Touch screen recommendations

[rdagger]

I’m starting a project that requires an LCD touch screen keyboard like on a mobile phone. The screen should probably be at least 3 inches wide. I’m considering the following:

1. FTDI EVE FT800 using Lobo build on ESP32. You can get a 4.2” screen on eBay for $32 with very fast graphics, but I don’t really want to use abandonware. Does MicroPython support FT80x?
2. Regular MicroPython running on ESP32 with inexpensive TFT touch display. I found 3.5” TFT touch modules for under $10 on eBay. There are several drivers such ili9481 ili9468, ili9488 hx8357, or r61581. Are there MicroPython ESP32 touch screen libraries?
3. CircuitPython and a Pyportal. Easy hardware but the cost is around $50 and no support for concurrency.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[OutoftheBOTS_]

I think that you should consider if the touch screen is a captive touch or a resistive touch if you want to use it as a keyboard.

It is very easy to type on a captive touch as your finger doesn't even need to touch the screen for it to be detected but a resistive touch needs a reasonably hard touch making it not very suitable for typing fast.

If you don't want to use Lobo firmware for the FT80x have you though about writing your own library in python for it. The whole idea of the FT80x is that you don't need fast processing because the FT80x chip does it all for you on board the screen(something like off loading graphic processing on the GPU on a PC). I would think the basic library you would need for a FT80x keyboard wouldn't be that complex to write in python.

[OutoftheBOTS_]

Have you seen options like these screens with captive touch that are designed as human interface for Arduniuo??

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-3-5-Capaci ... 0005.m1851

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-5-inch-HMI ... 0005.m1851

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-2-8-inch-H ... 100623.m-1

well priced 2.8" captive with HMI https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000159 ... 85f87640e7

[rdagger]

Capacitive touch would be preferable but not necessary because I probably will not be typing more than a dozen characters at a time.

I would definitely consider writing a python library for the FT80x but another forum member posted that the interfacing was harder than he thought.

The Nextion knockoffs that you linked to look great, but a post on the Arduino forum indicates there could be issues getting and using the proprietary programming IDE for the displays. Maybe there's an open source solution. The "real" Nextion 2.8" displays on eBay are under $20. Presumably, the IDE would be more stable and the only drawback is the resistive touch panel.

Thanks for your suggestions.

[OutoftheBOTS_]

Capacitive touch would be preferable but not necessary because I probably will not be typing more than a dozen characters at a time.

I would definitely consider writing a python library for the FT80x but another forum member posted that the interfacing was harder than he thought.

The Nextion knockoffs that you linked to look great, but a post on the Arduino forum indicates there could be issues getting and using the proprietary programming IDE for the displays. Maybe there's an open source solution. The "real" Nextion 2.8" displays on eBay are under $20. Presumably, the IDE would be more stable and the only drawback is the resistive touch panel.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Interesting to read your research. Sounds like you might go for the older more tired and proven route of Nextion.

Here is the link to the company profile that makes these HMI showing off the software https://surenoo.en.alibaba.com/ seems they already have a keyboard setup than can be downloaded to their display.

If you do get 1 of these displays to play with please let us all know how they go. If I had the time at the price I would look at getting 1 just to test but it would just sit in my draw with a number of other items that I have brought to play with but haven't found the time

[OutoftheBOTS_]

Another super interesting way that I have made a really nice interface was when using ESP32 it hosted an webpage with the needed interface and I could just use any browser on any phone or tablet to input anything that I needed.

[rdagger]

Another super interesting way that I have made a really nice interface was when using ESP32 it hosted an webpage with the needed interface and I could just use any browser on any phone or tablet to input anything that I needed.

I agree but my application has a security aspect that precludes a web interface.

I added the constraints that the project now needs to be compact and battery powered. Therefore, I'm leaning toward an inexpensive ILI9341 display with an XPT2046 or STMPE610 touch interface. The display can probably be powered directly from an ESP32's 3.3V rail. I already have several ESP32 boards with builtin Li-Po charging.