USB DisplayLink monitor support

Volumio Development Suggest a feature
1

Running v3.799 x86
Computer gigabyte bxbt 2807

monitor is a mimo 760r

Logs http://logs.volumio.org/volumio/2vGdVwp.html
sudo lshw sudo lshw - Pastebin.com

Video of screen turning on showin startup graphics then switching to the tty login

If i change the output over hdmi i can get the screen to blank and unblank, but its like volumio isn’t sending the video to the correct screen

xrandr gives a no output error

I’m unsure what to look at

Thanks

2

Hey @knob,

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

I’ve reviewed the situation carefully, and here’s a complete technical summary:

  • You are running Volumio 3.799 x86 with a 6.6.x kernel.
  • Your device is a Gigabyte GB-BXBT-2807 using an Intel® Celeron® N2807 CPU.
  • The monitor (Mimo UM-760R) is a USB DisplayLink screen, not a standard HDMI or LVDS output.
  • At startup, the monitor shows the splash graphics (framebuffer-based) but then drops to a TTY login.
  • xrandr shows no connected outputs - meaning the X server cannot detect any usable displays.

Analysis:

  • Kernel support: The 6.6.x kernel does include the udl driver for USB DisplayLink devices, so the hardware can be detected at a low level.
  • Userland support: Volumio 3.x is based on Debian Buster, whose Xorg version and userland tools are too old to properly handle USB DisplayLink devices without significant manual configuration.
  • Result: Although the kernel can recognize the device, Volumio’s graphical system (X11) cannot use it effectively.

Why This Happens:

  • Initial splash graphics are framebuffer-based and do not rely on X11.
  • When X starts, it expects standard GPU outputs (e.g., HDMI) and fails because the DisplayLink device is not properly registered in X.
  • No hotplug support for DisplayLink USB monitors exists in the Buster-era X stack without heavy manual intervention (custom drivers, patched X server, etc.).

Conclusion:

  • On Volumio 3.x: It is not practical to make the Mimo UM-760R fully functional without major rework.
  • Future prospects: Volumio’s upcoming Bookworm-based release (Volumio 4.x) is a much better target, as Debian 12 includes updated userland (X11) capable of working with USB DisplayLink monitors more reliably.

Recommended Action:

  • Accept current limitation under Volumio 3.x.
  • Submit a feature request for official USB DisplayLink monitor support under the Bookworm-based Volumio builds.
  • Test again when Volumio 4.x becomes publicly available or enters broader beta testing.

Summary Table:

Aspect Status
Kernel Support (DisplayLink) Present (6.6.x kernel, udl driver)
Userland Support (Xorg, DisplayLink utilities) Missing (Debian Buster base)
Practical Support on Volumio 3.x Not viable
Future Support on Volumio 4.x (Bookworm) Viable and recommended

Additional Notes:

If someone really wanted to try to get this working on Volumio 3.x, it would involve:

  • Manually installing evdi (external DisplayLink driver) for Buster.
  • Building a custom Xorg driver.
  • Creating a manual xorg.conf pointing at the DisplayLink framebuffer.
  • Possibly building a custom compositor layer to redirect graphics output.

However, this is complex, fragile, and not recommended for production systems.

Thank you for reporting this. It’s important feedback for improving hardware support in upcoming releases.

Kind Regards,

1 Like
3

Thank you very much. I did seem strange that it worked for graphics and then stopped. But that all makes sense. Again thank you very much. I’ll stick with the option to accept it won’t work until 4.x comes along for me. I guess that begs the question when might it be available - months? Years? Either way i’ll patiently wait. Again thank you for the in depth explanation - hopefully other poeple will see this from searches too

4

I recently received feedback on the inability for volumio 3.x x86 to use USB display link monitors under USB monitor not working correctly (sort of) could this feature be enabled/tested in the release of 4.x

Thanks, Ben

5

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