CrowPanel ESP32-S3 4.2” E-paper HMI Display: high-resolution pinout, datasheet and specs


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The CrowPanel ESP32-S3 4.2″ E-paper HDMI Display is a low-power HMI module featuring a 4.2″ Active Matrix EPD (400×300 px) driven by the SSD1683 controller. At its core lies an ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R8 (dual-core up to 240 MHz, 8 MB Flash, 8 MB PSRAM), offering Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and extensive GPIO. Thanks to its SPI interface, partial‐refresh capability and bistable display, it’s ideal for battery-powered applications. A dedicated 2-pin BAT connector provides Li-Po charging and a route for battery-voltage monitoring via the onboard ADC.

Microcontroller

  • MCU: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R8 (dual-core up to 240 MHz)
  • Flash: 8 MB
  • PSRAM: 8 MB
  • Interfaces: UART0 ×1, BAT ×1 (Li-Po with charging & voltage sense), GPIO header 2×10 pins
  • Power: USB-C OR Li-Po via BAT connector
  • Dev. Envs: Arduino IDE, ESP-IDF, MicroPython

Display

  • Type: Active Matrix Electrophoretic Display (AM EPD)
  • Controller: SSD1683
  • Size: 4.2″ (active 84.8 × 63.6 mm)
  • Resolution: 400 × 300 px (0.212 × 0.212 mm pitch)
  • Color: black & white
  • Refresh: partial (low power)
  • Interface: 3-/4-wire SPI
  • Voltage: 2.2 – 3.7 V
  • Temp. Range: –25 – 70 °C (storage), 0 – 50 °C (operating)

Add-ons & Auxiliary Interfaces

CrowPanel ESP32-S3 4.2 E-paper: descriptions
CrowPanel ESP32-S3 4.2 E-paper: descriptions
  • Battery Interface (BAT)
    • SH1.0-2Pin socket for Li-Po battery & charging
  • USB-C: 5 V power, programming & serial debug
  • Buttons:
    • MENU → IO2
    • Rotary Switch: Up (IO6), Down (IO4), OK (IO5)
    • EXIT → IO1
    • RST → hardware reset
    • BOOT → boot/download mode
  • GPIO Pins (2×10 header): IO3, IO8, IO9, IO14, IO15, IO16, IO17, IO18, IO19, IO20, IO21, IO38
  • E-paper Power & Control
    • PWR (display power enable) → GPIO 7
    • CS (SPI chip-select) → GPIO 45
    • DC (data/command) → GPIO 46
    • RST (reset) → GPIO 47
    • BUSY (busy signal) → GPIO 48
  • SD / TFT (SPI shared)
    • TFT_SCK → GPIO 12
    • TFT_MOSI → GPIO 11
    • SD_MOSI → GPIO 40
    • SD_MISO → GPIO 13
    • SD_SCK → GPIO 39
    • SD_CS → GPIO 10

How to

  1. ESP32: pinout, specs and Arduino IDE configuration
  2. ESP32: integrated SPIFFS Filesystem
  3. ESP32: manage multiple Serial and logging
  4. ESP32 practical power saving
    1. ESP32 practical power saving: manage WiFi and CPU
    2. ESP32 practical power saving: modem and light sleep
    3. ESP32 practical power saving: deep sleep and hibernation
    4. ESP32 practical power saving: preserve data, timer and touch wake up
    5. ESP32 practical power saving: external and ULP wake up
    6. ESP32 practical power saving: UART and GPIO wake up
  5. ESP32: integrated LittleFS FileSystem
  6. ESP32: integrated FFat (Fat/exFAT) FileSystem
  7. ESP32-wroom-32
    1. ESP32-wroom-32: flash, pinout, specs and IDE configuration
  8. ESP32-CAM
    1. ESP32-CAM: pinout, specs and Arduino IDE configuration
    2. ESP32-CAM: upgrade CamerWebServer with flash features
  9. ESP32: use ethernet w5500 with plain (HTTP) and SSL (HTTPS)
  10. ESP32: use ethernet enc28j60 with plain (HTTP) and SSL (HTTPS)
  11. How to use SD card with esp32
  12. esp32 and esp8266: FAT filesystem on external SPI flash memory
  1. Firmware and OTA update management
    1. Firmware management
      1. ESP32: flash compiled firmware (.bin)
      2. ESP32: flash compiled firmware and filesystem (.bin) with GUI tools
    2. OTA update with Arduino IDE
      1. ESP32 OTA update with Arduino IDE: filesystem, firmware, and password
    3. OTA update with Web Browser
      1. ESP32 OTA update with Web Browser: firmware, filesystem, and authentication
      2. ESP32 OTA update with Web Browser: upload in HTTPS (SSL/TLS) with self-signed certificate
      3. ESP32 OTA update with Web Browser: custom web interface
    4. Self OTA uptate from HTTP server
      1. ESP32 self OTA update firmware from the server
      2. ESP32 self OTA update firmware from the server with version check
      3. ESP32 self-OTA update in HTTPS (SSL/TLS) with trusted self-signed certificate
    5. Non-standard Firmware update
      1. ESP32 firmware and filesystem update from SD card
      2. ESP32 firmware and filesystem update with FTP client
  1. Integrating LAN8720 with ESP32 for Ethernet Connectivity with plain (HTTP) and SSL (HTTPS)
  2. Connecting the EByte E70 to ESP32 c3/s3 devices and a simple sketch example
  3. ESP32-C3: pinout, specs and Arduino IDE configuration
  4. Integrating W5500 with ESP32 Using Core 3: Native Ethernet Protocol Support with SSL and Other Features
  5. Integrating LAN8720 with ESP32 Using Core 3: Native Ethernet Protocol Support with SSL and Other Features
  6. Dallas ds18b20:
  7. Guide to I2C on ESP32: Communication with Heterogeneous 5V and 3.3V Devices, Additional Interface Management and Scanner
  8. Display

Library GxEPD2 minimal configuration sketch

// Sketch: CrowPanel 4.2" E-Paper UI Demo
// Description: Simple demonstration of initializing and displaying a message on the CrowPanel ESP32-S3 4.2" e-paper display
// Author: Renzo Mischianti
// Website: mischianti.org

#include "GxEPD2_BW.h"        // Core library for driving black & white e-paper panels
#include <Arduino.h>          // Standard Arduino core (for pinMode, digitalWrite, etc.)

// =======================
// Button pin definitions
// =======================
// All buttons are wired active-LOW with internal pullups enabled.
// Pressing a button connects the pin to GND.
#define HOME_KEY   2   // “Home” button, returns UI to main screen
#define EXIT_KEY   1   // “Exit” button, powers down or quits app
#define PREV_KEY   6   // “Up/Previous” navigation button
#define NEXT_KEY   4   // “Down/Next” navigation button
#define OK_KEY     5   // “OK/Select” button

// =================================
// E-paper power & control pin defs
// =================================
#define PWR        7   // Power‐enable pin: HIGH = display powered on, LOW = off
#define BUSY       48  // BUSY pin from panel: HIGH = busy drawing, LOW = ready
#define RST        47  // RST (Reset) pin: pulse LOW to reset the panel
#define DC         46  // D/C (Data/Command) pin: LOW = command, HIGH = data
#define CS         45  // CS (Chip Select) pin for SPI transactions

// ================================
// SD card & (optional) TFT SPI pins
// ================================
#define TFT_SCK    12  // SPI clock for optional TFT (shared SPI bus)
#define TFT_MOSI   11  // SPI MOSI  for optional TFT (shared SPI bus)
#define SD_MOSI    40  // SPI MOSI  for microSD card
#define SD_MISO    13  // SPI MISO  for microSD card
#define SD_SCK     39  // SPI clock for microSD card
#define SD_CS      10  // Chip-select for microSD card

// ========================================
// General-purpose header: 12 GPIO pins map
// ========================================
// These are exposed on the 2×6 header for your own sensors or peripherals.
// Underneath, 4× GND pins and 4× 3V3 pins are wired in parallel for easy wiring.
int pin_Num[12] = {
  3,   8,   // Row 1: left=GPIO3, right=GPIO8
  9,  14,   // Row 2: left=GPIO9, right=GPIO14
  15, 16,   // Row 3: left=GPIO15, right=GPIO16
  17, 18,   // Row 4: left=GPIO17, right=GPIO18
  19, 20,   // Row 5: left=GPIO19, right=GPIO20
  21, 38    // Row 6: left=GPIO21, right=GPIO38
};

/*
+--------------+
|  3        8  |
|  9       14  |
| 15       16  |
| 17       18  |
| 19       20  |
| 21       38  |
| GND     3v3  |
| GND     3v3  |
| GND     3v3  |
| GND     3v3  |
+--------------+
 */

// ==============================
// Instantiate the e-paper object
// ==============================
// Template parameters:
//  - Driver type: GxEPD2_420_GYE042A87   (4.2", 400×300 px, SSD1683)
//  - Height macro: GxEPD2_420_GYE042A87::HEIGHT
//
// Constructor parameters order: CS, D/C, RST, BUSY
GxEPD2_BW<GxEPD2_420_GYE042A87, GxEPD2_420_GYE042A87::HEIGHT>
  epd(GxEPD2_420_GYE042A87(CS, DC, RST, BUSY));

// ====================================
// epdPower()
//   Controls the display power rail.
//   HIGH = on, LOW = off.
// ====================================
void epdPower(int state) {
  pinMode(PWR, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(PWR, state);
}

// ====================================
// epdInit()
//   Initializes SPI, resets the panel,
//   sets orientation, text color & size,
//   and configures full-window buffering.
// ====================================
void epdInit() {
  // SPI baudrate: 115200 bps, perform hardware reset, reset pulse=50ms, skipInit=false
  epd.init(115200, true, 50, false);

  // Set screen orientation: 0 = portrait, other values rotate 90°/180°/270°
  epd.setRotation(0);

  // All subsequent text will be drawn in black
  epd.setTextColor(GxEPD_BLACK);

  // Default text size multiplier (1=6×8px font, 2=12×16px, etc.)
  epd.setTextSize(2);

  // Allocate enough RAM for full-height buffering (300px),
  // speeding up screen updates at the cost of memory.
  epd.setFullWindow();
}

void setup() {
  // Turn on the e-paper panel's power rail
  epdPower(HIGH);

  // Initialize the display (SPI, reset, look&feel)
  epdInit();

  // Fill the memory buffer & screen with white
  epd.fillScreen(GxEPD_WHITE);

  // Draw a black border rectangle around the full 400×300 pixel area
  epd.drawRect(0, 0, 400, 300, GxEPD_BLACK);

  // Position the text cursor at X=40px, Y=130px from the top-left corner
  epd.setCursor(40, 130);

  // Print our welcome message
  epd.print("Hello from mischianti.org!");

  // Send the buffered content to the panel (single update)
  epd.display();

  // Put the panel into ultra-low-power sleep mode
  epd.hibernate();

  // Optionally cut the power rail to reduce consumption further
  epdPower(LOW);
}

void loop() {
  // Nothing to do here—everything happens once in setup()
}

Datasheet

ESP32s3 datasheet

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SSD1683 datasheet

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Board Schematic

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