esp32 cam tft display quotation

This ESP32-CAM Project covers how to use ESP32-CAM with a TFT display to show the picture captured by the cam. We have covered several times how to use ESP32-CAM in different projects and we have described how to use ESP32-CAM in Machine Learning projects. Even if we can use ESP32-CAM with a Web server to show pictures, in this post we want to cover how to show a picture on a TFT screen (ST7735). Therefore, we would like to visualize the picture taken by the ESP32-CAM directly on the display. In this case, we use an ST7735s display, anyway, you can select a different TFT if you like.

You should already know how to take a picture using an ESP32-CAM therefore we will focus on two aspects only:How to connect the ESP32-CAM to TFT display

This is the most interesting part because here we will show the picture taken by the ESP32-CAM on the TFT display. To do it, we will use the TJpg_Decoder library because it simplifies our work. First of all, we use a low-resolution such as 120×160 so that the picture fits in the TFT.

defining the scale and the callback method used to render the picture:bool tft_output(int16_t x, int16_t y, uint16_t w, uint16_t h, uint16_t* bitmap){

At the end of this tutorial, you have learned how to use ESP32-CAM with TFT display. In this project we have integrated ESP32-CAM with ST7735 to show the image captured. We have build a simple camera machine using ESP32-CAM.

At first it was not successful, since most examples useTJpg_Decoderand it use a lot of memory, causing the ESP32-CAM crash then reboot. Then I found out that there"s an function from the ESP32 library to convert JPEG into RGB565 (which is the format used by the Adafruit driver). I can even scale the image to 1/2 side size (= 1/4) so it fit the ST7735S 160x128 or 128x128 displays nicely. Everything works and problem solved.

You can find some more details about wiring, the training data (Kaggle Cats and Dogs Dataset) and the model (MobileNetV1 96x96 0.25 with transfer learning) on my repo. There"s also a copy of my model library and a boilerplate version (without using button and TFT).

The train accuracy is 89.8% and test accuracy is 86.97% on Edge Impulse. Captured image is 240x240 (resized to 120x120 on TFT and 96x96 for the model). Model inference (predict) time on ESP32-CAM is 2607 ms (2.6 secs). It"s not fast, but the setup is so cheap I think this can actually be useful as real world applications...?

This tutorial shows how to display images (.png and .jpg) in your ESP32 or ESP8266 web servers using Arduino IDE. We cover how to embedded images in an asynchronous web server using the ESPAsyncWebServer library or in a simple HTTP server.

SPIFFS stands for Serial Peripheral Interface Flash File System and it is a lightweight filesystem created for microcontrollers with a flash chip like the ESP32 and ESP8266.

To upload images to the ESP32 and ESP8266 flash memory, we’ll use a plugin for Arduino IDE: Filesystem uploader. Follow one of the next tutorials to install the filesystem uploader depending on the board you’re using:

This section shows how to display an image stored in the ESP32 or ESP8266 flash memory in a web server using the ESPAsyncWebServerlibrary. To build this web server, you need to install the following libraries:

Create a new sketch in Arduino IDE and copy the following code. This code works both with the ESP32 and ESP8266. It includes the proper libraries depending on the board you’re using.

Then, in your Arduino IDE, upload the images to your board. Go to the Toolsmenu and select “ESP32 Sketch Data Upload” or “ESP8266 Sketch Data Upload” depending on the board you’re using.

When it receives a request on /sun URL, we send the image that is stored on the /sun.png path in the ESP32/ESP8266 SPIFFS (filesystem) and it is of type image/png.

This section shows how to convert your images to base64 to include them in the ESP32/ESP8266 web server. We’ll show you how to display images in an asynchronous web server and in a simple HTTP server.

Note: to display images, it is better to use the method with the Asynchronous web server (the previous example). You might have issues with this method if you try to display a lot of images or use large files. However, this method works well if you just want to display a small image or icon.

In this article we’ve shown you different ways to display images in your ESP32/ESP8266 web servers. If you know any other suitable method, you can share it by writing a comment below.

// NB. I am using the Arduino IDE v1.8.19,// and the ESP32 software from "https://github.com/espressif/arduino-esp32", BUT the ESP32 software version downloaded on 28May21.// (Note that the version as at now (19Aug22) seems to have a bug in it that stops the camera giving a valid photo.)// I am using Board="AI Thinker ESP32-CAM"#include "FS.h"#include #include #include     // https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-GFX-Library#include // https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_ILI9341#include     // https://github.com/Bodmer/TJpg_Decoder#include "esp_camera.h"#define CAMERA_MODEL_AI_THINKER // Has PSRAM#include "camera_pins.h"#define BLOCK_SERIAL // comment-out to use GPIO-1 & GPIO-3 for Serial-output instead (useful for debugging Camera & TFT)#ifdef BLOCK_SERIAL#define Serial tft#define SD_CS 1     // via 1k for safety#define SWITCH_PIN 3 // via 1k for safety#else// GPIO-1 is ESP32-Tx// GPIO-3 is ESP32-Rx#endif#define RED_LED 33#define SPI_MOSI 13#define SPI_MISO 12#define SPI_CLK 14#define TFT_DC   2 // Data Command control pin#define TFT_CS  15 // Chip select control pin#define TFT_RST -1 // or can connect to GPIO-16 via 1k for safety (but GPIO also used for the PSRAM)SPIClass MySPI(HSPI); // Declare an HSPI bus object (to use or BOTH TFT and SD-card)Adafruit_ILI9341 tft = Adafruit_ILI9341(&MySPI, TFT_DC, TFT_CS, TFT_RST);// Adafruit_ILI9341 tft = Adafruit_ILI9341(TFT_CS, TFT_DC, SPI_MOSI, SPI_CLK, TFT_RST,SPI_MISO);#define TFT_ROTATION 0 // 0 to 3boolean camera_ok;// ******************************************************************************************void setup() { // ***************************************************************************tft.begin();tft.setRotation(TFT_ROTATION);tft_clear();tft.println("Hello World");#ifdef RED_LEDpinMode(RED_LED, OUTPUT);LED_flash(2);#endif#ifdef BLOCK_SERIAL#ifdef SWITCH_PINpinMode(SWITCH_PIN, INPUT_PULLUP);#endif#ifdef SD_CSSerial.print("SDcard: ");boolean success=SD.begin(SD_CS,MySPI);if (success) {Serial.println("OK");} // works!else {Serial.println("Fail: check formatted SD-card is in!"); return;} // dont do the rest of setup()!#endif#elseSerial.begin(115200);Serial.println("ESP32-CAM WITHOUT SD-Card");#endifcamera_ok=camera_init();TJpgDec.setJpgScale(1);TJpgDec.setCallback(tft_output); // "tft_output" is passed to the decoderSerial.print("\nRunning ");if (camera_ok) Serial.println("OK"); else Serial.println("but without Camera");delay(5000);} // end of setup() // **********************************************************************// ******************************************************************************************// ******************************************************************************************void loop() { // ****************************************************************************#define photo_count_max 12 // 0 to 11static int photo_next_free=photo_count_max; // 0=none, -1=none-already-reported // set to "photo_count_max" on boot so will count number of photos!#ifdef SWITCH_PINboolean push_switch=!digitalRead(SWITCH_PIN);if (push_switch) {tft_clear();Serial.println("Release for photo OR");Serial.println("Hold 3s = delete ALL");int x;for (x=0;x<12;x++) {delay(250); if (digitalRead(SWITCH_PIN)) break;} // allow for switch bounceif (x==12) {push_switch=false; sd_wipe_all(); photo_next_free=0;}}#elsedelay(5000);boolean push_switch=true;#endifif (push_switch) photo_next_free=take_picture(photo_next_free);else if (photo_next_free>0) {photo_next_free=sd_load_and_display(photo_next_free);} // NEXT-EMPTY photo-countelse if (photo_next_free==0) {photo_next_free=-1; tft_clear(); Serial.println("No photos!");} // only report once} // end of loop() // ***********************************************************************// ******************************************************************************************#ifdef RED_LEDvoid LED_flash(int count) {count*=2;boolean state=LOW; // LOW is ONwhile (count--) {digitalWrite(RED_LED,state); state=!state; delay(1000);}}#endif// ******************************************************************************************#if ((TFT_ROTATION&B1)==1)#define tft_text_row 0#else#define tft_text_row 260 // 240x320#endifvoid tft_top() {tft.setCursor(0,0);}void tft_text() {tft.setCursor(0,tft_text_row);}void tft_clear() {tft.fillScreen(ILI9341_BLACK);tft.setCursor(0,0); // toptft.setTextColor(ILI9341_WHITE);tft.setTextSize(2); // 1 to 5 // was 4}boolean tft_output(int16_t x, int16_t y, uint16_t w, uint16_t h, uint16_t* bitmap) {if (y>=tft.height()) return false;tft.drawRGBBitmap(x, y, bitmap, w, h);return true;}// ******************************************************************************************char* sd_build_file_name(int photo) {if (photo>999) photo=999;static char text[]="/photoXXX.jpg";snprintf(text+6,3+1,"%d",photo);char *p1=text+strlen(text);strcpy(p1,".jpg");return text;}void sd_wipe_all() {tft_clear();Serial.println("Deleting photos:");boolean found=false;fs::FS &fs = SD;for (int x=(photo_count_max-1);x>=0;x--) {char *path=sd_build_file_name(x);boolean success=fs.remove(path);if (success) found=true;if (found) {Serial.print(path+1); Serial.print("->");if (success) Serial.println("Deleted"); else Serial.println("Failed");} }if (!found) Serial.println("No photos to delete!");delay(5000);}int sd_load_and_display(int photo_next) { // returns NEXT_EMPTY_photo_count (ie. 0 if no photos)#ifdef BLOCK_SERIALif ((photo_next<0) or (photo_next>=photo_count_max)) photo_next=0;int first_blank=photo_count_max;for (int y=0;y=(photo_count_max-1)) photo_next=0; else photo_next++; // next photo}return first_blank; // NEXT_EMPTY photo_count (0 if empty, photo_count_max if full)#elseSerial.println("Can"t use SD-Card as uses GPIO-1");return 0;#endif}// ******************************************************************************************boolean camera_init() {camera_config_t config;config.ledc_channel = LEDC_CHANNEL_0;config.ledc_timer = LEDC_TIMER_0;config.pin_d0 = Y2_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_d1 = Y3_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_d2 = Y4_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_d3 = Y5_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_d4 = Y6_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_d5 = Y7_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_d6 = Y8_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_d7 = Y9_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_xclk = XCLK_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_pclk = PCLK_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_vsync = VSYNC_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_href = HREF_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_sscb_sda = SIOD_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_sscb_scl = SIOC_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_pwdn = PWDN_GPIO_NUM;config.pin_reset = RESET_GPIO_NUM;config.xclk_freq_hz = 20000000;config.pixel_format = PIXFORMAT_JPEG;Serial.print("PSRAM: ");if (psramFound()){ // larger buferSerial.println("OK");config.frame_size = FRAMESIZE_QVGA;config.jpeg_quality = 10;config.fb_count = 1;} else { // smaller bufferSerial.println("FAILED");config.frame_size = FRAMESIZE_QQVGA;config.jpeg_quality = 12;config.fb_count = 1;}esp_err_t camera_status;for (int x=0;x<2;x++) { // try twice as sometimes get error 0x20004delay(2000);camera_status = esp_camera_init(&config);Serial.print("Camera init: ");if (camera_status!=ESP_OK) {Serial.print("failed with error 0x"); Serial.println(camera_status,HEX);}else {Serial.println("OK"); break;}}if (camera_status!=ESP_OK) return false; // exitsensor_t *sensor = esp_camera_sensor_get();if (sensor->id.PID == OV3660_PID) Serial.println("*** WARNING: Old-PID Sensor Detected - need to adjust settings ***");return true;}int take_picture(int photo_next) {int photo_try=photo_next;if ((photo_try<0) or (photo_try>=photo_count_max)) photo_try=0;boolean success=false;Serial.print("Taking photo...");#ifndef BLOCK_SERIALtft_clear();tft.println("Taking photo...");#endifdelay(1000);camera_fb_t * fb=nullptr;fb = esp_camera_fb_get();if (!fb) Serial.println("Fail?\nTry rebooting!");else {Serial.println();char *path=sd_build_file_name(photo_try);#ifdef BLOCK_SERIALfs::FS &fs = SD;File file = fs.open(path, FILE_WRITE); // will overwrite any existing file!!if (file) {file.write(fb->buf, fb->len);photo_try++; photo_next=photo_try; // can give "photo_count_max" and return this to calling sub!success=true;}file.close();#elsesuccess=true;#endifuint16_t w=0, h=0;TJpgDec.getJpgSize(&w, &h, fb->buf, fb->len);TJpgDec.drawJpg(0, 0, fb->buf, fb->len); // Display photo#if (tft_text_row==0)delay(5000); // bodge#endifif (success) tft_text();#ifdef BLOCK_SERIAL // ensure following photo is deleted (so on re-start we know where to start)!Serial.print(path+1);Serial.print("->");if (success) {Serial.println("Saved"); char *path=sd_build_file_name(photo_next); fs.remove(path);} else Serial.println("Fail");#elsetft.print(path+1);tft.println("->No Save");#endif}delay(5000);return photo_next;}

The ESP32-CAM has a very competitive small-size camera module that can operate independently as a minimum system with a footprint of only 40 x 27mm and a deep sleep current of up to 6mA. ESP32-CAM can be widely used in various IoT applications. It is suitable for home smart devices, industrial wireless control, wireless monitoring, QR wireless identification, wireless positioning system signals and other IoT applications. It is an ideal solution for IoT applications. The ESP32-CAM adopts DIP package and can be directly inserted into the backplane to realize rapid production of products, providing customers with high-reliability connection mode, which is convenient for application in various IoT hardware terminals.

Arduino TFT Display and Font Library: I am quite a fan of the Arduino as there is so much software already available on the internet, this makes completing new projects easier! ...

The ESP32 CAM WiFi Module Bluetooth with OV2640 Camera Module 2MP For Face Recognization has a very competitive small-size camera module that can operate independently as a minimum system with a footprint of only 40 x 27 mm; a deep sleep current of up to 6mA and is widely used in various IoT applications. RoboticsBD

For this tutorial I’ve used an ESP32 -CAM, a 1.8″ TFT screen, an 18650 USB powerbank and a 3D printed case to make a selfie camera that automatically takes a photo when it sees a person’s face. The project has a lot of steps but is fairly simple. You can make it version without having a 3D printer.

Before uploading the code a few things need to be set up in the Arduino IDE. If this is your first time with the ESP32-CAM in the Arduino IDE you need to set up the ESP32 hardware libraries, learn to connect and test by following this tutorial ESP32-CAM in the Arduino IDE

There’s three libraries that need to be installed. The TFT_eSPI can easily be installed from the IDE library manager (Tools > Manage Libraries) by searching for TFT_eSPI. The TFT_eFEX and ESPAsyncWebserver libraries need to be installed by downloading the libraries using the the ‘Download ZIP’ link and in the IDE installing them with Sketch > Include Library > Add .ZIP Library.

The TFT_eSPI library needs to be configured to work with the ST7735S TFT panel. Copy the contents of the User_Setup.h file into the newly installed library file User_Setup.h file found in Documents > Arduino > libraries > TFT_eSPI. If you find the image quality is poor you can try other xxxxTAB versions. These refer to the colours of the tab on the screen protector but don’t match 100%.

If you want to use the countdown animation, the images for this need to be uploaded to the ESP32 memory. To do this follow the instructions to install the data folder uploader here: ESP32 Data Folder Uploader . Remember if you change the partition scheme in the IDE this data will be over-written.

Download the ZIP file from the project folder on Github https://github.com/robotzero1/esp32cam-selfiecam and unzip to your Arduino folder (In Windows 10 – Libraries > Documents > Arduino) in a directory named SelfieCam.

Below is a quick video showing the the selfie capture sequence, starting with the face being detected, the flash lighting up, the photo being taken and finally the photo being displayed from the ESP32 SPIFFS storage:

The code uses a mixture of HTTP requests and WebSockets. When the browser first connects to the ESP32 the HTML interface is sent via HTTP with this code: webserver.on("/", HTTP_GET, [](AsyncWebServerRequest * request) {

In the browser the interface loads and opens a WebSocket connection to the ESP32. This replies with a list of files in the ESP32 storage – the results of the function below: String filelist_spiffs()

Back in the browser it processes the list with the code below. addSelfieToScreen() is a function that creates objects in the DOM and fills them to create the visible interface. var filelistFromESP32 = message.data; // list of files from ESP32

When all the objects in the interface are created, the populateImgtags() function runs. This uses the fetch() method to request the selfie images from the ESP32. The images are sent from the ESP32 storage to the browser via HTTP with this code: webserver.on("/image", HTTP_GET, [](AsyncWebServerRequest * request) {