PD Screen Pro
Touchscreen-Low-Power-MCU-Computer
PD.Screen_PRO family is an Industrial grade (-30…+85 deg C) outdoor Smart Touch HMI TFT MCU-computers (on STM32 + ESP32 MCUs) which support different powering options and communication interfaces (like RS-485, I2C, UART, CAN, USB, Ethernet, etc.) to operate as a peripheral HMI touch module or all-in-one MCU-based module giving the system a full power of graphical user interface (GUI). PD.Screen_PRO modules family consist of 7”, 10.1” industrial grade TFT matrixes + driver board with a firmware that gives to user a simple interface to interact with. ESP32 is fully accesible (Arduino, Platformio, ESP IDF, etc.) to the Customers and we provide a lot of examples to save time for integration.
Traditional approaches (Raspberry Pi, custom MCU designs, or Arduino + display stacks) introduce long boot times, filesystem risks, driver complexity, and unpredictable behavior—especially in outdoor or industrial environments. PD.Screen_PRO eliminates those risks.
It replaces months or years of hardware, driver, and GUI development with a production-ready, API-controlled HMI solution.
- Instant boot (milliseconds)
- No OS, no filesystem, no corruption risk
- Deterministic real-time GUI with native touch events
- Pre-integrated industrial peripheral drivers + source code examples
- Fastest time-to-market in its class
- ESP32 MCU for applications + API-controlled low-power STM32 MCU
- Remote Firmware Update (Future-Proof by Design) via I2C / UART minimizes service efforts
This PD.Screen_PRO module helps to achieve rapid time-to-market for makers and for the companies who need the outdoor touch-screen HMI with the Arduino-ease solution for different scenarios where the next peripherals are in need:
- QR-barcode scanner 1 (1D and 2D) type 1 (screw-mount)
- QR-barcode scanner 2 (1D and 2D) type 2 (panel-mount)
- STEP motor driver, for NEMA-17 or NEMA-21 or others
- RGBW LED strip supported, 1x LED onboard + connector to chain LEDs
- Thermoprinter interface (data + power)
- RS-485 interface, with daisy-chain connectors
- 100M Ethernet + PoE powering option
- UART on the dedicated connector (Payment terminal could be connected here)
- I2C on the dedicated connector
- CAN on the dedicated connector
- WiFi / Bluetooth supported + PCB antenna onboard with IPEX connector option for external antennas
- Dedicated connector for 4×4 keyboard or keypad
- GPIO extension connectors for your own breadboards (connected to ESP32 via GPIO expanders)
- RTC onboard + battery holder
PD.Screen_PRO is a ready-to-deploy industrial HMI computer that replaces months/years of custom hardware + driver development with a simple API-based solution. No drivers. No low-level firmware. Control everything through simple API commands.
Best Fit for System Integrators / Product Developers / Industrial makers / Advanced DIY / Startups:
- Access control systems
- Smart lockers, Post/Parcel boxes
- Ticketing & kiosks
- Silence Pod controllers, quiet box interfaces
- Industrial automation HMIs / monitoring
- Off-grid & solar-powered systems
Free customization is possible for mass-production Customers. This product is designed for commercial and industrial systems. Volume pricing, OEM options, and long-term availability available on request.
| Criteria | PD.Screen PRO (STM32 + ESP32) | Raspberry Pi + Touch Screen | Arduino + Screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target use | Industrial & outdoor HMI systems | Consumer / hobby / light industrial | Simple embedded UI |
| Temperature range | -30 … +85 °C (industrial) | 0 … +50 °C typical | -10 … +60 °C (varies) |
| Boot time | Instant (ms) | Slow (15–40 s) | Instant |
| Operating system | No OS (bare-metal / RTOS) | Linux (SD-card based) | No OS |
| System stability | Very high | Risk of SD corruption, power-loss issues | High |
| Graphics engine | STM32 embedded graphics driver | GPU via Linux stack | Software-rendered |
| Image decoding | Hardware JPG decoding | Software / GPU | Software only |
| GUI responsiveness | Deterministic, real-time | Non-deterministic (Linux scheduling) | Limited FPS |
| Display & touch drivers | Integrated, ready to use | Linux drivers, overlays, config | Manual integration |
| Peripheral integration | Simple API (QR, printer, motors, RS-485, CAN, PoE) | Drivers & services required | Limited interfaces |
| Programming model | API via ESP32 (Arduino / Python) | Linux apps & services | Low-level MCU code |
| Power consumption | Low, optimized | High | Low |
| Power-loss robustness | Excellent (no filesystem) | Poor (filesystem corruption risk) | Good |
| Long-term availability | Industrial lifecycle | Consumer lifecycle | Board-dependent |
| Production readiness | Designed for series production | Not ideal | Limited UI capability |
| Time-to-market | Weeks | Months | Months |
| Total system cost | Lower at system level | Hidden system & maintenance costs | Hidden development cost |
All the complex hardware-type interfaces and commands between PD.Screen MCU / RAM / Flash and peripherals are translated into the easy-to-implement API interface commands which could be read and write to the several communication interfaces of the PD.Screen_PRO modules. There are examples written in Arduino(TM) and Python(TM) included which shows several examples, also the API included into Datasheet document to evaluate the principles and command list.
The additional 32-bit MCU implemented onboard so the module can be programmed as a standalone active device or peripheral device depending on the task.
MCU onboard is ESP32 and there are several examples written for Arduino IDE to show the powerful way to interact with the peripherals (RGBW strips, QR-barcode scanners, Thermoprinters – for versions 1.8+, membrane and mechanical 4×4 keyboards, STEP motor, payment terminals, etc.)
| Platform / Framework | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Arduino | Yes | Large ecosystem, easy to use |
| PlatformIO | Yes | Arduino & ESP-IDF support |
| ESP-IDF (Official SDK) | Yes | Full control, production-ready |
| MicroPython | Yes | Python scripting, REPL support |
| Rust (ESP-IDF HAL) | Partial | Advanced users, evolving |
| JavaScript (Espruino) | Partial | Limited performance |
| Lua (NodeMCU) | Legacy | Not recommended for new designs |
| Zephyr RTOS | Partial | Complex setup, limited support |
Moreover, PD.Screen_PRO has GPIO extender connectors so the shields could be easily connected, the PRO_Shield example could be found on our Forum – made in Altium Designer eCAD system for easy production or customisation.
Use-case scenarios for PD.Screen_PRO modules :
- Off-grid Parking access controllers Outdoor/indoor smart touch-screen access controllers with WiFi/Bluetooth with the regular cellular automated calls support (PD.Screen_PRO + PD.Charger_GSM + PD.Cam)
- Off-grid Post boxes, Smart Locker solution platform Off-grid/on-grid Touch-screen platform for Post boxes, Smart Lockers (individual and communal), Commercial containers (PD.Screen_PRO + PD.Charger_GSM + PD.Relay_Board + PD.Cam)
- Mobile connected Ticket terminal systems Touch-screen platform for Ticket systems with QR-Scan (1D / 2D) and Thermal printer support (PD.Screen_PRO)
- Smart Dispensers for outdoor and indoor applications Touch-screen controller platform for different types of indoor/outdoor Smart Dispensers with embedded step motor controller (PD.Screen_PRO)
- Silence Pods / Quiet Call Boxes controllers Touch-screen controller for Silence Pods / Quiet Call Boxes with embedded Fan, LED, Heater, motion control and connectivity (PD.Screen_PRO)
- Stations for batteries multi-charging Monitoring controller platform for LiIon / LiFePo multi-battery charging (1 .. 50+ batteries at once with individual monitoring) with connectivity (PD.Screen_PRO + PD.Charger)
- Outdoor Off-grid Sensor station platform with rich connectivity Solution for off-grid solar-powered multi-sensor installations (PD.Charger_GSM)
- Meeting-room / operational-room touch-screen interactive informers for displaying and creating the calendar bookings with PoE powering, wired and wireless connectivity (PD.Screen_PRO)
The module’s core is based on the newest STM32 microcontroller utilizing the power and cost effectiveness of the latest industry standards. The ESP32 controls the Screen, touch events and all the epripherals via simple API commands so no need to write drivers, this concept makes it possible to roll-out almost any project with outstanding time-to-market speed.
The next interfaces are embedded on the full version of the PD.Screen_PRO (7 inch):
UART speed: up to 1000000 (1 Mbps), firmware locked to 921000 (921 kbps) by default
I2C speed: up to 1 megabit per second (1 Mbps)
CAN speed: up to 1 megabit per second (1 Mbps)
RS485 speed: up to 10 megabit per second (10 Mbps), up to 256 devices on the bus
Ethernet speed: up to Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps)
USB speed: up to USB 2.0 Full Speed (480 Mbps)
