3d printer tft lcd setup made in china

The reason for LCD Display flashing screen: shielding coil; Signal interference; Hardware; Refresh frequency setting; Monitor time is too long; Too high...

In this article, you will learn how to use TFT LCDs by Arduino boards. From basic commands to professional designs and technics are all explained here.

There are several components to achieve this. LEDs,  7-segments, Character and Graphic displays, and full-color TFT LCDs. The right component for your projects depends on the amount of data to be displayed, type of user interaction, and processor capacity.

TFT LCD is a variant of a liquid-crystal display (LCD) that uses thin-film-transistor (TFT) technology to improve image qualities such as addressability and contrast. A TFT LCD is an active matrix LCD, in contrast to passive matrix LCDs or simple, direct-driven LCDs with a few segments.

In Arduino-based projects, the processor frequency is low. So it is not possible to display complex, high definition images and high-speed motions. Therefore, full-color TFT LCDs can only be used to display simple data and commands.

There are several components to achieve this. LEDs,  7-segments, Character and Graphic displays, and full-color TFT LCDs. The right component for your projects depends on the amount of data to be displayed, type of user interaction, and processor capacity.

TFT LCD is a variant of a liquid-crystal display (LCD) that uses thin-film-transistor (TFT) technology to improve image qualities such as addressability and contrast. A TFT LCD is an active matrix LCD, in contrast to passive matrix LCDs or simple, direct-driven LCDs with a few segments.

In Arduino-based projects, the processor frequency is low. So it is not possible to display complex, high definition images and high-speed motions. Therefore, full-color TFT LCDs can only be used to display simple data and commands.

In electronics/computer hardware a display driver is usually a semiconductor integrated circuit (but may alternatively comprise a state machine made of discrete logic and other components) which provides an interface function between a microprocessor, microcontroller, ASIC or general-purpose peripheral interface and a particular type of display device, e.g. LCD, LED, OLED, ePaper, CRT, Vacuum fluorescent or Nixie.

The LCDs manufacturers use different drivers in their products. Some of them are more popular and some of them are very unknown. To run your display easily, you should use Arduino LCDs libraries and add them to your code. Otherwise running the display may be very difficult. There are many free libraries you can find on the internet but the important point about the libraries is their compatibility with the LCD’s driver. The driver of your LCD must be known by your library. In this article, we use the Adafruit GFX library and MCUFRIEND KBV library and example codes. You can download them from the following links.

By these two functions, You can find out the resolution of the display. Just add them to the code and put the outputs in a uint16_t variable. Then read it from the Serial port by Serial.println(); . First add Serial.begin(9600); in setup().

Upload your image and download the converted file that the UTFT libraries can process. Now copy the hex code to Arduino IDE. x and y are locations of the image. sx and sy are size of the image.

while (a < b) { Serial.println(a); j = 80 * (sin(PI * a / 2000)); i = 80 * (cos(PI * a / 2000)); j2 = 50 * (sin(PI * a / 2000)); i2 = 50 * (cos(PI * a / 2000)); tft.drawLine(i2 + 235, j2 + 169, i + 235, j + 169, tft.color565(0, 255, 255)); tft.fillRect(200, 153, 75, 33, 0x0000); tft.setTextSize(3); tft.setTextColor(0xffff); if ((a/20)>99)

while (b < a) { j = 80 * (sin(PI * a / 2000)); i = 80 * (cos(PI * a / 2000)); j2 = 50 * (sin(PI * a / 2000)); i2 = 50 * (cos(PI * a / 2000)); tft.drawLine(i2 + 235, j2 + 169, i + 235, j + 169, tft.color565(0, 0, 0)); tft.fillRect(200, 153, 75, 33, 0x0000); tft.setTextSize(3); tft.setTextColor(0xffff); if ((a/20)>99)

They don"t have a lot of stuff for 3D printing yet, but their inventory is growing. I find their pricing better than Amazon and eBay. And don"t be fooled, a lot of the stuff posted on Amazon comes from the same suppliers in China.

Anycubic was founded by two childhood friends in 2015 andis one of the most popular 3D printer brands worldwide. The company has around 300 employees in Shenzhen, China. You can learn more about Anycubic and its printers from this article.

As one of the leading 3D printer manufacturer, Anycubic is not only known for its technological innovations, but also for flexible marketing strategies — 3D printers rental, financing lease, personal printing and maintenance consultations, and training services.

“Graduated in 2015, I came back to China from New Zealand. I was so excited and full of curiosity when landed in Shenzhen the first time. Lu Ouyang, Anycubic’s Founder and CEO, is my childhood friend. He had a company before Anycubic providing electronic modules and 3D printer accessories for over 4 years.”

“3D printer itself wasn’t our first choice. We hadn’t even had the confidence to rush in. But after seeing clients increasingly relying on us for key components of their DIY printers, we realized we could do it, and do it much better. [...] I didn’t think much but only hope to explore more possibilities with the 3D printing technology. There is nothing to be afraid of. So why not make a difference.”

The founders continued: “Following our heart is important. But the real world is harsh. There were so many ups and downs. We cannot remember how many sleepless nights out there at the early stage.” “After a whole year’s hard work, the first model Anycubic Mega came on board in 2016. Fortunately, our work paid off. Mega became so popular in the market in a short period of time and our journey as a professional 3D printer maker officially started. We all were amazed and excited but we did not stop there. The second and third generations were launched soon after along the way.”

There’s nothing surprising about the fact that the LCD resin printing provides superior quality and resolution compared to FDM printing, but the Anycubic Photon series proves this to be possible even in a lower price range. Even though those who are new to SLA/DLP printing will require some learning, but it’s not going to take long, thanks to the comprehensive documentation and active online community.

This is a popular and inexpensive workhorse for resin 3D printing. Even though it’s important to keep in mind the specificities of the model, its printing quality and a huge online community that provides tips, tricks and problem-solving solutions, make the device an exceptionally worthwhile machine. Impressive printing quality makes up for more complicated (compared to FDM 3D printers) setup process and workflow and lackluster proprietary software.

Anycubic Photon S, released in 2019, is a continuation of ideas that formed the basis of its predecessor (Photon). Apart from the new white case, the design fundamentals of the printer remained the same, the manufacturer focused on bringing internal changes.

For example, Anycubic managed to get rid of Z-axis ‘wobble’ that was a target of many complaints, doubling the number of rods on either side. The touch screen is now bigger and has better viewing angles. The software has been upgraded as well – the file manager now shows digital miniatures of the objects prepared for printing. The activated carbon filter eliminates the smells completely. Another nice addition is a longer Z-axis (by 10 mm). The printer has also been upgraded with an ability to manually pause printing and to raise the platform from the liquid bath, which allows the user to look at the result before continuing the process.

Despite their low price, Anycubic FDM 3D printer are fully functional, being sold as either kits or pre-assembled models. The kits are more complicated to set up and in usage, so it will take some time to calibrate and set them up, but in the end, they provide great results and their quality can compete with more expensive 3D printers.

I3 Mega is the third generation of the 3D printers manufactured by a Chinese brand Anycubic. Several significant upgrades have been added to this model:

i3 Mega is a stiff, stable, and well-designed device. The wiring is made of quality materials and is fixed. The touch screen is easy to use and is ergonomically placed. A simple build and reliability make this 3D printer a good tool for different 3D printing tasks.

Even though the Anycubic i3 Mega is marketed and positioned as a DIY 3D printer kit, assembling and calibrating the model is possible within an hour due to many parts being already pre-assembled. The touch screen (that replaces a combination of a screen and trackball) has good readability, and the upgraded software makes using the printer easy and intuitive. Similar to more expensive 3D printer models, this device by default features an ability to resume printing after power failure and a filament sensor. The Anycubic Ultrabase platform with powerful heating allows users to print with a wide variety of materials – the prints easily stick to the bed while printed and are easily removable after the process is finished.

Compared to the Mega which served as a base model, Anycubic X has many differences other than the modern design. The mechanical and electronic parts of the machine have been significantly changed, and the device now has a more rigid metallic frame and reliable drives. The main features of this model are the bigger print volume (30x30x30 cm) and a heated sturdily fixed platform Anycubic Ultrabase which also has great adhesion. All of the printer’s functions can now be accessed with a full-color touch screen. The Anycubic I3 Mega has an ability to resume printing and a filament sensor, similar to many other modern 3D printers. The assembly is very easy as well, even a kid could complete it: screwing in 8 screws and connecting 3 ports make the printer ready to work.

The upgraded Anycubic 4Max Pro painted in turquoise and black, doesn’t look like another 4Max iteration but rather like a brand new product. Not only the colors were changed, but the design itself has also gotten upgrades that provide safer and simple 3D printing. The touch screen interface is now available (the predecessor provided a wheel as a means to navigate the settings), as well as a longer by 60 mm X-axis, smaller distance between the filament and print head, automatic turn off while idle and the ability to resume printing after power failure. According to the manufacturer, Anycubic 4Max Pro is perfect for educational purposes due to full enclosure.

Anycubic Chiron is a large-sized pre-assembled FDM 3D printer with a print volume of 400 x 400 x 450 mm. It features a titanium extruder and automatic bed leveling by 25 points. Other advantages of this model include:

Towering over many desktop 3D printers, the Predator has a massive print area of 370x455 mm. But this is not the only strength of this model. There’s a proprietary platform named Anycubic Ultrabase Pro which provides a great first layer adhesion thanks to its special porous coating that allows for easy release of the prints without waiting for the bed to cool off. The platform is also supposed to heat to 100 °C faster due to the voltage increase from 12 V to 24 V. The bed auto-leveling feature with 37 points is now used before every new print.

According to Kevin: “This printer took me about 2 hours or so to build. It comes about half-built from Anycubic. The instructions do a good job telling you how to run the cables, and install parts. “

“This printer is fast. My first non-calibration print was the Desert Tower. This printed in about 9.75 hours. [...] Watching the 3 arms work in unison is magical. I’m very appreciative to the smart people that were able to figure out this movement to make an awesome 3D Printer.

The Anycubic Kossel Linear Plus has quickly become my favorite 3D Printer. Sure, I have run into some issues, but it prints fast, prints really well, has auto-level built in, and mostly… it just works. [...] I wouldn’t recommend a delta style printer for your first printer, but I would highly recommend this one as your second printer. With a 230mm build plate and a 300 mm build height, you can get a lot of items on this build plate.

“I did have some self-induced problems at first though. Hopefully, you will read this and not make the mistakes I did. The printer frustrated me at first. I couldn"t get a good print [...] but I knew that I was doing something wrong. [...] I suggest that before you print your first print you should watch a couple of videos, there are some good ones out there.”

“Conclusion: After having some self-induced difficulties I am now printing cool little highly detailed prints. This printer is a great value and prints really well. It is made sturdy where it needs to be and is still lightweight. The LCD menu is simple and easy to use. I am very satisfied with my purchase.”

Anycubic 3D printers are among the cheapest and most popular inexpensive DLP printers. Nevertheless, as usually is the case with many low-price 3D printing devices, the Anycubic ones have particular problems. Print problems, cheaper mechanics, and the smell of resin are common complaints that come from the Anycubic users.

These 3D printers have been out for a while, so the user base and the community around keep growing. For many years the owners of Anycubic 3D printers have been working on fixing several problems and finding troubleshooting solutions. Whether on Facebook or GitHub, the online communities provide not only troubleshooting tips but also general recommendations that allow others to use the printers as efficiently as possible. Finding spare parts and accessories is also easy, thanks to qualified online technical support provided by the manufacturer and official resellers. So it’s not difficult to spend some time and “iron out” the possible problems with these time-tested machines. Let’s review several popular mods for the Anycubic 3D printers.

The so-called “Z-wobbling” is a common problem for 3D printers in general. In the SLA and DLP 3D printers, this issue usually occurs when the drive that moves the platform up and down wears down or weakens over time. In this case, the platform raises incorrectly which creates weird looking lines between the layers. The first version of the Anycubic Photon had severe cases of this problem, so the manufacturer had to add dual Z-axis linear rails to the Photon-S model to eliminate the issue.

A common way to deal with this problem is to replace the original slider with the dual linear rail. Linear rails are very stable and don’t require calibrating over time. The used named Keith Hebard has developed a very popular mod that requires disassembling the 3D printer and drilling holes. The mod is so popular that the other members of the community have contributed as well.

ThePhysics Anonymous has developed a mount that replaces some metal parts and can make the upgrade process faster. If you can’t buy the mount, there’s a 3D printed alternative available online bySascha Beez.

Whether the resin smell is harmful or not – is the point up to discussion, but even if you don’t mind the potential health issues, the smell itself isn’t enjoyable. Although Anycubic recommends using their 3D printers in well-ventilated spaces, it’s not always possible. The most common “solution” for dealing with the smell is turning off the cooler inside the chamber. Obviously, it will lessen the smell inside the room but the point of a cooling fan is to cool off the parts of the printer that are located at its base. So turning it off will likely overheat the system which will force the device to shut off. So what is the correct way to deal with the problem?

Matt Grisham of Rusty Raptor suggests using a vent hose. Instead of turning the built-in cooler off to lessen the amount of the intake air, this thing will remove the fumes from the printer. It will also help to cool the printer and to minimize the resin smell inside the room. The package includes a duct tape, an air duct, and a bracket. Matt has even made a tutorial that explains how to install the mod.

Anycubic is also among the new generation of Chinese manufacturers that develop high-quality and inexpensive 3D printers for different purposes and price segments and provide competition for other famous brands.

The TFT display is a kind of LCD that is connected to each pixel using a transistor and it features low current consumption, high-quality, high-resolution and backlight. This 2.8-inch full color LCD has a narrow PCB display. The resolution is 320×280 pixels and it has a four-wire SPI interface and white backlight.

I was rebuilding one of my 3D printers — again — and decided I needed a display upgrade. A color screen is nice, but there are some limitations. I also found there are ways around these limitations, so I wanted to share my thoughts on a dual-mode color touch screen LCD controller for your 3D printer. The screen in question is a TFT35 from BigTree Tech. It is similar to an MKS screen, but it can operate in two different modes, as you will see.

A few years ago, I picked up an Anet A8 which was very inexpensive, especially on sale. Not the best printer, though, because it has that cheap acrylic frame. No problem. A box full of aluminum extrusion later, the printer was reborn. Over time, I’ve completely reworked the extrusion system and the Y-axis, leaving only the motors, bearings, and the controller/display as the original.

That last part was what bothered me. The Anet board is actually pretty capable for a small cheap board. But it is just what the printer needs and nothing more. If you wanted to hack the printer there was very little memory left and only one spare pin for I/O. So it was time to replace the board and why not the controller, too?

The A8 has an LCD2004. That means it has a 20×4 LCD. Instead of an encoder knob, there are five buttons: basically up, down, left, right, and enter. Most printers now have an LCD12864 which, as you can probably guess, is a 128×64 LCD and they use an encoder knob for direction that you can push for the enter key.

I happened to have one of these lying around so when I installed a new motherboard — a Fysetc Spider if you are curious — I also wired in the new LCD. I had to recompile Marlin, of course, but that’s easy. It all worked, it just looked a little bland.

There’s another way to control a printer, and it’s one you may have thought of before. Since the printer accepts commands via a serial port, you could take a computer like a Raspberry Pi with a nice LCD and just have it issue commands to the serial port. Bonus points if the board has more than one serial port so you can still hook up a PC or a Raspberry Pi running Octoprint or similar. Turns out, you don’t have to build this. The MKS touchscreen uses an ARM chip (it isn’t a Pi, though) and has a touch screen that you can use to control the printer. These come in different sizes and are usually called something like TFT35 for 3.5 inch display.

The advantage isn’t just appearance. Having a bunch of touch screen buttons makes many things easier. For example, if the printer is at (0,0) and you want to jog the head to (100,200), that ends up being a lot of button pushes in Marlin. With the touch display, you can bring up a navigation screen that makes it easy. Or, you can bring up an entire terminal and enter G-code. When you press Send, it shows the results of the command, if any. You can set a temperature with the knob, on-screen buttons, or press the number and type in what you want with a virtual keypad.

These displays are colorful and nice, but there are a few things they can’t do. Marlin has some wizards and user interaction that insist on a proper, local LCD. But the Marlin code thinks the MKS display is a remote host computer, connected over serial. Displays that can act like both types of LCDs are a sweet hack, and here’s the part that was never clear to me before: these displays can switch modes during printer operation. In other words, it is not a case of selecting a mode and rebooting everything. You can be looking at the colorful touchscreen, then switch over to the stock display while printing and then switch back any time you want. The best of both worlds.

On the face of it, the display looks like an MKS TFT. You have colorful menus and a touch screen. The connection for that is a simple two-wire serial port, along with — of course — power, ground, and an optional reset connection. They provide a cable you can use or modify to connect to your setup. There is also an EXT3 port for boards that have that connector.

However, if you wire the normal EXT1 and EXT2 ribbon cables to your printer, the display can emulate a normal 128×64 LCD. If you are already set up to use one of these displays, you should not need to recompile Marlin to use this display. However, if you are set up for a different type of display, you’ll need to tell Marlin to use the normal “REPRAP DISCOUNT GRAPHICS CONTROLLER.”

That’s huge. It means you can have a nice user interface that lets you control the printer, print from an SD card or USB stick, and even make customizations to the menu with the source code provided on GitHub or with a simple configuration file edit. (And, yes, you can add custom menu items simply.) But when you need to do something very specific to Marlin, or a new feature shows up that the LCD doesn’t know about yet, you can simply switch to the Marlin display mode. Then you can switch back.

The process to switch is simple. Just hold down the encoder knob or push the screen for a few seconds. A screen will show up allowing you to pick the Marlin mode or the BTT mode. Just touch the one you want. In Marlin mode, the touchscreen does nothing except switch modes, so you might want to use that method. If you hold the encoder down in Marlin mode, the printer will also see the repeated enter keys until the LCD pops up the selection screen.

If you use a bezel, be careful. If you tighten a case down enough to make the touch screen think you are pressing the screen, you’ll get stuck in the selection mode, which makes sense. Just don’t overtighten the LCD!

Installing the LCD was straightforward save a few problems. For some reason, the pin 1 designation for EXP1 and EXP2 are not consistent among vendors. A Geeetech display worked fine with the Spider board, but the TFT35 didn’t want to come up in Marlin mode at all. I applied power at the serial port and the board appeared hung. The answer was to snip off the alignment tabs on the ribbon cables and flip them 180 degrees.

The display has a number of other ports, but you probably shouldn’t use them. For example, there’s a port for a filament runout sensor. But if you connect it there, it will only work if you are printing using an SD card or USB stick in the display. A better option is to connect it to your printer and tell Marlin to notify the host if a filament break occurs. This will work with the display or something like Octoprint.

In theory, you should be able to connect Octoprint itself through one of the extra serial ports. However, I never got this to fully work. The subordinate port seems to work pretty well, but it never sends Octoprint acknowledgments so Octoprint waits forever or until you force it to continue — use the Fake Acknowledgment button in the terminal. Since the Spider has multiple serial ports, it isn’t a big deal, but in theory, the TFT should work a little better if it can intercept and filter the data stream between the printer and the host software. In practice, I don’t really notice any problems. Some Octoprint plugins like DisplayLayer can send status information to the TFT, anyway.

Another note: Using the jog keys sets the printer to relative mode. If you are used to popping codes into a terminal, you might want to get used to issuing a G90 before you send a move because the TFT will change it to relative anytime you do a jog.