ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C

480×480, RGB, I2C

Overview

Introduction

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C is a microcontroller development board that supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and BT BLE 5. It integrates large capacity Flash and PSRAM and has onboard 2.8inch capacitive touch screen, can smoothly run GUI programs such as LVGL. Combined with various peripheral interfaces, it is suitable for the quick development of the HMI and other ESP32-S3 applications.

Features

Equipped with high-performance Xtensa 32-bit LX7 dual-core processor, up to 240MHz main frequency
Supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth 5 (BLE), with onboard antenna
Built in 512KB SRAM, 384KB ROM, 8MB PSRAM, and 16MB Flash
Onboard 2.8inch capacitive touch screen with 480×480 resolution
Supports touch control via I2C interface, with interrupt support
Adapting UART, I2C and some IO interfaces, integrates full-speed USB port
Onboard QMI8658 6-axis sensor, RTC clock sensor, TF card slot and battery charging management module, etc.
Supports accurate control such as flexible clock and multiple power modes to realize low power consumption in different scenarios

Onboard Resources

1. ESP32-S3R8
Dual-core processor, up to 240MHz operating frequency

2. QST attitude sensor
QMI8658 (six-axis gyro accelerometer)

3. TCA9554PWR
GPIO expansion chip, fully used, not led out

4. FSUSB42UMX
UART selection chip: 4PIN UART is disabled when connected to UART Type-C,
4PIN UART is enabled when not connected to UART Type-C

5. CH343P
USB to UART with onboard automatic download circuit,
enabling program flashing without additional operations

6. 16MB Flash

7. RTC clock chip
PCF85063 RTC clock

8. Battery recharge manager Chip

9. ME6217C33M5G
Low dropout regulator, 800mA output (Max)

10. USB Type-C port

11. Battery header
MX1.25 2PIN connector, for 3.7V Lithium battery, supports charging and discharging

12. 12PIN multi-functional pin header

13. IPEX Gen 1 connector
Switching to use external antenna via resoldering the resistor

14. TF card slot

15. RTC battery header
Connecting the rechargeable RTC battery

16. I2C interface
Connecting with internal chip, only supports the I2C peripherals and cannot be mapped to other functions

17. UART interface
Only available when the USB to UART Type-C port is not connected

18. USB TO UART Type-C port
Used for power supply, program download and debugging

19. Buzzer

20. Charge indicator
When connecting the system battery, lights up when charging, off when fully charged
(the light status is uncertain when the battery is not connected)

21. Power indicator

22. Battery power supply control button

23. RESET button[

24. BOOT button

Interfaces

12PIN connector

No.	Pin	Function	Description
1	GND	GND	Ground
2	VBus	5V	USB power supply
3	D-	USB differential cable (GPIO19)	USB differential cable or as GPIO
4	D+	USB differential cable (GPIO20)	USB differential cable or as GPIO
5	GND	GND	Ground
6	3V3	3V3	3.3V external output
7	SCL	SCL (GPIO7)	I2C clock pin, cannot be used as GPIO
8	SDA	SDA (GPIO15)	I2C data pin, cannot be used as GPIO
9	TXD	TXD (GPIO43)	UART transmit data or as GPIO
10	RXD	RXD (GPIO44)	UART receive data or as GPIO
11	NC	NC	Not connected
12	IO0	GPIO0	Spare pinout

I2C interface

Pin	Function	Description
GND	GND	Ground
3V3	3V3	3.3V external output
SCL	SCL (GPIO7)	I2C clock pin, cannot be used as GPIO
SDA	SDA (GPIO15)	I2C data pin, cannot be used as GPIO

UART interface

Pin	Function	Description
GND	GND	Ground
3V3	3V3	3.3V external output
TXD	TXD (GPIO43)	UART transmit data or as GPIO
RXD	RXD (GPIO44)	UART receive data or as GPIO

Dimensions

Specifications

Item	Parameter

Interface	USB Type-C / UART Type-C

Controller	ESP32-S3

LCD Type	TFT

LCD Controller	Display: ST7701
LCD Controller	Touch: GT911

Onboard Devices	Attitude sensor: QMI8658
	RTC clock: PCF85063
	TF
	Buzzer
	Battery Recharging Manager Module

Dimensions	95.86±0.1 (R) mm

Internal Hardware Connection

LCD

LCD Pin	ESP32S3
LCD_BL	GPIO6
LCD_RST	EXIO1
LCD_SDA	GPIO1
LCD_SCL	GPIO2
LCD_CS	EXIO3
PCLK	GPIO41
DE	GPIO40
VSYNC	GPIO39
HSYNC	GPIO38
B0	NC
B1	GPIO5
B2	GPIO45
B3	GPIO48
B4	GPIO47
B5	GPIO21
G0	GPIO14
G1	GPIO13
G2	GPIO12
G3	GPIO11
G4	GPIO10
G5	GPIO9
R0	NC
R1	GPIO46
R2	GPIO3
R3	GPIO8
R4	GPIO18
R5	GPIO17
TP_SDA	GPIO15
TP_SCL	GPIO7
TP_INT	GPIO16
TP_RST	EXIO2

TF Card

TF Card	ESP32S3
SD_D0 / MISO	GPIO42
SD_CMD / MOSI	GPIO1
SD_SCK / SCLK	GPIO2
SD_D3 / CS	EXIO4
SD_D1	NC
SD_D2	NC

QMI

QMI8658	ESP32S3
IMU_SCL	GPIO7
IMU_SDA	GPIO15
IMU_INT1	EXIO6
IMU_INT2	EXIO5

RTC

PCF85063ATL	ESP32S3
RTC_SCL	GPIO7
RTC_SDA	GPIO15
RTC_INT	EXIO7

Buzzer

Buzzer	ESP32S3
Buzzer_Control	EXIO8

BAT

BAT	ESP32S3
BAT_ADC	GPIO4

Instructions for Use

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C currently provides two development tools and frameworks, Arduino IDE and ESP-IDF, providing flexible development options, you can choose the right development tool according to your project needs and personal habits.

Development tools

Arduino IDE

Arduino IDE is an open source electronic prototyping platform, convenient and flexible, easy to get started. After a simple learning, you can start to develop quickly. At the same time, Arduino has a large global user community, providing an abundance of open source code, project examples and tutorials, as well as rich library resources, encapsulating complex functions, allowing developers to quickly implement various functions.

ESP-IDF

ESP-IDF, or full name Espressif IDE, is a professional development framework introduced by Espressif Technology for the ESP series chips. It is developed using the C language, including a compiler, debugger, and flashing tools, etc., and can be developed via the command lines or through an integrated development environment (such as Visual Studio Code with the Espressif IDF plugin). The plugin offers features such as code navigation, project management, and debugging.

Each of these two development approaches has its own advantages, and developers can choose according to their needs and skill levels. Arduino are suitable for beginners and non-professionals because they are easy to learn and quick to get started. ESP-IDF is a better choice for developers with a professional background or high performance requirements, as it provides more advanced development tools and greater control capabilities for the development of complex projects.

Components preparation

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C x1
TF card x 1
USB cable (Type-A to Type-C) x 1

Before operating, it is recommended to browse the table of contents to quickly understand the document structure. For smooth operation, please read the FAQ carefully to understand possible problems in advance. All resources in the document are provided with hyperlinks for easy download.

Working with Arduino

This chapter introduces setting up the Arduino environment, including the Arduino IDE, management of ESP32 boards, installation of related libraries, program compilation and downloading, as well as testing demos. It aims to help users master the development board and facilitate secondary development.

Environment setup

Download and install Arduino IDE

Click to visit the official website, select the corresponding system and system bit to download.
Run the installer and install all by default.

The environment setup is carried out on the Windows 10 system, Linux and Mac users can access Arduino-esp32 environment setup for reference. (To use on Mac, you need to install the Mac driver MAC driver.)

Install ESP32 development board

Must first install the development board esp32-XIP-3.0.2.
Only supports Install Offline.
For the installation tutorial, please refer to esp32-XIP-3.0.2 Development board installation.

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C required development board installation instructions
Board name	Board installation requirement	Instruction
esp32-XIP-3.0.2	"Install Offline"	The "esp32-XIP-3.0.2" board must be installed according to the installation tutorial

Install library

When installing Arduino libraries, there are usually two ways to choose from: Install online and Install offline. If the library installation requires offline installation, you must use the provided library file
For most libraries, users can easily search and install them through the online library manager of the Arduino software. However, some open-source libraries or custom libraries are not synchronized to the Arduino Library Manager, so they cannot be acquired through online searches. In this case, users can only manually install these libraries offline.
For library installation tutorial, please refer to Arduino library manager tutorial

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C library file is stored in the sample program, click here to jump: ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C Demo

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C Library file installation instructions
Library Name	Description	Version	Library Installation Requirements
LVGL	Graphical library	v8.3.10	"Install Offline”

For more learning and use of LVGL, please refer to LVGL official documentation

Run the First Arduino Demo

If you are just getting started with ESP32 and Arduino, and you don't know how to create, compile, flash, and run Arduino ESP32 programs, then please expand and take a look. Hope it can help you!

New Project

Run the Arduino IDE and select File -> New Sketch
Enter the code:

void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
  Serial.begin(115200);
}

void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
  Serial.println("Hello, World!");
  delay(2000);
}

Save the project and select File -> Save As.... In the pop-up menu, select the path to save the project, and enter a project name, such as Hello_World, click Save

Compile and Flash Demos

Select the corresponding development board, take the ESP32S3 motherboard as an example:

①. Click to select the dropdown menu option Select Other Board and Port;
②. Search for the required development board model esp32s3 dev module and select;
③. Select COM Port;
④. Save the selection.

Some development boards with specified version numbers support direct model selection, for example, "Waveshare ESP32-S3-LCD-1.69":

If the ESP32S3 mainboard only has a USB port, you need to enable USB CDC, as shown in the following diagram:

Compile and upload the program:

①. Compile the program; ②. Compile and download the program; ③. Download successful.

Open the Serial Monitor window, and the demo will print "Hello World!" every 2 seconds, and the operation is as follows:

Demos

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C Demo
Demo	Basic Description	Dependency Library
LVGL_Arduino	Test onboard device functionality	LVGL

LVGL_Arduino

Hardware connection

Insert the TF card into the development board
Connect the development board to the computer

Code analysis

Driver_Init ()
- Initializes multiple hardware components, including flash testing, battery initialization, I2C bus initialization, chip-specific initialization, external IO settings, backlight initialization, real-time clock initialization, and gyroscope initialization, etc., to prepare the hardware for the normal operation of the system
Driver_Loop ()
- As a continuous task, it constantly cycles to handle the gyroscope and real-time clock operations, and retrieves the battery voltage. Loops are executed every 100 milliseconds to avoid overusing CPU resources
setup ()
- The setup function for Arduino, performing a series of initialization operations. It includes wireless module testing, hardware initialization, LCD initialization, TF card initialization, LVGL initialization, invoking LVGL's example functions, and creating a task to perform a hardware loop operation
loop ()
- The main loop function of Arduino, primarily calls the LVGL loop processing function, and introduces a 5 millisecond delay to ensure that the system's graphical interface can continuously update

Demo flashing

Select the Waveshare ESP32S3 XIP model and port

Set development board parameters

Flash the demo

Running Results

LCD screen display

Parameter description

Parameter	Function	Description
SD Card	Display TF card size	Connect the TF card, if the recognition fails, please format the TF card to FAT32 format (please wait for a while to reset and check again if the recognition fails for the first time)
Flash Size	Display Flash size	Current onboard 16MB Flash
Battery Voltage	Battery voltage	The battery voltage can be detected when the battery is connected
Angular deflection	Display the angular deflection of the board	Display the offset in three directions
RTC Time	Display RTC time	Display current RTC time If the RTC time is not consistent with the current time, because the data cannot be retained in the power-off state, if you need to keep the RTC time normal, you need to connect the RTC battery and update the RTC time
Wireless scan	Display the number of scanned WiFi	When it finishes, display Scan Finish at the end
The buzzer test	Buzzer control page	Can control buzzer switch

Working with ESP-IDF

This chapter introduces setting up the ESP-IDF environment setup, including the installation of Visual Studio and the Espressif IDF plugin, program compilation, downloading, and testing of example programs, to assist users in mastering the development board and facilitating secondary development.

Environment setup

Download and install Visual Studio

Open the download page of VScode official website, choose the corresponding system and system bit to download
After running the installation package, the rest can be installed by default, but here for the subsequent experience, it is recommended to check boxes 1, 2, and 3
- After the first two items are enabled, you can open VSCode directly by right-clicking files or directories, which can improve the subsequent user experience.
- After the third item is enabled, you can select VSCode directly when you choose how to open it.

The environment setup is carried out on the Windows 10 system, Linux and Mac users can access ESP-IDF environment setup for reference

Install Espressif IDF Plug-in

It is generally recommended to use Install Online. If online installation fails due to network factor, use Install Offline
For more information about how to install the Espressif IDF plug-in, see Install Espressif IDF Plugin Tutorial

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C required Espressif IDF version description
Plugin name	Plugin installation requirements	Version number requirements
Espressif IDF	"Install Offline" / "Install Online"	≥5.3.1

Run the First ESP-IDF Demo

If you are just getting started with ESP32 and ESP-IDF, and you don't know how to create, compile, flash, and run ESP-IDF ESP32 programs, then please expand and take a look. Hope it can help you!

New Project

Create Demo

Using the shortcut F1, enter esp-idf:show examples projects

Select your current IDF version

Take the Hello world demo as an example

①Select the corresponding demo
②Its readme will state what chip the demo applies to (how to use the demo and the file structure are described below, omitted here)
③Click to create the demo

Select the path to save the demo, and require that the demos cannot use folders with the same name

Modify COM Port

The corresponding COM ports are shown here, click to modify them
Please select the COM ports according to your device (You can view it from the device manager)
In case of a download failure, please press the Reset button for more than 1 second or enter download mode, and wait for the PC to recognize the device again before downloading once more

Modify Driver Object

Select the object we need to drive, which is our main chip ESP32S3

Choose the path to openocd, it doesn't affect us here, so let's just choose one

Introduction to Other Status Bar Functions

①.ESP-IDF Development Environment Version Manager, when our project requires differentiation of development environment versions, it can be managed by installing different versions of ESP-IDF. When the project uses a specific version, it can be switched to by utilizing it
②.Device flashing COM port, select to flash the compiled program into the chip
③.Select set-target chip model, select the corresponding chip model, for example, ESP32-P4-NANO needs to choose esp32p4 as the target chip
④.menuconfig, click it to Modify sdkconfig configuration file Project configuration details
⑤.fullclean button, when the project compilation error or other operations pollute the compiled content, you can clean up all the compiled content by clicking it
⑥.Build project, when a project satisfies the build, click this button to compile
⑦.Current download mode, the default is UART
⑧.flash button, when a project build is completed, select the COM port of the corresponding development board, and click this button to flash the compiled firmware to the chip
⑨.monitor enable flashing port monitoring, when a project passes through Build --> Flash, click this button to view the log of output from flashing port and debugging port, so as to observe whether the application works normally
⑩.Debug
⑪.Build Flash Monitor one-click button, which is used to continuously execute Build --> Flash --> Monitor, often referred to as "little flame"

Compile, Flash and Serial Port Monitor

Click on the all-in-one button we described before to compile, flash and open the serial port monitor

It may take a long time to compile especially for the first time

During this process, the ESP-IDF may take up a lot of CPU resources, so it may cause the system to lag
If it is the first time to flash the program for a new project, you will need to select the download method, and select UART

This can also be changed later in the Download methods section (click on it to pop up the options)

As it comes with the onboard automatic download circuit, it can be downloaded automatically without manual operation
After successful download, it will automatically enter the serial monitor, you can see the chip output the corresponding information and be prompted to restart after 10S

Use the IDF Demos

The following takes ESP32-S3-LCD-1.47-Demo as an example to introduce the two opening methods of the project and the general steps of use, and the detailed explanation of the ESP-IDF project. If you use other projects, the operation steps can be applied similarly.

Open in the software

Open VScode software and select the folder to open the demo

Select the provided ESP-IDF example and click to select the file (located in the Examples/Demo/ESP-IDF path)

Open from Outside the Software

Select the project directory correctly and open the project, otherwise it will affect the compilation and flashing of subsequent programs

After connecting the device, select the COM port and model, click below to compile and flash to achieve program control

ESP-IDF Project Details

Component: The components in ESP-IDF are the basic modules for building applications, each component is usually a relatively independent code base or library, which can implement specific functions or services, and can be reused by applications or other components, similar to the definition of libraries in Python development.
- Component reference: The import of libraries in the Python development environment only requires to "import library name or path", while ESP-IDF is based on the C language, and the importing of libraries is configured and defined through CMakeLists.txt.
- The purpose of CmakeLists.txt: When compiling ESP-IDF, the build tool CMake first reads the content of the top-level CMakeLists.txt in the project directory to read the build rules and identify the content to be compiled. When the required components and demos are imported into the CMakeLists.txt, the compilation tool CMake will import each content that needs to be compiled according to the index. The compilation process is as follows:

Demos

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C Demo
Demo	Basic Description
ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C-Test	Test onboard device functionality

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C-Test

Hardware connection

Insert the TF card into the development board
Connect the development board to the computer

Code analysis

Driver_Init()
- This function performs hardware initialization and creates a task. It initializes the flash memory (possibly for checking or preparation), the battery, the I2C bus, the real-time clock, the gyroscope, and external IO. Then create a task Driver_Loop that continuously processes the gyroscope, the real-time clock, and gets the battery voltage, executing a loop operation every 100 milliseconds.
Driver_Loop()
- As a continuous task, it cycles through the gyroscope and real-time clock operations, and retrieves the battery voltage. In this way, the status of these hardware devices is continuously updated.
app_main (): Drives the onboard device
- This is the main entry function of the program. First initialize the wireless module, and then call Driver_Init for hardware initialization. Next, initialize the LCD display, touch input, TF card, and LVGL graphics library in sequence. Calling the example function Lvgl_Example1 of LVGL demonstrates specific graphical interface effects. In the main loop, it delays once every 10 milliseconds and calls lv_timer_handler to handle LVGL's timer events, ensuring the normal operation and updates of the graphical interface.

Running Result

LCD screen display

Parameter description

Parameter	Function	Description
SD Card	Display TF card size	Connect the TF card, if the recognition fails, please format the TF card to FAT32 format (please wait for a while to reset and check again if the recognition fails for the first time)
Flash Size	Display Flash size	Current onboard 16MB Flash
Battery Voltage	Battery voltage	The battery voltage can be detected when the battery is connected
Angular deflection	Display the angular deflection of the board	Display the offset in three directions
RTC Time	Display RTC time	Display current RTC time If the RTC time is not consistent with the current time, because the data cannot be retained in the power-off state, if you need to keep the RTC time normal, you need to connect the RTC battery and update the RTC time
Wireless scan	Display the number of scanned WiFi	When it finishes, display Scan Finish at the end
The buzzer test	Buzzer control page	Can control buzzer switch

Flash Firmware Flashing and Erasing

The current demo provides test firmware, which can be used to test whether the onboard device functions properly by directly flashing the test firmware

Binary file path:

...\ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C-Demo\Firmware\bin

Flash Firmware Flashing and Erasing for reference

Resources

Schematic diagram

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C Schematic

Demo

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C Demo

Project Diagram

Project diagram

Driver

Datasheets

ESP32-S3

Display

Other components

Software tools

FAQ

Question: After the module downloads the demo and re-downloads it, why sometimes it can't connect to the serial port or the flashing fails?

Answer:

Click the Reset button for more than 1 second, wait for the PC to re-recognize the device and then download again
Long press the BOOT button, press RESET at the same time, then release RESET, then release the BOOT button, at this time the module can enter the download mode, which can solve most of the problems that can not be downloaded.

Question: Why does the module keep resetting and flicker when viewed the recognition status from the device manager?

Answer:

It may be due to Flash blank and the USB port is not stable, you can long-press the BOOT button, press RESET at the same time, and then release RESET, and then release the BOOT button, at this time the module can enter the download mode to flash the firmware (demo) to solve the situation.

Question: How to deal with the first compilation of the program being extremely slow?

Answer:

It's normal for the first compilation to be slow, just be patient

Question: What should I do if I can't find the AppData folder?

Answer:

Some AppData folders are hidden by default and can be set to show.
English system: Explorer->View->Check "Hidden items"
Chinese system: File Explorer -> View -> Display -> Check "Hidden Items”

Question: How do I check the COM port I use?

Answer:

Windows system:

①View through Device Manager: Press the Windows + R keys to open the "Run" dialog box; input devmgmt.msc and press Enter to open the Device Manager; expand the "Ports (COM and LPT)" section, where all COM ports and their current statuses will be listed.
②Use the command prompt to view: Open the Command Prompt (CMD), enter the "mode" command, which will display status information for all COM ports.
③Check hardware connections: If you have already connected external devices to the COM port, the device usually occupies a port number, which can be determined by checking the connected hardware.

Linux system:

①Use the dmesg command to view: Open the terminal.
①Use the ls command to view: Enter ls /dev/ttyS* or ls /dev/ttyUSB* to list all serial port devices.
③Use the setserial command to view: Enter setserial -g /dev/ttyS* to view the configuration information of all serial port devices.

Question: Why does ESP-IDF report this error?

Answer:

This situation is that the TF card is not installed or the TF card cannot be recognized. If this situation occurs, please wait for a period of time to reset the device. If it still cannot be resolved, please format the TF card to FAT32 format. If it still fails, please try a different TF card

Question: Why does the program flashing fail when using a MAC device?

Answer:

Install MAC Driver and flash again.

Question: Why is there no output after successfully flashing the code with no issues?

Answer:

Check the schematic diagram for different development boards with Type-C interfaces, and handle the output accordingly:
- For development boards with direct USB output, printf function is supported for printing output. If you want to support output via the Serial function, you will need to enable the USB CDC On Boot feature or declare HWCDC.
- For development boards with UART to USB conversion, both printf and Serial functions are supported for printing output, and there is no need to enable USB CDC On Boot.

Question: RGB screen issue

Answer:

The screen supports 262k colors, due to ESP limitations, RGB565 is used, actually 65k colors

Question: How to use SquareLine Studio to design interfaces?

Answer:

Refer to SquareLine Studio tutorial

Support

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ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C

Overview

Introduction

Features

Onboard Resources

Interfaces

Dimensions

Specifications

Internal Hardware Connection

LCD

TF Card

QMI

RTC

Buzzer

BAT

Instructions for Use

Development tools

Arduino IDE

ESP-IDF

Components preparation

Working with Arduino

Environment setup

Download and install Arduino IDE

Install ESP32 development board

Install library

Run the First Arduino Demo

New Project

Compile and Flash Demos

Demos

LVGL_Arduino

Working with ESP-IDF

Environment setup

Download and install Visual Studio

Install Espressif IDF Plug-in

Run the First ESP-IDF Demo

New Project

Create Demo

Modify COM Port

Modify Driver Object

Introduction to Other Status Bar Functions

Compile, Flash and Serial Port Monitor

Use the IDF Demos

Open in the software

Open from Outside the Software

ESP-IDF Project Details

Demos

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8C-Test

Flash Firmware Flashing and Erasing

Resources

Schematic diagram

Demo

Project Diagram

Driver

Datasheets

ESP32-S3

Display

Other components

Software tools

Arduino

VScode

Firmware flashing tool

Other resource links

FAQ

Support