Adafruit
1.8 Color TFT LCD display with MicroSD Card Breakout [ST7735R]
A compact and colourful 1.8" TFT LCD breakout with a built-in microSD card slot, perfect for adding a bright display to any microcontroller project. It commu...
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A compact and colourful 1.8" TFT LCD breakout with a built-in microSD card slot, perfect for adding a bright display to any microcontroller project. It communicates over 4-wire SPI and includes its own pixel-addressable frame buffer, so it works with virtually any microcontroller — even those with limited memory and pins.
The display uses a genuine ST7735R TFT driver capable of full 18-bit colour (262,144 shades), delivering far better colour accuracy and refresh rates than older CSTN-type LCDs. An onboard 3.3 V regulator and 3/5 V level shifter allow the breakout to work with both 3.3 V and 5 V logic systems.
Key Features
- Resolution – 128 × 160 colour pixels
- Display Type – True TFT with 18-bit colour (262,144 shades)
- Driver – ST7735R
- Interface – 4-wire SPI
- Voltage – 3.3 V or 5 V (onboard regulator and level shifter)
- MicroSD Slot – Load full-colour bitmaps from FAT16/FAT32 formatted cards
- Pre-soldered Display – TFT attached via flex-circuit connector
Ideal For
- Arduino and microcontroller display projects
- Portable devices needing a small colour screen
- Data visualisation and graphical interfaces
- Bitmap image display from microSD card
Package Contents
- 1× 1.8" TFT LCD breakout with microSD slot
Resources
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- breakout
- A breakout board carries a small or fine-pitched component and brings its connections out to standard, breadboard- and header-friendly pins. Describing a part as a breakout means it can be wired into a project without soldering directly to the component's tiny contacts.
- frame buffer
- A frame buffer is memory that stores a complete image before it is shown on a display. Displays without their own frame buffer need the controller to continuously send pixel data, which affects the choice of microcontroller and software library.
- LCD
- LCD stands for liquid crystal display, a screen technology that uses a backlight and liquid crystals to show images or text. It matters because LCD modules usually need a display driver and enough controller pins or a bus interface to send image data.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a single chip that runs a stored program and controls connected inputs and outputs such as buttons, sensors, displays and communication interfaces. In a device built around one, it is the part that executes the code and coordinates the device's behaviour.
- microSD card
- A microSD card is a small removable flash memory card used to store data such as audio, images, logs or program files. Its capacity and formatting (often FAT32 or exFAT) affect how much can be stored and whether the card needs preparing before use.
- SPI
- A fast serial communication bus often used for displays, memory cards, and sensors. It matters because SPI devices need specific pins for clock and data, plus a separate chip-select line for each device.
- TFT
- A thin-film transistor display is a common type of colour LCD used for graphics screens. Knowing a product is for TFTs helps you check that the driver board matches the display’s connector, resolution, backlight, and signalling method.
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Displays & Screens
Related Tutorials
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