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ESP32 with Built-in SX1276 LoRa and SSD1306 OLED Display (Review)

April 26, 2021 By Sara Santos

ESP32 with Built-in SX1276 LoRa and SSD1306 OLED Display (Review)

The TTGO LoRa32 board is an ESP32 with a built-in SX1276 LoRa chip and an SSD1306 OLED display. This is the best board to experiment with LoRa projects.

About LoRa Communication

LoRa is a wireless data communication technology that uses a radio modulation technique that can be generated by Semtech LoRa transceiver chips like the SX1276 used in this board.

The biggest advantages of LoRa over other modulation techniques are:

  • Long range communication (you can easily achieve communication 1 km distance between boards in open area);
  • High immunity to interference;
  • Low power consumption.
LoRa features and specifications

With LoRa you can exchange small amounts of data (low bandwidth) over long distances with low power requirements. This is ideal for internet of things projects.

LoRa Frequencies

LoRa uses unlicensed frequencies that are available worldwide. These are the most widely used frequencies:

  • 868 MHz for Europe
  • 915 MHz for North America
  • 433 MHz band for Asia

Because these bands are unlicensed, anyone can freely use them without paying or having to get a license. Check the LoRa frequencies used in your country.

Where to buy?

You can get two TTGO LoRa32 boards for approximately $30. Check the available stores below and make sure you select the right frequency for your country.

Amazon.com - LILYGO LoRa32 ESP32 OLED Version 2.1
Amazon.com - LILYGO LoRa32 ESP32 OLED Version 2.1
Amazon.com - LILYGO LoRa32 ESP32 OLED Version 2.1
$23.50
in stock
as of February 24, 2023 3:37 pm
BUY NOW
Amazon.com
Banggod - LILYGO® TTGO LORA32 868Mhz
Banggod - LILYGO® TTGO LORA32 868Mhz
Banggod - LILYGO® TTGO LORA32 868Mhz
$23.52
$30.11
BUY NOW
Banggood.com
Aliexpress - TTGO Lora32 OLED 868 / 915MHz Sx1276 (2 pcs)
Aliexpress - TTGO Lora32 OLED 868 / 915MHz Sx1276 (2 pcs)
Aliexpress - TTGO Lora32 OLED 868 / 915MHz Sx1276 (2 pcs)
$27.11
$30.12
in stock
BUY NOW
Aliexpress
eBay - TTGO LoRa32 V2.0 433 MHz ESP32 0.96" OLED
eBay - TTGO LoRa32 V2.0 433 MHz ESP32 0.96" OLED
eBay - TTGO LoRa32 V2.0 433 MHz ESP32 0.96" OLED
$28.63
in stock
BUY NOW
eBay
Amazon.co.uk - LILYGO LoRa32 ESP32 OLED Version 2.1
Amazon.co.uk - LILYGO LoRa32 ESP32 OLED Version 2.1
Amazon.co.uk - LILYGO LoRa32 ESP32 OLED Version 2.1
£26.00
in stock
as of February 24, 2023 3:37 pm
BUY NOW
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.de - LILYGO LoRa32 ESP32 OLED Version 2.1
Amazon.de - LILYGO LoRa32 ESP32 OLED Version 2.1
Amazon.de - LILYGO LoRa32 ESP32 OLED Version 2.1
€35.00
€37.00
in stock
as of February 24, 2023 3:37 pm
BUY NOW
Amazon.de
Amazon.es - LILYGO LoRa32 ESP32 OLED Version 2.1
Amazon.es - LILYGO LoRa32 ESP32 OLED Version 2.1
Amazon.es - LILYGO LoRa32 ESP32 OLED Version 2.1
€49.07
in stock
as of February 24, 2023 3:37 pm
BUY NOW
Amazon.es
Amazon.com - 2Pcs TTGO LORA32 868/915Mhz
Amazon.com - 2Pcs TTGO LORA32 868/915Mhz
Amazon.com - 2Pcs TTGO LORA32 868/915Mhz
$75.45
in stock
as of February 24, 2023 3:37 pm
BUY NOW
Amazon.com

TTGO LoRa32 SX1276 OLED Board Overview

The TTGO LoRa32 OLED board is an ESP32 development board with the SX1276 LoRa chip and an OLED display.

TTGO LoRa32 SX1276 OLED Overview

TTGO LoRa32 SX1276 Pins and Connections

The SX1276 LoRa chip is internally connected to the ESP32 as follows:

SX1276 LoRa Pin ESP32
MISO GPIO 19
MOSI GPIO 27
SCK GPIO 5
CS GPIO 18
IRQ GPIO 26
RST GPIO 14

TTGO LoRa32 SSD1306 OLED Pins

The OLED is an SSD1306 0.96 inch model, which is the same OLED we use in our electronics projects (Get started with OLED display using ESP32).

TTGO LoRa32 OLED with antenna

So, controlling this OLED is the same as controlling an individual OLED connected to the ESP32. We just need to take into account the connections between the OLED and the ESP32 on this development board.

OLED ESP32
SCL GPIO 15
SDA GPIO 4
RST GPIO 16

GPIOs

This board also features several GPIOs to connect peripherals. The board package includes two rows of header pins that you should solder if you want to use those GPIOs to get sensor readings or control outputs.

TTGO LoRa32 OLED Pinout GPIOs

CP2102 Interface

The board uses CP2102 interface and USB serial chip, so it is easy to upload code. You just need to use a USB cable (with data wires) to connect it to your computer and upload the code.

TTGO LoRa32 OLED Serial USB CP2102 Interface

Power supply

You can power this board through a USB cable, or using a lithium battery. Connecting the battery is easy as it comes with a lithium battery charging circuit and a 2-pin JST header. When you get the board, you’ll also get a battery connector.

TTGO LoRa32 OLED Power connector

PRG and RST Buttons

As with other ESP32 development boards, this also has two buttons: one to reset the board (RST) and the other to put the board in flashing mode (PRG).

TTGO LoRa32 OLED Buttons

Antenna

You must connect the antenna to the IPEX connector to use the board. If you don’t use the antenna, you may damage the board.

TTGO LoRa32 OLED Antenna connector

TTGO LoRa32 OLED Pinout

The following figure shows the TTGO LoRa32 OLED pinout.

TTGO LoRa32 OLED Pinout GPIOs board overview

Get Started with the TTGO LoRa32 OLED Board

Get Started with the TTGO LoRa32 OLED Board

To get started with the TTGO LoRa32 SX1276 OLED board, we recommend following the next tutorial:

  • TTGO LoRa32 SX1276 OLED Board – Getting Started with Arduino IDE

This tutorial is also applicable for other LoRa boards. You just need to make sure that the pin definition in your code matches the pinout of your board.

Wrapping Up

The TTGO LoRa32 OLED is a great board to start experimenting with LoRa projects with the ESP32 board. The built-in SX1276 LoRa chip and OLED display makes things way easier and quicker.

You can use the OLED to display information about received and sent LoRa packets without having to worry about the circuitry.

We hope you’ve found this overview useful. For more information, read the following tutorials about LoRa with the ESP32.

  • TTGO LoRa32 OLED Board – Guide for Arduino IDE
  • ESP32 with LoRa using Arduino IDE – Getting Started
  • ESP32 LoRa Sensor Monitoring with Web Server (Long Range Communication)

Lastly, if you don’t have a TTGO LoRa OLED board, take a look at the following options.

Banggod - LILYGO® TTGO LORA32 868Mhz
Banggod - LILYGO® TTGO LORA32 868Mhz
Banggod - LILYGO® TTGO LORA32 868Mhz
$23.52
$30.11
BUY NOW
Banggood.com

You may also like the following articles:

  • $11 TTGO T-Call ESP32 with SIM800L GSM/GPRS Overview
  • 10 IoT Development Boards You Need to Get
  • $7 ESP32-CAM with OV2640 Camera Overview
  • ESP32 Built-in OLED Board (Wemos Lolin32): Overview and Getting Started

Thanks for reading.


[Recommended Course] Learn ESP32 with Arduino IDE

Register in our brand new ESP32 course with Arduino IDE. This is our complete guide to program the ESP32 with Arduino IDE, including projects, tips, and tricks! The registrations are open, so sign up now.


Other RNT Courses

[eBook] Home Automation using ESP8266 »
Build IoT projects and home automation gadgets with the ESP8266 Wi-Fi module.
[Course] Build a Home Automation System »
Build a home automation system using open-source hardware and software.
[Course] Arduino Step-by-Step Projects »
Build 25 cool Arduino projects with our course even with no prior experience!

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Filed Under: Product Review, Reviews

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. W. Joe Taylor, PE says

    October 21, 2019 at 2:03 am

    Sarah,
    You and Rui are the best!
    Thanks for such a great bunch of tutorials.
    I’ve purchased 5 of them and can’t wait for the next one.
    Best regards,
    Joe

    Reply
    • Sara Santos says

      October 22, 2019 at 10:12 am

      Hi Joe.
      Thank you so much for supporting our work.
      Regards,
      Sara 😀

      Reply
  2. julio says

    January 3, 2020 at 7:55 pm

    Genial!
    Muchísimas gracias!

    Feliz ano novo!!

    Reply
  3. Kelva says

    January 12, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    good job.

    congratulation!

    Reply
  4. Tom Robert says

    February 2, 2023 at 8:27 am

    Thank you for the great review. Hadn’t even seen this design before. Can you read the battery level? I can not find a suitable pin for it ?

    Reply

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