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LILYGO® T-Deck

The T-Deck series is a family of compact handheld keyboard devices that pair a physical keyboard with different touchscreen displays. Variants include the original LCD T-Deck (and Plus) with support for MUI, and the new T-Deck Pro e-ink model for low-power, sunlight-readable operation.

The T-Deck is a compact device featuring a 2.8-inch IPS LCD touch screen with a resolution of 320x240 pixels, integrated with a small keyboard, trackball, microphone and speaker running on an ESP32-S3 dual-core processor. A secondary ESP32-C3 MCU is used to manage the keyboard.

T-Deck Plus variant also comes with a GPS module and a 2000 mAh battery

Specifications​

  • MCU
    • ESP32-S3FN16R8 (WiFi & Bluetooth 5 LE)
    • ESP32-C3 (For keyboard only)
  • LoRa Transceiver
    • Semtech SX1262
  • Frequency options
    • 915 MHz
    • 868 MHz
    • 433 MHz
  • Antenna
    • U.FL/IPEX antenna connector for LoRa
  • Connectors
    • USB-C

Features​

  • LILYGO® backlit T-Keyboard
  • Trackball
  • 2.8 inch ST7789 SPI Interface IPS LCD (Resolution: 320 x 240)
  • I2S Speaker/Microphone

Keyboard Shortcuts​

ShortcutFunction
alt & bToggle keyboard backlight on/off.
alt & cToggle modifier function. Fn displayed on screen.
alt & c + mDisable/Enable notifications.
alt & c + qQuit/Cancel (message, canned message, etc.)
alt & c + tTab Key (once for dm recipient, twice for channel)
alt & c + iDecrease screen brightness.
alt & c + oIncrease screen brightness.
alt & c + gToggle GPS.
alt & c + ⎵Send network ping.

As of firmware version 2.3.9, there is a newly added modifier function key combo which allows additional shortcuts to be added. To enable the function key, you will press alt and c together; a small Fn will be displayed in the lower right of the screen. After the function key is enabled, you can press the key for the function you wish to execute. For example, to disable/enable notifications, you would press alt and c followed by m.

Flashing​

To flash ESP32-S3 devices like the T-Deck, you typically need to place them in Espressif's firmware download mode. Use the "1200bps reset" button in the web flasher to do this. If this method does not work for any reason, you can follow the manual process below.

warning

Do not proceed unless an antenna is connected to avoid possible damage to the device's radio.

The following process will manually place the device into the Espressif Firmware Download mode:

  1. Ensure the device's power switch is toggled OFF.
  2. Press and hold the TRACKBALL.
  3. Toggle device's power switch ON.
  4. After 2-3 seconds, release the TRACKBALL button.
  5. If the device screen is black and the backlight is off, the device is in the Firmware Download mode. If the backlight is on, repeat these steps.

With the device now in the Espressif Firmware Download mode, you can proceed with flashing using one of the supported flashing methods. It's generally recommended to use the Web Flasher. You can select "T Deck" from the device drop-down.

Resources​

T-Deck