The TFT designer support program can be used to experiment with layout changes during the program design phase. Instead of compiling and uploading the .ino sketch after every little change, the TFT designer program works as an MMI command program. So after uploading the TFT designer to the RFzero all you have to do is to submit MMI commands to see the changes right away. This way you can save many hours of tedious work.

The program only works with the ILI9341 and IL9488 TFT displays.

Example of an ILI9341.

The MMI commands are done via the USB port, 9600 Baud, 8 bits, no parity and one stop bit, using a terminal program (e.g. Arduino IDE Serial Monitor, Termite Terminal (Windows), CuteCom (Linux) or Terminal (Mac OS)). Please connect the RFzero via a USB cable to your computer and connect the terminal program to the right COM port in the terminal program. The RFzero identifies itself as an Arduino Zero (Windows Device Manager). You may even use the TFT designer Windows computer program to make it even easier to work with rapid changes.

Click here to download the TFT designer Windows program. You don’t need to install the program. Just unzip it to a working directory where the work .txt files are also saved.

The Windows TFT designer program (for Windows).

Commands

clr

Clears the display screen.

b COLOR

To set the 16 bits RGB565 background COLOR in hex. This also applies to the ILI9488.

f COLOR

To set the 16 bits RGB565 foreground COLOR in hex. This also applies to the ILI9488.

d X Y SIZE VALUE DECIMALS

To write a double VALUE at X, Y using SIZE text size and number of DECIMALS.

i X Y SIZE VALUE

To write an integer VALUE at X, Y using SIZE text size.

s X Y SIZE TEXT

To write a TEXT at X, Y using SIZE text size. Use _ for space.

h X Y LENGTH

To write a horizontal line at X, Y with a LENGTH of pixels.

v X Y HEIGHT

To write a vertical line at X, Y with a HEIGHT of pixels.

c X Y RADIUS COLOR

To print a circle at X, Y with a RADIUS of pixels using 16 bits RGB565 COLOR.

r X Y WIDTH HEIGHT COLOR

To write a rectangle at X, Y with a WIDTH and HEIGHT of pixels using 16 bits RGB565 COLOR.