PiTPG - the new Raspberry Pi test pattern generator for ColourSpace

Wolf91074
If you have a USB-A port that isn't being used on your laptop, you can use a USB-A to USB-C cable to connect to a Pi based TPG. I use a 10 foot Anker cable for that purpose and it provides both power and data to the Pi device. That leaves your USB-C port available for keeping your laptop charged.
Having said that, after reviewing the PiTPG page on the site, it looks like connecting via ethernet requires that the device be on the same network as the ColourSpace PC, i.e., having an IP address assigned to the TPG by the router.
When I attempted a direct connection to my laptop via USB-A to Ethernet adapter with PiTPG, the Startup Screen doesn't even register that an ethernet cable is connected.

The power supply for my Raspberry Pi (which was in the Raspberry Pi 4 kit I bought for PGenerator) provides 5.1V and 3.0A, whereas standard USB-A/B gives you 5.1V and 0.9A. Therefore I did not try the connection PC/USB-A to Raspi/USB-C up to now. I tested it just a few minutes ago and it did not work.
@titleexaminer92: are you using a special high-power USB-A to USB-C cable?

The PiTPG page says:
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What You Need

• A Raspberry Pi 4 or Raspberry Pi 5
• A microSD card - 8 GB or larger for Ted's Edition (4 GB or larger for the Basic edition) (Any good-quality card will do. As PiTPG reads from the card but never writes to it while running, card speed makes little difference)
• A micro-HDMI to HDMI cable, to connect the Pi to the display
• A USB-C cable, to connect the Pi to the ColourSpace PC
• (This both powers the Pi and connects it to ColourSpace - a Pi 4 or Pi 5 runs from the PC's USB port alone. If the Pi restarts by itself, or shows a low-power warning, try a different USB port, as older ports and unpowered USB hubs can supply less power. Alternatively, use the Pi's power supply and an Ethernet cable)

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So, as I understand it, an Ethernet cable that connects the PC directly to the Raspberry Pi should work. But maybe I've missed something.

Wolf91074
I connect via a USB-A to USB-C cable from a powered USB 3.0 hub. Works perfectly.

I'm using an Anker branded USB-A to USB-C "fast charging" cable.
Specs are: Supports fast charging up to 15W (3A/5V) and data transfer speeds up to 480Mbps.

Hi,

I got an issue with HDCP, if that is deactivated at the connected display, in my case an AnalogWay Aquilon Cmini, the PiTPG will not display any video signal or make a link and in my case, connection via lan, I got an error message that there is no display connected after connecting via Colourspace, btw, the process for network discovery works lovely. After activation of HDCP handshake everything works fine.

A direct 'no router' Ethernet connection will not work as is.

On Ethernet, PiTPG waits for a router to give it an address.
On a direct cable to a PC there is no router, so the Pi never gets one.
Windows gives itself a stand-in address, but the two are never on the same network, so ColourSpace can't reach the Pi.
The USB link works because PiTPG hands out the PC's address itself (Pi 10.10.12.1, PC 10.10.12.10).
On Ethernet it deliberately doesn't, because it would clash with the router when plugged into a normal network.

Workaround:
Windows Internet Connection Sharing.
In the PC's network adapters, open the Wi-Fi adapter's Properties, then Sharing, and tick "Allow other network users to connect", choosing the Ethernet adapter.
Windows then acts as the router on that cable.
The Pi gets an address (usually 192.168.137.x), and PiTPG's start-up screen shows it.
Type that address into ColourSpace's Network Address.
Or, use a USB-C hub with power pass-through.
The laptop's charger goes into the hub and the Pi plugs into the hub.
The laptop charges and the USB link works as normal.

We'll look at making a change to the direct Ethernet connection so a workaround is not needed.

Steve

Change made for PiTPG v2.0.5
(Remove the workaround, if you have done that already.)

Steve

You can safely leave HDCP turned on in the Aquilon.
That's the right fix for your setup.

It happens as an HDMI input tells the source 'a display is here' with a hot-plug signal on one pin of the cable.
PiTPG relies only on that signal.
When 'no display connected' appears, the Aquilon is holding that signal off.
The Aquilon apparently does this when its input's HDCP is disabled.
That's unusual, but switchers and processors sometimes handle the signal incorrectly/differently.

With HDCP on, the Aquilon only says it 'could' accept encrypted video.
PiTPG never starts HDCP or encrypts anything, so the patches arrive exactly as they would without it..

Steve

A quick update, as Ted has just verified PiTPG's HDMI output is bit-perfect, on both Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5.
Every patch value arrives at the display exactly as ColourSpace sends it, in every output format: RGB, YCbCr 4:4:4 and YCbCr 4:2:2, BT.709 and BT.2020, 8-bit and 10-bit.

Steve

We're waiting for the Ted's version...