Raspberry Pi - OLED
This tutorial instructs you how to use Raspberry Pi with OLED display. In detail, we will learn:
- How to connect OLED display with Raspberry Pi.
- How to program Raspberry Pi to display text and number on OLED.
- How to program Raspberry Pi to center align text and number vertically and horizontally on OLED.
- How to program Raspberry Pi to draw on OLED.
- How to program Raspberry Pi to display an image on OLED.
Hardware Preparation
| 1 | × | Raspberry Pi 4 Model B | |
| 1 | × | SSD1306 I2C OLED Display 128x64 | |
| 1 | × | Jumper Wires | |
| 1 | × | (Optional) Screw Terminal Adapter for Raspberry Pi |
Or you can buy the following sensor kit:
| 1 | × | DIYables Sensor Kit 30 types, 69 units |
Disclosure: Some of the links provided in this section are Amazon affiliate links. We may receive a commission for any purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support.
Overview of OLED Display
There are various kinds of OLED displays available. The most common-used OLED with Raspberry Pi is the SSD1306 I2C OLED 128x64 and 128x32 display.
I2C OLED Display Pinout
- GND pin: should be connected to the ground of Raspberry Pi.
- VCC pin: is the power supply for the display which should be connected to the 5 volts pin on the Raspberry Pi.
- SCL pin: is a serial clock pin for I2C interface.
- SDA pin: is a serial data pin for I2C interface.
※ NOTE THAT:
- The pins of an OLED module can be arranged differently depending on the manufacturer and type of module. It is IMPERATIVE to always refer to the labels printed on the OLED module. Pay close attention!
- This tutorial uses an OLED display which utilizes the SSD1306 I2C driver. We have tested it with the OLED display from DIYables and it functions perfectly.
Wiring Diagram
- Wiring diagram between Raspberry Pi and OLED 128x64
This image is created using Fritzing. Click to enlarge image
- Wiring diagram between Raspberry Pi and OLED 128x32
This image is created using Fritzing. Click to enlarge image
The wiring table between Raspberry Pi and OLED display:
| OLED Module | Raspberry Pi |
|---|---|
| Vin | 5V |
| GND | GND |
| SDA | GPIO2 (pin 3) |
| SCL | GPIO3 (pin 5) |
Raspberry Pi Code - Display Text on OLED
Detailed Instructions
- Make sure you have Raspbian or any other Raspberry Pi compatible operating system installed on your Pi.
- Make sure your Raspberry Pi is connected to the same local network as your PC.
- Make sure your Raspberry Pi is connected to the internet if you need to install some libraries.
- If this is the first time you use Raspberry Pi, See how to set up the Raspberry Pi
- Connect your PC to the Raspberry Pi via SSH using the built-in SSH client on Linux and macOS or PuTTY on Windows. See to how connect your PC to Raspberry Pi via SSH.
- Make sure you have the RPi.GPIO library installed. If not, install it using the following command:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3-rpi.gpio
- Prior to utilizing the OLED display with a Raspberry Pi, we need to enable I2C interface on Raspberry Pi. See How to enable I2C interface on Raspberry Pi
- Install the OLED library by running the following command:
pip install Adafruit-SSD1306
- Create a Python script file oled.py and add the following code:
# This Raspberry Pi code was developed by newbiely.com
# This Raspberry Pi code is made available for public use without any restriction
# For comprehensive instructions and wiring diagrams, please visit:
# https://newbiely.com/tutorials/raspberry-pi/raspberry-pi-oled
import time
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import Adafruit_SSD1306
# GPIO pin configuration for the OLED display
OLED_RESET_PIN = None # Set to GPIO pin if your display has a reset pin
OLED = Adafruit_SSD1306.SSD1306_128_64(rst=OLED_RESET_PIN)
# Initialize the OLED display
OLED.begin()
# Clear the display
OLED.clear()
OLED.display()
try:
while True:
# Clear the display
OLED.clear()
# Display "Hello World!" on OLED
OLED.draw.text((0, 0), "Hello World!", font=None, fill=255)
# Display on OLED
OLED.display()
# Delay for readability
time.sleep(1)
except KeyboardInterrupt:
print("Program terminated by user.")
finally:
GPIO.cleanup()
- Save the file and run the Python script by executing the following command in the terminal:
python3 oled.py
- Check the oled display.
The script runs in an infinite loop continuously until you press Ctrl + C in the terminal.
Raspberry Pi Code – Display Image
In order to display an image on OLED, we must first convert it (regardless of the format) into a bitmap array. This can be done using this online tool. Please refer to the picture below for instructions on how to do this. I have already converted the Raspberry Pi icon into a bitmap array.
Once the conversion is complete, take the array code and replace the existing ArduinoIcon array code in the following snippet.
# This Raspberry Pi code was developed by newbiely.com
# This Raspberry Pi code is made available for public use without any restriction
# For comprehensive instructions and wiring diagrams, please visit:
# https://newbiely.com/tutorials/raspberry-pi/raspberry-pi-oled
import time
import Adafruit_SSD1306
from PIL import Image
# GPIO pin configuration for the OLED display
OLED_RESET_PIN = None # Set to GPIO pin if your display has a reset pin
DISP = Adafruit_SSD1306.SSD1306_128_64(rst=OLED_RESET_PIN)
# Bitmap of DIYable-icon image
bitmap_width = 128 # MUST match the bitmap image size
bitmap_height = 57 # MUST match the bitmap image size
bitmap_DIYables = [
# 'DIYables Icon', 128x57px
0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xfe, 0x00, 0x03, 0xf1, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x3e,
0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0x03, 0xf1, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x7e,
0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xf0, 0x03, 0xf0, 0xfc, 0x00, 0x7c,
0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xf8, 0x03, 0xf0, 0xfc, 0x00, 0xfc,
0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xfc, 0x03, 0xf0, 0x7e, 0x00, 0xf8,
0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x01, 0xfe, 0x03, 0xf0, 0x3f, 0x01, 0xf8,
0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x7f, 0x03, 0xf0, 0x3f, 0x03, 0xf0,
0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x3f, 0x03, 0xf0, 0x1f, 0x83, 0xe0,
0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x3f, 0x83, 0xf0, 0x1f, 0x87, 0xe0,
0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x1f, 0x83, 0xf0, 0x0f, 0xc7, 0xc0,
0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x1f, 0x83, 0xf0, 0x07, 0xef, 0xc0,
0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x1f, 0x83, 0xf0, 0x07, 0xff, 0x80,
0xf0, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x1f, 0x83, 0xf0, 0x03, 0xff, 0x00,
0xfe, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x1f, 0x83, 0xf0, 0x03, 0xff, 0x00,
0xff, 0xc0, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x1f, 0x83, 0xf0, 0x01, 0xfe, 0x00,
0xff, 0xe0, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x1f, 0x83, 0xf0, 0x00, 0xfe, 0x00,
0xff, 0xf8, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x1f, 0x83, 0xf0, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x00,
0xff, 0xfc, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x3f, 0x03, 0xf0, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x00,
0xff, 0xfe, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x7f, 0x03, 0xf0, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x00, 0xff, 0x03, 0xf0, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0x83, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xf8, 0x03, 0xfe, 0x03, 0xf0, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0xc3, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xfc, 0x03, 0xf0, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0xc3, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xf8, 0x03, 0xf0, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0xe3, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xe0, 0x03, 0xf0, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0xe3, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0x80, 0x03, 0xf0, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0xf3, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xf8, 0x00, 0x03, 0xe0, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0xf3, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0xfb, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0xfb, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0xfb, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0xfb, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc7, 0xff, 0x1f, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc7, 0xff, 0x1f, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xfb, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0x80, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc7, 0xff, 0x1f, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xfb, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0x80, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc7, 0xff, 0x1f, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xfb, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0x80, 0xff, 0x9f, 0xc6, 0x7f, 0x1f, 0xdf, 0xf9, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xfb, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x03, 0xc0, 0x0f, 0x1e, 0x03, 0xe0, 0x3f,
0xff, 0xff, 0xf3, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x03, 0xc0, 0x07, 0x1c, 0x01, 0xc0, 0x3f,
0xff, 0xff, 0xf3, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xfe, 0x00, 0xfd, 0xf1, 0xc3, 0xc7, 0x18, 0xf8, 0x8f, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xe3, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xfe, 0x00, 0xff, 0xf1, 0xc7, 0xe3, 0x18, 0xf8, 0x8f, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xe3, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xfc, 0x00, 0xfe, 0x01, 0xc7, 0xe3, 0x18, 0x00, 0xc0, 0xff,
0xff, 0xff, 0xc3, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xfc, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x01, 0xc7, 0xe3, 0x18, 0x00, 0xe0, 0x3f,
0xff, 0xff, 0xc3, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xf8, 0x00, 0xf8, 0xf1, 0xc7, 0xe3, 0x18, 0xff, 0xfe, 0x1f,
0xff, 0xff, 0x83, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xf0, 0x00, 0xf8, 0xf1, 0xc3, 0xc7, 0x18, 0xff, 0xff, 0x1f,
0xff, 0xff, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xe0, 0x00, 0xf8, 0x61, 0xc0, 0x07, 0x1c, 0x01, 0xc0, 0x3f,
0xff, 0xfe, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0x00, 0xfc, 0x01, 0xc0, 0x0f, 0x1e, 0x01, 0x80, 0x3f,
0xff, 0xfc, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0x80, 0x00, 0xfe, 0x19, 0xc4, 0x3f, 0x1f, 0x87, 0xe0, 0xff,
0xff, 0xf8, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0x00, 0x00, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xff, 0xe0, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xfc, 0x00, 0x00, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xff, 0xc0, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xf0, 0x00, 0x00, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xff, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xff, 0xc0, 0x00, 0x00, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
0xf0, 0x00, 0x03, 0xff, 0xfc, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff
]
def draw_bitmap(image, bitmap_data, width, height):
image.putdata(bitmap_data)
return image
try:
DISP.begin()
DISP.clear()
DISP.display()
# Create a blank image with mode '1' for 1-bit pixels (bitmap)
image = Image.new('1', (bitmap_width, bitmap_height))
while True:
DISP.clear()
# Display bitmap to the center
x = (DISP.width - bitmap_width) // 2
y = (DISP.height - bitmap_height) // 2
# Draw the bitmap on the image
image = draw_bitmap(image, bitmap_DIYables, bitmap_width, bitmap_height)
# Paste the image on the OLED display
DISP.image(image)
DISP.display()
time.sleep(2)
except KeyboardInterrupt:
print("Program terminated by user.")
finally:
DISP.clear()
DISP.display()
※ NOTE THAT:
- The size of the image should not exceed the size of the screen.
- If you want to use the code for an OLED 128x32, you must resize the image and modify the width and height parameters in the oled.drawBitmap(); function.