There are two ways of connecting a Raspberry Pi to the touchscreen: the first and most complicated is to solder three points of a wire to the three test points (TP 18, 19 and 20) on the back of the Raspberry Pi. These aren’t through-hole soldering locations, so you’ll have to be confident that you can attach the wires with a small amount of solder so as not to short the connections, and do so without damaging the rest of the board. The second option is to use one of the enclosed cables from one of the Raspberry Pi’s USB ports back though a small hole in the case, and clip it into the circuit board on the device. For testing purposes we went for this option, and it worked, but it does mean that if you’re going to use the touchscreen functionality then you’ll have to give up one of the USB ports on your Raspberry Pi.
The Uperfect UPi B7 had us baffled at first. It’s a touchscreen, with a boxy rectangle on the back into which you slot your Raspberry Pi. The first comparison we make when presented with a portable touchscreen is a tablet, such as an iPad. It’s very much not one of these, as it’s bulkier, and it needs to be plugged in to a mains power source, which limits how well you can use it when you’re lounging on the sofa looking up actors on imdb.com.
Where this device really shines is when it’s hooked up to a larger monitor. Raspberry Pi OS is made to be used with a mouse and keyboard, and so using it on a 10-inch touchscreen can feel imprecise. But when you use the touchscreen as an input device for a larger monitor, it feels so much more natural. We found ourselves working on our large monitor and not even looking at the touchscreen as we were using it – it really does feel natural. With the touchscreen flat on our desk it worked as a useful replacement for a mouse – more creative types than us could use it instead of a graphics tablet. And while we wouldn’t want to use it to type for long periods it’s good enough for quick data input, which opens up a range of possibilities in industry – say, keeping track of orders in a restaurant, or connected over a network to an inventory system where a full-size keyboard would attract dirt.
We’re seen this model on sale for just over £100, which makes it a bargain if you’re looking for an alternative to the mouse-screen-keyboard combination that has been keeping posture experts in work since it was unleashed on to the world in 1968. You may want to make some adjustments to the icon sizes in the default Raspberry Pi OS display to make them more touch-friendly, and we wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who wants a tablet. But as a device that, with a little tweaking, can unlock extra input options, and breathe new life into a Raspberry Pi 4 or even a 3B+, we’ll give it a thumbs up.
Verdict
8/10
Unlocks extra input options for Raspberry Pi 3B+ and 4.
Specs
Display: Capacitive touch, 10.1-inch, 1920×1200, IPS, 60Hz refresh rate
Connections: Power, full-size HDMI, USB-C
