Build a Budget Touch Display for Victron Cerbo GX for 30 Euro

Steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Choosing the parts for a budget display

   Watch this part (0:00)

   I want to solve the problem of the expensive original Victron Cerbo display that costs 200 euro or more. Instead, I am building one for about 25 euro to keep my home battery setup as budget friendly as possible.

   For the display, I bought a 7 inch LCD panel on AliExpress for 22.59 euro. It is made for the Raspberry Pi and features a 1024 by 600 resolution, an IPS screen, and a capacitive touchscreen.

   Along with the screen, it comes with an extra USB cable for 5V power that plugs into the Cerbo, and an HDMI cable. I also need an extra micro USB cable that goes into the Cerbo for touchscreen communication.

   What I used

   Item	Amount	Notes
   7 inch LCD panel	1	AliExpress 22.59 euro, IPS with touch, 1024x600 resolution
   USB power cable	1	Included with screen for 5V power from Cerbo
   HDMI cable	1	Included with screen
   Micro-USB cable	1	Extra cable for USB touch communication

2. 2

   Step 2: Designing and 3D printing the screen housing

   Watch this part (1:29)

   The LCD screen has an open circuit board on the back with no housing, which is why it is so cheap. It has an HDMI input, a touch USB port, and a power USB port.

   To mount it on the wall, I designed a 3D frame in Windows 3D Builder that I can paint in Victron colors. The frame has four screw holes to attach it to a wall, plank, or your Victron setup, with an opening that matches the USB ports.

   Printing the two parts, the back and the front, took about an hour and a half. The screen fits into the back part and is secured with two very short metal screws.

   What I used

   Item	Amount	Notes
   3D printed housing	1	Designed in Windows 3D Builder, back and front parts
   Metal screws	2	Very short, used to secure the screen into the back part

3. 3

   Step 3: Mounting the display frame to the wall

   Watch this part (2:38)

   I need to keep the space as compact as possible and leave room for charge controllers for future separate solar panels. Because of this, I am mounting the screen at the bottom near the Cerbo so the cables stay relatively short.

   I marked the screw holes and mounted the backplate using two screws. I cannot use four screws yet because a full wall plate is not there, but it stays firmly in place.

   After removing the plastic, I placed the front panel over it with a very tight tolerance. Finally, I secured the front panel using four small screws.

   What I used

   Item	Amount	Notes
   Screws	6	Two for the backplate and four for the front panel

4. 4

   Step 4: Connecting cables and powering on the display

   Watch this part (3:38)

   The included HDMI cable was not long enough for my mounting position, so I used a longer HDMI cable instead. I plugged it into the top of the Cerbo, ran it through the cable duct, and plugged the other end into the side of the screen.

   Next, I took a standard micro USB power cable, plugged it into the top of the Cerbo through the cable duct, and connected it to the bottom USB port of the screen for power. The screen turned on immediately and showed what my Cerbo and MultiPlus units were doing.

   To get touch control, I added an extra micro USB cable from the Cerbo into the middle USB port of the screen. After a few seconds, the Cerbo picked up the screen and touch functionality became fully responsive.

   What I used

   Item	Amount	Notes
   Longer HDMI cable	1	Replaced the included cable to reach the Cerbo
   Standard micro-USB cable	2	One for power in the bottom port, one for touch in the middle port

5. 5

   Step 5: Initial screen bootup status

   The screen turned on immediately once connected and showed what my Cerbo and MultiPlus units were doing. I could see the system status right away without needing to use the touch function yet.

6. 6

   Step 6: Call to action

   I hope you learned something from this project. If you enjoyed it, please drop a comment, give the video a like, or hit the hype button.

7. 7

   Step 7: Takeaways

   • You can build a fully functional Victron Cerbo GX touch display for about 30 euro.

   • A 7 inch IPS Raspberry Pi display with a capacitive touchscreen works great with the Cerbo.

   • Designing a custom 3D printed case protects the open circuit board and mounts neatly to the wall.

   • Both a power cable and a separate USB touch cable are needed for full screen operation.

   • Confirmed working firmware versions for this setup are Venus OS 3.67 and 3.73.