examples/display not working on ESP32-S3-LCD-Ev-Board (BSP-701)

[Owneyy]

Board

ESP32-S3-LCD-EV-Board

Hardware Description

ESP32-S3-LCD-EV-Board with the SUB2 display (GC9503CV LCD driver, 480x480, RGB, FT5x06 touch driver)

IDE Name

VSCode

Operating System

Windows 11

Description

I downloaded the display example and made some changes to the sdkconfig file (such as CPU and memory settings, PSRAM, Flash, LVGL buffer and memory and LVGL performance options). The project was built using the ESP-IDF command provided in the README file: idf.py -D SDKCONFIG_DEFAULTS=sdkconfig.bsp.esp32_s3_lcd_ev_board -p COM6 flash monitor .
I have been chatting with the Espressif documentation bot and changing the sdkconfig all day but nothing seems to work. However, flashing the example directly via ESP Launchpad works perfectly fine, it displays the example as it should.

The project builds and flashes correctly but the display is completly black except the backlight.

I (26) boot: ESP-IDF v5.4.2 2nd stage bootloader
I (27) boot: compile time Jul 16 2025 14:27:31
I (27) boot: Multicore bootloader
I (27) boot: chip revision: v0.2
I (30) boot: efuse block revision: v1.3
I (33) qio_mode: Enabling QIO for flash chip GD
I (38) boot.esp32s3: Boot SPI Speed : 80MHz
I (41) boot.esp32s3: SPI Mode       : QIO
I (45) boot.esp32s3: SPI Flash Size : 4MB
I (49) boot: Enabling RNG early entropy source...
I (53) boot: Partition Table:
I (56) boot: ## Label            Usage          Type ST Offset   Length
I (62) boot:  0 nvs              WiFi data        01 02 00009000 00006000
I (69) boot:  1 phy_init         RF data          01 01 0000f000 00001000
I (75) boot:  2 factory          factory app      00 00 00010000 00100000
I (82) boot: End of partition table
I (85) esp_image: segment 0: paddr=00010020 vaddr=3c060020 size=26e88h (159368) map
I (116) esp_image: segment 1: paddr=00036eb0 vaddr=3fca4a00 size=034e4h ( 13540) load
I (119) esp_image: segment 2: paddr=0003a39c vaddr=40374000 size=05c7ch ( 23676) load
I (125) esp_image: segment 3: paddr=00040020 vaddr=42000020 size=5520ch (348684) map
I (179) esp_image: segment 4: paddr=00095234 vaddr=40379c7c size=1accch (109772) load
I (200) esp_image: segment 5: paddr=000aff08 vaddr=600fe000 size=0001ch (    28) load
I (213) boot: Loaded app from partition at offset 0x10000
I (213) boot: Disabling RNG early entropy source...
I (223) octal_psram: vendor id    : 0x0d (AP)
I (223) octal_psram: dev id       : 0x03 (generation 4)
I (223) octal_psram: density      : 0x05 (128 Mbit)
I (225) octal_psram: good-die     : 0x01 (Pass)
I (229) octal_psram: Latency      : 0x01 (Fixed)
I (234) octal_psram: VCC          : 0x00 (1.8V)
I (238) octal_psram: SRF          : 0x01 (Fast Refresh)
I (243) octal_psram: BurstType    : 0x01 (Hybrid Wrap)
I (248) octal_psram: BurstLen     : 0x01 (32 Byte)
I (252) octal_psram: Readlatency  : 0x02 (10 cycles@Fixed)
I (258) octal_psram: DriveStrength: 0x00 (1/1)
I (262) MSPI Timing: PSRAM timing tuning index: 6
I (266) esp_psram: Found 16MB PSRAM device
I (270) esp_psram: Speed: 80MHz
I (284) mmu_psram: Read only data copied and mapped to SPIRAM
I (309) mmu_psram: Instructions copied and mapped to SPIRAM
I (310) cpu_start: Multicore app
I (854) esp_psram: SPI SRAM memory test OK
I (862) cpu_start: Pro cpu start user code
I (862) cpu_start: cpu freq: 240000000 Hz
I (862) app_init: Application information:
I (863) app_init: Project name:     display
I (866) app_init: App version:      benchmark-latest-dirty
I (871) app_init: Compile time:     Jul 16 2025 14:26:52
I (876) app_init: ELF file SHA256:  8c49e915a...
I (881) app_init: ESP-IDF:          v5.4.2
I (885) efuse_init: Min chip rev:     v0.0
I (888) efuse_init: Max chip rev:     v0.99 
I (892) efuse_init: Chip rev:         v0.2
I (896) heap_init: Initializing. RAM available for dynamic allocation:
I (902) heap_init: At 3FCA8C18 len 00040AF8 (258 KiB): RAM
I (908) heap_init: At 3FCE9710 len 00005724 (21 KiB): RAM
I (913) heap_init: At 3FCF0000 len 00008000 (32 KiB): DRAM
I (918) heap_init: At 600FE01C len 00001FCC (7 KiB): RTCRAM
I (923) esp_psram: Adding pool of 15808K of PSRAM memory to heap allocator
I (930) esp_psram: Adding pool of 36K of PSRAM memory gap generated due to end address alignment of drom to the heap allocator
I (941) spi_flash: detected chip: gd
I (944) spi_flash: flash io: qio
W (947) spi_flash: Detected size(16384k) larger than the size in the binary image header(4096k). Using the size in the binary image header.
I (960) sleep_gpio: Configure to isolate all GPIO pins in sleep state
I (966) sleep_gpio: Enable automatic switching of GPIO sleep configuration
I (973) main_task: Started on CPU0
I (976) esp_psram: Reserving pool of 32K of internal memory for DMA/internal allocations
I (984) main_task: Calling app_main()
I (987) LVGL: Starting LVGL task
I (990) bsp_probe: Detect module with 16MB PSRAM
W (994) i2c.master: Please check pull-up resistances whether be connected properly. Otherwise unexpected behavior would happen. For more detailed information, please read docs
I (1010) bsp_probe: Detect sub_board2 with 480x480 LCD (GC9503), Touch (FT5x06)
I (1017) gpio: GPIO[3]| InputEn: 0| OutputEn: 1| OpenDrain: 0| Pullup: 1| Pulldown: 0| Intr:0
I (1026) bsp_sub_board: Install panel IO
I (1029) lcd_panel.io.3wire_spi: Panel IO create success, version: 1.0.1
I (1035) bsp_sub_board: Initialize RGB panel
W (2858) lcd_panel.io.3wire_spi: Delete but keep CS line inactive
D (2878) lcd_panel.rgb: new rgb panel(0) @0x3c0892ec, num_fbs=2, fb_size=460800, bb0 @0x3fcb7020, bb1 @0x3fcb9624, bb_size=9600
D (2879) lcd_panel.rgb: fb[0] @0x3c0909c0
D (2882) lcd_panel.rgb: fb[1] @0x3c101200
I (2886) gc9503: LCD panel create success, version: 3.0.1
D (2891) lcd_panel.rgb: rgb panel(0) start, pclk=16000000Hz
W (2896) S3-LCD-EV-BOARD: CONFIG_BSP_LCD_RGB_BOUNCE_BUFFER_MODE
D (2924) lcd_panel.io.i2c: new i2c lcd panel io @0x3fcbd028
I (2940) example: Display LVGL animation
ha entrado en la funcion example_lvgl_demo_ui
W (2970) S3-LCD-EV-BOARD: This board doesn't support to change brightness of LCD
I (2971) main_task: Returned from app_main()

Sketch

// This code is exactly the same as the one in the official example but I will put it here anyway

#include <stdio.h>
#include "bsp/esp-bsp.h"
#include "lvgl.h"
#include "esp_log.h"

extern void example_lvgl_demo_ui(lv_obj_t *scr);

void app_main(void)
{
    bsp_display_start();

    ESP_LOGI("example", "Display LVGL animation");
    bsp_display_lock(0);
    lv_obj_t *scr = lv_disp_get_scr_act(NULL);
    example_lvgl_demo_ui(scr);

    bsp_display_unlock();
    bsp_display_backlight_on();
}

Other Steps to Reproduce

No response

I have checked existing issues, README.md and ESP32 Forum

• I confirm I have checked existing issues, online documentation and Troubleshooting guide.

[github-actions]

Hi @Owneyy! Please be aware that (1) the following suggestions are generated by a bot and haven't been fact-checked by Espressif Systems, (2) burning eFuses and enabling security features are irreversible operations and can damage your ESP32 device. We hope that this message will help you until an Espressif Engineer looks at your issue.

---

Thank you for the detailed report. Based on your description and the provided logs, your hardware (ESP32-S3-LCD-EV-Board with SUB2, GC9503CV 480x480 RGB LCD, FT5x06 touch) is supported and the example works when flashed via ESP Launchpad, but not when built and flashed manually, resulting in a black screen with only the backlight on.

Here are some key points and troubleshooting steps based on Espressif's documentation and your log output:

---

1. Backlight Control

Your log shows the backlight is on, but the display remains black. The BSP functions for backlight and brightness (bsp_display_backlight_on, bsp_display_brightness_set) are not supported on this board—they always return ESP_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED. This is expected and not the cause of your issue, as the backlight is hardware-controlled and not software-adjustable on this board. The display should still show content if everything else is correct [API Reference: Display and Touch].

---

2. Panel and Touch Detection

Your log confirms the correct detection of the SUB2 board and the GC9503CV LCD with FT5x06 touch:

I (1010) bsp_probe: Detect sub_board2 with 480x480 LCD (GC9503), Touch (FT5x06)
I (2886) gc9503: LCD panel create success, version: 3.0.1

This means the hardware is being detected and initialized as expected.

---

3. LVGL and Buffer Configuration

The log shows LVGL is starting and the framebuffers are being allocated. However, if you have changed LVGL buffer or memory settings in sdkconfig, it is possible that the configuration is not compatible with the hardware or the example. The official example uses a known-good configuration, which is why it works when flashed via ESP Launchpad.

Recommendation:
Try building your project using the exact sdkconfig.bsp.esp32_s3_lcd_ev_board file provided with the example, without any modifications. This ensures all required options (such as PSRAM, buffer sizes, and memory allocation) are set correctly. Even small changes in buffer size, memory location (PSRAM vs. internal RAM), or LVGL settings can cause the display to remain blank.

---

4. RGB LCD Panel Issues

The Espressif documentation notes that for RGB LCDs, issues like a black screen can be caused by incorrect timing, buffer, or memory settings. If you have changed the LVGL buffer to use PSRAM, or altered the bounce buffer size, this can cause the panel not to refresh properly [RGB LCD Panel Example: Troubleshooting].

• Bounce Buffer: The log shows CONFIG_BSP_LCD_RGB_BOUNCE_BUFFER_MODE is enabled. If you changed the buffer size, try reverting to the default or increasing it as recommended in the documentation.
• PSRAM: If you enabled buffer allocation in PSRAM, try disabling it and use internal RAM for the LVGL buffer.

---

5. Special Initialization

Some LCDs require a specific initialization sequence. The GC9503CV panel used on SUB2 is supported by the BSP and should work out of the box with the provided example and configuration. If you have changed the initialization code or configuration, revert to the original.

---

6. Summary of Steps

1. Restore the original sdkconfig.bsp.esp32_s3_lcd_ev_board and build/flash without modifications.
2. Do not change LVGL buffer or memory settings unless you are certain of the hardware requirements.
3. If you need to customize settings, do so incrementally and test after each change.
4. If the display works with the default config but not with your changes, the issue is almost certainly with the configuration.

---

7. Reference Example

You can find the official example and configuration here:
Display Example (ESP-BSP)

---

In summary:
The most likely cause is a configuration mismatch in your custom sdkconfig. Please use the default configuration provided with the example, and only make changes if absolutely necessary, testing after each change. The fact that ESP Launchpad works confirms the hardware and example code are correct [API Reference: Display and Touch] [RGB LCD Panel Example: Troubleshooting].

If you continue to have issues after restoring the default configuration, please provide the exact sdkconfig you are using for further analysis.

[Owneyy]

Looks like I accidentally created a sdkconfig file appart from the one that the example provided. This incorrect file overrided the one in the example.