In this post, we will discuss BluBerriSix-a-TFT-TouchScreen-Arduino-Tutorial: 2019 is the 20th anniversary of the RIM Blackberry 850! This little Canadian invention changed the way the world communicates. It’s long gone, but its legacy continues!
In this instructable, you’ll learn how to use the MCUfriend.com 2.4″ TFT display shield for the Uno/Mega. You’ll learn how to display graphic objects and text and how to receive touches and act on the touch events. This screen is very similar to Adafruit and other TFT shields/screens. So if you’re here, stick around for the show. We’ll build a simplified 2 app version of my bluBerriSIX sketch. Let’s get started!
Step 1: BluBerriSIX – Overview
- The bluBerriSIX app is a six function TFT project.
- It includes:
- A flashlight
- A Saucy ‘7’ app (like a Magic ‘8’ Bal
- A Calculator
- A Distance Measurement app using the SR-04 ultrasonic distance sensor
- A Temperature and Humidity app that also does real-time data logging up to 1.5km with the HC-12 transceiver
- A texting app using HC-12.
- This project took 1100 lines of code. We’ll build a considerably simpler version that still demonstrates TFT display and touch sensing concepts.
Step 2: What’s Needed?
– An Arduino Uno or Mega 2560
– An MCUfriend 2.4″ TFT shield
The following libraries:
– Adafruit_GFX library
– Adafruit Touchscreen library
– MCUFRIEND_kbv library
These libraries can be installed with the Library Manager inside the Arduino IDE.
To load a library, go to the Sketch -> Include Library -> Manage Libraries… menu option.
In the ‘filter your search…’ field, enter the first few characters of the library’s name and then select and install the appropriate library. When done, just back your way out of this screen.
When mounting the TFT shield on the Uno/Mega, BE VERY CAREFUL to make sure you’re lining up the pins correctly. I misaligned my first shield and fried it. I spent two weeks of growing frustration trying to find correct libraries before realizing that the screen was dead. BE CAREFUL!
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