DIYmalls 2.8" inch ESP32 Display JC2432W328C Capacitive Touchscreen 240x320 TFT LCD Module ESP-32 Development Board ST7789 for Arduino IDE

This is a nice combo motherboard (JC2432W328C) combining both a screen a few aux connectors for things like batteries and buttons, additional access of an SDcard for storage and of course the ESP32. This is the WROOM model. The screen is the ST7789.I couldn’t get the web address working that was included on the box, but searching the motherboard model number did bring up some data sheets, user manual, example code etc.Just remember to use the esp32 by espressif when using the arduino IDE and you’ll be away.Board does come with some demo code already running on it, showing touch screen buttons, animations, it’s colour range etc. It’s worth having a good poke around at them before venturing on so you know what you can expect from it.The screen is nice and bright, colourful but quite limited in resolution. However it is mounted proud of the PCB, and the PCB has holes for screws, so you can easily include it in a 3D print or cut an hole in a project box for a touch screen interface for your projects.

This is what is commonly known as a "CYD" or "Cheap Yellow Display"; however it appears to have been upgraded with capacitive touch (over resistive) and USB-C (over Micro) from the examples I've seen demonstrated on YouTube.If you're just looking for a CYD and already know what you're in for, this hardware seems to be decent; go for it. Otherwise, read on...For those unaware, this is a pre-built ESP32 (Wifi/BT) + MicroSD + Touch Display combo, making for a self-contained HMI. The idea is you can make control panels for homes, robots, music players, etc.It has plenty of IO connectors (and supplied plugs), an RGB LED for status indication and LDR for ambient light sensing. It also comes with a pleasing reusable plastic storage case for the accessories.The display itself is sharp enough, not particularly bright or colourful; but decent. As far as I can tell touch input is reasonably reliable, but the preinstalled demo was not fully functional, or at least, many of the interactions didn't work as expected.Getting alternative software onto this beyond a basic 'blink' demo was a challenge, as the 'classic' CYD tutorials I'd planned to use weren't compatible with this altered version. I ended up messaging the seller as described in the listing, and to their credit, they quickly sent a link to a download with a large number of demos and supporting software inside. It was only flagged by four lesser-known AV engines on VirusTotal, so (probably) fine.However this is where the jank comes in.To date I've used Arduino (and clones), Teensy, Seeduino XIAO, Espruino, ESP32, STM32, and many other boards besides. All have varying degrees of difficulty/complexity in terms of getting software compiled and flashed, with ESP32/STM32 in my opinion being the most consistently problematic.The documentation PDF included in the download is certainly thorough; if a little hard to follow in places. I think they really put a lot of effort into writing this up, which is why I haven't marked the product down; but it could be considerably better.There's a lot of moving files around between libraries and the demo files; basically making a mess of your Arduino libraries directory for this one board.Compiling the demo mentioned in the documentation has proven to be painful due to a seemingly endless array of bad file paths, and bad (outdated?) sample code.After a few hours of trying to get the 'full' demo working, I've run out of time and patience with it. Simple demos work fine, but don't use the features of the board.The ESP32 is a good chip with plenty of capabilities. The hardware as I say seems to be great; but I haven't got a project in mind for this yet that justifies the attention it needs to be programmed and developed for.I've recently used the TFT_eSPI library they're using with a Waveshare round LCD, so I know it works just fine; if being a little awkward to write UIs with.I'd say this is very much NOT for newcomers to the world of microcontrollers. Start with a genuine Arduino, Seeeduino XIAO, Teensy or similar for a better experience, then add a separate display module and learn how they interact without the steep learning curve of a device like this.