The BASICS of Adding a Display to Your Arduino, ESP32, STM32, or other MCU Project

JLCPCB PCB Fab & Assembly from $2! Register to get $60 Coupons: https://jlcpcb.com/?from=Zach 6-layer PCBs start just $2! Get a $30 OFF coupon for 6-layer PCBs: https://jlcpcb.com/?from=Zach Are you wanting to add displays to your microcontroller projects but don’t know where to begin? Are tutorials too specific, throwing out part numbers and acronyms while rushing through code? Are you looking for a video that describes displays in general and gives you the background you need to implement a display in your design? If so, you’ve come to the right place. My goal with this video is to give background information into displays so that you’ll be able to make informed decisions about what display to choose and how to go about integrating it. This is not a tutorial per se, but rather a first introduction into the concepts and terminology. In this video, I will introduce the concepts behind adding a display to your embedded project. I start with a brief discussion of how displays work, drawing distinctions between the different types. A brief discussion of graphical versus character displays is next, followed by driver chips and interfaces. I then get into the basics of coding: frame buffers, color formats, memory implications, and the resulting hardware decisions. Following this, I will discuss drawing lines, shapes, text, and images into the frame buffer. Finally, I’ll wrap up by discussing graphical libraries and software packages, then introduce you to the one I use, LVGL. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:30 How Displays Work 04:20 Character vs. Graphical Displays 06:14 Driver Chips and Interfaces 10:16 Frame Buffers, Color Formats, Memory 15:13 Getting the Data to the Display 18:22 Drawing Shapes, Text, and Images 22:52 Input Devices 25:03 Graphical Libraries and Softwares 28:24 Introduction to LVGL 32:46 Final Thoughts Check out LVGL here: https://lvgl.io/ Here are some tools to help with creating bitmap fonts: LVGL Font Converter: https://lvgl.io/tools/fontconverter Mikroe GLCD Font Creator: https://www.mikroe.com/glcd-font-creator Here are some items I used to make this video and recommend: STM32F446RE Nucleo: https://amzn.to/3XeSeWH Arduino Uno R3: https://amzn.to/3Q7hxFV STM32 Blue Pill: https://amzn.to/4aLZ7Eh 1602 Character Display: https://amzn.to/3EuopL9 Official ST Link V3: https://amzn.to/4auZe5G Quality Breadboards: https://amzn.to/45gL9HE Jumper Wires: https://amzn.to/3VuKcbv As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. STM32F469 Discovery Board: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/stmicroelectronics/stm32f469i-disco/5428811 Check out these other similar videos: Automated PCB Tester Build: https://youtu.be/ijo6OAliA1s The Magic of Pogo Pins: https://youtu.be/_JMplwjlzvk The 10 Cent PY32 Microcontroller: https://youtu.be/qWRowOsYSLY