Screen Mirroring

View and control your device’s screen from your computer.

Prerequisites

• A GhostESP device with a display (CYD, T-Deck, Cardputer, etc.)
• USB cable to connect the device
• Python 3.8 or newer (for desktop script only)

Starting the Mirror

The desktop script is in scripts/screen_mirror/ and installs its dependencies (pygame, pyserial, numpy) on first run. To skip Python entirely, use the web mirror at ghostesp.net/serial and open the Mirror tab; that page also includes a console and file browser.

Desktop Script

1. Connect your GhostESP device via USB
2. Open a terminal in the scripts/screen_mirror folder
3. Run the script:

python ghost_mirror.py

Or specify a port directly:

python ghost_mirror.py COM3

For CYD devices, you must specify the higher baud rate:

python ghost_mirror.py COM3 --baud 460800

To list available serial ports:

python ghost_mirror.py --list

Device-Specific Considerations

CYD Devices

CYD devices need specific settings due to their 8-bit color mode:

• Baud Rate: Use --baud 460800; the default 115200 is too slow for CYD refresh rates.
• Color Mode: The mirror stream is truncated to 8 bits, so colors may shift compared to the physical display.
• Performance: Expect reduced frame rates and occasional slowdowns because the 8-bit stream is bandwidth-constrained.

To connect to a CYD device:

python ghost_mirror.py COM3 --baud 460800

Click Swap to fix inverted colors.

Using the Mirror

Drag the title bar to move the window and click × to close the application. The mirror only shows content while the device’s display is actively updating, and the virtual controls send input as text over the same serial connection.

• Port: Use the ◄ and ► buttons in the header to cycle through available COM ports; the current port is shown between them.
• Connect: Opens the serial connection and enables mirroring.
• Disconnect: Closes the connection cleanly.
• Swap: If colors appear wrong (inverted or incorrect), toggles byte order and forces a full screen refresh.

The virtual D-pad on the right side mirrors the physical controls on your device:

Keyboard shortcuts:

CLI Options

Examples

# Run with 3x scaling
python ghost_mirror.py COM3 --scale 3

# CYD device (requires 460800 baud)
python ghost_mirror.py COM3 --baud 460800

# Use a different baud rate
python ghost_mirror.py COM3 --baud 921600

Status Indicators

• Green dot: Connected and receiving data
• Red dot: Disconnected or connection lost
• FPS counter: Shows current frame rate
• Resolution: Displays current screen dimensions

Troubleshooting

No Display or Black Screen

• Ensure the device is powered on and showing content on its physical display
• Try clicking Connect to re-establish the connection
• Check that the correct COM port is selected

Wrong Colors

• Click the Swap button to toggle byte order
• The display will refresh with corrected colors
• For CYD devices: Poor color fidelity is normal due to 8-bit color mode.

Connection Lost

• The status indicator will turn red
• Click Connect to reconnect
• If the device was reset, wait for it to boot before reconnecting

Device Resets When Connecting

• This is normal for some boards on first connection
• The script disables DTR/RTS to prevent resets after initial connection

Slow or Laggy Display

• Screen mirroring uses USB serial which has bandwidth limitations
• Reduce scale factor if needed
• Close other applications using the serial port
• For CYD devices: Slowdowns are expected due to 8-bit color mode and bandwidth constraints. Ensure you’re using --baud 460800 for optimal performance. If the display is still slow, try reducing the scale factor further.