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Guide to 0.96″ OLED Display Module (128×64) for Arduino

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Ekostra Electronics

On April 5, 2025

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0.96″ OLED Display Module (128×64) Complete Guide

High-Contrast Display Solution for Arduino and ESP Projects

Introduction

The 0.96″ OLED display module is a popular, low-power display solution featuring a 128×64 pixel resolution with crisp white, blue, or yellow pixels on a black background. These displays use SSD1306 or SH1106 drivers and communicate via I2C or SPI interfaces.

Key Features

⚡ Power Efficiency

Consumes only 0.04W during operation

👁️ High Contrast

16:1 contrast ratio for excellent readability

📱 Compact Size

27.3mm × 27.8mm module dimensions

💾 Built-in Memory

GDDRAM for display data storage

Technical Specifications

Display Type	OLED (Organic LED)
Resolution	128 × 64 pixels
Driver IC	SSD1306 or SH1106
Interface	I2C (default) or SPI
Operating Voltage	3.3V – 5V
Viewing Angle	>160°

Pin Configuration

Pin	Description	Arduino Connection
GND	Ground	GND
VCC	Power (3.3V-5V)	3.3V or 5V
SCL	I2C Clock	A5 (Uno) or SCL
SDA	I2C Data	A4 (Uno) or SDA

Note: Some modules have additional pins for SPI interface (D/C, RST, CS)

Wiring with Arduino

I2C Connection

// Basic I2C Connections:
// OLED VCC → Arduino 5V
// OLED GND → Arduino GND
// OLED SCL → Arduino SCL (A5 on Uno)
// OLED SDA → Arduino SDA (A4 on Uno)

// Basic I2C Connections:

// OLED VCC → Arduino 5V

// OLED GND → Arduino GND

// OLED SCL → Arduino SCL (A5 on Uno)

// OLED SDA → Arduino SDA (A4 on Uno)

Finding I2C Address

Run this code to detect your OLED’s I2C address:

#include <Wire.h>

void setup() {
  Wire.begin();
  Serial.begin(9600);
  Serial.println("I2C Scanner");
}

void loop() {
  byte error, address;
  int devices = 0;
  
  Serial.println("Scanning...");
  
  for(address = 1; address < 127; address++ ) {
    Wire.beginTransmission(address);
    error = Wire.endTransmission();
    
    if (error == 0) {
      Serial.print("Device found at 0x");
      if (address<16) Serial.print("0");
      Serial.println(address,HEX);
      devices++;
    }
  }
  
  if (devices == 0) Serial.println("No devices found");
  delay(5000);
}

#include <Wire.h>

void setup() {

Wire.begin();

Serial.begin(9600);

Serial.println("I2C Scanner");

}

void loop() {

byte error, address;

int devices = 0;

Serial.println("Scanning...");

for(address = 1; address < 127; address++ ) {

Wire.beginTransmission(address);

error = Wire.endTransmission();

if (error == 0) {

Serial.print("Device found at 0x");

if (address<16) Serial.print("0");

Serial.println(address,HEX);

devices++;

}

if (devices == 0) Serial.println("No devices found");

delay(5000);

}

Arduino Library Setup

Install the Adafruit SSD1306 library from Library Manager

Adafruit SSD1306 master

1 file(s) 0.00 KB

Download
Install the Adafruit GFX library

Adafruit GFX Library master

1 file(s) 0.00 KB

Download
Include these in your sketch:

Arduino
#include <SPI.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include <Adafruit_GFX.h>
#include <Adafruit_SSD1306.h>

Arduino

#include <SPI.h>

#include <Wire.h>

#include <Adafruit_GFX.h>

#include <Adafruit_SSD1306.h>

Basic Display Example

#define SCREEN_WIDTH 128
#define SCREEN_HEIGHT 64
#define OLED_RESET -1

Adafruit_SSD1306 display(SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, &Wire, OLED_RESET);

void setup() {
  display.begin(SSD1306_SWITCHCAPVCC, 0x3C); // Address 0x3C
  
  display.clearDisplay();
  display.setTextSize(1);
  display.setTextColor(SSD1306_WHITE);
  display.setCursor(0,0);
  display.println("Hello, OLED!");
  display.display();
  delay(2000);
}

void loop() {
  // Show sensor data or animations here
}

#define SCREEN_WIDTH 128

#define SCREEN_HEIGHT 64

#define OLED_RESET -1

Adafruit_SSD1306 display(SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, &Wire, OLED_RESET);

void setup() {

display.begin(SSD1306_SWITCHCAPVCC, 0x3C); // Address 0x3C

display.clearDisplay();

display.setTextSize(1);

display.setTextColor(SSD1306_WHITE);

display.setCursor(0,0);

display.println("Hello, OLED!");

display.display();

delay(2000);

}

void loop() {

// Show sensor data or animations here

}

Advanced Features

Custom Graphics

// Draw a rectangle
display.drawRect(10, 10, 50, 30, SSD1306_WHITE);

// Draw a filled circle
display.fillCircle(64, 32, 15, SSD1306_WHITE);

// Draw a rectangle

display.drawRect(10, 10, 50, 30, SSD1306_WHITE);

// Draw a filled circle

display.fillCircle(64, 32, 15, SSD1306_WHITE);

Text Formatting

display.setTextSize(2); // 2x size text
display.setTextColor(SSD1306_WHITE);
display.setCursor(10, 10);
display.println("Large Text");

display.setTextSize(1);
display.println("Normal Text");

display.setTextSize(2); // 2x size text

display.setTextColor(SSD1306_WHITE);

display.setCursor(10, 10);

display.println("Large Text");

display.setTextSize(1);

display.println("Normal Text");

Bitmap Images

// Use LCD Assistant to convert images
static const unsigned char PROGMEM logo[] = {
  // Bitmap data here
};

display.drawBitmap(0, 0, logo, 128, 64, 1);

// Use LCD Assistant to convert images

static const unsigned char PROGMEM logo[] = {

// Bitmap data here

};

display.drawBitmap(0, 0, logo, 128, 64, 1);

Animation

for(int i=0; i<128; i++) {
  display.clearDisplay();
  display.fillRect(i, 16, 10, 32, WHITE);
  display.display();
  delay(20);
}

for(int i=0; i<128; i++) {

display.clearDisplay();

display.fillRect(i, 16, 10, 32, WHITE);

display.display();

delay(20);

}

Troubleshooting

Blank Display

Check I2C address (try both 0x3C and 0x3D)
Verify all connections are secure
Ensure contrast is set (display.ssd1306_command(SSD1306_SETCONTRAST))

Garbled Display

Check for proper voltage (3.3V-5V)
Add pull-up resistors (4.7kΩ) on SDA/SCL if needed
Reduce I2C clock speed if using long wires

Library Issues

Install latest Adafruit libraries
Modify library if using SH1106 driver
Check for conflicting libraries

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0.96″ OLED Display Module (128×64) Complete Guide

Introduction

Key Features

⚡ Power Efficiency

👁️ High Contrast

📱 Compact Size

💾 Built-in Memory

Technical Specifications

Pin Configuration

Wiring with Arduino

I2C Connection

Finding I2C Address

Arduino Library Setup

Basic Display Example

Advanced Features

Custom Graphics

Text Formatting

Bitmap Images

Animation

Troubleshooting

Blank Display

Garbled Display

Library Issues

Project Ideas

Weather Station

Game Console

System Monitor

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