Hardware Matrix

Is LilyGO T-Display-S3 ST7789 Color LCD Compatible with Home Assistant (ESPHome)?

Verdict Badge
VERDICT: [ COMPATIBLE (MANUAL CONFIG REQUIRED) ]
Protocol: 8-bit Parallel / 3.3V
Bridge Needed: NO

Compatibility Overview

ESP32-S3 development board integrated with 1.91-inch 170x320 ST7789 color IPS display and dual programmable buttons.

Technical Specification Matrix

Feature / Attribute Specification / Status
Hardware Protocol 8-bit Parallel / 3.3V
Bridge Required NO
Border Router Needed None
Hardware Capabilities & Peripherals
170x320 IPS Color Screen Battery Voltage Dual Touch Buttons

Note: these entities come from the ESPHome configuration you flash — each one needs its matching component in that YAML before it appears.

Pairing Complexity Intermediate
Factory Reset Instruction Hold BOOT button (GPIO0) while pressing reset button.

Wire, Flash, Adopt, Check

1

Wire it up

Follow the bus reference above. The host pins in the configuration are defaults — any free GPIO of the right kind will do, as long as the YAML names the pin you actually used.

2

Flash the configuration

Create a new device in the ESPHome dashboard (the Home Assistant add-on) and paste the configuration below into it, or save it as emb_lilygo_tdisplay_s3.yaml and run esphome run emb_lilygo_tdisplay_s3.yaml. The first flash goes over USB. If it is not detected, hold BOOT button (GPIO0) while pressing reset button to put it in download mode. Every update after that is over the air.

3

Adopt it in Home Assistant

Settings → Devices & Services. A node on the same network shows up as a discovered ESPHome device within a minute of joining Wi-Fi; choose Configure and enter the API encryption key from your secrets.yaml. If discovery does not find it, add the ESPHome integration by hand with the node's IP address.

4

Check it works

The entities on this page appear under the device in Home Assistant and update at the configured interval. The ESPHome log (Logs in the dashboard, or esphome logs) reports the setup of each component and any bus scan results at boot.

ESPHome Configuration

Starting configuration for LilyGO T-Display-S3 ST7789 Color LCD on LilyGO T-Display-S3. Untested on hardware — verify wiring and pins against your own board.

# ESPHome configuration for LilyGO T-Display-S3 ST7789 Color LCD
# Host: LilyGO T-Display-S3. Pin numbers below are host-side defaults — any free
# GPIO will do, and you should change them to match your own wiring.

esphome:
  name: emb_lilygo_tdisplay_s3
  friendly_name: "LilyGO T-Display-S3 ST7789 Color LCD"

esp32:
  board: lilygo-t-display-s3
  flash_size: 16MB
  framework:
    type: esp-idf

psram:
  mode: octal
  speed: 80MHz

logger:

api:
  encryption:
    key: !secret api_encryption_key

ota:
  - platform: esphome
    password: !secret ota_password

wifi:
  ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
  password: !secret wifi_password

# The T-Display-S3's ST7789 sits on an 8-bit parallel bus, not SPI. The
# mipi_spi platform drives it through an octal spi bus; the t-display-s3
# model preset carries the panel's dimensions and offsets.
spi:
  - id: lcd_bus
    type: octal
    clk_pin: GPIO8
    data_pins:
      - GPIO39
      - GPIO40
      - GPIO41
      - GPIO42
      - number: GPIO45
        ignore_strapping_warning: true
      - number: GPIO46
        ignore_strapping_warning: true
      - GPIO47
      - GPIO48

display:
  - platform: mipi_spi
    model: t-display-s3
    spi_id: lcd_bus
    cs_pin: GPIO6
    dc_pin: GPIO7
    reset_pin: GPIO5
    rotation: 270
    update_interval: 1s
    lambda: |-
      it.print(0, 0, id(roboto), "Hello");

# The panel's power rail (GPIO15) and read strobe (GPIO9) are driven by
# the t-display-s3 model preset; declaring them again is a pin clash.
output:
  - platform: ledc
    pin: GPIO38
    id: backlight_pwm
    frequency: 2000Hz

light:
  - platform: monochromatic
    output: backlight_pwm
    name: "Backlight"
    restore_mode: ALWAYS_ON

binary_sensor:
  - platform: gpio
    name: "Button 1"
    pin:
      number: GPIO0
      inverted: true
      mode:
        input: true
        pullup: true
  - platform: gpio
    name: "Button 2"
    pin:
      number: GPIO14
      inverted: true
      mode:
        input: true
        pullup: true

font:
  - file: "gfonts://Roboto"
    id: roboto
    size: 24

Before you flash: the !secret values come from your secrets.yaml, and the GPIO numbers are host-side defaults rather than properties of this part — change them to match how you actually wired it.

🛠️ Hardware Correction & Field Contributions

Report a Pinout Error or Submit Tested Code Snippets

Found a pin mapping quirk or built a custom ESPHome YAML driver for LilyGO T-Display-S3 ST7789 Color LCD? Submit a pull request or report corrections to our index.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does LilyGO T-Display-S3 ST7789 Color LCD work without an internet connection?
100% local parallel display execution.
What battery life should I expect from LilyGO T-Display-S3 ST7789 Color LCD?
USB-C 5V or 3.7V JST LiPo battery.
How does LilyGO T-Display-S3 ST7789 Color LCD connect to your network?
Wi-Fi 2.4GHz / BLE 5.0.

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