ESP32 + ILI9341 2.8" SPI
The classic breadboard combination: ESP32 DevKit, 2.8" ILI9341, XPT2046 resistive touch on the same SPI bus.
Building for it
A project is made for one toolchain, picked when you start it. All four can drive this board:
| Toolchain | |
|---|---|
| Arduino (C++) | Every board, every widget and every peripheral here. The most control, and the most to set up. Start a project |
| MicroPython | Change a screen by editing a file on the board. No compiler once it is flashed. Start a project |
| ESPHome | No compiler to install, and the panel can join Home Assistant as real entities. Start a project |
| ESP-IDF (C) | Espressif's own framework: esp_lcd, the component registry and idf.py, with nothing of Arduino in it. Start a project |
At a glance
| Part | Detail |
|---|---|
| Maker | Generic |
| MCU | ESP32 (WROOM / WROVER) Xtensa LX6 dual-core @ 240 MHz, 520 KB SRAM (+ up to 8 MB PSRAM on WROVER) |
| Display | Ilitek ILI9341, 240 x 320 px, SPI (4-wire serial), 16-bit colour |
| Touch | XPTek XPT2046 (resistive, SPI) |
| Backlight | GPIO 21, dimmable (PWM) |
| Memory | 4 MB flash, no PSRAM (N4) |
| Graphics library | TFT_eSPI |
Display pins
ILI9341 on SPI (4-wire serial): SPI clock 40 MHz, host VSPI, BGR colour order, inversion off.
| Signal | Pin |
|---|---|
| SCK / CLK | GPIO 18 |
| MOSI / SDA | GPIO 23 |
| MISO / SDO | GPIO 19 |
| CS | GPIO 15 |
| DC / RS | GPIO 2 |
| RESET | GPIO 4 |
| Backlight | GPIO 21 |
Touch pins
XPT2046: 2500 kHz, shares the display bus.
| Signal | Pin |
|---|---|
| SCK | GPIO 18 |
| MOSI | GPIO 23 |
| MISO | GPIO 19 |
| CS | GPIO 5 |
| IRQ / PENIRQ | GPIO 27 |
Check your revision. Wiring template rather than a fixed board - adjust to match how you actually wired it.
Designing for it in LCD Wizard
- Choose ESP32 + ILI9341 2.8" SPI on the Hardware tab (or use the button above) and every pin on this page is filled in. The export writes the sketch,
lcd_pins.h, the TFT_eSPI configuration,lv_conf.handplatformio.ini- a project that builds for this board as it comes. - The XPT2046 is resistive, so the firmware calibrates it on the device: touch the crosses on the first boot after an upload and the result is saved. The screen says whether it worked.
- The backlight is dimmable: give a slider or a button a Set backlight action.
- Screens are designed for 240 x 320 px in either orientation, with LVGL 9 or LVGL 8.
The parts
ILI9341. The most common hobby TFT. 2.2"-2.8" modules, usually with an XPT2046 resistive panel.
XPT2046. The classic 4-wire resistive controller. Needs calibration. Can share the display SPI bus with its own CS.
ESP32 (WROOM / WROVER). No native RGB parallel peripheral - use SPI or an 8/16-bit i80 bus.
TFT_eSPI. Fastest for SPI panels on ESP32. Configured via User_Setup.h build defines.
The pinout on one page
Every pin above, laid out to print and keep beside the bench. Generated from this preset, so it says exactly what the designer writes into lcd_pins.h.
Download the pinout (PNG)Open it as SVG
The same pins as data - board.json and pins.csv - are in the open pinout dataset on GitHub, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Designs for this board
Clone any of them into the designer, or see every design for this board in the gallery.
Similar boards
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- Quick start - from an empty screen to firmware on the board
- Boards and displays - presets, controllers, pins and touch in the designer
- Flashing and configuration - PlatformIO, the Arduino IDE and first-boot checks
- Troubleshooting - a white screen, mirrored image or touch that misses