0.96" SSD1306 OLED Display (128x64, I2C)
Crisp 128x64 OLED display with individual pixels — draw graphics, not just text, over I2C.
The SSD1306 drives a 0.96-inch monochrome OLED panel at 128x64 pixels over I2C (an SPI variant also exists, but the 4-pin I2C module is what most people reach for first). Unlike character LCDs, every pixel is individually addressable, so you can draw shapes, plot graphs, show custom fonts and icons, and scroll bitmap animations — not just fixed-width text.
Because OLED pixels are individually lit rather than backlit through a filter, contrast is excellent and there's no potentiometer to fiddle with like on character LCDs. The tradeoff is a bit more setup: you need both Adafruit's GFX library (the generic drawing engine) and the SSD1306-specific driver on top of it, and the API is graphics-oriented (draw calls + a buffer you flush to the screen) rather than the simple print() calls a character LCD uses.
Specifications
| Display | 128 × 64 pixels, monochrome OLED |
| Operating voltage | 3.3V – 5V (most breakout modules have an onboard regulator) |
| Interface | I2C (this module); SPI variants also exist on other boards |
| I2C address | 0x3C default on most modules, 0x3D on some — scan to confirm |
| Viewing technology | Self-emissive OLED — high contrast, no backlight, wide viewing angle |
| Driver + graphics library | Requires Adafruit GFX (drawing engine) plus the Adafruit SSD1306 driver on top of it |
Pinout
| Pin | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GND | Ground |
| 2 | VCC | Power, 3.3V–5V DC depending on the module's onboard regulator |
| 3 | SCL | I2C clock line |
| 4 | SDA | I2C data line |
Pin order varies more between SSD1306 modules than most parts — some print GND/VCC/SCL/SDA left to right, others VCC/GND/SCL/SDA. Always check the silkscreen labels on your specific board rather than assuming pin position. Unlike the character-LCD backpacks, most SSD1306 breakouts genuinely work fine at 3.3V, making them an easier fit for ESP32/Pi/STM32 without the 5V-rail workarounds those LCDs need.
Variants
The 128×64 0.96" module is the default choice and what almost every SSD1306 tutorial assumes. If you only need a single line of status text, the 128×32 version is smaller and cheaper with identical code. Watch out for boards labeled 1.3" — many of those actually use the SH1106 controller, which looks like a drop-in replacement but needs a different library despite the shared resolution.
| Variant | Temp range | Hum range | Accuracy | Protocol | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSD1306 0.96" (128×64) | ~$2–5 | ||||
| SSD1306 0.91" (128×32) | ~$2–4 | ||||
| SH1106 1.3" (128×64) | ~$3–6 |