ESP32-Driven Bluetooth Image & GIF Display

Welcome to our cool project that turns your phone and a screen into a fun display system. Using the ESP32 S3-N8R16 microcontroller and the ILI9488 LCD, we’ve built something that lets you wirelessly send images or GIFs right to a screen using Bluetooth.

Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a teacher, or someone who loves DIY projects, you’ll find this blend of hardware and software both exciting and useful. Let’s dive into how we made it, and how you can make one too!

Component List

• ESP32 S3-N8R16, Amazon: A powerful microcontroller with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, ideal for handling both the processing of images/GIFs and the wireless communication necessary for this project.
• LCD Module, Amazon: TN ILI9488 No Touch: A high-quality LCD display known for its sharpness and color accuracy, serving as the output device for displaying the selected images and GIFs.
• Jumper Wires, Amazon: Used to establish the necessary connections between the ESP32 S3-N8R16 and the ILI9488 LCD module.

Instructions

Step 1

1. First wire the system with the circuit diagram as below.

Step 2- Install Arduino IDE

1. Visit the (https://www.arduino.cc/en/software) and download the Arduino IDE suitable for your operating system.
2. Install the Arduino IDE following the installation instructions specific to your OS.

Step 3 -Add ESP32 board

1. Open the Arduino IDE.
2. Go to File> Preferences.
3. In the “Additional Boards Manager” URLs field, add the following URL: ‘https://dl.espressif.com/dl/package_esp32_index.json’.
4. Click OK.

Step 4

1. Go to Tools > Board > Boards Manager.
2. In the search box, type ‘ESP32’.
3. Install the ESP32 package by Espressif Systems.

Step 5-Select ESP32 S3 Dev Module

1. Go to Tools > Board.
2. Scroll through the list and select ESP32 S3 DEV Module.

Step 6-Install Required Libraries

1. Go to Sketch > Include Library> Manage Libraries.
2. Install the following libraries by searching for them one by one and clicking “Install”.

Step 7-Add TFT_eSPI, Animated GIF Library Externally

1. I have given the TFT_eSPI, animated gif library in the GitHub repository.
2. Unzip them and add that library inside Documents > Arduino> Libraries.

Step 8-Upload the Code

1. Open the Arduino Code by downloading it from the Github repo.
2. Connect the ESP32 S3 module to your computer using a USB cable from the USB port of the microcontroller.
3. Select the port by going to Tools > Port, and selecting the port where the ESP32 S3 is connected.
4. Connect GPIO 0 with GND using a jumper.
5. Click the Upload button in the Arduino IDE.
6. After that remove the jumper.
7. To check the serial monitor you need to remove the jumper from USB and connect with COM port of the microcontroller
8. Then open the serial monitor for that particular port.

Step 9

1. Download and install the mobile app from the GitHub repo.

2. Upload an image/ Gif and enjoy.

That’s our ESP32 and ILI9488 LCD project! Fun, right? We showed you how to set it up and display cool images and GIFs. Remember, you can do a lot more with it — get creative!

📢 Questions or Ideas? If you’ve got questions or want to chat about the project, feel free to reach out. we are here to help and love hearing your ideas.

Contact,

Email: kumarasenau@gmail.com

Mobile: +94716891584

🚀 Keep Exploring! Have fun with this project and keep trying new things. Can’t wait to see what you create!

If you enjoyed this article and would like to show some support, consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi.

Your support not only helps me keep creating content like this but also fuels me! ☕️📚

Thank you for being an amazing reader!

Here’s my Ko-Fi link: https://ko-fi.com/udarakumarasena

Cheers!