TCS2-P102 E-Ink Display Test

Getting a 10.2" 1024x1280 monochrome e-ink display working with the MpicoSys TCS2-P102-231 timing controller, using a Raspberry Pi Pico.

Hardware

• MCU: Raspberry Pi Pico (RP2040)
• Display: EZ102CT011 (10.2", 1024x1280, 1-bit B&W, Pervasive Displays / E Ink Vizplex)
• Controller: TCS2-P102-231 v1.1 (MpicoSys Generation 2 timing controller)
• Interface: SPI Mode 3, 1 MHz

Wiring

Connect the Pico to the TCS2 controller board's 10-pin header:

Pico Pin	GPIO	TCS2 Pin	Function
Pin 14	GPIO10	SCK	SPI1 Clock
Pin 15	GPIO11	MOSI	SPI1 TX
Pin 16	GPIO12	MISO	SPI1 RX
Pin 17	GPIO13	CS	Chip Select (active LOW)
Pin 21	GPIO16	BUSY	Controller Status (HIGH = ready)
Pin 22	GPIO17	EN	Enable (active LOW)
3V3 OUT	-	VDDIN	3.3V Digital Power
GND	-	GND	Ground

The TCS2 controller also needs analog power (VIN, 2.0-5.5V) which can share the same 3.3V supply or use a separate source.

Flashing the Pico

The test firmware is in pico_eink_test/pico_eink_test.ino. Flash it using Arduino IDE:

1. Install the Arduino-Pico board package
2. Select Raspberry Pi Pico as the board
3. Open pico_eink_test/pico_eink_test.ino
4. Upload (hold BOOTSEL on the Pico if it's the first flash)

Open the serial monitor at 115200 baud. You should see EINK_READY once the controller initializes.

Uploading Images

Use upload_image.py to send images from your PC:

pip install pyserial Pillow

python3 upload_image.py <image_file> [--invert] [serial_port]

# Examples:
python3 upload_image.py photo.jpg
python3 upload_image.py photo.jpg /dev/ttyACM0
python3 upload_image.py photo.jpg --invert    # flip black/white

The script converts any image (PNG, JPG, BMP, etc.) to 1-bit dithered 1024x1280, wraps it in the EPD format, and streams it to the display over serial.

Serial Protocol

PC Sends	MCU Responds	Description
PING\n	PONG\n	Connection check
IMG\n	READY\n	Start image upload
250 bytes	OK\n	Per-chunk acknowledgement
(after all data)	REFRESH\n	Display update started
(wait ~5s)	DONE\n	Refresh complete

Total upload: 163,856 bytes (16-byte EPD header + 163,840 image bytes).

Troubleshooting

• SPI errors (response not 0x9000): Check wiring, especially CS and BUSY. Verify 3.3V power to TCS2.
• TIMEOUT during upload: Reduce serial baud rate or add flow control. Check USB cable is data-capable.
• Display doesn't refresh: The BUSY pin must be connected. The controller signals readiness through this pin.
• All black / all white: Try --invert flag with upload_image.py. Ensure the EPD header matches your panel (0x3D = 10.2").

Next Steps

See DASHBOARD.md for the ESP32-S3 port and Victron/weather dashboard roadmap.