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Raspberry Pi PGenerator.
The affordable bit-perfect test pattern generator for all.
Before we begin with this walkthrough, I would first like to say that a huge debt of gratitude should go out to Riccardo Biasiotto and Juan Loya for the work involved in turning these amazing little devices into a perfectly accurate test pattern generator, and providing it free of charge to the calibration community.
Neither of these guys have ever asked for anything in return, but we (those of us that help support PGenerator within the community) have always thought that it would be good if somehow there was a way to repay them for their efforts in some way.
With this in mind, we have decided to set up a donation page, which @ConnecTEDDD will host at his website.
Whilst Ted is hosting this page, I would like to make it crystal clear that any and all donations, however large or small, will go directly to the two developers. No other person will ever see a penny of any donation made by you, the grateful PGenerator users.
Ted and I will continue to provide support here within this thread, and neither of us will never ask for anything in return.
Please click here if you wish to make a donation, and be sure to leave Ric & Juan a message of thanks.
The affordable bit-perfect test pattern generator for all.
Before we begin with this walkthrough, I would first like to say that a huge debt of gratitude should go out to Riccardo Biasiotto and Juan Loya for the work involved in turning these amazing little devices into a perfectly accurate test pattern generator, and providing it free of charge to the calibration community.
Neither of these guys have ever asked for anything in return, but we (those of us that help support PGenerator within the community) have always thought that it would be good if somehow there was a way to repay them for their efforts in some way.
With this in mind, we have decided to set up a donation page, which @ConnecTEDDD will host at his website.
Whilst Ted is hosting this page, I would like to make it crystal clear that any and all donations, however large or small, will go directly to the two developers. No other person will ever see a penny of any donation made by you, the grateful PGenerator users.
Ted and I will continue to provide support here within this thread, and neither of us will never ask for anything in return.
Please click here if you wish to make a donation, and be sure to leave Ric & Juan a message of thanks.
Note: At the end of this first post I am including an indexed list with links to any posts that contain relevant information that can be expanded upon as more features or tips become available
PGenerator, by Riccardo Biasiotto, is a software based, bit – perfect calibration test pattern generator based on Raspberry Pi. Tested and verified for its accuracy (as seen in The Cheap Test Pattern Generator Thread - credit to @Anger.miki), it has already become the go-to TPG for many home enthusiasts. Readily available at a price that anyone can afford, very easy to assemble and prepare with the required free ISO image file that contains the operating software, it gives access to an accurate and stable TPG to all home enthusiast calibrators.
Whilst the RPI PGenerator has been discussed ad nauseam in the aforementioned Cheap Test Pattern Generator thread, many of the finer details on this remarkable little device gets lost within the “Can I use my [insert streaming device here?]” questions. The purpose of this thread is to make an attempt to consolidate as much information as possible, giving users a ‘One Stop Shop’ of links and guides for set-up and operation of PGenerator only.
The PGenerator is also supported by some of the most popular calibration software solutions that enthusiasts use too!
Both LightSpace & ColourSpace support automatic connection within the Network Manager/Server.
CalMAN can connect via the SpectraCal Unified Pattern Generator Control Interface (UPGCI).
With HCFR, after opening the software, you simply select Automatic in the Generator pop up window, and within the Measures -> Generator -> Configure option window, select Raspberry Pi.
This thread is dedicated to setup of PGenerator and connection to your software of choice. It is not intended to provide general calibration information. It is suggested that for further tips and advise on display calibration, relevant threads are used that relate to your choice of software or your specific display brand/model.
Before any of this can happen though, you will first need your Raspberry Pi to get started!
Raspberry Pi Model 4 is now supported!!
PGenerator is now supported on the Raspberry Pi Model Pi1, Pi2, Pi3, Pi4, Pi Zero, and Pi Zero 2 W single board computers.
For additional information about the many benefits of using a Pi Model 4B board, please see this post.
PGenerator is now supported on the Raspberry Pi Model Pi1, Pi2, Pi3, Pi4, Pi Zero, and Pi Zero 2 W single board computers.
For additional information about the many benefits of using a Pi Model 4B board, please see this post.
For 1080p output at up to 60Hz, it is recommended that at least the Model 3B+ board is used.
For 2160p output at up to 60Hz, and exclusive additional features it is recommended that the Model 4B board is used with a minimum of 2GB RAM
It is also highly recommended that it is purchased in “kit” form which can be found at many online stores such as The Ultimate Raspberry Pi & Maker Store, Amazon, eBay and many others. It is much more cost effective this way, and it will come with the correct USB charger, housing casement for your specific choice of board, along with a Micro USB card (minimum of 16GB is required for PGenerator 1.2) which is used to store the operating software. The Raspberry Pi also has significant support from many third-party case manufacturers, so there are many choices in this regard should you wish to personalise your RPi unit with a different case/housing, or would like to add a fan.
With your choice of Raspberry Pi board in hand, the PGenerator will then need to be installed and configured, and to do this there will be a few downloads and additional steps required.
Device Control:
A browser-based user interface built upon the PERL platform that can be used to access a Template to configure the PGenerator software. Device Control has many other functions beyond this, but for the purpose of PGenerator we will focus only the PGenerator template for now.
Device Control can be requested for download from THIS PAGE HERE
Follow the provided instructions from within the above link to download and install Device Control (step 1 of 6) and create a Cloud User Account (step 4 of 6).
During installation of Device Control, make a note of the installation folder (e.g. I personally install Device Control to my Desktop for easier access) as you will need to navigate to this installation folder at a later time.
Note: Other instructional steps outlined within the above webpage refer to templates specifically designed for LG OLED connection and are irrelevant for PGenerator usage and can be ignored when setting up Device Control.
(If this is the first time you have used Device Control, you may have to add the PGenerator device before you can create the account. To do this, see below).
The main PGenerator ISO file that will be flashed to the SD card of the Raspberry Pi:
This can be downloaded free from THIS GOOGLE DRIVE LINK. If at any time a future updated version of the PGenerator ISO Image is released, I will update this post with the correct link for the newest available file.
(Updating to PGenerator 1.2 is NOT supported via the PuTTy utility. The new ISO must be downloaded and flashed to the SD Card)
The MD5 hash checksum for the the most current ISO Image file (linked above) is:
20BDF0218D8A885BC1C710A835655071
The SHA-256 hash checksum for the most current ISO image (linked above) is:
5C40C3BCB76A5D2CAB7C3CBEE360A2628F27AD6CA9F5CC3EB70985C27C0F5123
The MD5 hash checksum for the the most current ISO Image file (linked above) is:
20BDF0218D8A885BC1C710A835655071
The SHA-256 hash checksum for the most current ISO image (linked above) is:
5C40C3BCB76A5D2CAB7C3CBEE360A2628F27AD6CA9F5CC3EB70985C27C0F5123
You can use THIS ONLINE TOOL to drag/drop the extracted RPI.img to easily verify the MD5 Checksum, or for those that comfortable using a terminal window in Windows, you can use the following command (modifying to account for your username) to verify the checksum.
For MD5:
Code:
Get-FileHash C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\Downloads\RPI.img -Algorithm MD5| Format-List
Code:
Get-FileHash C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\Downloads\RPI.img | Format-List
Note: It has been pointed out that users that are running an older version of PGenerator are unable to use the Direct LAN connection method. Experienced PGenerator users would traditionally update the PGenerator ISO Image using the PuTTy utility, however, updating in this way will not replace all the necessary files required to enable Direct LAN connection. When updating PGenerator, it is always recommended that you download the latest ISO Image from the link provided above.
A utility to flash the ISO image to the SD Card:
There are a few of these available, I use BalenaEtcher which is a free utility. Download it for free from https://www.balena.io/etcher/
With the required files downloaded, and Device Control/BalenaEthcer installed, PGenerator can be setup.
Insert the Micro USB into the card reader of your computer, launch BalenaEtcher and follow the very easy on screen instructions to flash the above downloaded ISO file to the inserted SD Card.
Please note: With the release of PGenerator Ver.1.21, it is now possible to flash the ISO to a standard USB drive when used in combination with a Raspberry Pi 4 Only. USB installation is not supported on other Raspberry Pi devices. A USB drive has the potential to decrease boot time of the device, for example when using a USB 3 supported drive. There is no significant benefit in using a USB drive installation in normal TPG usage. Installation is performed in the same way, using BalenaEtcher.
Please ensure there is no Micro SD in the Raspberry Pi device when using PGenerator with a USB, as the SD card slot is given priority upon boot
The ISO image will take just a few minutes to flash and verify. When it is complete, remove the SD Card from your computer and insert it into the SD Card slot of the Raspberry Pi. You will at this point also need a network connection of some kind. Direct LAN from notebook/desktop is the recommended method as it rules out any and all network interference. LAN connection via a router is also viable, and Bluetooth also provides a super stable connection in my experience. WiFi is NOT recommended.
For setup, a LAN cable connection is the easiest, so connect a LAN cable between your computer and the PGenerator. Your PGenerator will now also need to be connected to your display via HDMI and the correct input will need to be selected. Turn on the power to the device and you will see a splash screen of scrolling text as the boot up happens, eventually ending with a full black screen. The full black screen after start-up is normal and totally expected.
Note: When using the Direct LAN connection method, the first time you connect the two devices with the LAN cable, Windows may ask if the Network is Private or Public. Please select "Private"
With the assumption that you have already created the Cloud User Account following the instructions referred to above, launch Device Control (device.pl) by navigating to the installation folder and selecting/double clicking the “device.pl” file.
The Device Control window will open, wait for the message to say "You can now connect to the url http://127.0.0.1:81/"
Open a web browser window and navigate to http://localhost:81/ (or http://127.0.0.1:81/) to open the Device Control interface.
You can now add the PGenerator as a new device in Device Control.
Click New -> New Device -> and in the pop-up window click the Device Template. A list will appear, scroll to the bottom and select RB8 PGenerator. Enter a name of your choice in the box below (e.g. RPi PGen) and the device ip address. Once complete, click the Pencil Icon to write the selected settings to the device.
If a direct LAN connection between your computer and PGenerator is used, enter “0” as the ip address. If LAN Connection is used via a router, you can use the “Auto Discovery” function, or manually enter the ip address if known. If Auto Discovery fails, to find the ip address of the PGenerator, you can access your router configuration page and find it there.
Note: You can also perform the initial set-up via Bluetooth Connection, but for simplicity, the LAN Connection is preferred.
Remember to click the “Pencil” icon to save the settings once complete
If at any time the PGenerators network connectivity settings are changed from one type to another within Modify Device, it is advised that you fully reboot the device (remove power) and Device Control. This is only required if you modify the connection type at any point.
With the device added, you can now add the PGenerator Template.
In the top menu bar, click Cloud -> Cloud Refresh (assuming you have already created the Cloud User Account as explained the link provided above). The Cloud area will populate with various Templates.
Search for, and select “PGenerator 1.2 – Settings 1.2”, by “connected”. At the time of writing, it is on the very first page of cloud templates. However, due to the inability to control users uploading their own created/saved templates, it will over the course of time mean that it could be pushed onto another page. Just browse through until you find the template shown in the image as it has been pre-configured with the optimal settings.
One the template has been located, drag it to your Local storage and confirm the Copy function that pops up. Select the copied Template, and click Connect.
PGenerator can now be further configured (if required) in this Template.
Use the arrows (as highlighted in the above image) to toggle through the two configuration pages. The main setting that is crucial is that Output Range must be set to RGB Full within the HDMI Configuration section of the first page. As you can see from the above image, you also have a choice of Resolution/Frequency for output via a drop down selection window. Other than Resolution/Frequency choice, this specific template has been pre-configured for optimal settings, so unless you are configuring various networking settings, there shouldn’t be a need to change anything else.
If you do make a change to any specific setting, ensure you apply it by clicking the “Send Command” icon to the right, and make sure to reboot the device (reboots may happen automatically when altering settings).
Wi-Fi can be configured within Page 2, but as previously stated, Wi-Fi is not a recommended connection method, especially for large profiling sessions. Any form of network activity that could interfere with the Wi-Fi connection of the PGenerator can, and will cause sync issues between when the patch is displayed, and the meter reads. This will cause the entire profile to become invalid. While this shouldn’t be an issue for “manual calibration”, Direct LAN is still the number one preferred connection method, while LAN via your router and Bluetooth can also provide a very stable connection.
With PGen set up, connection to your calibration software is very simple.
LightSpace CMS uses the Network Manager to connect to PGenerator. Simply open Network Manager from the top toolbar and click Enable. The ip address will appear to let you know that PGen is connected.
ColourSpace CMS uses the Network Server to connect to PGenerator. Select the Hardware Options tab, select Network Server from the down menu, and click Connect. The ip address will appear as a Connected Client letting you know PGen is connected……Remember to set Calibration Patches to Automatic
CalMAN uses the SpectraCal Unified Pattern Generator Control Interface (UPGCI). Click Find Source from the Source tab, select SpectraCal, UPGCI, and enter the ip address of the PGenerator, then click Connect.
Please note: When controlling PGenerator with CalMAN calibration software, only 10% Windows or 100% Full Field patterns are available as patch generation options.
For HCFR, when you click to open a new session, you will be given the option for Generator type. Select Automatic. Then, with the session window open, navigate to Measures -> Generator -> Configure. Ensure Raspberry Pi is selected. Raspberry Pi will appear as the Generator. Measurement patches will appear on screen when you call for the first patch automatically.
You are now connected to a bit-perfect, RGB Full external test pattern generator.
Further instructions and recommendations can be discussed in this thread dependant on the required needs for each individual’s set-up, and/or video chain.
Quick Links
- PGenerator Connectivity Guide
- PGenerator Software Configuration
- Ted's LightSpace CMS Calibration Disk - PGen Edition
- PGenerator + HD Fury = HDR TPG
- Raspberry Pi Model 4B exclusive features and functions (coming soon)
- Murideo SIX-G HDR10 Metadata - Default HDR10 Metadata Slots (for PGenerator + HD Fury Users) Provided by @ConnecTEDDD
- Solution for potential networking issues when using the Direct LAN connection method Credit and thanks to @mrtickleuk
- Forcing alternate pattern sizes or generating APL patterns with CalMAN software (applies to CalMAN users only)
- Useful information on using Ted's LightSpace CMS Calibration Disk -PGen Edition (Informative post courtesy of @ConnecTEDDD )
- Disable Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Radio via "config.txt" edit Instructions provided by @Callek
- Ted's Template for PGenerator / Solve Errors like: ''Error memory not found' / Character not permitted / Empty template entry without text'
- Enable HDR pattern generation on 2020/2021 LG displays using the HDMI Override Menu - No HD Fury device required Provided by @ConnecTEDDD
- HLG-HDR metadata for PGenerator users with compatible HD Fury device Provided by @ConnecTEDDD
- Raspberry Pi Model 4B support announced Provided by @ConnecTEDDD
- Mandatory DeviceControl Update - DeviceControl Interface 20.0.20 (23 January 2022) Provided by @ConnecTEDDD