Waveshare ESP32-S3-LCD-1.47

The ESP32-S3-LCD-1.47 is the “everything board”: a 1.47″ 172×320 IPS screen, an onboard RGB pixel, a microSD slot, and audio-ready pins on one small board — the pick when your prop wants lights, a display, and sound.

Chip	ESP32-S3
Flash	16 MB
PSRAM	8 MB
Max LEDs	256
Audio	✔
Display	1.47" 172x320 ST7789 IPS LCD (SPI)
Touch	—
Storage	microSD card
Network	✔
Update modes	Standalone (WiFi/OTA) · Loader (USB-drop)

What it’s good for

Props that do several things at once. The reference build is the Pulse Rifle: the screen shows a two-digit ammo counter in a seven-segment font, the BOOT button is the trigger, each shot flashes the onboard pixel as a muzzle flash and fires a fire.wav — polyphonically, so rapid fire never clips a shot short — while the counter ticks down. The removable microSD card means sound libraries aren’t squeezed into on-chip flash, and 16 MB flash plus 8 MB PSRAM leave plenty of headroom.

Wiring

GPIO	Can do	Notes
0	in / out	BOOT button (strapping) — prop projects use it as the trigger/arm button
1	in / out / PWM / ADC	ADC1_CH0; I2S BCLK when an audio amp is wired
2	in / out / PWM / ADC	ADC1_CH1; I2S LRC/WS when an audio amp is wired
3	in / out / PWM / ADC	ADC1_CH2; I2S DIN when an audio amp is wired
4	in / out / PWM / ADC	ADC1_CH3
5	in / out / PWM / ADC	ADC1_CH4
6	in / out / PWM / ADC	ADC1_CH5
7	in / out / PWM / ADC	ADC1_CH6
8	in / out / PWM / ADC	ADC1_CH7
9	in / out / PWM / ADC	ADC1_CH8
10	in / out / PWM / ADC	ADC1_CH9
11	in / out / PWM
12	in / out / PWM
13	in / out / PWM
38	out / PWM	Onboard RGB WS2812 — default LED data pin

Reserved pins — leave these alone

• GPIO 14 — microSD clock
• GPIO 15 — microSD command
• GPIO 16 — microSD data 0
• GPIO 17 — microSD data 2
• GPIO 18 — microSD data 1
• GPIO 21 — microSD data 3 / chip select
• GPIO 39 — LCD reset
• GPIO 40 — LCD clock
• GPIO 41 — LCD data/command
• GPIO 42 — LCD chip select
• GPIO 45 — LCD data in
• GPIO 48 — LCD backlight

GPIO1–13 are broken out on the header for your strips, buttons, and sensors; GPIO1–10 double as ADC1 analog inputs, which stay reliable while WiFi is on. The onboard RGB WS2812 on GPIO38 is the default LED output — a fresh board lights it with no wiring. External strips take any free header pin, named in your show.json. The BOOT button (GPIO0) is a normal input at runtime — the prop projects use it as the trigger/arm button.

Caution

The microSD slot and the LCD own the reserved pins (14–18, 21 for the card; 39–42, 45, 48 for the screen). A show that targets one of them gets an “unavailable” error instead of fighting the hardware.

Audio

Sound comes from a small I2S amplifier (such as the MAX98357A) on the header — GPIO1/2/3 are the documented wiring:

Amp pin	Board pin
BCLK	GPIO1
LRC / WS	GPIO2
DIN	GPIO3

Leave the amp’s GAIN and SD pins at their defaults. This matches the amp wiring on the T-Display-S3.

Storage & your data

This board is different from its siblings: your files live on the microSD card, not on-chip. Prep the card on your computer — copy show.json, config.json, fonts, and sounds onto it — then insert it. The USB data-drive workflow the on-chip-FAT boards use does not apply here.

The upside: your data is on a removable card, so firmware operations that re-layout the chip’s flash (like switching update modes) never touch it, and swapping shows can be as simple as swapping cards.

First-time flashing

Flash over the USB port. If the board doesn’t show up for flashing, hold the BOOT button (GPIO0) while pressing reset, then release BOOT — that’s ROM download mode, which always works. Full walkthrough: Flashing your board.

Update modes

The LCD-1.47 supports both update modes — pick one per device:

• Standalone — update firmware over WiFi from the device’s web dashboard. See the standalone quickstart.
• Loader — no WiFi: tap RESET then press BOOT, the board appears as a USB drive, and you drag a firmware.uf2 onto it. See the loader quickstart.

Switching a device between modes is a one-time USB reflash. On this board there’s nothing to back up first — your data lives on the SD card, untouched.

Quirks

• show.json and sounds live on the microSD card. Prep it on a PC; the USB data-drive upload used by the on-chip-FAT boards doesn’t apply here.
• GPIO1/2/3 are the documented wiring for a MAX98357A I2S amp (BCLK / LRC / DIN) — keep them free if you plan to add sound.
• The onboard WS2812 on GPIO38 is the default LED output, handy as a status pixel or a one-pixel effect (the Pulse Rifle uses it as the muzzle flash).
• The SD slot is wired for fast 4-bit access, which is why six pins (14–18 and 21) are board-owned rather than two or three.