ESP32 Bit Pirate

display and LoRa workbench

Heltec Vision Master T190 ESP32-S3 LoRa firmware

Use Vision Master T190 when a wide 1.9-inch color display, two physical buttons, USB-C, battery support and optional onboard SX1262 radio fit the bench task. The ESP32 Bit Pirate implementation gives the board a dedicated display, input and Wi-Fi path while keeping serial and browser terminal workflows available.

1.9-inch TFToptional SX1262 LoRa
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Heltec Vision Master T190 front and rear view with 1.9-inch TFT, ESP32-S3 and optional RA62 SX1262 module.

Board-specific guide derived from the VisionMasterT190 implementation and official Heltec hardware references.

hardware references

Four official references for header wiring, board orientation, optional radio identification and the supplied accessories.

Official T190 pin mapHeader GPIO, QuickLink and optional SX1262 connections.Source
Front and rear board viewDisplay orientation, rear PCB and optional radio placement.Source
Kit and accessoriesBoard, optional antenna, sensor cable and header strips.Source
Display and support plate1.9-inch TFT and narrow board form factor.Source

compatibility

Vision Master T190 board overview

The board implementation is display- and button-aware. The optional LoRa hardware remains variant-dependent, so confirm the product model before planning a radio workflow.

CoreESP32-S3R8 with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, 16 MB flash and 8 MB PSRAM in Heltec's current specification.
Display1.9-inch ST7789 TFT, 170 × 320 visible pixels and 262K colors.
InputsGPIO0 maps to OK; GPIO21 maps to Right in the current ESP32 Bit Pirate implementation.
Radio variantsAvailable without LoRa, as LF hardware, or as HF hardware. The radio-equipped variants use an SX1262-based RA62 module.

source-derived behavior

How ESP32 Bit Pirate uses the T190 hardware

These details come directly from the VisionMasterT190 board implementation in src.zip.

Dedicated ST7789 display

The display uses MOSI GPIO48, SCLK GPIO38, CS GPIO39, DC GPIO47, RESET GPIO40, backlight GPIO17 and active-low display power on GPIO7.

Separate display SPI host

The display config selects SPI3_HOST, no MISO and useSharedSpi = false, keeping its bus separate from normal shared-SPI workflows.

Two-button input

GPIO0 produces OK and GPIO21 produces Right. Both use internal pull-ups and edge-detected presses; holding a key does not repeatedly generate events.

Startup and Wi-Fi feedback

Boot shows the Bit Pirate logo, waits up to three seconds for a button and clears the display. Wi-Fi client status is rendered directly on the TFT.

practical tasks

Vision Master T190 supported workflows

The wide screen makes traces and RF activity visible, while USB serial and Wi-Fi terminal modes remain the main text interfaces.

Display-assisted debugging

Use the TFT for board selection, status, logic or analog traces, frequency activity and LoRa waterfall output.

USB and browser terminal

Use USB Serial or the browser Web Serial Terminal for the complete CLI, prompts and long command output.

Wi-Fi terminal

Use AP mode or saved client credentials. The T190 client path reads ssid and pass from the wifi_settings NVS namespace.

Optional onboard LoRa

On radio-equipped variants, use the SX1262 shell for profile configuration, RSSI, CAD, packets, scans, captures and Meshtastic frame analysis.

Vision Master T190 pin mapping and wiring notes

The ESP32 Bit Pirate display path consumes GPIO7, GPIO17, GPIO38, GPIO39, GPIO40, GPIO47 and GPIO48. Its physical input path consumes GPIO0 and GPIO21. Do not assign those pins to generic buses while the board display and buttons are active.

Heltec's header map exposes power, ground and GPIO including GPIO1–4, GPIO8–16, GPIO43 and GPIO44. GPIO1/GPIO2 also serve the QuickLink I2C connector, while GPIO43/GPIO44 carry UART0 TX/RX.

Use 3.3 V-compatible logic and verify the exact header orientation before wiring. On a LoRa-equipped T190, GPIO8–14 are already connected to the onboard radio and should not be treated as free GPIO.

onboard SX1262 map

Use the correct radio variant and pins

The product name alone does not guarantee an onboard radio. Match the hardware variant, antenna and regional frequency before entering LoRa mode.

SPISCK GPIO9, MISO GPIO11, MOSI GPIO10 and NSS/CS GPIO8.
ControlRESET GPIO12, BUSY GPIO13 and DIO1 GPIO14.
LF variantHeltec documents 470–510 MHz hardware and EU433 coverage in the official frequency table.
HF variantHeltec documents 863–928 MHz hardware for EU868, IN865, US915, AU915, AS923 and KR920 regions.

The current LoRa setup explicitly prompts for every SX1262 pin and the radio profile. Confirm the onboard pin map instead of accepting generic external-module defaults blindly.

useful pages

Vision Master T190 useful next pages

Connect the board-specific implementation to LoRa, serial, GPIO, I2C, browser tools and official hardware references.

Protocol modes

LoRa SX1262

Configure the radio, observe RSSI and CAD, exchange packets and inspect captures.

 I2C

Use the QuickLink GPIO1/GPIO2 path for compatible 3.3 V sensors.

 UART

Plan serial links around the board's fixed display, button and radio signals.

 DIO/GPIO

Use exposed pins only after excluding reserved onboard connections.

LoRa recipes

Configure SX1262 LoRa

Set frequency, bandwidth, spreading factor and the complete modem profile.

 Receive a LoRa packet

Use RSSI, CAD and packet receive with the onboard radio variant.

 Scan LoRa activity

Use the T190 display for frequency visualization and waterfall output.

 Record and load .lora files

Preserve a packet and its radio profile in LittleFS.

Tools and sources

Web Serial Terminal

Drive the complete Bit Pirate CLI from a compatible browser.

 SX1262 module reference

Understand the radio profile, commands and transceiver behavior.

 Official Heltec product page

Check current variants, specifications, pin map and downloads.

 Official T190 datasheet

Open the hardware pin definitions, RF bands and electrical specifications.

board-specific answers

Vision Master T190 FAQ

Quick answers about firmware support, screen pins, buttons, board variants and the optional SX1262 radio.

Is Heltec Vision Master T190 supported by ESP32 Bit Pirate?

Yes. The implementation includes a dedicated DEVICE_VISION_MASTER_T190 board path with ST7789 display, physical-button input and board-specific Wi-Fi client behavior.

Does every Vision Master T190 include an SX1262 LoRa radio?

No. Heltec sells a version without LoRa plus LF and HF radio variants. Confirm the exact model, RF band and antenna before using LoRa mode.

Which buttons does ESP32 Bit Pirate use?

GPIO0 maps to OK and GPIO21 maps to Right. Both inputs use internal pull-ups and edge-detected presses.

Which pins connect the optional SX1262?

The official pin map assigns SCK GPIO9, MISO GPIO11, MOSI GPIO10, NSS GPIO8, RESET GPIO12, BUSY GPIO13 and DIO1 GPIO14. Confirm these values in the LoRa setup prompts.

Is raw LoRa mode on T190 the same as LoRaWAN?

No. ESP32 Bit Pirate raw LoRa mode directly configures and exchanges radio packets; it does not provide LoRaWAN joining, sessions, gateways or network-server behavior.

How do I enter download mode?

With USB connected, hold BOOT, press and release RST, then release BOOT.

source project

Vision Master T190 inside ESP32 Bit Pirate

This page connects the board-specific C++ implementation to the physical T190 display, buttons, Wi-Fi path, exposed headers and optional LoRa radio.