vcgencmd

5/1/25

Raspberry_Pi

vcgencmd

vcgencm

vcgencmd is a command-line tool for Raspberry Pi that interfaces with the VideoCore GPU to report system information, such as temperature, voltage, and clock speeds.

vcgencmd

Common examples include vcgencmd measure_temp for CPU temperature, vcgencmd get_throttled for monitoring performance throttling, and vcgencmd measure_clock arm for checking CPU speed.

Essential vcgencmd Examples

Check CPU Temperature:

vcgencmd measure_temp

Check Core Voltage:

vcgencmd measure_volts core

Check Clock Speed (CPU):

vcgencmd measure_clock arm

Check Clock Speed (GPU):

vcgencmd measure_clock core

Check Throttled State (Bit Pattern):

vcgencmd get_throttled

(returns 0x0 if normal, otherwise indicates issues like low voltage or overheating)

List Available Commands:

vcgencmd commands

Memory Allocation:

vcgencmd get_mem arm and vcgencmd get_mem gpu

Display Help:

vcgencmd --help

Advanced Usage Examples

Monitor Temperature Continuously:

watch -n 1 vcgencmd measure_temp

Check Specific Configuration:

vcgencmd get_config int

Check Firmware Version:

vcgencmd version

Check HDMI Status:

vcgencmd hdmi_status_show

Bash Script Example (Temp):

echo "CPU Temp: $(vcgencmd measure_temp)"

Commonly Used Clock Sources

When using vcgencmd measure_clock <id>, common IDs include:

arm (CPU)

core (GPU)

hdmi

pixel

vec

Note: For some older Raspberry Pi models, you might need to specify the path: /opt/vc/bin/vcgencmd