1.3 Inch OLED Display Code: Complete Guide for Arduino & Raspberry Pi (2025)

 

For makers, engineers, and DIY enthusiasts, writing functional code for 1.3 inch OLED displays hinges on understanding driver compatibility, interface protocols, and platform-specific libraries. This guide provides ready-to-use code snippets, hardware setup tips, and troubleshooting solutions—optimized for OPL’s 1.3 inch OLED modules.

 

1. Key Preparations: Drivers & Hardware Basics

 

1.3 inch OLEDs primarily use SH1106 (most common) and SSD1306 driver chips ，with I2C/SPI interfaces dominating connectivity. OPL’s 1.3 inch lineup (e.g., OPL-M130) universally supports these standards, ensuring library compatibility.

 

Critical Hardware Checks

Component OPL Recommendation Purpose
Driver Chip SH1106 (OPL-M130/OPL-V130) Controls pixel addressing
Interface I2C (4 pins) / SPI (7 pins) Balances simplicity/speed
Power Supply 3.3V DC (20mA typical current) Prevents burnout (1.3 寸功耗高于 0.96 寸)
Pull-Up Resistors 4.7kΩ (for I2C SDA/SCL lines) Stabilizes signal transmission

 

2. Arduino Code Tutorial (SH1106/SSD1306)

Arduino is the most popular platform for 1.3 inch OLEDs—below are tested code examples for OPL modules.

Step 1: Library Installation

Install required libraries via Arduino Library Manager:

  • SH1106 Modules: "Adafruit SH110X" (supports OPL-M130)
  • SSD1306 Modules: "Adafruit SSD1306" + "Adafruit GFX"

Step 2: Basic Text Display (I2C Interface)

Wiring for OPL-M130 (SH1106) & Arduino Uno:
OPL Pin Arduino Pin Function
VCC 3.3V Power
GND GND Ground
SDA A4 I2C Data
SCL A5 I2C Clock
Code (supports multi-language text ):
arduino 
#include <Adafruit_SH110X.h>
#include <Wire.h>

// OPL-M130 I2C address: 0x3C (default)
#define OLED_ADDR 0x3C
Adafruit_SH1106G display(128, 64, &Wire, OLED_ADDR);

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  // Initialize display (1.3寸SH1106需特殊初始化)
  if(!display.begin(0x00)) { 
    Serial.println("Display init failed");
    while(1);
  }
  display.clearDisplay();
  display.setTextSize(1);
  display.setTextColor(SH110X_WHITE);
  
  // Display multi-language text
  display.setCursor(20, 0);  // X=20, Y=0 (1.3寸需偏移校正)
  display.print("OPL OLED Test");
  display.setCursor(35, 16);
  display.print("你好，世界");  // 支持中文显示
  display.setCursor(28, 32);
  display.print("128x64 Resolution");
  display.setCursor(15, 48);
  display.print("SH1106 Driver");
  
  display.display();  // Refresh screen
  delay(5000);
}

void loop() {
  // Toggle contrast (0-255)
  for(int b=0; b<=255; b+=10) {
    display.contrast(b);
    delay(100);
  }
}
 

Step 3: Image Display (BMP Format)

  1. Prepare Image: Resize to 128×64 (monochrome) and convert to byte array via Img2Lcd (horizontal scan, C language output) 。
  2. Code Implementation:
arduino 
#include <Adafruit_SH110X.h>
#include <Wire.h>

Adafruit_SH1106G display(128, 64, &Wire, 0x3C);

// OPL logo (128x64 byte array, generated by Img2Lcd)
const unsigned char opl_logo[] PROGMEM = {
0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X03,0XC7,0XFC,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,
0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X1E,0XFF,0XFC,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,0X00,
// Add full 1024-byte array (128x64=8192 bits = 1024 bytes)
};

void setup() {
  display.begin(0x00);
  display.clearDisplay();
  // Draw bitmap (X=0, Y=0, bitmap, width=128, height=64, color=WHITE)
  display.drawBitmap(0, 0, opl_logo, 128, 64, SH110X_WHITE);
  display.display();
}

void loop() {}
 

Step 4: Dynamic Animation (PBM Frames)

For motion effects, split animations into 128×64 PBM frames and load sequentially :
arduino 
#include <Adafruit_SH110X.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include <framebuf.h>
#include <SD.h>

Adafruit_SH1106G display(128, 64, &Wire, 0x3C);
File frameFile;

void setup() {
  display.begin(0x00);
  SD.begin(4);  // SD card CS pin = D4
}

void loop() {
  // Load 6 frames (scatman.1.pbm to scatman.6.pbm)
  for(int n=1; n<=6; n++){
    frameFile = SD.open("scatman."+String(n)+".pbm", FILE_READ);
    if(frameFile){
      // Skip PBM header (3 lines)
      frameFile.readStringUntil('\n');
      frameFile.readStringUntil('\n');
      frameFile.readStringUntil('\n');
      // Read pixel data
      byte data[1024];
      frameFile.read(data, 1024);
      // Create frame buffer
      framebuf fb(data, 128, 64, framebuf.MONO_HLSB);
      // Draw and refresh
      display.blit(&fb, 0, 0);
      display.display();
      frameFile.close();
      delay(100); // Animation speed
    }
  }
}
 

3. Raspberry Pi Code Tutorial (Python)

Raspberry Pi users can leverage the luma.oled library for OPL’s 1.3 inch modules.

Step 1: Install Dependencies

bash 
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3-pip
sudo pip3 install luma.oled
 

Step 2: I2C Setup

Enable I2C interface:
bash 
sudo raspi-config -> Interface Options -> I2C -> Enable
sudo reboot
 

Step 3: Text & Graphics Code (SH1106)

python 
from luma.core.interface.serial import i2c
from luma.oled.device import sh1106
from luma.core.render import canvas
from PIL import ImageDraw, ImageFont

# Initialize OPL-M130 (I2C address 0x3C)
serial = i2c(port=1, address=0x3C)
device = sh1106(serial, width=128, height=64, rotate=0)

# Load font (16px, supports CJK)
font = ImageFont.truetype("/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans.ttf", 16)

with canvas(device) as draw:
    # Draw text
    draw.text((20, 0), "OPL 1.3\" OLED", font=font, fill="white")
    draw.text((35, 20), "Raspberry Pi", font=font, fill="white")
    draw.text((40, 40), "Test", font=font, fill="white")

# Keep display active
try:
    while True:
        pass
except KeyboardInterrupt:
    device.clear()
 

4. Common Code Issues & Fixes

Issue 1: Display Offset/Glitching

Cause: SH1106 1.3 寸屏显存起始列地址为 X=2（0.96 寸为 X=0） 。

Fix: Correct cursor position in code:

arduino 
// For SH1106 1.3 inch (OPL-M130)
void set_cursor(uint8_t x, uint8_t y) {
  x += 2; // Add 2px offset
  display.setCursor(x, y);
}
 

Issue 2: I2C Communication Failure

Cause: Missing pull-up resistors or incorrect address.

Fix:

  1. Add 4.7kΩ resistors between SDA/SCL and 3.3V.
  2. Verify address with I2C scanner:
arduino 
#include <Wire.h>
void setup(){
  Wire.begin();
  Serial.begin(9600);
  for(byte addr=0; addr<128; addr++){
    Wire.beginTransmission(addr);
    if(Wire.endTransmission()==0) Serial.print("I2C Address: 0x");
    if(addr<16) Serial.print("0");
    Serial.println(addr,HEX);
  }
}
void loop(){}
 

Issue 3: Image Distortion

Cause: Incorrect image resolution or scan mode.

Fix: Use 128×64 monochrome BMP/PBM and set Img2Lcd to "horizontal scan" .

5. OPL 1.3 Inch OLED Code Compatibility

OPL’s modules come with pre-tested code libraries and datasheets for fast integration:
OPL Model Driver Chip Supported Platforms Recommended Library
OPL-M130 SH1106 Arduino, ESP32 Adafruit SH110X
OPL-V130 SH1106 Raspberry Pi, STM32 luma.oled (Python)
OPL-C130 (Color) SSD1351 Arduino Mega, Due Adafruit SSD1351

Download OPL Code Packages:

Visit www.opldisplaytec.com/support to get ready-to-run examples for all models.

6. Contact OPL for Technical Support

Need help debugging code or selecting the right module?
  • Email: info@opldisplay.com (send code snippets for tailored fixes)
  • Website: www.opldisplaytec.com (access video tutorials and FAQs)
  • Support: 24-hour response for code-related issues.
All OPL 1.3 inch OLEDs include a 2-year warranty and free code integration guidance for commercial projects.