ESP32: TFT LCD Touchscreen Display – 2.8 inch ILI9341 240×320 (Arduino IDE)

In this guide, you’ll learn how to get started with the TFT LCD Touchscreen Display with the ESP32 board. This TFT Touchscreen with 2.8 inch display (240×320 px) comes with the ILI9341 driver. This display is a great option to build graphical user interfaces (GUI) for your IoT projects.

We recommend an ESP32 board that has an on-board TFT display, read our Getting Started with ESP32 Cheap Yellow Display Board – CYD (ESP32-2432S028R)

Introducing the TFT LCD Touchscreen Display

The display we’re using in this guide is the 2.8. inch TFT LCD that also comes with a touchscreen. The display communicates via SPI communication protocol and uses the ILI9341 driver. You can write text, draw shapes, and display images. The touchscreen also uses the SPI communication protocol.

The TFT LCD touchscreen also comes with an SD card interface if you need to load files for your specific project. This display is also available with different screen sizes.

Parts Required

For this project, you need to wire the TFT display and touchscreen pins to the ESP32. Here’s a list of parts you need:

• TFT LCD Touchscreen Display – 2.8 inch ILI9341 240×320
• ESP32 DOIT DEVKIT V1 Board – read ESP32 Development Boards Review and Comparison
• Breadboard
• Jumper wires

You can use the preceding links or go directly to MakerAdvisor.com/tools to find all the parts for your projects at the best price!

Wiring the TFT LCD Touchscreen Display to the ESP32 Board

Wire the TFT LCD and touchscreen pins to the following ESP32 GPIOs (you must use these exact pins, otherwise the project will not work).

TFT LCD Touchscreen	ESP32
T_IRQ	GPIO 36
T_OUT	GPIO 39
T_DIN	GPIO 32
T_CS	GPIO 33
T_CLK	GPIO 25
SDO(MISO)	GPIO 16
LED	GPIO 21
SCK	GPIO 14
SDI(MOSI)	GPIO 13
D/C	GPIO 2
RESET	GPIO 12
CS	GPIO 15
GND	GND
VCC	5V (or 3.3V)*

* In the VCC pin, you can either use 5V or 3.3V depending if your J1 connection is open or closed (by default it’s usually open as you can see in the figure below).

VCC = 5V | J1=OPEN
VCC = 3.3V | J1=CLOSE

Recommended reading: ESP32 Pinout Reference: Which GPIO pins should you use?

Installing Arduino Libraries

The ESP32 communicates with the TFT Display and Touchscreen using SPI communication protocol. We’ll be using the TFT_eSPI and XPT2046_Touchscreen libraries.

Installing the TFT_eSPI Library

Open your Arduino IDE and go to Sketch > Include Library > Manage Libraries. The Library Manager should open. Search for TFT_eSPI. Select the TFT_eSPI library by Bodmer and install it.

Installing the XPT2046_Touchscreen Library

Open your Arduino IDE and go to Sketch > Include Library > Manage Libraries. The Library Manager should open. Search for XPT2046_Touchscreen. Select the XPT2046_Touchscreen library by Paul Stoffregen and install it.

Prepare User_Setup.h Config File for TFT_eSPI Library

To properly use the TFT_eSPI library, you need a configuration file called User_Setup.h with the right definitions. We’ve already prepared that file so that you don’t have any configuration issues following our examples. You just need to download it and move it to the right folder. Follow the next instructions to learn how to do it.

a) Preparing the Config File – Windows PC

b) Preparing the Config File – Mac OS

a) Preparing the Config File – Windows PC

Having both libraries installed (TFT_eSPI and XPT2046_Touchscreen), download the User_Setup.h configuration file.

• Click here to download .zip folder with the User_Setup.h config file (view raw file)

In your Arduino IDE, go to File and open the Preferences menu.

Copy the Arduino IDE “Sketchbook location” path. In my case it’s:

C:\Users\rui_s\Documents\Arduino

Then, in your Windows PC File Explorer tab enter the sketchbook location path to open the Arduino folder (it’s usually under the Documents folder).

Open the libraries folder:

You should see the TFT_eSPI library folder there. Open it.

You should be in a similar folder path as shown below:

C:\Users\rui_s\Documents\Arduino\libraries\TFT_eSPI

Copy the User_Setup.h file provided earlier and replace the existing file.

IMPORTANT: other User_Config.h available on the internet will probably NOT work with the examples available at Random Nerd Tutorials. You must use the exact User_Config.h file provided in this article.

b) Preparing the Config File – Mac OS

Having both libraries installed (TFT_eSPI and XPT2046_Touchscreen), download the User_Setup.h configuration file.

• Click here to download .zip folder with the User_Setup.h config file (view raw file)

In your Arduino IDE, open the Settings menu.

Copy the Arduino IDE “Sketchbook location” path. In my case, it’s:

/Users/rui/Documents/Arduino

In Finder, type ~/.arduinoIDE/ and open that directory.

Open the libraries folder.

You should see the TFT_eSPI library folder there. Open it.

You should be in a similar folder path as shown below:

/Users/rui/Documents/Arduino/libraries/TFT_eSPI

Copy the User_Setup.h file provided earlier and replace the existing file.

You should now have the User_Setup.h file provided on that path.

IMPORTANT: other User_Config.h available on the internet will probably NOT work with the examples available at Random Nerd Tutorials. You must use the exact User_Config.h file provided in this article.

Code – Display Text and Testing the Touchscreen

The following code displays a simple text in your TFT display and allows you to test the touchscreen. When you press the touchscreen with your finger or pen, it should print the coordinates and pressure.

Copy the following code to the Arduino IDE and upload it to your board.

/*  Rui Santos & Sara Santos - Random Nerd Tutorials
    THIS EXAMPLE WAS TESTED WITH THE FOLLOWING HARDWARE:
    1) ESP32-2432S028R 2.8 inch 240×320 also known as the Cheap Yellow Display (CYD): https://makeradvisor.com/tools/cyd-cheap-yellow-display-esp32-2432s028r/
      SET UP INSTRUCTIONS: https://RandomNerdTutorials.com/cyd/
    2) REGULAR ESP32 Dev Board + 2.8 inch 240x320 TFT Display: https://makeradvisor.com/tools/2-8-inch-ili9341-tft-240x320/ and https://makeradvisor.com/tools/esp32-dev-board-wi-fi-bluetooth/
      SET UP INSTRUCTIONS: https://RandomNerdTutorials.com/esp32-tft/
    Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files.
    The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
*/

#include <SPI.h>

/*  Install the "TFT_eSPI" library by Bodmer to interface with the TFT Display - https://github.com/Bodmer/TFT_eSPI
    *** IMPORTANT: User_Config.h available on the internet will probably NOT work with the examples available at Random Nerd Tutorials ***
    *** YOU MUST USE THE User_Config.h FILE PROVIDED IN THE LINK BELOW IN ORDER TO USE THE EXAMPLES FROM RANDOM NERD TUTORIALS ***
    FULL INSTRUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON HOW CONFIGURE THE LIBRARY: https://RandomNerdTutorials.com/cyd/ or https://RandomNerdTutorials.com/esp32-tft/   */
#include <TFT_eSPI.h>

// Install the "XPT2046_Touchscreen" library by Paul Stoffregen to use the Touchscreen - https://github.com/PaulStoffregen/XPT2046_Touchscreen
// Note: this library doesn't require further configuration
#include <XPT2046_Touchscreen.h>

TFT_eSPI tft = TFT_eSPI();

// Touchscreen pins
#define XPT2046_IRQ 36   // T_IRQ
#define XPT2046_MOSI 32  // T_DIN
#define XPT2046_MISO 39  // T_OUT
#define XPT2046_CLK 25   // T_CLK
#define XPT2046_CS 33    // T_CS

SPIClass touchscreenSPI = SPIClass(VSPI);
XPT2046_Touchscreen touchscreen(XPT2046_CS, XPT2046_IRQ);

#define SCREEN_WIDTH 320
#define SCREEN_HEIGHT 240
#define FONT_SIZE 2

// Touchscreen coordinates: (x, y) and pressure (z)
int x, y, z;

// Print Touchscreen info about X, Y and Pressure (Z) on the Serial Monitor
void printTouchToSerial(int touchX, int touchY, int touchZ) {
  Serial.print("X = ");
  Serial.print(touchX);
  Serial.print(" | Y = ");
  Serial.print(touchY);
  Serial.print(" | Pressure = ");
  Serial.print(touchZ);
  Serial.println();
}

// Print Touchscreen info about X, Y and Pressure (Z) on the TFT Display
void printTouchToDisplay(int touchX, int touchY, int touchZ) {
  // Clear TFT screen
  tft.fillScreen(TFT_WHITE);
  tft.setTextColor(TFT_BLACK, TFT_WHITE);

  int centerX = SCREEN_WIDTH / 2;
  int textY = 80;
 
  String tempText = "X = " + String(touchX);
  tft.drawCentreString(tempText, centerX, textY, FONT_SIZE);

  textY += 20;
  tempText = "Y = " + String(touchY);
  tft.drawCentreString(tempText, centerX, textY, FONT_SIZE);

  textY += 20;
  tempText = "Pressure = " + String(touchZ);
  tft.drawCentreString(tempText, centerX, textY, FONT_SIZE);
}

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);

  // Start the SPI for the touchscreen and init the touchscreen
  touchscreenSPI.begin(XPT2046_CLK, XPT2046_MISO, XPT2046_MOSI, XPT2046_CS);
  touchscreen.begin(touchscreenSPI);
  // Set the Touchscreen rotation in landscape mode
  // Note: in some displays, the touchscreen might be upside down, so you might need to set the rotation to 3: touchscreen.setRotation(3);
  touchscreen.setRotation(1);

  // Start the tft display
  tft.init();
  // Set the TFT display rotation in landscape mode
  tft.setRotation(1);

  // Clear the screen before writing to it
  tft.fillScreen(TFT_WHITE);
  tft.setTextColor(TFT_BLACK, TFT_WHITE);
  
  // Set X and Y coordinates for center of display
  int centerX = SCREEN_WIDTH / 2;
  int centerY = SCREEN_HEIGHT / 2;

  tft.drawCentreString("Hello, world!", centerX, 30, FONT_SIZE);
  tft.drawCentreString("Touch screen to test", centerX, centerY, FONT_SIZE);
}

void loop() {
  // Checks if Touchscreen was touched, and prints X, Y and Pressure (Z) info on the TFT display and Serial Monitor
  if (touchscreen.tirqTouched() && touchscreen.touched()) {
    // Get Touchscreen points
    TS_Point p = touchscreen.getPoint();
    // Calibrate Touchscreen points with map function to the correct width and height
    x = map(p.x, 200, 3700, 1, SCREEN_WIDTH);
    y = map(p.y, 240, 3800, 1, SCREEN_HEIGHT);
    z = p.z;

    printTouchToSerial(x, y, z);
    printTouchToDisplay(x, y, z);

    delay(100);
  }
}

View raw code

How the Code Works

Let’s take a quick look at the parts of the code that are relevant to this example.

Libraries

Include the SPI, TFT_eSPI and XPT2046_Touchscreen libraries.

#include <SPI.h>
#include <TFT_eSPI.h>
#include <XPT2046_Touchscreen.h>

Initialize TFT

Create a TFT_eSPI instance:

TFT_eSPI tft = TFT_eSPI();

Initialize Touchscreen

The following lines set the touchscreen pinout:

#define XPT2046_IRQ 36
#define XPT2046_MOSI 32
#define XPT2046_MISO 39
#define XPT2046_CLK 25
#define XPT2046_CS 33

Create a touchscreenSPI and touchscreen instances:

SPIClass touchscreenSPI = SPIClass(VSPI);
XPT2046_Touchscreen touchscreen(XPT2046_CS, XPT2046_IRQ);

Other Variables

Set the screen width, screen height, and font size:

#define SCREEN_WIDTH 320
#define SCREEN_HEIGHT 240
#define FONT_SIZE 2

Variables to store the coordinates: (x, y) and pressure (z).

int x, y, z;

setup()

Start a serial communication with the Serial Monitor at a baud rate of 115200:

Serial.begin(115200);

Start the SPI for the touchscreen and initialize the touchscreen.

touchscreenSPI.begin(XPT2046_CLK, XPT2046_MISO, XPT2046_MOSI, XPT2046_CS);
touchscreen.begin(touchscreenSPI);
touchscreen.setRotation(1);

Note: in some displays, the touchscreen might be upside down, so you might need to set the rotation to 3: touchscreen.setRotation(3);

Start the TFT display and set the TFT display rotation in landscape mode.

tft.init();
tft.setRotation(1);

Set the TFT screen background to white. Then, set the text color to black with white background.

tft.fillScreen(TFT_WHITE);
tft.setTextColor(TFT_BLACK, TFT_WHITE);

Set X and Y coordinates for the center of the display.

int centerX = SCREEN_WIDTH / 2;
int centerY = SCREEN_HEIGHT / 2;

Display two centered welcome messages in the TFT display:

tft.drawCentreString("Hello, world!", centerX, 30, FONT_SIZE);
tft.drawCentreString("Touch screen to test", centerX, centerY, FONT_SIZE);

loop()

In the loop(), it constantly checks if the touchscreen was touched.

if (touchscreen.tirqTouched() && touchscreen.touched()) {

When it detects that the touchscreen was touched, it will get the (x,y) coordinates and the pressure (z) from the point.

TS_Point p = touchscreen.getPoint();
// Calibrate Touchscreen points with map function to the correct width and height
x = map(p.x, 200, 3700, 1, SCREEN_WIDTH);
y = map(p.y, 240, 3800, 1, SCREEN_HEIGHT);
z = p.z;

Call the printTouchToSerial and printTouchToDisplay functions to print the touchscreen info in the Serial Monitor and TFT display.

printTouchToSerial(x, y, z);
printTouchToDisplay(x, y, z);

printTouchToSerial()

The printTouchToSerial() function prints touchscreen info about X, Y, and Pressure (Z) on the Serial Monitor.

void printTouchToSerial(int touchX, int touchY, int touchZ) {
  Serial.print("X = ");
  Serial.print(touchX);
  Serial.print(" | Y = ");
  Serial.print(touchY);
  Serial.print(" | Pressure = ");
  Serial.print(touchZ);
  Serial.println();
}

printTouchToDisplay()

The printTouchToDisplay() function prints touchscreen info about X, Y, and Pressure (Z) on the TFT Display.

void printTouchToDisplay(int touchX, int touchY, int touchZ) {
  // Clear TFT screen
  tft.fillScreen(TFT_WHITE);
  tft.setTextColor(TFT_BLACK, TFT_WHITE);

  int centerX = SCREEN_WIDTH / 2;
  int textY = 80;
 
  String tempText = "X = " + String(touchX);
  tft.drawCentreString(tempText, centerX, textY, FONT_SIZE);

  textY += 20;
  tempText = "Y = " + String(touchY);
  tft.drawCentreString(tempText, centerX, textY, FONT_SIZE);

  textY += 20;
  tempText = "Pressure = " + String(touchZ);
  tft.drawCentreString(tempText, centerX, textY, FONT_SIZE);
}

Demonstration

Upload the code to your board. Go to Tools > Board and select ESP32 > ESP32 Dev Module. Then, select the right COM port in Tools > Port. Finally, click the upload button.

After uploading the code to your board, it should display the sample “Hello, world!” text centered at the top. Press the touchscreen with your finger to test it.

It should print the coordinates: (x, y) and pressure (z) in the TFT display. You should note that this is a 240x320px resistive touchscreen.

The coordinates and pressure are also printed on your Arduino IDE serial monitor:

Wrapping Up

In this tutorial, you learned how to use the TFT touchscreen LCD display with the ILI9341 driver using an ESP32. This setup is useful for creating dashboards and GUIs for your DIY projects.

If you prefer to use an ESP32 dev board with a built-in TFT display, read our Getting Started with ESP32 Cheap Yellow Display Board.

We hope you found this tutorial useful. We’ll be posting more guides, so stay tuned.

To learn more about the ESP32, make sure to take a look at our resources:

• Learn ESP32 with Arduino IDE (eBook)
• SMART HOME with Raspberry Pi, ESP32, and ESP8266 eBook
• Build Web Servers with ESP32 and ESP8266 eBook
• Free ESP32 Guides and Tutorials