Skip to content
WDECK Download ↓
H/00 Hardware

Everything inside a Wdeck.

Two ready-made modules, three printed parts and five screws — no circuit board to design or order. Point at a part in the list to find it in the model.

Bill of materials ↓ Wiring table ↓
  • Display3.5" ILI9488, 480×320, SPI + touch
  • ControllerESP32 WROOM-32 DevKit V1
  • CaseThree printed parts, PETG
  • Fasteners5× M3×14 countersunk
  • Wiring11 lines, no custom PCB
H/01 Bill of materials

Six parts, one desk.

Order the two modules, print the three case parts and pick up five M3 screws. Point at a row to highlight that part in the model.

  1. 01ESP32 DevKit

    The classic WROOM-32 DevKit V1 (30 pins), with USB on board.

    1×Buy ↗

  2. 023.5" SPI touchscreen

    ILI9488, 480×320.

    Get the version with a touch layer — without it the keys cannot be pressed.

    1×Buy ↗

  3. 03Front bezel

    Holds the display. The accent stripe can be printed in a second colour.

    PrintSTL ↗

  4. 04Rear shell

    The ESP32 is glued inside so its USB port lines up with the opening.

    PrintSTL ↗

  5. 05Desk stand

    Tilts the screen towards you. Two guide rails and pockets for four rubber feet.

    PrintSTL ↗

  6. 06M3×14 countersunk screws

    Four hold the case together, one fixes it to the stand.

    5×Any hardware store
Loading model
All partsDrag to rotate
H/02 The two modules

Two boards do the work.

Both are common, inexpensive modules from any electronics shop. Drag a board to turn it.

Loading model
Module 01

ESP32 DevKit

The brain of the deck. It draws the keys on the display, reads the touch panel and exchanges key presses and icons with the desktop app over USB.

  • ChipESP32-WROOM-32, dual core
  • LinkUSB serial, up to 921,600 baud
  • IconsKept in the on-board flash, so they survive a restart
  • FlashingFrom the Wdeck app, no Arduino IDE
Loading model
Module 02

3.5" touch display

A 480×320 colour screen with a touch layer on top. The screen and its touch controller share the same data lines, which is why MOSI and SCK connect to both.

  • DriverILI9488
  • Resolution480 × 320 px
  • TouchCapacitive or resistive layer
  • Also worksILI9341, ST7796, ST7789
H/03 Wiring

ESP32 to display, wire by wire.

Eleven wires. MOSI and SCK are shared between the screen and its touch controller. Power the display from 3.3 V. Point at a wire, or tap it, to read it.

Wiring from the ESP32 DevKit to the 3.5 inch display 3V3VCC GNDGND GPIO 15CS GPIO 4RESET GPIO 2DC / RS GPIO 23SDIT_DIN GPIO 18SCKT_CLK GPIO 32LED GPIO 21T_CS GPIO 19T_DO GPIO 27T_IRQ
Point at a wire 11 connections
Interactive wiring explorer → Wiring checklist →
WireESP32DisplayFunction
3V3VCCPower
GNDGNDGround
GPIO 15CSDisplay select
GPIO 4RESETReset
GPIO 2DC / RSData / command
GPIO 23SDI (MOSI) + T_DINSPI data, shared
GPIO 18SCK + T_CLKSPI clock, shared
GPIO 32LEDBacklight
GPIO 21T_CSTouch select
GPIO 19T_DOTouch data out
GPIO 27T_IRQTouch interrupt
H/04 Printing

Settings that
work first time.

Any common FDM printer can print the case. Use one filament for everything, or give the case and the accent stripe their own colours.

  • MaterialPETG
  • Layer height0.2 mm
  • Infill20 % gyroid
  • SupportsBuild plate only
  • PartsFront bezel, rear shell, desk stand

PETG holds its shape better than PLA if the deck sits in the sun or next to a warm monitor.

Download STLs on Printables ↗
Case print, time-lapsePETG
H/05 Tools

Four tools,
that is all.

Nothing special: a soldering iron and a screwdriver do most of the work.

T1

Soldering iron

Around 320 °C is enough for header pins without lifting pads.

T2

Screwdriver

Phillips, for the five M3 screws.

T3

Hook-up wire

Insulated or solid core, in a few colours to keep lines apart.

T4

USB data cable

Micro-USB or USB-C to match your DevKit. Charge-only cables will not flash.

Parts on the desk?
Start the build guide.

Build guide → Desktop app →