Overview
The ShillehTek 0.96" White OLED Display Module is a compact 128×64 pixel monochrome screen driven by the popular SSD1306 controller over I2C. Its crisp white pixels on a deep black background are perfect for showing sensor readings, icons, menus, status indicators, and simple graphics in any Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi, or Pico project.
Because the module talks over I2C, you only need two GPIO pins (plus power and ground) to control the entire screen. The onboard regulator accepts 3.3V or 5V, which means it drops straight into 3.3V boards like the ESP32 and Pico and 5V boards like the Arduino Uno without any extra level-shifting.
At a Glance
Resolution
128 × 64
Screen Size
0.96"
Driver IC
SSD1306
Interface
I2C (0x3C)
Voltage
3.3V – 5V
Pins
VCC, GND, SCL, SDA
Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
| Display Type | Passive Matrix OLED (PMOLED) |
| Pixel Color | White on black |
| Resolution | 128 × 64 pixels |
| Active Area | 21.74 × 10.86 mm |
| Driver Controller | SSD1306 |
| Communication Protocol | I2C (TWI) |
| Default I2C Address | 0x3C (some units 0x3D) |
| Operating Voltage | 3.3V – 5V DC |
| Operating Current | ~20 mA (all pixels on) |
| Viewing Angle | > 160° |
| Operating Temperature | -30°C to 70°C |
| Module Dimensions | 27 × 27 mm |
Pinout Diagram
Wiring Guide
Arduino Wiring
On Arduino Uno, Nano, and similar ATmega328P boards the hardware I2C lines are A4 (SDA) and A5 (SCL). The module runs happily off the 5V rail and has onboard pull-up resistors on SDA and SCL, so no external resistors are needed.
| Module Pin | Arduino Pin |
|---|---|
| VCC | 5V |
| GND | GND |
| SCL | A5 (SCL) |
| SDA | A4 (SDA) |
Tip: On Arduino Mega, SDA is pin 20 and SCL is pin 21. On Leonardo and Micro, SDA is pin 2 and SCL is pin 3.
ESP32 Wiring
The ESP32 default hardware I2C bus is on GPIO 21 (SDA) and GPIO 22 (SCL). The module accepts 3.3V directly, so run VCC from the ESP32 3V3 rail for the cleanest setup.
| Module Pin | ESP32 Pin |
|---|---|
| VCC | 3V3 |
| GND | GND |
| SCL | GPIO 22 |
| SDA | GPIO 21 |
Tip: You can remap I2C to any GPIO pair using
Wire.begin(sda, scl). Avoid strapping pins (GPIO 0, 2, 12, 15) to keep boot behavior clean.
Raspberry Pi Wiring
The Raspberry Pi exposes I2C-1 on physical pins 3 (SDA) and 5 (SCL). Enable I2C first with sudo raspi-config → Interface Options → I2C → Enable, then confirm the display appears at 0x3C with i2cdetect -y 1.
| Module Pin | Raspberry Pi Pin |
|---|---|
| VCC | Pin 1 (3.3V) |
| GND | Pin 6 (GND) |
| SCL | Pin 5 (GPIO 3) |
| SDA | Pin 3 (GPIO 2) |
Info: You can also power the module from the Pi 5V rail (pin 2) — the onboard regulator handles either voltage. Using 3.3V keeps the logic levels matched and is the recommended option.
Raspberry Pi Pico Wiring
The Pico has two I2C blocks. This guide uses I2C0 on GP4 (SDA) and GP5 (SCL), which are the most common defaults in MicroPython examples. Power the module from 3V3(OUT).
| Module Pin | Pico Pin |
|---|---|
| VCC | 3V3(OUT) |
| GND | GND |
| SCL | GP5 (I2C0 SCL) |
| SDA | GP4 (I2C0 SDA) |
Tip: The Pico can route I2C to many GPIO pairs. If GP4/GP5 are already in use, GP6/GP7, GP20/GP21, or GP26/GP27 will also work for I2C0.
Code Examples
Arduino
ssd1306_oled.ino
// 0.96" SSD1306 OLED - Arduino I2C Example
// Libraries: Adafruit_GFX + Adafruit_SSD1306 (Library Manager)
// Wiring: SDA -> A4, SCL -> A5
#include <Wire.h>
#include <Adafruit_GFX.h>
#include <Adafruit_SSD1306.h>
#define SCREEN_WIDTH 128
#define SCREEN_HEIGHT 64
#define OLED_RESET -1
#define SCREEN_ADDR 0x3C
Adafruit_SSD1306 display(SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, &Wire, OLED_RESET);
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
if (!display.begin(SSD1306_SWITCHCAPVCC, SCREEN_ADDR)) {
Serial.println("SSD1306 not found at 0x3C");
while (true);
}
display.clearDisplay();
display.setTextSize(2);
display.setTextColor(SSD1306_WHITE);
display.setCursor(0, 0);
display.println("ShillehTek");
display.setTextSize(1);
display.setCursor(0, 24);
display.println("SSD1306 OLED");
display.println("128 x 64");
display.display();
}
void loop() {
// Static demo - nothing to update
}
Raspberry Pi (Python)
ssd1306_oled_rpi.py
#!/usr/bin/env python3
# 0.96" SSD1306 OLED - Raspberry Pi Example
# Install: pip install luma.oled --break-system-packages
from luma.core.interface.serial import i2c
from luma.oled.device import ssd1306
from luma.core.render import canvas
from PIL import ImageFont
import time
serial = i2c(port=1, address=0x3C)
device = ssd1306(serial, width=128, height=64)
font_big = ImageFont.load_default()
while True:
with canvas(device) as draw:
draw.text((0, 0), "ShillehTek", fill="white")
draw.text((0, 16), "SSD1306 OLED", fill="white")
draw.text((0, 32), "128 x 64", fill="white")
draw.text((0, 48), time.strftime("%H:%M:%S"), fill="white")
time.sleep(1)
Raspberry Pi Pico (MicroPython)
ssd1306_oled_pico.py
# 0.96" SSD1306 OLED - Pico MicroPython Example
# Upload ssd1306.py to the Pico (micropython-ssd1306 driver)
# Wiring: SDA -> GP4, SCL -> GP5
from machine import Pin, I2C
import ssd1306
import time
i2c = I2C(0, sda=Pin(4), scl=Pin(5), freq=400_000)
oled = ssd1306.SSD1306_I2C(128, 64, i2c)
oled.fill(0)
oled.text("ShillehTek", 0, 0)
oled.text("SSD1306 OLED", 0, 16)
oled.text("128 x 64", 0, 32)
oled.show()
while True:
time.sleep(1)
ESP32 (MicroPython)
ssd1306_oled_esp32.py
# 0.96" SSD1306 OLED - ESP32 MicroPython Example
# Upload ssd1306.py to the ESP32 first
# Wiring: SDA -> GPIO 21, SCL -> GPIO 22
from machine import Pin, I2C
import ssd1306
i2c = I2C(0, sda=Pin(21), scl=Pin(22), freq=400_000)
oled = ssd1306.SSD1306_I2C(128, 64, i2c)
oled.fill(0)
oled.text("ShillehTek", 0, 0)
oled.text("SSD1306 OLED", 0, 16)
oled.text("ESP32 I2C", 0, 32)
oled.show()
Frequently Asked Questions
Which I2C address does this OLED use?
The default address is 0x3C. A small number of units are configured for 0x3D instead. If your screen does not respond at 0x3C, run an I2C scanner first (
i2cdetect -y 1 on a Pi, or a Wire-based scan on Arduino) to confirm the actual address.Do I need pull-up resistors on SDA and SCL?
No. The module already includes pull-up resistors on both I2C lines, so you can connect SDA and SCL directly to your microcontroller without adding your own.
Can I run the display from 3.3V?
Yes. The module has an onboard regulator that accepts anything from 3.3V to 5V. 3.3V is preferred when paired with ESP32, Pico, or Raspberry Pi for cleanest logic-level matching.
Why are some pixels slightly dim at the edges?
OLED pixels have a small amount of brightness falloff at the extreme edges, which is completely normal and not a defect. If it bothers you, frame your UI a few pixels inside the 128x64 boundary.
Which Arduino library should I install?
Install "Adafruit SSD1306" and its dependency "Adafruit GFX Library" from the Arduino Library Manager. These two together give you text, shapes, bitmap, and scrolling support.
Will this module work on the Pico 2 and Pico 2W?
Yes. The wiring is identical to the original Pico, and the
ssd1306 MicroPython driver works without changes on the Pico 2 and Pico 2W.Can I share the I2C bus with other sensors?
Absolutely. I2C is a shared bus, so you can daisy-chain the OLED with any other I2C device (BME280, ADS1115, MPU6050, etc.) as long as their addresses are different. Just connect all SDA lines together and all SCL lines together.