3.5" Colour IPS Display Module with Capacitive Touch

3.5" TFT Display Module with Capacitive Touch (ILI9488 & FT6236)

Upgrade your user interfaces with highly sensitive, responsive capacitive touch. Moving past the limitations of traditional resistive screens, this 3.5" module delivers a modern, smartphone-like touch experience for your embedded projects.

Core Specifications (All Models)

• Display Controller: ILI9488 3.5" TFT ($480 \times 320$ resolution)
• Touch Overlay: FT6236-based capacitive touch system
• Onboard Storage: Integrated Micro SD card socket for GUI asset storage or data logging
• Power Requirements: Accepts 5V or 3.3V power input (Note: I/O logic pins are strictly 3.3V)

Available Configurations

1. Standard Version (SPI / 8-bit Parallel)

A flexible base module supporting dual communication protocols:

• Default Mode (SPI): Ships in SPI mode supporting full 24-bit color depth.
• Parallel Mode: Convert to 8-bit parallel mode by moving a surface-mount configuration resistor (reduces color depth to 16-bit).

2. Standard + Integrated ESP32 (WROOM or LOLIN32)

Combines the display with an integrated wireless microcontroller running via SPI:

• ESP32 WROOM: Requires an external USB-to-Serial adapter for programming. Features dedicated onboard Prog and Reset buttons for firmware flashing.
• LOLIN32 Option: Includes an integrated Micro USB port for direct programming without extra hardware.

3. Enhanced Version (ESP32-S3 + 16-bit Parallel)

Built for high-frame-rate performance with an onboard ESP32-S3 DevKitC module:

• High-Speed Display Bus: Driven via a 16-bit parallel interface (16-bit color depth) for fast screen refreshes.
• Optimized Storage: Supports high-speed SD Mode for faster read/write times alongside standard SPI.
• Plug & Play: Direct programming via onboard USB-C connection.

Quick-Reference Pin Mapping

1. Standard ESP32 Configuration (WROOM / LOLIN32)

• ILI9488 TFT Display: Reset (IO27), CS (IO32), D/C (IO33), MOSI (IO26), SCK (IO25), Backlight (IO23)
• Micro SD Card (SPI Mode): CS (IO22), MOSI (IO19), MISO (IO18), SCK (IO17), Card Detect (IO5)
• FT6236 Touch: Reset (IO13), Interrupt (IO14), SCL (IO15), SDA (IO16)

2. Enhanced ESP32-S3 Configuration

• ILI9488 TFT Display: Data 0–15 (IO0 to IO15), D/C (IO16), Read (IO17), Write (IO18), Backlight (IO21)
• Micro SD Card (SD Mode): CMD (IO45), CLK (IO46), DAT0 (IO35), DAT1 (IO36), DAT2 (IO37), DAT3 (IO38), Card Detect (IO42)
• FT6236 Touch: Interrupt (IO39), SCL (IO47), SDA (IO48)

Software & Support

• IDE Compatibility: Native support for Arduino IDE and Flowcode 11 (free edition).
• Open-Source Resources: Comprehensive libraries and code examples available on GitHub.