Nextion discovery serie

What is a Nextion display?

Nextion is a type of intelligent touchscreen display that can be used to control and interface with various devices, such as microcontrollers and single-board computers like the Arduino or Raspberry Pi. It allows users to easily create and design their own interfaces through a drag-and-drop editor and offers real-time control and interaction with connected devices.

Nextion displays have a built-in microcontroller that runs the Nextion firmware and interpret the commands coming from the host controller (such as Arduino or Raspberry Pi) to control the elements on the display, such as buttons, sliders, text fields, gauges, etc. The host controller sends serial commands to the Nextion display and the display interpret them. Users can design their interfaces using the Nextion Editor software and then upload the generated TFT file to the display via an USB cable.

Nextion displays come in a big variety of sizes and resolutions.

What are the different types of Nextion displays available?

Nextion offers a variety of display sizes and resolutions to choose from. The types of Nextion displays available include:

1. Basic Series: These displays come in many sizes such as 2.4", 2.8", 3.2", 5.0", and 7.0" and are ideal for simple projects that don't require a lot of performance.
2. Enhanced Series: These displays come in the same sizes as the basic series, but they offer more resolution and improved performance. Also this series adds 8GPIOs and RTC (Real Time Clock).
3. Intelligent Series: These displays are the most advanced in the Nextion line-up, with options such as 3.5", 4.3", 5.0", 7.0" and 8.0". They have the highest resolution and come with the fastest microcontroller and the most flash memory.
4. Discovery Series: These displays are specially designed for educational and hobby projects and contain a faster processor than the basic series. With the new image compression technique, this series can store more photos in the same amount of flash memory compared to Basic and Enhanced models. Deep sleep mode current is as low as 0.25 mA, making the Discovery Series displays more suitable for battery-powered projects.

How do I upload code to my Nextion display?

To upload code to your Nextion display, you will need to use the Nextion Editor software, which is available for free from the Nextion website. The editor software allows you to create and design your custom interfaces using a drag-and-drop editor and to generate a TFT file that can be uploaded to the display. Here are the steps to upload code to your Nextion display:

1. Connect the Nextion display to your computer using a USB cable.
2. Open the Nextion Editor software and create or edit your interface design.
3. Click the "Compile" button in the editor software to generate a TFT file.
4. Select the "Serial" option in the editor software and choose the correct serial port for your Nextion display.
5. Click the "Upload" button in the editor software to upload the TFT file to the Nextion display.
6. Wait for the upload process to complete.
7. Once the upload is complete, the Nextion display will automatically start running the new code.

Can I create animations on my Nextion display?

Yes, you can create animations on your Nextion display using the built-in microcontroller and the Nextion Editor software. The Nextion Editor software allows you to create and design custom interfaces with a drag-and-drop editor and to generate a TFT file that can be uploaded to the display. The editor software provides a variety of widgets and elements, such as buttons, sliders, text fields, gauges, etc. that can be used to build interactive interfaces. By using the events and actions feature in the editor software, you can create animations on your Nextion display.

For example, you can create a button that when pressed, it will change the position or color of an object. Or you can create a slider that when moved, it will change the value of a variable that controls the speed of an animation. You can also create animations using timers and conditional statements in the microcontroller.

It's worth noting that the Nextion display's microcontroller is not as powerful as a general-purpose microcontroller, so the animations may be limited in terms of complexity and smoothness, but it still can give a good user experience.