PCB mount for 128x64 OLED display option

How to mount an OLED directly onto a PCB

A commonly used display for Arduino projects is the 0.96″ 128×64 SSD1306 OLED display module. Using it in practice can present problems….

It is a great display and we have used lots of them ourselves. It’s ease-of-use, solid libraries, and simple interfacing (especially via I2C), and low cost makes it a winner for many Arduino and Raspberry Pi projects. But it has a couple of downsides.

The challenges of using the 128×64 OLED module

  1. It is not the fastest display. But given it is a small display with only 8192 pixels, this is not a big issue
  2. It is not easy to mount either in a project box, or panel
  3. It is not easy to professionally mount directly onto a PCB.

It is item 3 (PCB mounting) that we will be discussing here (for those who need to mount this OLED into a box or panel might like to see this Bezel).

The challenge of PCB mounting is caused by:

  • The connector (usually a header plug) does not provide a stable mechanical mounting. In fact it is noticeably sloppy
  • The mounting holes provided are very small (around 2mm usually) and you will have exposed screw heads or nuts
  • It doesn’t look very professional as a raw display

 

We have designed a product that can help you with these challenges. It is our 128×64 PCB mounted Bezel.

How to use the bezel

Using this bezel is really straightforward. The OLED display is mounted into the bezel with adhesive (we use a gel type superglue for our projects). The bezel is then mounted to the PCB using the screws provided. We also provide a layout guide so you can align the Bezel’s mounting holes. For most applications, the header connector would then be soldered into the PCB, and that’s it! – a professional-looking, stable OLED without visible screw heads.

For those who really prefer to connect to the PCB using a header socket, we have a variant of the Bezel with an additional stand-off part that creates extra space for the make and female headers. But check that the female header is suitably sized so it all fits together (some female headers are quite tall).

You can see that, with the OLED in place, it gives that “pro” look and feel to your project, and that the bezel itself is easy to use.

 

 

 

The variant of the Bezel with the header stand-off is taller allowing a female header connector to be incorporated. Note that this will not fit all header sockets because some are too tall. Check the listing specification for more information.