electronics tutorial

Arduino with OLED Display

Overview

In this tutorial, I demonstrate how to connect and program one of the most popular components in the maker community: the OLED display. Whether you are looking to display sensor data, create custom animations, in general - add a user interface to your Arduino project, this guide covers all the basics.

In the accompanying video, I walk you through:

  • Hardware Setup: Understanding I2C vs SPI and 3.3V vs 5V logic.
  • Driver Distinctions: The difference between SSD1306 and SH1106 drivers.
  • Basic Drawing: Displaying text and geometric shapes.
  • Motion: Implementing scrolling text.
  • Graphics: Converting and displaying custom images (bitmaps).

Why OLED?

OLED displays replaced LCDs in many projects because they are more energy-efficient, have better contrast and are more compact. They are also more durable and have a longer lifespan than LCDs. They are unarguably better.

Quick start

For this project, I am using an Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense, but the code and wiring are compatible with the classic Arduino Uno and Nano as well.

Identifying Your Display Before wiring, check your pins to identify the communication protocol:

  • I2C (Used in this tutorial): Pins labeled SCL and SDA.
  • SPI: Pins labeled DC, CS, etc.

I2C Wiring Guide

  • VCC → Connect to 3.3V (Most displays tolerate 5V, but check your specs).
  • GND → Connect to Ground.
  • SCL (Serial Clock) → Connect to A5.
  • SDA (Serial Data) → Connect to A4.

To get the display running, you need to install two specific libraries: Adafruit GFX Library and Adafruit SSD1306 and load on of the available code snippets

More details and explanations in the video!