Connect Respberry 3 to VGA monitor using HDMI to VGA Converter

Question

I have 2 devices Device A and B and a LCD monitor M with VGA port.

• Device A : Laptop Sony Vaio(HDMI output)
• Device B : Respberrypi 3 (HDMI output)
• Device S : Satellite dish TV Setup box(HDMI output).
• Device M: LCD Monitor VGA port (input).
• Device X : Some other LCD Monitor with HDMI port (input).

What I want to do?

Connect Device B(using HDMI to VGA converter) to Device M.

Following test cases I have performed :

• Device A -> HDMI to VGA converter -> M (works fine).

This means Device A, HDMI to VGA converter and Monitor M are working fine.

• Device B-> HDMI cable -> X (works fine).

This means Device B is working.

This means Device A,B , Monitor M, HDMI to VGA converter all are working fine.

But,

Device B -> HDMI to VGA converter -> M (not working, LCD showing no signal found).

Device S -> HDMI to VGA converter -> M (not working, LCD showing no signal found).

Where is the problem while connecting Device B to monitor M? Thanks..!

Answer 1

There are many converters out there in the market that offer means to convert an HDMI signal to VGA however some of those are said to not work with the Pi. I had the same issue with both Pi and Odroid boards and tried three different HDMI adaptors and got only two of those to work.

Here is a list of some HDMI to VGA converters that are tested to work with the Pi: http://elinux.org/RPi_Screens#RGB_analog.2FVGA

For tweaks on the software side you may try editing the config.txt of the Pi located at /boot/config.txt

1. hdmi_force_unplug=1

   Add or uncomment this line to force the raspberry pi to output at the HDMI port and not on the composite video output (3.5mm jack on the new pi/yellow jack on the old pi).

2. hdmi_safe=1

   Add or uncomment this line to force the pi to output at low resolution which is supported by most displays in the market.

3. config_hdmi_boost=4

   You can boost the hdmi signal by adding or uncommenting this line by changing the value from 0-7 (o-default 7-maximum).

Useful references:

• List of tested adaptors
• Modifying the Config.txt to Force HDMI output
• Forum Discussion with the same issue as yours