There is a built-in microSD card slot on the FeatherWing, and we can use that to load bitmap images! You will need a microSD card formatted FAT16 or FAT32 (they almost always are by default), and an SD card reader on whatever computer you’re currently reading this with.

It's really easy to draw bitmaps. Lets start by downloading this image of Adabot and friends:

Download these two smaller images as well:

The files should be renamed (if needed) to “adabot.bmp”, “parrot.bmp” and “wales.bmp”, respectively, and copied to the base directory of the microSD card (not inside a folder).

(If it’s easier, you can also find these images in the “images” folder within the Adafruit_ImageReader library folder.)

Insert the microSD card into the socket in the shield. Now select the sketch file→examples→Adafruit_ImageReader→FeatherWingHX8357 and upload this example to your Feather + Wing. You will see the your electronic friends appear! (Plus parrots…and if you’re using one of the more powerful Feather boards, a whole lot of dragons.)

The Adafruit_ImageReader library, which is being used here to display .BMP images, is fully explained in its own page of the Adafruit_GFX guide.

This guide was first published on Oct 25, 2017. It was last updated on Mar 27, 2024.

This page (Drawing Bitmaps) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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