# Source: https://learn.adafruit.com/1-8-tft-display.md

# 1.8" TFT Display Breakout and Shield

## Overview

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/019/552/medium800/lcds___displays_358_ORIG.jpg?1409943847)

This tutorial is for our 1.8" diagonal TFT display. It comes packaged as a breakout or as an Arduino shield. Both styles have a microSD interface for storing files and images. These are both great ways to add a small, colorful and bright display to any project. Since the display uses 4-wire SPI to communicate and has its own pixel-addressable frame buffer, it requires little memory and only a few pins. This makes it ideal for use with small microcontrollers.

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/117/636/medium800/arduino_compatibles_1.8_TFT_back_EYESPI_connector.jpg?1674599279)

This display breakout comes with an EYESPI connector! This 18-pin 0.5mm pitch FPC connector has a flip-top connector for using a flex cable to hook up your display. It enables you to avoid soldering and get your display up off of the breadboard! Consider it a sort of "STEMMA QT for displays" - a way to quickly connect and extend display wiring that uses a lot of SPI pins. It also allows for communicating with displays over longer distances. The [EYESPI flex cables](https://www.adafruit.com/?q=eyespi+cable&sort=BestMatch) are available in multiple lengths to suit any project. This is especially useful for projects where you want your display mounted separate from your microcontroller.

The shield version plugs directly into an Arduino with no wiring required. The breakout version can be used with every kind of microcontroller.

![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/008/415/medium800/lcds___displays_2013_05_02_IMG_1736-1024.jpg?1396864921)

The 1.8" display has 128x160 color pixels. Unlike the low cost "Nokia 6110" and similar LCD displays, which are CSTN type and thus have poor color and slow refresh, this display is a true TFT! The TFT driver (ST7735R) can display full 18-bit color (262,144 shades!). And the LCD will always come with the same driver chip so there's no worries that your code will not work from one to the other.  
  
Both boards have the TFT soldered on (it uses a delicate flex-circuit connector) as well as a ultra-low-dropout 3.3V regulator and a 3/5V level shifter so you can use it with 3.3V **or** 5V power and logic. These also include a microSD card holder so you can easily load full color bitmaps from a FAT16/FAT32 formatted microSD card. And on the Shield version, we've added a nifty 5-way joystick navigation switch!  
  
**You can pick up one of these displays in the Adafruit shop!** [1.8" 18-bit color TFT breakout](http://www.adafruit.com/products/358 "Link: http://www.adafruit.com/products/358")  
[1.8" 18-bit Color TFT Shield](http://www.adafruit.com/products/802 "Link: http://www.adafruit.com/products/802")

- [Next Page](https://learn.adafruit.com/1-8-tft-display/breakout-pinouts.md)

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