BLOG - II 
NexTion - Enhanced Heven
GS Gill - 11 October 2017
As usual please download the attached PDF for better formatting .
Table of Contents
1. What is Nextion Display
2. Getting Started With the Display
3. Project implementation (Click here for Project Implementation Video)
4. Way forward
What is Nextion Display
From Nextion web : HERE
“Nextion offers a new and easy way to interface, help to make GUI easier. Available from 2.4″ to 7″ models, provides a analog touch screen operator interface with programmable function buttons, gauges, progress bars…etc., Nextion is an interface solution designed to complement your application needs. ”
But for us makers : It is a Display solution which makes GUI designing and Interfacing with the Main Embedded System so much easier, plus It Offloads the display subsystem to a co processor.
They are available in all sizes and capabilities 
See the available option below
I got the display from banggood.com HERE and it took about 20 Days to get delivered.
Key Benefits & Disadvantages
- Offloads the entire Display programming, Image Conversion, Image Array storage, etc .. .. to the Nextion Display.
- Easy to design GUI
- Easy interface with UART, instead of I2C or SPI.
- Inbuilt Graphics memory
- Inbuilt 4-Wire Resistive touch and interface
- Event based Programming
- Inbuilt RTC & EPROM
- 8 GPIO’s can offload Button Navigation Interface
- And Many More.. .. ..
- Power Hungry (Giving power to one more micro controller)
- Only way to upload new GUI design is either Serial (Slow) or Via SD Card (repetitive)
- Each time there is a rev in the GUI, The on board flash of the MCU has to be reprogrammed
- Nextion Editor IDE Works only on Windows
That being said, lets look at the available options below ( Source : Click Here )
Getting Started
OK, So getting started with the display is as simple as 1, 2, 3, 4.. 5
and
Wooooo oo ooooo, Yaaaayyyyyyyy. !!! !!! !!! !!!!
1. Well first Lets get a Nextion Display (check the link below)
2. Lets get the Nextion Editor (again Check the link below)
3. Select your Display
4. Make your design using GUI editor, Compile and copy the *.tft file from nextion built folder
5. Copy the *.tft into SD card, insert the SD card into the Display and power it on. Let it uploads the sketch onto the display’s memory and remove the SD card. Re-Power the display and Enjoy.
Project implementation
Here is a video of my implementation, any reviews and comments would be appreciated.
Way forward
AS of now interface with the MCU is a huge ISSUE !!
Updates:-
30 Sep 17 UART Interrupt not working
01 Oct 17 Button Interrupt works
08 Oct 17 All Interrupts somehow stopped Working. 
:’(
08 Oct 17 Since.. I HATE MBED
As the Rx Interrupt is not working and now even the TX button Interrupt is not working it is useless working with mbed platform .
Trying to download STM32 Openware to try my luck there .
Links & References
6. And the New Instruction Set Page
| blog2_SbSr.pdf |
