February 2, 2023 Chris Rush

Getting Started with the Nebra AnyBeam HAT

The Nebra AnyBeam HAT is a MEMS laser projector that fits right on top of your Raspberry Pi and uses the GPIO pins with some configuration to project a display. It is the first projector of its kind that has been turned into a HAT board, making it super portable and versatile whilst projecting a crisp clear picture.

In this guide we are going to show you how to assemble the hardware of the projector which comes supplied in a self assemble kit and then how to setup and configure your Raspberry Pi to project the desktop.

What you need

Nebra AnyBeam Projector HAT
Raspberry Pi computer with 40 way GPIO header
Power supply
microSD card
Small Philips screwdriver

Assembling your hardware

In the box you should have the following items:

LSP Module
Adaptor board
Control board
Base plate
FPC cable
spacers and screws

Step 1 – Insert the FPC cable into the LSP module connector and lock the actuator in place to secure it.

Step 2 – Fix the base plate and adaptor board together by using the 12mm threaded spacer.

Step 3 – Fix the LSP module on top of the base plate and use the machine screws to secure it in place.

Step 4 – Connect the FPC cable to the adaptor board and lock into place using the actuator.

Step 5 – Insert the support spacer into the control board from underneath the board. You should hear it click into place.

Step 6 – Connect the control board to the adaptor board making sure the control board aligns with the 8-pin header.

Step 7 – Finally place the whole assembled projector HAT module into your Raspberry Pi, making sure the header is aligned and pushed firmly into place.

Configuring the Software

The Projector HAT uses the DPI interface on the Raspberry Pi, which uses almost all of the GPIO pins on the header to display the image through the projector. This can be configured manually by editing the /boot/config.txt file or we have also generated a script which you just need to select the option and it will configure it for you.

Manual Configuration

You will need to edit the config.txt file on the Raspberry Pi before you can use the AnyBeam HAT. To do this you can either insert the micro SD card into your computer or you can edit by booting up the Raspberry Pi with a monitor, keyboard & mouse connected.

Step 1 – Edit the config.txt

Contents of microSD card

Step 2 – Open config.txt

Edit config.txt file with a text editor

Step 3 – Edit line 53

Go to line 53 in the config.txt file:

# Additional overlays and parameters are documented /boot/overlays/README

Locate line 53

Step 4 – Add the following lines to configure your mode (Mode 1 is default):

Mode 1 – RGB 888 (24 bits – 8 bits for Red, Green, Blue)

dtoverlay=dpi24
overscan_left=0
overscan_right=0
overscan_top=0
overscan_bottom=0
framebuffer_width=1280
framebuffer_height=720
enable_dpi_lcd=1
display_default_lcd=1
dpi_group=2
dpi_mode=85
dpi_output_format=0x070027

Mode 2 – RGB 666 (18 bits – 6 bits for Red, Green, Blue) + GPIO 26 and GPIO 27

dtoverlay=dpi24
overscan_left=0
overscan_right=0
overscan_top=0
overscan_bottom=0
framebuffer_width=1280
framebuffer_height=720
enable_dpi_lcd=1
display_default_lcd=1
dpi_group=2
dpi_mode=85
dpi_output_format=0x070026

Mode 3 – RGB 666 + GPIO 27 + Button (GPIO 26)

dtoverlay=dpi24
overscan_left=0
overscan_right=0
overscan_top=0
overscan_bottom=0
framebuffer_width=1280
framebuffer_height=720
enable_dpi_lcd=1
display_default_lcd=1
dpi_group=2
dpi_mode=85
dpi_output_format=0x070026

Mode 4 – RGB 666 + GPIO 26 with 4.7k pull-up resistor + GPIO 27 with 4.7k pull-up resistor

dtoverlay=dpi24
overscan_left=0
overscan_right=0
overscan_top=0
overscan_bottom=0
framebuffer_width=1280
framebuffer_height=720
enable_dpi_lcd=1
display_default_lcd=1
dpi_group=2
dpi_mode=85
dpi_output_format=0x070026
dtoverlay=i2c-gpio,i2c_gpio_delay_us=1,i2c_gpio_sda=26,i2c_gpio_scl=27

NOTE:i2cdetect -l can find the new i2c adapter i2c-3

Add the code

Step 5 – Save and reboot

Save the config.txt with your new changes and the remove the microSD card and insert into your Raspberry Pi. Apply power to your Raspberry Pi to boot with the new changes. Then, wait a few minutes to allow the Nebra AnyBeam HAT laser projector to boot.

Auto Configuration

Run the following command:

curl -sSL https://pisupp.ly/anybeaminstall | sudo bash

Angle the projection display

You will notice in the list of contents of the AnyBeam HAT that there are some additional threaded spacers. These spacers are there to aid you in tilting your projector upwards by screwing these into the front of the projector underneath the Raspberry Pi.