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Denki Kurage is an open-source artificial jellyfish display: it runs a low-poly 3D animation on a CYD (Cheap Yellow Display), an ESP32 development board with an integrated screen. The project is designed for the ESP32-2432S028 CYD2USB with a 2.8-inch TFT and USB-C—not every board sold as a Cheap Yellow Display is supported. You can interact with the scene through the screen’s touch input, then house the board in a 3D-printed stand.
What Denki Kurage does
Created by likeablob, Denki Kurage (電気くらげ, “electric jellyfish”) turns a small embedded display into a retro, low-poly animated scene. Touch controls let you move the jellyfish vertically, rotate the camera, cycle colors, switch between solid and wireframe rendering, and show debug information. The scene also has a control for changing its simulated water-current speed.
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This is a visual display project, not a biological aquarium or a real-time model of ocean conditions. The “current” is an on-screen effect.
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- Board: ESP32-2432S028 CYD2USB, with a 2.8-inch TFT and USB-C. The project README says it currently supports only CYD2USB variants with a USB-C port, so verify the exact variant before buying.
- Fasteners: four M2x3 self-tapping screws for the enclosure.
- Stand: a 3D-printed enclosure made from the 3MF files in the project repository’s enclosure folder.
- Firmware method: the repository links to a browser-based Web Flasher. If you prefer to build from source, the documented build uses PlatformIO.
The board and assembly requirements are listed in the official Denki Kurage repository. The repository does not specify a printer model or filament type; you will need access to a 3D printer or a way to have the stand printed.
#1 Best Overall
- The display screen is controllable and can be used for APP remote control, remote environmental data collection and remote. Data , remote parameter setting and other batch development applications.
- ESP32-2432S028 development board is based on the ESP32-DOWDQ6 controller, low-power, dual-core CPU, clock frequency up to 240MHZ, integrates a wealth of resource peripherals, high-speed SDIO,SPI, UART and other functions
- Application: Home smart device image transmission, Wireless monitoring, Smart agriculture QR wireless recognition, Wireless positioning system signal, And other IoT applications
- ESP32 WIFI&Bluetooth Development Board 2.8 " 240*320 Smart Display Screen 2.8inch LCD TFT Module With Touch WROOM; Support: 1: UART/SPI/I2C/PWM/ADC/DAC and other interfaces 2:OV2640 and OV7670 cameras, built-in flash 3:picture WiFI upload 4:TF card 5:multiple sleep modes 6:Embedded Lwip and FreeRTOS 7:STA/AP/STA+AP working mode 8:Smart Config 9:AirKiss one-click network configuration 10:secondary development
- The ESP32-24325028 development board is based on the company's ESP32-D0WDQ6 controller, with dual core CPU and clock frequency up to 240MHz. It integrates peripherals, high-speed SDO, SP, UART and other functions, and supports automatic download.
How to assemble and flash it
- Print the stand. Download the 3MF files from the repository’s enclosure folder and print the parts.
- Flash the firmware. Use the browser-based Web Flasher linked by the repository, following its prompts to connect and flash the CYD2USB board.
- Fit the board. Place the CYD in the printed enclosure and secure it with the four M2x3 self-tapping screws.
For a source build instead of the browser flasher, the README documents PlatformIO and gives pio run -t upload as the build-and-upload command. Consult the repository for the current firmware files and flashing instructions.
Compatibility and project details
Do not assume that another CYD board will work just because it has an ESP32 and a display. The project’s explicit compatibility statement is limited to CYD2USB variants with USB-C; its bill of materials names the ESP32-2432S028 with a 2.8-inch TFT. Board revisions and project support can change, so check the repository before sourcing hardware or following setup steps.
Rank #2
- The ESP32 1.9'' LCD board has all the features of the traditional ESP32 Devkit V1 module,with the same exact peripheral ports,offers seamless integration with a 1.9-inch LCD display, eliminating the need for frustrating wires and breadboards.Display features a high-resolution 170x320 full color with ST7789 driver and is compatible with I2C interfaces. Plus,It uses Type-c usb cable to connect. Say goodbye to messy setups and hello to hassle-free electronics with the ESP32 board
- Board is based on ESP32-WROOM-32 module integrated with Antenna switches, RF Balun, power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, filters, and management modules, and the entire solution occupies the least area of PCB. 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi plus BLE dual-mode chip, 16MB Flash with TSMC Ultra-low power consumption 40nm technology, power dissipation performance and RF performance is the best, safe and reliable, easy to extend to a variety of applications
- Board uses SPI to connect LCD: D23/GPIO23->MOSI, D18/GPIO18->SCLK, D15/GPIO15->CS, D2/GPIO2->DC, D4/GPIO4->RST,D32/GPIO32->BLK.With this board,it's easy to display a variety of information and data
- To install the new version driver for CH340,simply search for the keywords "CH340 Driver" on Google.com or Bing.com and follow the installation instructions provided.Recommended for Win10 Operating System
- This board is an outstanding option for various Internet of Things (IoT) projects. It can be used to display network connection status,monitor information, power levels, and other relevant data. Additionally, it's suitable for building Internet Weather Stations, Graphic Plotter, Data Monitor, and Other similar applications
The project README identifies the software license as MIT and the M+ font license as SIL Open Font License. It acknowledges TFT_eSPI by Bodmer, XPT2046_Touchscreen by Paul Stoffregen, ESP32-Cheap-Yellow-Display by Witnessmenow, and BOSL2 for enclosure design.
Likeablob also lists the project on Hackster; the repository is the primary source for the build materials and setup details.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- The ESP32 0.96'' OLED board has all the features of the traditional ESP32 Devkit V1 module,with the same exact peripheral ports,offers seamless integration with a 0.96-inch OLED display, eliminating the need for frustrating wires and breadboards.Display features a high-resolution 128x64 with SSD1306 driver and is compatible with I2C interfaces. Plus,It uses Micro usb cable to connect. Say goodbye to messy setups and hello to hassle-free electronics with the ESP32 board
- The Board is based on ESP32-WROOM-32 module integrated with Antenna switches, RF Balun, power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, filters, and management modules, and the entire solution occupies the least area of PCB. 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi plus BLE dual-mode chip, with TSMC Ultra-low power consumption 40nm technology, power dissipation performance and RF performance is the best, safe and reliable, easy to extend to a variety of applications
- This board uses I2C to connect to an OLED display via the SDA (D21 / GPIO21) and SCL (D22 / GPIO22) pins. With this board,it's easy to display a variety of information and data
- To install the new version driver for CH340,simply search for the keywords "CH340 Driver" on Google.com or Bing.com and follow the installation instructions provided.Recommended for Win10 Operating System
- This board is an outstanding option for various Internet of Things (IoT) projects. It can be used to display network connection status,monitor information, power levels, and other relevant data. Additionally, it's suitable for building Internet Weather Stations, News Stations, Clocks, and Other similar applications
Rank #3
- Equipped with a high-performance 32-bit RISC-V processor with clock speed up to 160 MHz, and a low-power 32-bit RISC-V processor with clock speed up to 20MHz
- Supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth 5 (LE), with onboard antenna
- Built in 320KB ROM, 512KB of HP SRAM, 16KB LP SRAM and 4MB Flash memory. Onboard 1.47inch LCD display, 172×320 resolution, 262K color
- Adapting multiple IO interfaces, integrates full-speed USB port. Onboard TF card slot for external TF card storage of pictures or files
- Supports accurate control such as flexible clock and multiple power modes to realize low power consumption in different scenarios. Built-in RGB LED with clear acrylic sandwich panel for cool lighting effect
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