OLED on the Cheap!

Things used in this project

Hardware components:
OLED 128×64 SPI-capable
Available on Aliexpress or eBay for $4 to $20
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For standard Arduino platforms, use the unmodified Adafruit libs
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Story OLED on the Cheap!

I like cheap electronics for playing.

Cheap is good for budget conscious hobbyists and China is delivering lots of toys for playing – one being the inexpensive “mono” OLED displays.  The single-color displays often come in a dual-color implementation where the top row of pixels are one color and the remaining majority of the lower pixels are another color.  These dual-color units allow the title information to be easily distinguished from the lower part of the screen which is usually utilized for changing data.
In a recent eBay (no endorsement intended) special, one Chinese vendor was offering $4 OLED screens in a Yellow-Blue implementation with free-shipping.  That was back in mid-February and I received the modules this week: about 6 weeks.  Mostly my experience is that the ePackets are arriving in 3 to 4 weeks and the economy shipping (often free) is coming in 6 to 8 weeks: your experience is likely to be different as pinning down the shipping times is difficult.

But,

this article is about the color module which is very similar to the one that Adafruit sells and has written libraries to support: Adafruit 0.96″ OLED.  Of course, there is $16 dollars difference between the two (and about 31 – 45 days in getting your hands on it!)  I encourage anyone wanting “a play” to support Adafruit as you gain access to their web-support which is really not bad and the little extra you spend supports the software development.

However,

if you are just experimenting and could care less about whether the Chinese part will work or not (or even if you actually receive it), then the $4 clone may be the way to go.
Low cost + low expectations = low risk.OLED on the Cheap

Generally speaking,

I would not post an entire article just to highlight a product sold and supported by Adafruit (or any vendor), but in this case, I am attaching a ZIP to support the OLED running on a Maple Mini Clone (also $4 – $5) which is supported by these new core files for Arduino 1.6.1.  To duplicate this project, you need Arduino 1.6.1 (unmodified), a SPI OLED 128×64 pixel display (warning: some are I2C only), the STM32 ARM core files from the above link, and your choice of 8-bit Arduino or 32-bit ARM STM32F103 (Maple, Maple Mini.)
For more detail: OLED on the Cheap!


About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.

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