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Pi-KVM v3 Tech info

The v3 platform is a custom made Raspberry Pi hat. This platform gives all the functionality of the Pi-KVM project in one easy to install package.

Pi-KVM v3 Review

V3 Hat

drawing

Features

  1. USB for the power
    5.1v 3A is strongly recommended. The official Raspberry Pi 4 power supply is perfect for this.
  2. Power (green) and activity (red) LEDs
    Show the device status. The red LED lights up when there is disk activity.
  3. USB serial console
    Hardware serial console to login and configure the Raspberry Pi via a terminal emulator. It operates at a speed of 115200 baud. Just plug in the USB and you will see a USB-TTL device on your host.
  4. USB serial console status LED
    The console has independent power from the USB connected host, so you can reboot the Pi and not lose the connection to the console. The LED indicates the presence of power via USB.
  5. COM serial console
    For connection, the so-called CISCO-style serial cable is used (on the one hand, RJ45, on the other, COM port). You can buy any suitable cable or make your own. If you do not need console access to the Pi-KVM, this port can be used to access the server.
  6. PoE pins
    Pi-KVM is compatible with PoE hats. These pins are used for power supply.
  7. UART jumpers
    The two jumpers installed here provide communication between the console ports (3, 5) and the UART of Raspberry. By removing them, you will get access to the UART.
  8. Audio capture jumpers
    The Pi-KVM can capture audio. Although this is not yet implemented in the software, the hardware capability is already present and you can use the arecord command to record audio. These pins are used for this purpose. If you need additional GPIO pins, you can remove these jumpers, comment line dtoverlay=tc358743-audio in /boot/config.txt, and use the GPIO 19, 20 and 21 as you see fit.
  9. HDMI reset jumper
    Currently unused. In the future, it will be used for hardware resetting of the video capture chip. If you remove it, you will be able to use the GPIO 17
  10. GPIO pins
    With the exception of the used pins, the rest are at your service.
  11. ATX controller interface
    Use the Ethernet straight cable to connect the ATX adapter (included). Connect the wires of the power button, reset button, and the power and HDD LEDs inside your server enclosure to the adapter.
  12. 1-Wire & Neo-pixel interface
    Unused right now. For neopixel used GPIO 13 (same as for the red status LED).
  13. OTG USB
    The port to connect to the server. Here, the keyboard, mouse, disk, and so on are emulated.
  14. OTG USB AUX
    For fans of soldering. You can use these pins to connect OTG if you have installed Pi-KVM inside the server case.
  15. HDMI input
    From 640x480 to 1920x1080 50Hz (max).
  16. Service USB
    Use the dual USB-C bridge (included) to connect the Raspberry and v3 shield with this port.
  17. HDMI 5v LED
  18. HDMI 3.3v LED
  19. AUM socket
    To connect an Advanced USB Module that provides an alternative way to emulate the keyboard and mouse and mass storage.
  20. CSI socket
    Use a wide flat cable to connect to the Raspberry Pi.
  21. 5v fan connector
    Connector for controlling a 5v fan with PWM support.
  22. 5v power pins
    To receive or alternatively supply power to the Pi-KVM.
  23. Top secret
    Currently unused.
  24. I2C for the display

Required Hardware

  • Pi-KVM v3 platform
  • Raspberry Pi 4
  • 5.1V 3A power or better variant
  • USB-C to USB-A cable

Hardware Setup

Follow the video below on assembling the v3 platform and associated components.

Build the Device

Software Setup

The image is available at pikvm download page. Additionally you could rebuild the operating system yourself checkout the Building the OS

After you have an image then Flash The Image

If your kit includes the display and/or the fan, you’ll need to turn them on after installation:

rw
systemctl enable --now kvmd-oled # For the display
systemctl enable --now kvmd-fan  # For the fan
ro

System Functional

Congratulations! Your Pi-KVM will be available via SSH (ssh root@<addr> with password root by default) and HTTPS (try to open in a browser the URL https://<addr>, the login admin and password admin by default). For HTTPS a self-signed certificate is used by default.

To change the root password use command passwd via SSH or webterm. To change Pi-KVM web password use kvmd-htpasswd set admin. As indicated on the login screen use rw to make the root filesystem writable, before issuing these commands. After making changes, make sure to run the command ro.

Access to Pi-KVM from the Internet

You can use port forwarding for port 443 on your router if it has an external IP address. In all other cases, you can use the excellent free VPN service Tailscale, which is configured on Pi-KVM with a few simple commands.

If you have any problems or questions, contact us using Discord: https://discord.gg/bpmXfz5

Subscribe to our Subreddit to follow news and releases: https://www.reddit.com/r/pikvm

Happy using of Pi-KVM :)

This project is developed on a non-commercial basis by Open Source enthusiasts. If you find Pi-KVM useful or it has saved you a long trip to check on an unresponsive server, you can support the lead developer by donating a few dollars via Patreon or PayPal. With this money, he will be able to buy new hardware (Raspberry Pi boards and other components) to test and maintain various configurations of Pi-KVM, and generally devote significantly more time to the project. At the bottom of this page are the names of all the people who have helped this project develop with their donations. Our gratitude knows no bounds!

If you wish to use Pi-KVM in production, we accept orders to modify it for your needs or implement custom features you require. Contact us via live chat or email the lead developer at: mdevaev@gmail.com