LCD Display Driver for Raspberry Pi (Multi-OS Support)

This repository contains installation scripts for enabling SPI TFT touchscreen displays on Raspberry Pi devices running Kali Linux, Parrot OS, Raspbian, and other Debian-based operating systems.

🛠️ Originally forked from GoodTFT's LCD-show
💻 Enhanced by @at0m-b0mb for multi-OS compatibility
📦 Includes framebuffer mirroring (fbcp), calibration, and rotation support

---

🚀 Features

• ✅ Multi-OS Support: Works with Kali Linux, Parrot OS, Raspbian, and other Debian-based systems
• ✅ Automatic OS Detection: Detects your operating system and boot partition automatically
• ✅ Boot Path Detection: Supports both /boot/ (old style) and /boot/firmware/ (new style)
• ✅ Tested on Raspberry Pi 5 and other Raspberry Pi models
• ✅ Supports multiple LCD models (MHS35, LCD35, LCD7B, and many more)
• ✅ Installs required drivers and device overlays
• ✅ Enables touch and display output via SPI
• ✅ Optional framebuffer mirroring via fbcp
• ⚠️ Rotation is not fully functional yet on some setups — work in progress

---

📦 Requirements

• Raspberry Pi (any model supporting SPI displays)
• One of the following operating systems:
  • Kali Linux (ARM/ARM64) from official source
  • Parrot OS ARM version
  • Raspbian / Raspberry Pi OS
  • Other Debian-based ARM distributions
• Compatible SPI TFT LCD Display (MHS35, LCD35, LCD7B, LCD24, etc.)
• Internet connection for dependency installation

---

🎯 Supported Operating Systems

OS	Status	Notes
Kali Linux ARM/ARM64	✅ Fully Supported	Tested on Kali Linux 2025.2
Parrot OS ARM	✅ Fully Supported	Auto-detected and configured
Raspbian / Raspberry Pi OS	✅ Fully Supported	Original compatibility maintained
Other Debian-based	⚠️ Experimental	Should work with most Debian derivatives

---

📁 Repository Structure

File / Folder	Purpose
*-show scripts	🔧 Installation scripts for different LCD models (e.g., MHS35-show, LCD35-show)
os-detect.sh	🔍 NEW: Automatic OS and boot path detection
lcd-show-common.sh	🛠️ NEW: Common functions for all scripts
rotate.sh	↪️ Optional screen rotation logic
LCD-hdmi	📺 Switch back to HDMI output
system_backup.sh	🛡️ Backup current system files before installation
system_restore.sh	🔄 Restore backed up system files
usr/, boot/, etc/	📂 Drivers and config files

---

🧪 Tested On

• Kali Linux 2025.2 ARM64 on Raspberry Pi 5
• Parrot OS ARM on Raspberry Pi 4
• Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian) on various models
• Multiple LCD models: MHS35, LCD35, LCD7B, LCD24, LCD28, LCD32, and others

---

⚙️ Installation Instructions

🔹 1. Clone the Repository

sudo rm -rf LCD-show-kali
git clone https://github.com/at0m-b0mb/LCD-show-kali.git
chmod -R 775 LCD-show-kali
cd LCD-show-kali

---

🔹 2. Run the Installer for Your LCD Model

Choose the appropriate script for your LCD model:

For MHS35 Display:

sudo ./MHS35-show

For LCD35 Display:

sudo ./LCD35-show

For Other LCD Models:

sudo ./LCD7B-show    # For LCD7B 7" display
sudo ./LCD24-show    # For LCD24 2.4" display
sudo ./LCD28-show    # For LCD28 2.8" display
sudo ./LCD32-show    # For LCD32 3.2" display
# ... and many more

The script will:

• Automatically detect your OS (Kali Linux, Parrot OS, Raspbian, etc.)
• Detect the correct boot partition path (/boot/ or /boot/firmware/)
• Install necessary dependencies
• Configure the LCD display
• Reboot the system

Note: The system will automatically reboot after installation.

---

🔹 3. Optional: Rotate the Display

After installation, you can rotate the display:

sudo ./rotate.sh [rotation]

Where [rotation] can be:

• 0 → Normal (no rotation)
• 90 → Portrait (90 degrees)
• 180 → Inverted (180 degrees)
• 270 → Portrait (270 degrees, other side)
• 360 → Horizontal flip (HDMI only)
• 450 → Vertical flip (HDMI only)

Example:

sudo ./rotate.sh 90

⚠️ Note: Rotation may not work perfectly on all Kali Linux and Parrot OS images due to X11/input driver differences. This is being actively improved.

---

🔄 To Switch Back to HDMI Output

If you want to disable the LCD and switch back to HDMI:

sudo ./LCD-hdmi

The system will reboot and use HDMI output.

---

🛠️ Dependencies Installed

The installation scripts automatically install the following packages (if not already present):

• cmake - For building fbcp (framebuffer copy tool)
• git - For cloning repositories
• build-essential - Compilation tools
• xserver-xorg-input-evdev - Touch input driver
• libraspberrypi-dev - Raspberry Pi libraries (on compatible systems)

Package installation is OS-aware and will use the appropriate package repositories for your system (Kali, Parrot, Raspbian, etc.).

---

💡 Troubleshooting

1. Display Stuck or Blank?

• Check your boot configuration file:
  • Kali Linux / Newer systems: /boot/firmware/config.txt
  • Raspbian / Older systems: /boot/config.txt
• Verify SPI is enabled in the config
• Ensure correct overlay is present: dtoverlay=mhs35:rotate=90 (or your LCD model)
• Check that overlay files exist in the overlays directory

2. Touch Input Not Working?

• Confirm /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/99-calibration.conf is in place
• Install/reinstall: sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-input-evdev
• Try restarting fbcp: sudo fbcp &
• Check if touch device is detected: ls /dev/input/

3. Rotation Not Working?

• Try rotating using Xinput or xrandr
• Check if you're using X11 (not Wayland)
• Manual touch configuration may be needed
• Some rotations require specific calibration files

4. Package Installation Fails?

• Update package lists: sudo apt-get update
• Check your internet connection
• The scripts will fall back to local .deb packages if repository install fails
• For Kali/Parrot: Ensure your system is up-to-date with sudo apt-get upgrade

5. Boot Configuration Not Applied?

• Verify the correct boot path is being used
• Check system logs: dmesg | grep -i lcd
• Manually check the boot config file matches expected settings
• Some systems may require additional boot parameters

6. OS Not Detected Correctly?

• Run the OS detection manually: bash os-detect.sh
• Check /etc/os-release for OS information
• Report issues with OS detection on the GitHub issues page

---

🔍 How It Works

OS Detection

The scripts now include an intelligent OS detection system (os-detect.sh) that:

1. Reads /etc/os-release to identify the operating system
2. Detects whether the system uses /boot/ or /boot/firmware/
3. Automatically configures paths for overlay files
4. Selects appropriate package installation methods

This ensures compatibility across:

• Kali Linux (ID: kali)
• Parrot OS (ID: parrot)
• Raspbian (ID: raspbian)
• Other Debian-based systems (ID: debian)

Boot Path Detection

Modern Raspberry Pi systems (including Kali Linux) use /boot/firmware/ for boot configuration, while older Raspbian systems use /boot/. The scripts automatically detect and use the correct path.

---

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you:

• Test on a new OS or Raspberry Pi model
• Fix a bug or improve compatibility
• Add support for a new LCD model

Please open a Pull Request or Issue on GitHub.

---

❤️ Credits

• Based on the original driver from GoodTFT
• Adapted for multi-OS support by @at0m-b0mb
• Thanks to the Kali Linux and Parrot OS communities for testing

---

📜 License

MIT License — Free to use, modify, and distribute.

---

🙋‍♂️ Need Help?

• Open an Issue on GitHub
• Contact @at0m-b0mb
• Check the Troubleshooting section above

---

📝 Changelog

Latest Update

• ✅ Added support for Kali Linux ARM/ARM64
• ✅ Added support for Parrot OS ARM
• ✅ Automatic OS detection system
• ✅ Dynamic boot path detection (/boot/ vs /boot/firmware/)
• ✅ OS-agnostic package installation
• ✅ Maintained backward compatibility with Raspbian
• ✅ Updated all LCD show scripts for multi-OS support
• ✅ Improved error handling and user feedback