2.8-Inch TFT Touch Screen Display Module with SPI Interface (240x320)

A popular SPI touch display

This 2.8 inch TFT touch screen display module has 240 x 320 pixels with individual RGB pixel control and a resistive touchscreen already attached. A controller with RAM buffering is built in, and the display works in both 8-bit and SPI modes. The breakout board has 3 to 5 V level shifters and a micro SD card socket to display images in SPI mode.

The driver is an ILI9341, the colour depth is 262K/65K and the viewing angle is wide.

Working with it

The module needs at least four I/O pins from your microcontroller. The PCB measures 85 x 48 mm and the input voltage is 3.3 to 5 V. A stylus pen is included. The touch panel uses a separate controller, so you need a touch library as well as the display library.

Wire power, ground, SPI (clock, data in and out), chip select, data/command and reset, then run the display's graphics test. Calibrate the touch by tapping the corners in the calibration example, then save the values in your sketch.

Who it is for

Makers building small touch interfaces on Arduino, ESP32 and STM32 boards who want a large, well-supported colour display.

Getting the best from it

Use a library that supports the ILI9341 and a separate touch library, and check the chip-select pins for the display and touch so they do not clash. Draw only the parts of the screen that change, since SPI updates are slower than parallel. Calibrate the touch once and store the values. If the touch and display share the SPI bus, keep the wires short and use separate chip-select pins, which prevents corrupted graphics and phantom touches.

Questions buyers ask

What driver does it use?

An ILI9341.

What is the resolution?

240 x 320 pixels.

What touch type does it use?

Resistive.

What voltage does it accept?

3.3 to 5 V.

Is a stylus included?

Yes.