Hello everyone. I’m going to attempt to pair a 3.5 inch SPI TFT display that uses a ST7796S adapter. Can you advise what library(s) I need to install to utilize this hardware?
May depend on which processor board you are using:
But Adafruits ST7735/89 I believe now supports the 96
adafruit/Adafruit-ST7735-Library: This is a library for the Adafruit 1.8" SPI display http://www.adafruit.com/products/358 and http://www.adafruit.com/products/618
We also support it on the Teensy boards (PJRC) with:
PaulStoffregen/ST7735_t3: Teensy 3.x Optimized Version of Adafruit_ST7735 (1.8 inch TFT Display)
There are others as well out there.
with ProMini guessing - I would probably try with the Adafruit one.
Hi Kurt. Thanks for the answer. To confirm, I am going to connect the 3.5” TFT display to the Pro Mini. Ultimately I’m connecting the Si4844B-20 AM/FM/SW Radio to the Pro Mini and want to use the 3.5” TFT to display the available information.
have a look at the TFT_eSPI library
There are two different versions of the Arduino Pro Mini: one runs at 3.3V and 8 MHz, and the other one at 5V and 16 MHz. see arduino-pro-mini-pinout-pin-diagram-and-specifications
the TFT logic level will probably be 3.3V to make sure you a using a 3.3V Pro Mini or using level shifters with a 5V Pro Mini
Hi Horace. The Pro Mini I have is a 3.3V version as is the Si4844. I’m fairly certain the TFT is 3.3V is as well. However I do have some logic level converters if needed. I’ll take a look at the suggested library and do some testing once the TFT arrives. Thanks for your recommendation.
can you give a link to your specific TFT?
note then TFT_eSPI library is too large to run on a Pro Mini
try the Adafruit library referenced by @KurtE in post 2
then try the following version of File>Examples>Adafruit_ST7735_and_ST7789_Library>graphicstest
NOTE the GPIO settings in the #define statements
/**************************************************************************
This is a library for several Adafruit displays based on ST77* drivers.
Works with the Adafruit 1.8" TFT Breakout w/SD card
----> http://www.adafruit.com/products/358
The 1.8" TFT shield
----> https://www.adafruit.com/product/802
The 1.44" TFT breakout
----> https://www.adafruit.com/product/2088
The 1.14" TFT breakout
----> https://www.adafruit.com/product/4383
The 1.3" TFT breakout
----> https://www.adafruit.com/product/4313
The 1.54" TFT breakout
----> https://www.adafruit.com/product/3787
The 1.69" TFT breakout
----> https://www.adafruit.com/product/5206
The 2.0" TFT breakout
----> https://www.adafruit.com/product/4311
as well as Adafruit raw 1.8" TFT display
----> http://www.adafruit.com/products/618
Check out the links above for our tutorials and wiring diagrams.
These displays use SPI to communicate, 4 or 5 pins are required to
interface (RST is optional).
Adafruit invests time and resources providing this open source code,
please support Adafruit and open-source hardware by purchasing
products from Adafruit!
Written by Limor Fried/Ladyada for Adafruit Industries.
MIT license, all text above must be included in any redistribution
**************************************************************************/
#include <Adafruit_GFX.h> // Core graphics library
#include <Adafruit_ST7796S.h> // Hardware-specific library for ST7796
#include <SPI.h>
#define TFT_CS 10
#define TFT_RST 4 // Or set to -1 and connect to Arduino RESET pin
#define TFT_DC 5
#define TFT_MOSI 11 // Data out
#define TFT_SCLK 13 // Clock out
Adafruit_ST7796S tft = Adafruit_ST7796S(TFT_CS, TFT_DC, TFT_MOSI, TFT_SCLK, TFT_RST);
float p = 3.1415926;
void setup(void) {
Serial.begin(9600);
Serial.print(F("Hello! ST77xx TFT Test"));
// Use this initializer if using a 1.8" TFT screen:
//tft.initR(INITR_BLACKTAB); // Init ST7735S chip, black tab
// OR use this initializer if using a 1.8" TFT screen with offset such as WaveShare:
// tft.initR(INITR_GREENTAB); // Init ST7735S chip, green tab
// OR use this initializer (uncomment) if using a 1.44" TFT:
//tft.initR(INITR_144GREENTAB); // Init ST7735R chip, green tab
// OR use this initializer (uncomment) if using a 0.96" 160x80 TFT:
//tft.initR(INITR_MINI160x80); // Init ST7735S mini display
// OR use this initializer (uncomment) if using a 0.96" 160x80 TFT with
// plug-in FPC (if you see the display is inverted!)
//tft.initR(INITR_MINI160x80_PLUGIN); // Init ST7735S mini display
// OR use this initializer (uncomment) if using a 1.3" or 1.54" 240x240 TFT:
//tft.init(240, 240); // Init ST7789 240x240
// OR use this initializer (uncomment) if using a 1.69" 280x240 TFT:
//tft.init(240, 280); // Init ST7789 280x240
// OR use this initializer (uncomment) if using a 2.0" 320x240 TFT:
//tft.init(240, 320); // Init ST7789 320x240
// OR use this initializer (uncomment) if using a 1.14" 240x135 TFT:
//tft.init(135, 240); // Init ST7789 240x135
// OR use this initializer (uncomment) if using a 1.47" 172x320 TFT:
//tft.init(172, 320); // Init ST7789 172x320
// SPI speed defaults to SPI_DEFAULT_FREQ defined in the library, you can override it here
// Note that speed allowable depends on chip and quality of wiring, if you go too fast, you
// may end up with a black screen some times, or all the time.
//tft.setSPISpeed(40000000);
Serial.println(F("Initialized"));
uint16_t time = millis();
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
time = millis() - time;
Serial.println(time, DEC);
delay(500);
// large block of text
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
testdrawtext("Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur adipiscing ante sed nibh tincidunt feugiat. Maecenas enim massa, fringilla sed malesuada et, malesuada sit amet turpis. Sed porttitor neque ut ante pretium vitae malesuada nunc bibendum. Nullam aliquet ultrices massa eu hendrerit. Ut sed nisi lorem. In vestibulum purus a tortor imperdiet posuere. ", ST77XX_WHITE);
delay(1000);
// tft print function!
tftPrintTest();
delay(4000);
// a single pixel
tft.drawPixel(tft.width() / 2, tft.height() / 2, ST77XX_GREEN);
delay(500);
// line draw test
testlines(ST77XX_YELLOW);
delay(500);
// optimized lines
testfastlines(ST77XX_RED, ST77XX_BLUE);
delay(500);
testdrawrects(ST77XX_GREEN);
delay(500);
testfillrects(ST77XX_YELLOW, ST77XX_MAGENTA);
delay(500);
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
testfillcircles(10, ST77XX_BLUE);
testdrawcircles(10, ST77XX_WHITE);
delay(500);
testroundrects();
delay(500);
testtriangles();
delay(500);
mediabuttons();
delay(500);
Serial.println("done");
delay(1000);
}
void loop() {
tft.invertDisplay(true);
delay(500);
tft.invertDisplay(false);
delay(500);
}
void testlines(uint16_t color) {
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
for (int16_t x = 0; x < tft.width(); x += 6) {
tft.drawLine(0, 0, x, tft.height() - 1, color);
delay(0);
}
for (int16_t y = 0; y < tft.height(); y += 6) {
tft.drawLine(0, 0, tft.width() - 1, y, color);
delay(0);
}
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
for (int16_t x = 0; x < tft.width(); x += 6) {
tft.drawLine(tft.width() - 1, 0, x, tft.height() - 1, color);
delay(0);
}
for (int16_t y = 0; y < tft.height(); y += 6) {
tft.drawLine(tft.width() - 1, 0, 0, y, color);
delay(0);
}
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
for (int16_t x = 0; x < tft.width(); x += 6) {
tft.drawLine(0, tft.height() - 1, x, 0, color);
delay(0);
}
for (int16_t y = 0; y < tft.height(); y += 6) {
tft.drawLine(0, tft.height() - 1, tft.width() - 1, y, color);
delay(0);
}
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
for (int16_t x = 0; x < tft.width(); x += 6) {
tft.drawLine(tft.width() - 1, tft.height() - 1, x, 0, color);
delay(0);
}
for (int16_t y = 0; y < tft.height(); y += 6) {
tft.drawLine(tft.width() - 1, tft.height() - 1, 0, y, color);
delay(0);
}
}
void testdrawtext(char *text, uint16_t color) {
tft.setCursor(0, 0);
tft.setTextColor(color);
tft.setTextWrap(true);
tft.print(text);
}
void testfastlines(uint16_t color1, uint16_t color2) {
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
for (int16_t y = 0; y < tft.height(); y += 5) {
tft.drawFastHLine(0, y, tft.width(), color1);
}
for (int16_t x = 0; x < tft.width(); x += 5) {
tft.drawFastVLine(x, 0, tft.height(), color2);
}
}
void testdrawrects(uint16_t color) {
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
for (int16_t x = 0; x < tft.width(); x += 6) {
tft.drawRect(tft.width() / 2 - x / 2, tft.height() / 2 - x / 2, x, x, color);
}
}
void testfillrects(uint16_t color1, uint16_t color2) {
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
for (int16_t x = tft.width() - 1; x > 6; x -= 6) {
tft.fillRect(tft.width() / 2 - x / 2, tft.height() / 2 - x / 2, x, x, color1);
tft.drawRect(tft.width() / 2 - x / 2, tft.height() / 2 - x / 2, x, x, color2);
}
}
void testfillcircles(uint8_t radius, uint16_t color) {
for (int16_t x = radius; x < tft.width(); x += radius * 2) {
for (int16_t y = radius; y < tft.height(); y += radius * 2) {
tft.fillCircle(x, y, radius, color);
}
}
}
void testdrawcircles(uint8_t radius, uint16_t color) {
for (int16_t x = 0; x < tft.width() + radius; x += radius * 2) {
for (int16_t y = 0; y < tft.height() + radius; y += radius * 2) {
tft.drawCircle(x, y, radius, color);
}
}
}
void testtriangles() {
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
uint16_t color = 0xF800;
int t;
int w = tft.width() / 2;
int x = tft.height() - 1;
int y = 0;
int z = tft.width();
for (t = 0; t <= 15; t++) {
tft.drawTriangle(w, y, y, x, z, x, color);
x -= 4;
y += 4;
z -= 4;
color += 100;
}
}
void testroundrects() {
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
uint16_t color = 100;
int i;
int t;
for (t = 0; t <= 4; t += 1) {
int x = 0;
int y = 0;
int w = tft.width() - 2;
int h = tft.height() - 2;
for (i = 0; i <= 16; i += 1) {
tft.drawRoundRect(x, y, w, h, 5, color);
x += 2;
y += 3;
w -= 4;
h -= 6;
color += 1100;
}
color += 100;
}
}
void tftPrintTest() {
tft.setTextWrap(false);
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
tft.setCursor(0, 30);
tft.setTextColor(ST77XX_RED);
tft.setTextSize(1);
tft.println("Hello World!");
tft.setTextColor(ST77XX_YELLOW);
tft.setTextSize(2);
tft.println("Hello World!");
tft.setTextColor(ST77XX_GREEN);
tft.setTextSize(3);
tft.println("Hello World!");
tft.setTextColor(ST77XX_BLUE);
tft.setTextSize(4);
tft.print(1234.567);
delay(1500);
tft.setCursor(0, 0);
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
tft.setTextColor(ST77XX_WHITE);
tft.setTextSize(0);
tft.println("Hello World!");
tft.setTextSize(1);
tft.setTextColor(ST77XX_GREEN);
tft.print(p, 6);
tft.println(" Want pi?");
tft.println(" ");
tft.print(8675309, HEX); // print 8,675,309 out in HEX!
tft.println(" Print HEX!");
tft.println(" ");
tft.setTextColor(ST77XX_WHITE);
tft.println("Sketch has been");
tft.println("running for: ");
tft.setTextColor(ST77XX_MAGENTA);
tft.print(millis() / 1000);
tft.setTextColor(ST77XX_WHITE);
tft.print(" seconds.");
}
void mediabuttons() {
// play
tft.fillScreen(ST77XX_BLACK);
tft.fillRoundRect(25, 10, 78, 60, 8, ST77XX_WHITE);
tft.fillTriangle(42, 20, 42, 60, 90, 40, ST77XX_RED);
delay(500);
// pause
tft.fillRoundRect(25, 90, 78, 60, 8, ST77XX_WHITE);
tft.fillRoundRect(39, 98, 20, 45, 5, ST77XX_GREEN);
tft.fillRoundRect(69, 98, 20, 45, 5, ST77XX_GREEN);
delay(500);
// play color
tft.fillTriangle(42, 20, 42, 60, 90, 40, ST77XX_BLUE);
delay(50);
// pause color
tft.fillRoundRect(39, 98, 20, 45, 5, ST77XX_RED);
tft.fillRoundRect(69, 98, 20, 45, 5, ST77XX_RED);
// play color
tft.fillTriangle(42, 20, 42, 60, 90, 40, ST77XX_GREEN);
}
I don't have a ST7796S display to try running it
It’s a TENSTAR ROBO 2.4 / 2.8 / 3.5 Inch 240x320 320x480 SPI TFT Serial Port Module 5V/3.3V PCB Adapter ST7789V/ST7796S LCD Display from Aliexpress. This should be the link: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805988905985.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.6dab1802LfwC2n&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa
Hi Horace. Given the Pro Mini is too small, I do have an Atmega328P-PU. Would this work? If not, can you recommend an MCU that would be best to use? I also have a Arduino Uno that I used to program the Atmega328.
Would I have done better with the next size down (I think it’s a 2.8”)? It does seem the smaller TFT’s are used often. But I was hoping for something that I could read with these old eyes.
Again, thanks greatly for your help and advise. I’m sure your realize all of this is new to me.
the Atmega328P-PU, UNO, etc will have the same problem
I would recommend the ESP32 which is an order of magnitude more powerful, has plenty of flash and SRAM, onboard WiFi, Bluetooth Classic and BLE, etc etc
it is supported by the Arduino IDE - see getting-started-with-esp32 - cost about £7 on Ebay in UK
depending on your requirements there are TFT displays with onboard ESP32s which save all the wire interconnections which give poor connections - see CYD TFT displays
can you confirm with TFT driver you have ST7789V or ST7796S
Horace, it will have the ST7796S driver.
It appears the ESP32 is a development board similar to Arduino Uno, etc. Do these come small enough to effectively build them into a project permanently? Is it possible to buy the processor/IC and program it to control the project? If so, what is the processor that would be required? If that isn’t practical, would another Atmel (Atmega) product be suitable as a standalone MCU?
Again, thanks for your recommendations. This is truly a learning project for me!
the ESP32 is a microcontroller which is used on many dev boards - see photo below
yes - here is a photo of a ESP32 dev board driving a TFT display (using a ILI9341 driver)
there are smaller ESP32 based dev boards - see ESP32-S3-Zero - but with fewer GPIO pins available
some TFT display modules have onboard ESP32 microcontroller removing the need for interconnecting wires as seen in above photo (A source of poor connections and intermittent problems) - see CYD TFT displays
at present in the process of designing for a commercial project a custom PCB which uses a ESP32 dev board as a daughter board - the PCB has onboard devices/sensors etc which are interfaced to the ESP32 which transmits results over WiFi to the internet
could you give use more details of your project?
My primary focus is building an AM/FM/SW radio receiver using the Skyworks Si4844-B20. I’ve created a working version using the “minimalist” Arduino sketch created by Ricardo Caratti ( SI4844/examples/SI4844_00_MINIMAL/SI4844_00_MINIMAL.ino at master · pu2clr/SI4844 · GitHub ). I’ve now added a 16X2 LCD display. That said, it will be part of a “home theater” amplifier with multiple inputs. The LCD display is relatively small and isn’t very professional looking. I’ve seen similar radio project that use the TFT displays. But the projects seen use small versions of these. I’d like something larger to allow for more information to be displayed. Eventually, I’d like to be able to display volume level, the name of the input selected and, when the radio is selected, I want to be able to display the band selected (AM, FM, etc.), the frequency, and any information the station may transmit with the signal.
I recognize this is a very big project for someone who is a newbie to electronics. But I’ve learned to take baby steps and build on what I’ve learned. I’ve had good success with building the amplifiers. I started out with an LM386 chip and several schematic diagrams. With success, I’ve built another using the LM1875T. I’m now building one with the LM3886. I’ll use that to power the final amplifier.
I’ll say it again, thank you for your interest, help and suggestions. I truly appreciate it!