Wanted: Cheap ESPEasy Hackable WiFi Products with a Color Display

[ThomasB]

I asked this a couple years ago. Will ask again:
Are there any low cost (<$30 USD) Hackable WiFi Products with a TFT Color Display that I can load ESPEasy into?

Something like the SONOFF NSPanel might be ESPEasy compatible. But doesn't matter, it costs too much. So not a candidate.

What I have in mind is to hack a ready-to-use Chinese gadget, something like the Beok Thermostat. It is a consumer device with an attractive enclosed display for only $20 USD. But highly doubtful this is the one, since the display is likely a proprietary design (fixed graphics layout).

Beok Thermostat

display.jpg (43.48 KiB) Viewed 12046 times

I have been packaging my own displays using 3D printed enclosures. They look good too. But it would be very convenient to buy something already made and just load ESPEasy on it. At the moment, I need one to show some data from another ESPEasy device using P2P. So in this situation I don't even intend to modify the display's hardware. With a bit of luck, I could just load ESPEasy and write some rules.

Any ideas?

- Thomas

[TD-er]

You could look at modules like these
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007995311859.html

Not 100% sure that specific display controller is supported, but I guess Ton can tell you more about it.

Or larger ones...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007772084275.html
However I'm not 100% sure how this display is being addressed.
If it is parallel SPI transfer, then it might not yet work on ESPEasy.
I know Tasmota also has issues with those kind of displays since you need to really tweak the SPI timings/clock etc. as those displays do not have a controller so everything has to be sent without interruption by the ESP.

[ThomasB]

Unfortunately, that's not an enclosed display. And much too small.

Somewhere out there is a fancy looking consumer device with a ESP chip and useful TFT color display that are compatible with ESPEasy. Made in China and sold at very low cost. Just need to find it.

- Thomas

[TD-er]

Didn't you recently sell an organ and started a lawn mowing business?
So maybe you could also buy a 3D printer.
And the 2nd one isn't that small. It is about the size of an old 3.5" floppy.

[TD-er]

Or one like these?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007890730494.html
Still not sure about the display, but at least this will trigger the suggestions made by Google and Ali Express to continue your search

[Ath]

Not 100% sure that specific display controller is supported, but I guess Ton can tell you more about it.

I'm contemplating a total switch to a) Arduino_GFX library and b) LVGL graphics, as that combination should offer a much broader hardware and software support. Have to think on how to integrate stuff and stay backward compatible, of course, but would probably involve merging P095 and P116 into a single plugin, and still offer an extended set of hardware devices... As I'm currently working on other stuff, this has been postponed until I can put my attention to it

[Ath]

Or one like these?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007890730494.html
Still not sure about the display, but at least this will trigger the suggestions made by Google and Ali Express to continue your search

There's one of those in my TODO corner/pile...

[ThomasB]

Those two larger displays are promising. Which means they are in my price range. Because mowing lawns doesn't pay well and no one wants to buy my kidneys.

I can easily 3D print a complete enclosure that fits a ESP32 and 3.5" TFT display. Have done it a few times. It looks good too. So I'll just do that again for this new display based project.

But one day my 3D print solution will not be needed. Because I expect during my lifetime there will be a cheap consumer WiFi product with color display, that is desktop or wall mounted, that we can hack for ESPEasy.

- Thomas

[Ath]

... there will be a cheap consumer WiFi product with color display, that is desktop or wall mounted, that we can hack for ESPEasy.

It takes some time, but we'll get there

[ThomasB]

I think I will order the $19 ESP32-S3 display (JC4832W535). I found some details to it. Looks interesting.

This is a link that explains its features and provides some Arduino source code examples.
https://spotpear.com/wiki/ESP32-S3-3.5- ... Clock.html

@ton, do you think the existing ESPEasy graphics plugins will work with it?

- Tom

[Ath]

I think I will order the $19 ESP32-S3 display (JC4832W535). I found some details to it. Looks interesting.

This is a link that explains its features and provides some Arduino source code examples.
https://spotpear.com/wiki/ESP32-S3-3.5- ... Clock.html

@ton, do you think the existing ESPEasy graphics plugins will work with it?

- Tom

The docs and specs for that board aren't clear from the 1 supplier-offering I could find on Ali, but the example you shared seems to suggest a ST7735 is used for the display. That's supported via P116. And the suggestion is there's 16MB Flash with 8MB PSRAM available, so a MAX build (16M8M, LittleFS, PSRAM) would be the best choice.
I've not found any docs about a Touch panel, but the link suggests otherwise. As we have support for the most used touch panels, that shouldn't be an issue though.

NB: Please don't use the linked Arduino story to install the software on the unit, it'll be much more useful if you just install ESPEasy on it, simplest via the Web flasher .

[ThomasB]

Thanks for reviewing the product data. I will order one this week. Before the new President's tariff regulations make a mess of my Chinese purchases.

- Thomas

[TD-er]

He might still surprise you with what he can manage to do with your order.
Look what he managed to do in the timespan of typical delivery time for packages from China.

Let's hope he will give all of the world some rest the next few weeks.

[ThomasB]

He might still surprise you with what he can manage to do with your order.

<rant on>
For the last couple years my AliExpress orders have arrived in about eight days. It took 4-8 weeks under his previous term. And lately the parcels have been delivered to my front porch by private delivery drivers on the same day they cleared customs. Crazy fast.

As of yesterday, this fantastic experience seems to have been dismantled. I had two AliExpress orders in the Queue (purchases made last week) before adding this new order for the color display. Now I see in AliExpress' real-time shipping details they are being forwarded to the US Postal Service (USPS), which ordered a suspension of China imports yesterday. Today USPS announced they will begin accepting China deliveries, but are still devising a way to collect the import tariffs.

Of course this will eventually be resolved and I will get my stuff. But now it will cost more and take longer. All because the USA is making things great again.
</rant off>

- Thomas

[TD-er]

I feel sorry for you, I really do.
Not just for the China packages...

[ThomasB]

Speaking of hackable color displays:
Although they have been around for years, I've yet to receive a video greeting card. It would be interesting to see if the color display is one that is supported by ESPEasy.

The video link below shows how to change the video file via USB, which is a useful thing to do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LToGY45okTo

In the video I can see the display's flex cable, but the guy's thumb is covering most of it. So impossible to decipher the signal pinout.

BTW, AliExpress has these things. Prices are not dirt cheap, so unless given one as a gift, buying a raw color display is a much better option.

- Thomas

[TD-er]

[...]
BTW, AliExpress has these things. Prices are not dirt cheap, so unless given one as a gift, buying a raw color display is a much better option.
[...]

Videocards have been quite expensive for years, so no surprise here

[ThomasB]

I received the $19 USD LCD/ESP32. This one:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807585769523.html

It is pre-loaded with software that shows off its capabilities. Image looks good, touchscreen works well.

Although it is fully enclosed in a plastic case, it is intended to be installed into a user-friendly desktop or wall mount enclosure. So although I like it, these are not the droids you're looking for.

- Thomas

[TD-er]

Just saw this demo from Espressif with the ESP32-P4.
I didn't realize it was that powerfull...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fA1bg4 ... sifSystems

And no, there is _NO_ support yet for the P4, working on it (I do have one on my desk)

[ThomasB]

Nice!

[TD-er]

What about this display?
https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005008328088576.html
It does have an ESP32-P4, which is not yet supported.
It also has an ESP32-C6 on board, but that's only used for WiFi.

Needless to say it is absolutely not intended to be battery-powered, as it is very similar to the P4 dev board, which needs 2 USB connectors to run stable.
However it is much less expensive compared to the dev kit.

[ThomasB]

That looks interesting. But what I have in mind is a hackable ESP32 based display that is fully encased (no need to 3D print anything). Would be cool if it included brackets for wall and desktop use.

This vision is similar to the origins of ESPEasy. In the early days many of us were using Sonoff modules as-is, but adding ESPEasy firmware to them. My goal is to take this hack to a new level.

- Thomas

[TD-er]

But it takes the fun out of hacking...
And worse of all, the devices might even look pleasing to the eyes, as if some actual designer made it...

Can't you at least consider using duct-tape and/or pur foam to mount it?

[ThomasB]

My favorite kind of hacking is to take "this" and make it do "that."

No promises, but I will try to include some duct tape to give it that "I built it" look.

- Thomas

[ThomasB]

Found a possible candidate for what I have in mind. It's the GeekMagic SmallTV Pro. About $25 USD on aliexpress.

Geekmagic SmallTV Pro

geekmagic.jpg (98.49 KiB) Viewed 3063 times

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804945825258.html

There are two versions. The lower cost "Ultra" is ESP8266. The "Pro" is ESP32 with a touch sensor. Both versions have a DiY fan base and there are several projects on the web.

Unfortunately I want something with a slightly bigger display. But maybe I'll order one and check it out.

- Thomas

[TD-er]

I have the 'low budget' ESP8266 version in transit, so when it has arrived, I can tell you if it is worth it or not.

[ThomasB]

Looking forward to your report.

- Thomas

[TD-er]

That module we talked about yesterday has not yet been delivered...

However I would like to draw your attention to some new kind of product which suddenly seems to be sold in various designs on AliExpress.

The old OLED displays as used in P037 Framed OLED with an encoder knob:
https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005008459801370.html

Smaller color TFTs with some encoder knob:
https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005008346811816.html

Variations with multiple buttons:
https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005006322355552.html

I have never seen those before and the ones with the smaller OLED displays are IMHO a bit too little too late (and too expensive)
However the fact these suddenly appear, may be a sign there will be more.
Those are quite practical to quickly make a front panel for some quick design and allow for various form factors as they are not attached to some ESP board which limits its use to only a few use cases.

So maybe this will become a trend and maybe at some day will be useful

[ThomasB]

I hope we see some with larger displays.

- Thomas

[TD-er]

Largest I've seen so far is 2.4"
Still a bit too small IMHO

[TD-er]

Looking forward to your report.

- Thomas

It has arrived...

Quite a lot of empty space inside.

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PXL_20250318_211354021.jpg (1.76 MiB) Viewed 2452 times

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The default sketch present on the unit.

Display background looks more black than the photos suggest.

Here a discussion about the internals: https://community.home-assistant.io/t/i ... o/618029/2

And here a Tasmota config for the ESP32S3 with PSRAM version (the more expensive variant)
https://github.com/arendst/Tasmota/disc ... t-12022264

Just reading a bit on the used display (ST7789) for the cheap ESP8266 version.
It seems it might be rather tricky to address those as they don't use CS and you can't use a frame buffer on ESP8266 as 240x240 pixels seem to require quite some RAM for a full frame buffer.

[ThomasB]

Thanks for the tear-down photos.
- Thomas