Just Got My MaTouch 7” ESP32-S3 Running With Home Assistant Via ESPHome — Here’s How It Went

So, I recently spent a weekend getting my MaTouch 7” ESP32-S3 touchscreen working with Home Assistant using ESPHome, and honestly it turned out way smoother than I expected. Figured I’d share the process for anyone into DIY smart home dashboards or tinkering with ESP32 touchscreens.

Why I went this route

I wanted a custom touchscreen that could:

1. Show live sensor data (temp, humidity, soil moisture if you’re into plant IoT)
2. Control smart devices directly
3. Look nice with custom fonts & icons

The Matouch is perfect for this — fast, low-power, and supports the touch & graphics I needed. Plus, using ESPHome makes the Home Assistant integration painless.

MaTouch ESP32-S3 Parallel TFT with Touch 7“*1

USB Cable*1

At first, we need a device equipped with Home Assistant system, and which we choose is DIY with Raspberry Pi.

Please follow the steps below to complete the Raspberry Pi configuration

1. Step1: Install Raspberry Pi OS
2. Step2: Install Docker on Raspberry Pi
3. Step3: Install Home Assistant and ESPHome with Docker

1.In a web browser, access the ESPHome web interface, usually located at your-raspberry-pi-ip:6052.

2.On the main page, click the NEW DEVICE button.

3.In the pop-up dialog, enter a name for the new device (e.g., TEST) and click NEXT.

Note: The first time you create a device with ESPHome, you will be prompted to enter your Wi-Fi SSID and password for network connectivity.

4.Click SKIP THIS STEP.

5.On the device type selection screen,choose ESP32-S3.

6.Click SKIP to complete the creation process.

7.After completing these steps, you will see a new device card on the ESPHome main page.

8.Upload the fonts, assets folder provided by Makerfabs to your Raspberry Pi.

9.Use the scp command to upload the folder to the ESPHome configuration mapping directory.

Tip: Please adjust the mapping directory according to your actual setup.

10.After the upload is successful, please verify that your directory structure is as follows:

11.Below the device card, click the EDIT button to modify the device's YAML configuration file.

1. Overwrite or merge all the configuration content from Matouch_ESP32S3_7.yaml into your own device's YAML file.
2. Click SAVE in the top right corner, then click INSTALL.

12.In the installation options, select Manual download.

13.The system will begin compiling the firmware online. Once successful, select the Factory format option, and the browser will automatically download the binary firmware file (.bin format) for the initial flashing.

1.Connect the ESP device to your computer using a USB-C cable.

2.In your browser, go to the ESPHome Web Flasher online tool.

3.Click CONNECT, and in the pop-up dialog, select the COM port corresponding to your device and connect.

4.Click INSTALL, select the binary firmware file downloaded in the previous step, and click INSTALL again to begin flashing.

5.After a successful flash, return to the ESPHome main page and click the LOGS button below the device card.

In the log window that appears, you will see the IP address assigned to the device. Please record this IP address, as it will be needed for the Home Assistant integration.

6.Go back to the ESPHome page in Home Assistant and click EDIT on your device.

7.Find the api section and copy the encryption key.

1.In your browser, access your Home Assistant instance, usually located at your-raspberry-pi-ip:8123.

2.Home Assistant may automatically discover the new device. If it appears under "Discovered," click CONFIGURE. If not, continue to the next step.

3.Click ADD INTEGRATION in the bottom right corner.

4.Search for and select ESPHome.

5.Enter the IP address of your weather station and paste the encryption key you copied when prompted and click SUBMIT.

By following this tutorial, you’ve:

1. Set up a Raspberry Pi with Home Assistant and ESPHome
2. Created a new ESPHome device configuration
3. Uploaded necessary assets and fonts
4. Flashed the firmware to the MaTouch display
5. Integrated the device into Home Assistant

Now you can customize your MaTouch 7” dashboard, display sensor data, or control smart devices directly from the touchscreen!