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Displays Overview

The IoT Toolkit includes two display options for local data visualization.

Display Types

Display Type Resolution Interface Use Case
LCD Character 16x2 or 20x4 I2C Simple text output
TFT Color Graphic 128x160 or 240x320 SPI Visual data/charts

Comparison

Feature LCD TFT
Power Low (~10mA) Medium (~50mA)
Complexity Simple Advanced
Graphics Text only Colors, images, charts
Cost Lower Higher
Visibility Good Excellent

When to Use Each

LCD Display

  • Battery-powered projects
  • Simple status messages
  • Outdoor/bright environments
  • Cost-sensitive applications

TFT Display

  • Data visualization
  • Graphs and charts
  • User interfaces
  • Indoor monitoring stations

Wiring

Both displays connect to ESP32:

LCD (I2C)

LCD            ESP32
---            -----
VCC      -->   3.3V
GND      -->   GND
SDA      -->   GPIO21
SCL      -->   GPIO22

TFT (SPI)

TFT            ESP32
---            -----
VCC      -->   3.3V
GND      -->   GND
SCK      -->   GPIO18
MISO     -->   GPIO19
MOSI     -->   GPIO23
CS       -->   GPIO5
DC       -->   <!-- TODO: Add -->
RST      -->   <!-- TODO: Add -->

Quick Start

  1. Set up LCD Display
  2. Set up TFT Display
  3. Integrate with sensors data

Using Both Displays

You can use both displays simultaneously - LCD for quick status and TFT for detailed visualization.