The Adafruit 1.3" Color TFT Bonnet is an add-on board designed for the Raspberry Pi, featuring a vibrant 1.3-inch TFT display with a resolution of 240x240 pixels. This compact and versatile bonnet not only provides a colorful output interface for your projects but also includes a 5-way joystick and three tactile buttons for user input, making it an ideal choice for portable gaming, user interfaces, or any project requiring a compact display and simple controls.

• Portable gaming systems
• Interactive displays for projects
• User interfaces for IoT devices
• DIY electronics projects requiring visual output and simple navigation

• Size: 1.3 inches diagonal
• Resolution: 240x240 pixels
• Interface: SPI

• Type: 5-way digital joystick
• Connections: Directly wired to GPIO pins

• Quantity: 3 tactile buttons
• Connections: Directly wired to GPIO pins

• Supply Voltage: 3.3V to 5V DC
• Current Draw: Typically 100mA (depends on brightness and content displayed)

Note: This table is not exhaustive. Refer to the full pinout diagram for complete details.

1. Power off your Raspberry Pi.
2. Align the 40-pin GPIO connector of the TFT Bonnet with the GPIO header on the Raspberry Pi.
3. Gently press down to connect the bonnet to the Raspberry Pi.

Before using the display, you need to install the necessary software. Adafruit provides a Python library that makes it easy to draw to the display and read inputs from the joystick and buttons.

1. Update your Raspberry Pi with the latest packages:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

2. Install the Adafruit Python library for the TFT display and joystick:

sudo pip3 install adafruit-circuitpython-rgb-display
sudo pip3 install adafruit-circuitpython-joystick

3. Enable SPI and I2C interfaces on your Raspberry Pi using raspi-config:

sudo raspi-config

Navigate to Interfacing Options > SPI and I2C and enable both.

After installing the necessary libraries and enabling the interfaces, you can run a test script to ensure the display and joystick are working correctly.

import board
import digitalio
import adafruit_rgb_display.st7789 as st7789

cs_pin = digitalio.DigitalInOut(board.CE0) dc_pin = digitalio.DigitalInOut(board.D25) reset_pin = None

display = st7789.ST7789( board.SPI(), cs=cs_pin, dc=dc_pin, rst=reset_pin, width=240, height=240, baudrate=64000000, rotation=180 )

display.fill(0x7521)

*Note: This is a basic example to get the display up and running. For full functionality, including joystick and button input, refer to the Adafruit documentation and example code.*

• Always power off the Raspberry Pi before attaching or detaching the TFT Bonnet to prevent damage.
• Use a proper power supply that can handle the current requirements of the Raspberry Pi and the TFT Bonnet.
• Avoid exposing the display to direct sunlight for extended periods to prevent damage.

• Display not lighting up: Ensure that the bonnet is properly seated on the GPIO pins and that SPI is enabled.
• Inputs not responding: Verify that the I2C interface is enabled and that the GPIO pins are not being used by other processes.

• Double-check the wiring and connections if you're using the bonnet with a breadboard or custom setup.
• Review the software installation steps to ensure all necessary libraries are installed.
• Consult the Raspberry Pi's dmesg and lsmod commands to check for any kernel messages or modules related to SPI and I2C.

Q: Can I use this bonnet with other models of Raspberry Pi? A: Yes, the bonnet is compatible with any Raspberry Pi model that has a 40-pin GPIO header.

Q: How do I update the display content? A: You can use the Adafruit Python library to draw text, shapes, and images to the display. Check the library documentation for detailed functions and examples.

Q: Can I use this bonnet with other programming languages? A: While Adafruit provides a Python library, you can use any language that can interface with the SPI and I2C protocols, provided you have the necessary libraries or write your own interface code.

For further assistance, visit the Adafruit forums or the Raspberry Pi community forums.