adafruit-pitft.py: restore fbcp mirroring for RetroPie (PiGRRL, Cupcade) - #406
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--install-type mirror on a lite image (RetroPie, Pi OS Lite) exited successfully without installing anything: install_mirror() lost its only call site in adafruit#348 and the mirror branch became desktop-only. pitft-fbcp.py (PiGRRL Zero / Pocket PiGRRL / PiGRRL 2 / Cupcade guides) wraps that path, so those builds got a black PiTFT with no error. - Call install_mirror() for mirror installs on non-desktop images when the legacy VideoCore/DispmanX stack is present (Buster and earlier, e.g. RetroPie 4.8). On Bookworm+ Lite, where fbcp cannot work, bail with a message pointing at --install-type console instead of silently succeeding. The desktop/Wayland mirror path is unchanged. - Do not append ",drm" (or the touch overlay params) for the fbcp path: fbcp needs the fbtft framebuffer, and pre-Bookworm overlays reject the parameter ("Unknown dtparam 'drm'"). - Restore "fbcp" as a CLI alias for "mirror" (it fell through to the uninstall branch) and add "drivers" so the CLI matches the menu. - install_mirror(): fix the inverted systemd/sysvinit branch, fix the update_configtxt(rotation=) keyword (rotation_override), keep the HDMI rotate/unrotate dance desktop-only, comment out active vc4-kms-v3d, and install libraspberrypi-dev for the fbcp build. Tested on Pi Zero 2 W + RetroPie 4.8 (Buster, 5.10.103) + PiTFT 2.8" resistive via pitft-fbcp.py "PiGRRL 2": fbcp.service starts at boot and EmulationStation mirrors to the panel. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
mikeysklar
marked this pull request as ready for review
August 24, 2026 02:24
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ladyada
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Aug 24, 2026
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@makermelissa want to take a look since this is your domain? |
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Pull request overview
Restores rpi-fbcp-based mirroring for RetroPie/legacy (DispmanX) console images so PiGRRL/Cupcade-style installs don’t silently “succeed” while leaving the PiTFT black, while keeping the modern desktop/Wayland behavior intact.
Changes:
- Reintroduces the
install_mirror()call path for non-desktop--install-type mirror, and restores--install-type fbcpas an alias. - Adds legacy display stack detection and fails fast on Bookworm+ lite images with a clear error message (instead of exiting 0 without installing fbcp).
- Fixes the systemd/sysvinit branching for fbcp startup and corrects the
update_configtxt()rotation override keyword usage.
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| # On console images the panel's own rotate= parameter is the orientation | ||
| # and display_rotate is left to the caller (pitft-fbcp.py sets it per | ||
| # project), so only the desktop needs the HDMI rotate/unrotate dance. | ||
| if not is_desktop: | ||
| return True |
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| shell.bail("""Mirroring on a console/lite image needs the legacy VideoCore display stack | ||
| (Raspberry Pi OS Buster or earlier, e.g. RetroPie 4.8), which this OS does not have. | ||
| Use --install-type console to show the console on the PiTFT, or install the | ||
| desktop version of Raspberry Pi OS to use the PiTFT as a second display.""") |
makermelissa
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Aug 24, 2026
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Overall, it looks good to me. Please address the copilot suggestions.
…mat bail message - On non-desktop mirror installs, remove any existing display_hdmi_rotate before the early return so a leftover value from a previous install cannot rotate the mirrored HDMI output unexpectedly. - Rewrite the unsupported-OS bail message as concatenated strings. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Both suggestions addressed in b22539c:
left - Pi 3B + 2.8" PiTFT (Pi OS : Trixie) 
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On RetroPie and other lite images
--install-type mirrorexits 0 but never installs fbcp, so the PiGRRL and Cupcade guides end with a black PiTFT.install_mirror()lost its call site in #348 andpitft-fbcp.pywraps that path.This restores the fbcp install on non-desktop images that have the legacy display stack (Buster, RetroPie 4.8), leaves out the
,drmoverlay param there, brings back--install-type fbcpas an alias for mirror (it was falling through to the uninstall path, and the Cupcade guide uses it), and fixes the inverted systemd branch plus a badupdate_configtxt()keyword insideinstall_mirror(). On Bookworm and later lite images it now fails with a clear message instead of silently succeeding. The desktop/Wayland path is unchanged.Tested with the branch cloned as in the guides: