LilyGO T-Display S3 setup instructions and examples

teastain

I created a setup instruction for Arduino IDE and made two examples for LilyGO T-Display S3and posted them on GitHub here:
https://github.com/teastainGit/LillyGO-T-display-S3-setup-and-examples
Try it out and please let me know!
Terry

metawops

@teastain Excellent, Terry, thank you!

I'm, too, struggling with the setup but I think I got it now, thanks to YouTuber "Volos Projects".

I'm on macOS (both, an Intel-based iMac and an M1 Max based MacBook Pro) and I'm using the Arduino IDE 2.0.

I was able to compile, upload and run the tft.ino example sketch that is provided here.

But I wasn't successful, yet, in running the factory.ino sketch provided here. I compiles and uploads successfully but it doesn't run. Only the LCD's backlight fades on, stays lit app. 2 seconds and that starts over and over again. Can be seen here.

I use the ESP32S3 Dev Module board, Flash Size 8MB and Partition Scheme 8M with spiffs.
I did copy the TFT_eSPI library that was provided by the manufacturer into the Arduino IDE's library folder – but apparently it's not used by the factory.ino sketch (no includes of header files from that library).
I is used by the tft.ino example and that works fine for me (although I don't quite understand the point of that demo (yet) – but that's another topic).

Anyone here who was able to run the factory.ino sketch successfully?

Cheers,
Stefan.

teastain

@metawops I too had trouble with the display being dead at first, I have two T-Display S3s!
I could not get the back light to come on. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted on the pinout image...LCD_Power_On 15, so I tried this:
#define LCDpin 15
void setup() {
pinMode(LCDpin, OUTPUT); //triggers the LCD backlight
digitalWrite(LCDpin, HIGH);

Works like a charm and got both LillyGOs up and running.
But...as/per running the factory supplied demos:
They are too complicated with too many library dependancies, that's why I wrote the HotHead demos, just to get stable and familiar.
Cheers, Terry

metawops

@teastain I, too, have two T-Display-S3s!

I didn't touch the second one so that's still running the factory sketch. Although I don't know how to use it. It's scanning WiFis and display the found ones' SSIDs for a second but then wants to connect to a hard-coded SSID which, of course, doesn't work. It then says "wait for smartconfig..." and "Please use EspTouch Apps to connect to the distribution network" – I downloaded the EspTouch app on my iPhone but have no idea how it works. ‍️ It doesn't fill out the SSID of my home WiFi automatically (but my iPhone is connected to it). And you can't enter the SSID manually.

teastain

@metawops I have no idea what the factory sketch is supposed to do!
Thats why I made my HotHead example, to debug and get it running.
I studied the code and made the Hothead tempsensor and a FPS version (not included in the repository that I posted) to determine Frames Per Second.
I also added the LCD backlight ON command to HotHead, after both displays "went dead". This revived them.
The factory tft.ino included in the factory download just shows you how to learn the tft.drawsprite and sprite.drawString functions, with examples.
If the LilyGO is really stuck you can try the black reset button on the back and/or the "left" (when holding it vertical with the USB down) button marked "BOT" (boot) in various combinations to clear it
-Terry