You read that right. Not wired. WEIRD.

We’ve seen a proliferation of novel graphical displays in consumer devices lately — tailor-made for some specialized task, or just to stand out among competitors. The arrival of international commerce sites like AliExpress lets anyone source parts directly from display manufacturers. Hobbyists and tech-focused artists, who once had to settle for pulling interesting parts from years-old junk, now get access to new display technology just as consumer electronics manufacturers are themselves ramping up. It’s pretty dang exciting.

Another staple of inventive projects, the Raspberry Pi computer, can often be paired up with these peculiar displays if you know the right spells. You’re no longer limited to the usual 16:9 or 4:3 rectangle — tall, squat, square or round displays are among the many choices out there now.

It’s not all latest-and-greatest though. This guide covers some old-school varieties as well — they’re often useful or interesting, but might still need a little help.

Paired correctly, anything that could normally be done on a Raspberry Pi monitor — MP4 video playback, OpenGL 3D graphics, custom PyGame code or other special effects — can all be presented on these unique screens at high resolution and buttery smooth full video speeds.

Important Disclaimers

Adafruit provides technical support only for the items we sell. While anyone is welcome to discuss and share findings in the Adafruit Forums, we won’t always have answers for unfamiliar hardware sourced elsewhere.

There is no guarantee that these methods will work for all displays — you are venture capitalist of Your Own Weird Project and assume the associated financial risk. Some of these screens are pricey and many can’t be returned, so please don’t over-extend yourself financially.

This guide is not an endorsement of any manufacturer or seller.