RkBlog

Wio Terminal - microcontroller and a LCD screen in a handy case

2021-11-07

Wio Terminal is a microcontroller and a 2.4 "LCD screen contained in a handy casing. The device allows you to easily create projects and prototypes based on a microcontroller with a graphic interface and built-in buttons as controls.

Simple game available by default on Wio Terminal
Simple game available by default on Wio Terminal
Simple game available by default on Wio Terminal

Seeed Studio wanted me to review Wio Terminal and do some example projects with it so lets start with an introduction:

Wio Terminal components and capabilities

Wio Terminal is equipped with a ATSAMD51P19 microcontroller and a 2.4 "LCD screen with a resolution of 320x240 (ILI9341). The device contains also WiFi/Bluetooth RTL8720DN module, IR emitter, light sensor, microSD slot, two Grove and one USB-C connector.

We also have 40 GPIO pins on a connector compatible with the Raspberry Pi. The USB connector can also work in OTG mode and supports mice, keyboards, MIDI devices, printers and game controllers. The device can be programmed via the Arduino platform as well as using MicroPython (ArduPy) or CircuitPython.

Back of the device
Grove and USB-C connectors
Top panel buttons

Wio Terminal can be bought from Seeed Studio but you also should check for a local reseller to get it quicker and easier.

Use cases

When browsing showcased projects, you can immediately see that this device is used to display a graphical interface for various sensors and devices creating weather stations, image visualization for a thermal camera and much more. You can see various projects on the vendor website.

Seeed Studio

Seeed Studio is known for producing high-quality components for amateur makers. Wio Terminal has appropriate support and documentation - be it from the Arduino or ArduPy. In the case of Arduino, of course, the ecosystem is much larger than MicroPython/ArduPy.

There is also similar but bigger ReTerminal which contains a full Raspberry Pi instead of a microcontroller so the features but also power requirements are greater.

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