LCD | Radxa Docs

[giscus[bot]]

LCD | Radxa Docs

Introduction

https://docs.radxa.com/en/rock5/rock5itx/getting-started/interface-usage/lcd

[techouselgs]

I managed to run xrandr via export DISPLAY=:0. The system recognizes the display as DSI-1 (800x1280). When I turn off HDMI and turn on DSI, the 8" screen’s backlight turns on, but the screen remains completely black (no cursor, no icons). I also tried restarting GDM, but it didn’t help

I’m having the same problem. I installed this image radxa-dragon-q6a_noble_gnome_r2.output_512.img, updated the system, and enabled HD 8 in rsetup, the final firmware from 2025, and tested with 2026. It starts up and recognizes the HD DISPLAY but shows a black screen with the logo on the HDMI. I also tried connecting only the display and nothing… any solution?

[tangzz-radxa]

Thank you for the report. The Dragon Q6A does have MIPI DSI documentation available at: https://docs.radxa.com/en/dragon/q6a/hardware-use/mipi-dsi

For the black screen issue with the 8" DSI display (DSI-1, 800x1280), here are some troubleshooting steps:

1. Verify DSI output status:
With the DSI display connected, please run:
cat /sys/class/drm/card0-DSI-1/status
This should return "connected" if the hardware link is detected.

2. Check kernel DSI driver messages:
dmesg | grep -i dsi
Please share any error messages related to the DSI panel or display driver.

3. Check Xorg logs:
cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep -i dsi
or:
journalctl -b | grep -i dsi
Look for whether the DSI output is being configured by the display server.

4. Verify overlay is applied:
After enabling HD 8 in rsetup, please confirm the file /boot/hw_intfc.conf contains the DSI overlay configuration, or check with:
ls /boot/*.dtb | grep -i q6a
to see if the DSI overlay .dtb is present.

5. Try the official DSI cable:
The MIPI FPC cable has a specific orientation. Please ensure the cable is firmly seated and oriented correctly at both ends.

If the issue persists after these steps, please share the output of the commands above and the exact image version you are running (the file name from the download page), and we will continue to investigate.

[EduardoMillanM]

It's indeed something related to the driver.

I used an ethernet to usb adapter to get internet. Then I downloaded the driver with the auto installer on Realtek page. Then everything worked nice and didn't need the adapter to get ethernet

[w-a-p]

So I've now rebuilt the kernel multiple times (partly because I needed things which aren't in default Armbian builds). However, the device tree looks very different for Armbian compared to Ubuntu. Can someone (with a lot more knowledge than me) please fix USB 3.0 so that it actually works under Armbian? I need to use >1Gbps Ethernet, and have a 2.5Gbps USB 3.0 NIC which is recognized under Ubuntu, but not under Armbian. After many comparisons between device trees, trying to get "SuperSpeed" to have the right handle, references (and perhaps clock??) I will now migrate away from Armbian - which is a shame, as Armbian should be the gold standard for SBCs.

I've found instructions here quite helpful:
https://interfacinglinux.com/community/sbchardware/radxa-dragon-q6a-firmware-update-ufs-armbian-install/

[tangzz-radxa]

Thank you for the detailed report and for sharing the Armbian build experience.

Unfortunately, Radxa does not officially support Armbian — device tree and kernel configuration for Armbian are maintained by the Armbian community, not by Radxa. The significant differences you observed between the Armbian and Ubuntu device trees are expected, as they reflect different upstream sources and build configurations.

For USB 3.0 issues specifically under Armbian, we recommend:

1. Checking the Armbian community forums or the Armbian build system for existing reports and fixes related to USB3 on Radxa hardware.
2. The USB3 NIC working under Ubuntu but not Armbian suggests a driver or PHY configuration gap in the Armbian kernel build — this is best addressed by the Armbian maintainers who own the device tree.

If you need a stable, well-tested baseline, our official Debian and Ubuntu images at docs.radxa.com are fully validated for USB3 on Dragon Q6A.

We understand this is frustrating, and we appreciate your patience in debugging this.

[zakramitl-ux]

Can the focus be manually controlled on this Camera? I can not see it v4l2, just exposure settings.
I am using it with a Rock4d.
Is there a repo somewhere I can get the drivers for this camera?

[tangzz-radxa]

The Radxa Camera 13M 214 uses an auto-focus (AF) lens — focus is handled automatically by the sensor firmware and is not exposed as a manual V4L2 control.

This is why you only see exposure-related controls (e.g., V4L2_CID_EXPOSURE) in v4l2-ctl, but no focus control is listed. That is expected behavior.

The drivers for this camera are included in the Rockchip BSP kernel and are enabled automatically when the camera overlay is applied via rsetup. No separate driver repository is needed.

If you need to test or tune focus distance, you can try adjusting the lens physically (if the module has a manual focus ring), but the ISP driver does not expose a software focus control.

[zakramitl-ux]

Thanks. I want to check I’ve understood correctly, because on our side the behaviour suggests there may be no active software focus path at all.

On ROCK 4D with the Radxa Camera 13M 214:

• the sensor streams correctly
• IQ file loads correctly
• only exposure/gain style controls appear in V4L2
• no focus-related V4L2 controls appear
• I also cannot see any separate lens/VCM device exposed in the media graph or device tree

A few clarifications would really help:

1. When you say focus is handled automatically by the sensor firmware, do you mean there is a separate VCM / lens actuator on the module that is driven internally, or is this module effectively fixed-focus on the current ROCK 4D BSP?
2. Is there any userspace daemon, ISP component, or camera service that actually triggers autofocus on ROCK 4D?
3. Does Radxa have a device-tree example or BSP patch for this camera with lens/actuator support enabled?
4. What actuator / VCM chip is used on the Radxa Camera 13M 214 so as a last resource I can patch it into the kernel?

At the moment, manually twisting the lens changes focus, but I do not see any programmatic control path exposed in the current BSP, so I want to confirm whether software-driven focus is actually supported on ROCK 4D for this module.

Thanks.