Ready to dive into the world of DIY electronics and build a sophisticated radio with a modern touchscreen interface? The CYD 480×320 FM Radio Project offers an exciting way to combine a powerful ESP32 microcontroller with a high-resolution display and a quality DSP receiver chip. This project takes inspiration from existing work, adapting it for a larger, more visually appealing 3.5-inch screen and intuitive touch control.
The Heart of the Project: Components Overview
This radio is a marriage of powerful micro-components, creating a feature-rich, standalone device.
- Microcontroller & Display: The core is the CYD (Cost-Effective Yellow/Green Display) board, specifically the ESP32-S3-3248S035R (or the original ESP32-3248S035R). This board features the versatile ESP32 or ESP32-S3 chip paired with a vibrant 3.5-inch, 480×320 pixel SPI LCD that also incorporates a XPT2046 touch controller for input.
- The Radio Chip: High-quality digital tuning is handled by the SI4732 DSP Module. This module is an excellent choice, capable of receiving AM, FM, SW, and LW signals (though the base project focuses on FM). It manages the tuning, signal strength (RSSI), and station data.
The project utilizes simple wiring, typically connecting the SI4732 module to the ESP32 via I2C (for control) and adding external antenna and audio connectors for full functionality.
Software & Functionality
The brains of the operation run on code adapted from the Volos TEmbedFMRadio sketch, ported specifically for this high-resolution touchscreen device.
- Development Environment: The software is managed using the Arduino IDE (version 2.3.6 or similar) with the
arduino-esp32board manager. - Key Libraries: Two main libraries make this project possible:
- SI4735 Library: For communicating with and controlling the DSP radio chip.
- LovyanGFX Library: Essential for managing the high-resolution display, graphics, and the touch panel interface.
- Touch-Based Controls: Unlike the original encoder-based design, this version leverages the full screen for operation. Controls are accessed by touching specific areas (0-19 positions) to manage:
- Frequency Tuning: Fine (±1, ±10, ±100 steps)
- Volume Control: (0-63 range)
- Station Scanning: A dedicated button scans the full FM band (76.00MHz to 108.00MHz) and displays a signal strength (RSSI) graph for easy tuning.
- Station Presets: Quickly switch between pre-registered stations.
The code allows users to easily customize and register their local FM frequencies and station names in the sta[] and stn[] arrays.
Ready to Build? Start Here
This project provides detailed instructions, circuit diagrams, and a full Bill of Materials (BOM) to guide you through the assembly, soldering, and software upload process. Whether you’re upgrading from a smaller screen (like the 2.8-inch version mentioned in the original developer’s earlier posts) or starting fresh, the 480×320 resolution provides a beautiful, functional display for a premium DIY radio experience.
For the full details, code, wiring diagrams, and instructions on modifying the ESP32-3248S035R to the S3 version, please refer to the original source posts:
- CYD 480×320 FM RADIO (Main Project): https://macsbug.wordpress.com/2025/11/03/cyd-480×320-fm-radio/
- CYD FM Radio (Earlier 2.8-inch version): https://macsbug.wordpress.com/2025/08/10/cyd-fm-radio/