User Guide

12
To use a computer monitor as the Pi’s display, you will need an
HDMI to VGA, or HDMI to DVI adaptor. However, when
connecting to a monitor using an HDMI to VGA/DVI adapter,
you will initially be unable to connect speakers to the audio
connector. When the HDMI cable is connected, the composite
video and audio output ports are turned off. This can be
changed once you have an operating system running on the Pi.
Figure 3. Connecting a display to the Pi 2 Model B
Connecting USB Devices
With most operating systems that you run on the Pi, human
interface devices (HIDs) that connect using USB (such as mice,
keyboards, and game controllers), and storage devices (such as
USB memory sticks and hard drives) will work without any
problems or installation processes. You may need to install
drivers – pieces of software written to pass messages between
the operating system and the hardware device – to use more
complicated peripherals like soundcards.
Although not covered in this book, all Raspberry Pi models
support DSI for connecting LCD panels.