Round LCD Board based on Raspberry Pi’s RP2040 Microcontroller

UK-based hardware developer Om Singh has launched a crowdfunding project built on two popular microcontrollers, RP2040 and ESP32. The RoundyPi, as the name suggests, is a Raspberry Pi’s in-house silicon tape-out RP2040 powered, compact and stylish LCD display of size 1.28-inches. RP2040 brings its distinctive characteristics of high performance, low cost, and ease of use to the microcontroller space. With a display of a 1.28-inch color screen and a resolution of 240×240 pixels, as well as an SD card slot, USB port, and the GC9A01 driver, bring down the number of I/O pins required. RoundyPi features two USB ports, one for power transmission and the other for data transmission, and provides one slot for an SD card.

The high-performance MCU RP2040 is quite flexible and versatile with digital screens that deliver remarkable efficiency and power for petite and compact dimensions. It incorporates a minimal-power ARM dual-core Cortex-M0+ processor with a CPU speed of up to 133MHz. Furthermore, the RP2040 features 264KB on-chip RAM, a DMA controller, two UARTs, two SPI controllers, and two I2C controllers, which together enable the module to run efficiently and quickly. Among the most appealing features of this low-cost microcontroller is the incorporation of a potentially powerful chip, the RP2040, at an unbeatable price, which will help clients construct cost-effective embedded electronics components or projects.

Another product, RoundyFi, based on the ESP-12E is a circular LCD with an elegant and sleek display unit of the same size as RoundyPi of 1.28 inches with 240×240 resolution and 65K RGB colors. It offers a vivid and vibrant effect that will enhance and boost the project’s user interface. Featuring an inbuilt GC9A01 driver and an SPI interface, RoundyFi considerably reduces the number of I/O pins required. Circular-shaped LCD displays have gotten trendy recently as they offer the project a modest and impressive appeal, which is often quite aesthetically pleasing.

Developers and electronics enthusiasts can get more information on the official crowdfunding page.