Use Pyra-Screen as monitor for Desktop PC’s

[tarator]

I’m pretty sure that this might be hard to achieve, or even impossible, but why not asking:

Will it be possible to utilize the display of the Pyra as a screen for a desktop pc?

This might be useful for me, since I’m (ab)using some ordinary pc’s as servers and they don’t have a screen connected. It would be nice if it was possible to connecf the pyra with the computer using a VGA/DVI/HDMI cable with(out) connectors.

Any ideas?

 

[Nikita Yushchenko]

VNC? Spice? Any other remote control app?

 

[tarator]

VNC? Spice? Any other remote control app?

No, not what I mean. I just want to use it as a simple screen plugged to the computers graphics card.
This is useful, when the system doesn’t boot and you want to check why....

 

[ingoreis]

You will only need a HDMI Videograbber on the Pyra for that

 

[sulu]

The Pyra has no video input channel, so you can't do that via hardware.
However, since it will be running pretty much a standard Debian system, you can achieve something similar via software if your Desktop PC is running an X-Server. Depending on how you want to implement it, have a look at the Debian packages for xpra [1] and xdmx [2]!


[1] https://packages.debian.org/jessie/xpra
[2] https://packages.debian.org/jessie/xdmx

 

[tarator]

You will only need a HDMI Videograbber on the Pyra for that

You mean something like this (Link to Amazon)?

Has anyone experience with such devices?
I suppose they need some piece of software to show the grabbed images. Would it work with the Pyra?
[doublepost=1476865844,1476865685][/doublepost]

…you can achieve something similar via software if your Desktop PC is running an X-Server. …

As stated above I primarly need this when the system is NOT booting. Once the system is up, I’m happy with SSH!

I just want to see what’s going on during the boot process, and why the system is not booting.

 

[sulu]

Sorry, I missed that.

 

[FlapJack]

You mean something like this (Link to Amazon)?

Has anyone experience with such devices?
I suppose they need some piece of software to show the grabbed images. Would it work with the Pyra?
[doublepost=1476865844,1476865685][/doublepost]

As stated above I primarly need this when the system is NOT booting. Once the system is up, I’m happy with SSH!

I just want to see what’s going on during the boot process, and why the system is not booting.

Yes, that should work.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

Yes, that should work.

Not without a video input channel. The HDMI port on the Pyra can do output only.

 

[ible]

i think @FlapJack was referring to the HDMI -> USB converter (see the amazon link).

 

[Silent-Hunter]

i think @FlapJack was referring to the HDMI -> USB converter (see the amazon link).

Ohhhh, OK.

 

[Yoyobuae]

i think @FlapJack was referring to the HDMI -> USB converter (see the amazon link).

But does it have drivers for Linux on ARM arch? I think that will be the tricky part.

EDIT: From comments on amazon link:

Drawbacks:

- No OS X or Linux support. I'd love to get rid of my Boot Camp

 

[tarator]

But does it have drivers for Linux on ARM arch? I think that will be the tricky part.

EDIT: From comments on amazon link:

Yes, drivers might be a problem with this devices. I think I’m better off with a small portable display for this cases...

 

[NutNut]

You mentioned SSH, so I'm assuming you're running linux/unix on your server. Have you considered connecting to it via serial interface (if you still have those ports on your server)? USB->serial adapters are cheap.

 

[tarator]

You mentioned SSH, so I'm assuming you're running linux/unix on your server. Have you considered connecting to it via serial interface (if you still have those ports on your server)? USB->serial adapters are cheap.

This would be ultra fancy, but as stated above, I’m using cheap, ordinary desktop computer hardware for my "servers"...
But maybe this is the the way to go?!

To be honest I doesn’t know a lot about these serial interfaces. I will read a little bit about them.
Does anyone know, if this could work with consumer PC’s?

And another question: Does this help, when the "server" is not booting up?

 

[NutNut]

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Working_with_the_serial_console

Looks like only some grub configuration is needed. I've always thought the serial console could only be set up by the kernel... I guess I thought wrong! This would mean you have full control over the bootloader as well as everything else that happens after. You should be able to use the console to solve any problem, unless it's an issue like a corrupted bios or corrupted/badly-upgraded bootloader.

It will work with any consumer pc with a serial port. If you don't have a port, you can buy an add-on card with serial ports.

 

[Grench]

If I remember right - doesn't the charging port of the Pyra have some level of serial com capabilities for the purposes of debugging the Pyra?

I don't think it was a 'fully realized' serial connection - i.e. not an RS232 compliant port. This makes me wonder, though, is there enough there to create a microUSB - DE9 cable that can let the Pyra act as a mini terminal to a server with an active serial port?

 

[TrashyMG]

If I remember right - doesn't the charging port of the Pyra have some level of serial com capabilities for the purposes of debugging the Pyra?

I don't think it was a 'fully realized' serial connection - i.e. not an RS232 compliant port. This makes me wonder, though, is there enough there to create a microUSB - DE9 cable that can let the Pyra act as a mini terminal to a server with an active serial port?

the port acts like a USB serial device ( /dev/ttyUSB* ) on the devboard it's done with some FTDI chip, it would be difficult to make a microUSB to DE9 cable as you are dealing with a regular USB device on the micro USB side.

 

[NutNut]

If I remember right - doesn't the charging port of the Pyra have some level of serial com capabilities for the purposes of debugging the Pyra?

I don't think it was a 'fully realized' serial connection - i.e. not an RS232 compliant port. This makes me wonder, though, is there enough there to create a microUSB - DE9 cable that can let the Pyra act as a mini terminal to a server with an active serial port?

I think it is possible to connect a USB cable directly from the Pyra to the server and get a serial connection, but you would not be able to establish communication until USB is initialized and console is redirected to the newly created serial device.

 

[TrashyMG]

Did I not essentially just say that in my post...