Remapping ESP32 Standard 8-Bit Parallel TFT Pinout to ESP32-S3 N16R8 — No Display

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1

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to get a 7″ SSD1963 TFT (480×800) working in 8-bit parallel mode on my ESP32-S3 N16R8 DevKitC-1 using TFT_eSPI.

The problem is that the standard ESP32 parallel pin configuration doesn’t directly map to the S3 because some pins don’t exist on this board. The standard pin configuration for ESP32 is as follows:

// ESP32 Pin Configuration
#define TFT_PARALLEL_8_BIT

// The ESP32 and TFT the pins used for testing are:
#define TFT_CS   33  // Chip select control pin (library pulls permanently low
#define TFT_DC   15  // Data Command control pin - must use a pin in the range 0-31
#define TFT_RST  32  // Reset pin, toggles on startup

#define TFT_WR    4  // Write strobe control pin - must use a pin in the range 0-31
#define TFT_RD    2  // Read strobe control pin

#define TFT_D0   12  // Must use pins in the range 0-31 for the data bus
#define TFT_D1   13  // so a single register write sets/clears all bits.
#define TFT_D2   26  // Pins can be randomly assigned, this does not affect
#define TFT_D3   25  // TFT screen update performance.
#define TFT_D4   17
#define TFT_D5   16
#define TFT_D6   27
#define TFT_D7   14

I attempted to remap the pins to available GPIOs on the ESP32-S3 as follows:

// ESP32-S3 Pin Configuration
#define TFT_PARALLEL_8_BIT

#define TFT_CS   18
#define TFT_DC   15
#define TFT_RST  40    

#define TFT_WR   4
#define TFT_RD   5

#define TFT_D0   12
#define TFT_D1   13
#define TFT_D2   6
#define TFT_D3   7
#define TFT_D4   17
#define TFT_D5   16
#define TFT_D6   8
#define TFT_D7   14

I have the backlight working, but when I run a graphic test, the screen remains completely black, with no flicker or any display output.

I want to know if anyone has successfully remapped the standard ESP32 parallel pinout to work on ESP32-S3 boards, especially DevKitC-1, or if there are specific timing/pin constraints that I should be aware of.

Has anyone tried this combination and gotten a graphic test to display using TFT_eSPI?

I’d appreciate any guidance on:

• Recommended alternative pins for ESP32-S3 N16R8 when remapping the standard parallel configuration.
• Possible tweaks to the library or initialization sequence to make SSD1963 work in parallel.
• Suggestions on other libraries or drivers for SSD1963 in 8-bit parallel mode on ESP32-S3.

Thanks in advance for any help!

2

I would use the website of the randomnerds to make careful note of the standard esp32 pins then find a similar resource for the esp32-s3 and pick pins that match the old.

What I am getting at is that some pins on some esp32's are special so can not be used for some purposes.

3

There are GPIO pins on S3 that you can't use, as they can cause trouble during boot sequence. I tried experimenting with other non-strapping pins, and using pins that are truly free and can be used without causing any issue to other internal peripherals.

As of now, I still can't able to find any combination that will make the display to render some graphics, but yeah, I know its possible and I just lack some research. I will update my post when I get it working so that other people will find it useful when they encounter this similar problem.