Among the most well-known devices from LilyGo is the T5 family, consisting of various e-ink displays with different sizes and resolutions, combined with the powerful ESP32.
Recently, LilyGo surprised us by introducing its new LilyGo T5 4.7-inch display with integrated ESP32. This new ED047C1 panel has a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels and 16 grayscale levels. It supports partial refresh, and the refresh speed is up to 200ms.
Regarding the processor, the LilyGo T5 4.7 mounts an ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 with 16MB Flash and 8MB of PSRAM. Like all ESP32s, we are dealing with a dual-core processor up to 240Mhz, with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.
Otherwise, the display is provided “bare,” without any case, battery, or additional electronics.
On the board, we find three configurable buttons, three 4-pin Molex PH ports (2.0 pitch), and various expansion ports. It also has a battery connector and an 18650-type battery holder.
Programming the board is done via a USB Type C port, thanks to a CP2104 TTL converter. For this, we can use the usual options, such as C++, Micropython, or the Arduino environment.
As a point for improvement, as LilyGo has accustomed us, the company is better at making hardware and software than documenting it. A shame, because a small effort in marketing and documentation would likely place them in a much more well-known position.
Therefore, the information you will find regarding the T5 4.7 is scarce, disorganized, or outdated. The best repository is the product’s Github https://github.com/Xinyuan-LilyGO/LilyGo-EPD47, which includes several very interesting examples.
On the other hand, as we said, the LilyGo T5 does not have a body or case. However, if you have a 3D printer, the manufacturer has posted various designs on Github.
It is also possible to find sellers offering both cases and a touch panel for the T5 4.7, for a price of around €12. I haven’t tried them, so I can’t tell you what the final result is like, although from the photos it doesn’t look too good.
In short, the LilyGo T5 4.7-inch is a very interesting device, which integrates an ESP32 along with a very high-quality e-ink display, similar (or identical) to the one found in the popular M5 Stack Paper.
The price is around €25, much lower than that of an M5Paper. In exchange, logically, for sacrificing the touch panel, battery, case, and the rest of the features provided by the M5Paper, which justify its higher price.
However, if you need to carry out a project with an e-ink display, the LilyGo T5 4.7 is probably one of the best options available at the moment.
