta M5P + CM5. First of all, I noticed that the DSI at the back of the M5P is a 15 pin 1mm pitch FPC connector rather than a 22 pin that the raspberry pi 5 usually has. This means that if I look for DSI FPC cables for raspberry pi screens (not for the cameras), all that I find are the 15 pin to 22 pin FPC cables. I managed to find a 22 pin to 22 pin ribbon cable (type B reversed - blue stiffners arent on the same side of the cable) which still didnt bring any luck.
I have tried even running the code provided by the manual from BTT:
However no luck. When I power on the manta board the LCD quickly flashes (black backlight turns on for a split second) then turns off. I thought maybe the type A straight through fpc cables may fix this issue however I cannot find any that are specifically mentioned to work with raspberry pi LCDs, although I have found a handful of type A FFC/FPC cables but again, they are pretty generic and not guaranteed to work with LCD/DSI.
My guess is the M5P board was laid out to replicate the RP4. The 2x100 pin CM ā M5P may not support the newer DSI interface of the RP5. If it does it will be with the old cable that is used with a RP4.
Iām sorry for your troubles. It can be a real pain in the bum getting the various DSI displays to work on different Raspberry Pi models.
I canāt find specific information regarding the connector on the Freenove display and you havenāt provided it. It sounds like you are expecting a 22pin connector but you donāt describe what is the connector on the Freenove display - if it is 15 pin, then I would think a straight 15 pin ribbon cable should work.
Personally, Iām using BTT TFT5 displays on my printers and they have 15 pin connectors that work fine with Manta M8Ps, a Manta M5P as well as my own custom board (which all have 15 pin connectors). I have them running on CM4s, a CM5, CB2 and Orange Pi CM4. So, it can be done.
The standard for Raspberry Pi boards is the 15 pin connector used on the Manta boards. The CM4 IO board had a 22 pin connector put on that has exactly the same pin connections as the 15 pin connector. My understanding is that the rPi 5 went with the 22 pin connector that is used on the CM4 board because it is physically smaller.
There is no difference in the pins used between the connectors and the signals are all identical between Raspberry Pi models. There is no difference in the DSI port signals between the Raspberry Pi 5, the CM5 and other Raspberry Pi models.
If you have the LCD flashing on and off, that sounds like it is getting power. On other DSI displays that Iāve worked with there is a power indicator LED that stays on while power is applied to the display. Does this one have one? If it does, then thereās a good chance that if it stays lit, then youāre good to go.
Looking at the Freenove page (which doesnāt have documentation), there seems to be a separate 5V power connection to the Raspberry Piās 40 pin connector pins 4 & 6. Do you have this on your setup?
Where did you get the dt-blob.bin code? I have had problems with that in the past as there are at least two versions available from Raspberry Pi and one of them didnāt work for me. You might want to look around there.
I donāt see any information on the Freenove displays but you might find something of value there.
The next stop would be reaching out to the various Raspberry Pi forums to see if anybody can give specific instructions as to what to do.
The good news is that this really a Raspberry Pi issue. That means you should be able to get more and better information as well as support from people whoāve worked with both the CM5 and Freenove display.
If you canāt find any help in the resources listed above, then post with more information regarding your hardware (including connectors and number of pins) as well as your set up procedure and what youāve done to support the display.
Just before I double check and answer all the questions youve asked me, and I should have put this in the original post but I currently have Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm (Desktop Version) flashed onto the CM5 and I was hoping to get the touch screen working outside of KlipperScreen. Pretty much the first stage I want to achieve is for the touch screen to work and display the PI OS desktop. I am not sure if this changes the nature of the solution but I though Iād mention that.
I currently cant find any pinout diagrams and Im looking into contacting Freenove as well in parallel so as Soon as I get an answer from here Iāll definitely post it here.
So just to also clarify, I had to find a 15 pin to 15 pin FFC ribbon connector to connect the screen so i went an ordered this one:
It was really the only 15 pin to 15 pin FFC ribbon connector I could find but now that I go back and look at it, these may not even be compatible as the title says āModule Cameraā. At the time I read the description and it said āexternal displaysā.
This leads me to my next problem. Where do I source a FPC ribbon connector that work for LCD touch screens (DSI) that is 15 pin 1mm pitch on both ends as the regular 15 pin to 22 pin wont fit on the Manta M5P (the DSI connector on both the Freenove and Manta board are both the 16mm wide ones). I have look everywhere and seem to only find the 15 to 22 or the 15 to 15 that are only for cameras.
I hope this information helps, but given that freenove are very minimal with their datasheets and diagrams it makes it slightly harder to find a solution.
Thatās a pretty reasonable way to approach things.
That needs clarification - as @cardoc asked, what were you given in the Freenove kit?
Also, I canāt see the page as Amazon here wonāt access the Australian version and just goes to Canada where the link doesnāt work. Regardless, a straight 15 pin to 15 pin should not be an issue.
Not really. I guess I didnāt ask explicitly enough in my last post. What you need to provide:
What were you given in the Freenove kit? When I looked at the product website it says that cables come with the display.
What exactly happens when you connect the display to your M5P and turn on the power? You said that it flashes and the backlight comes on. Is there an LED to indicate that there is power on? Iām asking because the LCDs Iāve worked with have them.
What exactly is the process you used to set up the CM5 (including loading the bt-blob.binfile) and where did you get this process and the files that you used?
The ribbon cable I linked from amazon is a Type B (reversed) FFC cable where the stiffners are on the opposite side, I read over some forums and people have mentioned they had it working with the Type A (straight through) FFC cables where the stiffners are on the same side. I found a spare Type A FFC cable from a camera module kit but I still didnt have any luck.
The freenove kit simply came with 1 cable which is the reason why I bought the FFC from amazon, because the cable that came with the Freenove dosent fit into the manta since the 22 pin 0.5mm pitch end of this cable (thinner end) is too small for the Manta M5P dsi port which seems to have the 15 pin 1mm pitch connector (wider end) - See the image in this link since I cant share images, this is pretty much how the ribbon cable looks like - DSI Display Screen Adapter Cable for Raspberry Pi 5 - 300mm, 22-way to 15-way
There was a single flash when I turned it on but nothing at all afterwards, no light or power LED. I saw the same behaviour with both the 7 inch and 5 inch version of the freenove screen.
Setting up the CM5 Involved:
Mounting it onto the CM5 board.
Flashing the full version of RPI OS Bookworm version that comes with the desktop.
Running wire from the main Power screw terminals for the Manta into the power screw terminals for the CM5
Plugged in DSI ribbon cables into DSI port at back of Manta. I have tried every type of combo and ribbon cable orientation possible
I then headed over to the Manta M5P guide and followed this section: āDSI1 Display The default display interface is HDMI, and the DSI interface of MANTA M5P is DSI1, you need to download the DSI1 driver, and enter the following in the command line (Note: For systems released on or after 2023-10-10, the path is /boot/firmware/dt-blob.bin, and for systems released before that, the path is /boot/dt-blob.bin):
āsudo wget https://datasheets.raspberrypi.com/cmio/dt-blob-disp1-cam1.bin -O /boot/firmware/dt-blob.binā
After downloading this driver and restarting, the screen connected to the DSI interface can be displayed normally. If you want to use the HDMI interface, you need to delete the downloaded /boot/firmware/dt-blob.bin driver and restart, and then the HDMI can output normally.ā
That is where I ran the code given āsudo wget ā¦ -O /boot/firmware/dt-blob.binā and then did the restart.
Iām astonished that cardoc and mykepredko answered before that was clarified.
If I get it right, you want to connect a BTT Manta M5P with a hooked on RPi CM5 to āDSI1ā or āCAM1ā connector on your Manta to your display? ā¦and make it working.
Again, is this your display?
Why was this discussion started about FPC connectors and cables before we know what display we are talking about?
Hi, I am very sorry for not replying, I had alot to do recently and havent had time to go through all the replies. I really appreciate offering to help as well it means a ton!
Yes that is the screen I bought.
āIf I get it right, you want to connect a BTT Manta M5P with a hooked on RPi CM5 to āDSI1ā or āCAM1ā connector on your Manta to your display? ā¦and make it working.ā and yes that is correct.
I went a step further and ordered a 7 inch freenove touch screen and a 5 inch waveshare touch screen and I am still running into issues. No power no backlight no nothing, the cm5 is running just fine through pi connect so thats definitely not an issue.
Iāve tried all possible combinations of the ribbon cable and yet no luck either. I honestly have no clue what else to try at this point.
You should be getting some kind of indication that power is getting to the display.
Unfortunately, I have no experience with any Freenove or Waveshare product but I do have experience with the BTT TFT Manta M5P and M8P (V1) and there is a power indicator LED, which you donāt seem to be indicating that is present.
I donāt know what your level of technical expertise but you should be able to detect 3.3V power on pins 1 & 15 of the DSI connector on both the M5P and the Display. Pin 15 is +3.3V and Pin 1 is Ground.
Please letās stay with the Freenove and nothing else.
There are no official schematics published of RPi 5 and CM5.
This is also a light critique of Raspberry Pi Foundation, but Iām not the first one! Maybe they make so much money selling their products to industries, that they donāt want (or canāt) publish schematics for the āsmallā user.
and asked first 
