How to install Octodash on a Raspberry running Octopi (Raspbian Bookworm) with a 3.5 Waveshare touchscreen

[maxiorona]

Octoprint Install
Install Octoprint with Raspberry Pi Imager, as usual.
Once you load the SD card into your Raspberry Pi and Octoprint starts for the first time, configure it, and finally go to Settings/API and check "Allow Cross Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)

Octodash install
Connect with SSH to your Pi and run

bash <(wget -qO- https://github.com/UnchartedBull/OctoDash/raw/main/scripts/install.sh)

This process takes a long time, install several libraries and dependencies, it requires some input from you, and it will finish with a reboot

Install Waveshare 3.5 screen For Octopi Bookworm version
Waveshare have modified the drivers for its screen, since new Raspbian version (Bookworm) no longer supports old LCD-Show drivers
Connect once again with SSH

sudo apt install libraspberrypi-dev -y
sudo apt install unzip -y
sudo apt install cmake -y
sudo wget https://files.waveshare.com/upload/1/1e/Waveshare35a.zip
sudo unzip ./Waveshare35a.zip
sudo cp waveshare35a.dtbo /boot/overlays/
sudo wget https://files.waveshare.com/upload/1/1e/Rpi-fbcp.zip
sudo unzip ./Rpi-fbcp.zip
cd rpi-fbcp/
sudo rm -rf build
sudo mkdir build
cd build
sudo cmake ..
sudo make -j4
sudo install fbcp /usr/local/bin/fbcp

Proceed with changes on boot process

sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt

Comment below lines

#dtoverlady=vc4-kms-v3d
#max_framebuffers=2

Add the following code at the end of config.txt:

dtparam=spi=on
dtoverlay=waveshare35a
hdmi_force_hotplug=1
max_usb_current=1
hdmi_group=2
hdmi_mode=1
hdmi_mode=87
hdmi_cvt 480 320 60 6 0 0 0
hdmi_drive=2

If your screen doesn't need to be rotated, add

display_rotate=0

But if you need it rotated 180 degrees, add

display_rotate=2

Save changes to config.txt

Now set Auto-start startx and fbcp
Open ".bash_profile". If there is no ".bash_profile" file, you can create one:

sudo nano ~/.bash_profile

Add the following code at the bottom of the ".bash_profile" file:

if [ "$(cat /proc/device-tree/model | cut -d ' ' -f 3)" = "5" ]; then
    # rpi 5B configuration
    export FRAMEBUFFER=/dev/fb1
    startx  2> /tmp/xorg_errors
else
    # Non-pi5 configuration
    export FRAMEBUFFER=/dev/fb0
    fbcp &
    startx  2> /tmp/xorg_errors
fi

Save changes

Open the "99-fbturbo.~" file, if it exists, you need to check fb is "fb0":

sudo nano /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/99-fbturbo.~

Add this section at the end of the file

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Allwinner A10/A13 FBDEV"
        Driver          "fbturbo"
        Option          "fbdev" "/dev/fb0"
        Option          "SwapbuffersWait" "true"
EndSection

Save changes

Set CLI Auto-login

sudo apt install lightdm
sudo raspi-config nonint do_boot_behaviour B2
sudo raspi-config nonint do_wayland W1
sudo reboot

Configure Touch
Install calibrator software:

sudo apt install xserver-xorg-input-evdev 
sudo cp -rf /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-evdev.conf /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/45-evdev.conf
sudo apt install xinput-calibrator

Edit "99-calibration.conf configuration" file:

sudo nano /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/99-calibration.conf

Add the following content to the "99-calibration.conf" configuration file:

Section "InputClass"
        Identifier      "calibration"
        MatchProduct    "ADS7846 Touchscreen"
        Option  "Calibration"   "3932 300 294 3801"
        Option  "SwapAxes"      "1"
        Option "EmulateThirdButton" "1"
        Option "EmulateThirdButtonTimeout" "1000"
        Option "EmulateThirdButtonMoveThreshold" "300"

Add this Option only if screen is rotated 180 degrees

       Option "TransformationMatrix" "-1 0 1 0 -1 1 0 0 1"

Finally close section

EndSection

Save changes

Modify xserver config to hide cursor

sudo nano /usr/bin/startx

Modify below setting

  defaultserverargs="-nocursor"

Reboot to take effect.

sudo reboot

Now Octodash will show, and it will ask you to connect a keyboard.
That is not needed. Make sure you have Octoprint running on your browser, and when configuring Octodash on your Pi, it will look to get an API token from a running Octoprint instance. Select yours, and click Allow on your browser to confirm.

This is all you need to make Octodash run on a Raspberry Pi running Octoprint on the latest (as of July/2025) Octopi version (a fork of Raspbian Bookworm)

You're welcome

[jneilliii]

Waveshare have modified the drivers for its screen, since new Raspbian version (Bookworm) no longer supports old LCD-Show drivers

Do you happen to know if this is the case for the larger waveshare touch screens as well?

[maxiorona]

I don't know. You can search details for your screen somewhere on this site https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/3.5inch_RPi_LCD_(A)_Manual_Configuration#For_Raspberry_Pi_4_.26_Raspberry_Pi_5