E-Ink displays look like paper, are incredibly power-efficient, and can easily be used in DIY projects powered by cheap microcontrollers. Though they’re not necessarily the cheapest or most versatile display choice you can make, they are perfectly suited to a range of projects.
ESPHome and Home Assistant E-Ink boards
Display weather and task information from Home Assistant
The ESPHome-eInk-Boards GitHub repository is a treasure trove of YAML code and guides for building your own E-Ink displays that use ESPHome. This framework allows you to build mostly smart home-focused projects that integrate natively with Home Assistant.
Projects include WeatherBoard, a weather display based on Open-Meteo; and TasksBoard, which pulls data from Home Assistant’s built-in task manager (or Google Tasks if you’d rather). The project author includes a bill of materials, and even a features a build guide for integrating the board into a simple IKEA picture frame.
You could use the project as a basis to build your own dashboards, displaying whatever information you like.
Color E-Ink picture frame
E-Ink is finally ready for your wall
There is no shortage of ESP32-powered picture frame projects out there, so I’m choosing to highlight a few of my favorites. How-To Geek’s own Patrick Campanale even built something comparable using an Arduino, ESP32, and Waveshare display.
One of the most impressive end results is a project that uses an ESP32 and a Spectra E6 E-Paper display, paired with a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery. The project’s author wrote a detailed blog post detailing how the project came together and how it works, plus some pictures of the beautiful finished result.
A similar project uses a 3D printed shell in which to house the various components.
eFortune cookie
A fun project for a tiny E-Ink display
The eFortune cookie project came about when one maker pondered whether or not an ESP32 would fit inside a fortune cookie. The project combines a 1.54” monochrome E-Ink display. ESP32-S3, GY521 accelerometer and gyro sensor, and a small 150mAh lithium-polymer battery.
Shake the device, and one of 3000 fortunes will be displayed on screen. Also included is a dice roller and coin flipper, with a dedicated side button for toggling between them. The housing is 3D printed, and you’ll need to solder a few wires in order to throw the whole thing together.
It’s an ideal project for a beginner, with all the code and full assembly instructions included. It’s also a great way to use a spare inexpensive E-Ink display.
TrailNAV GPS navigator
Simpler than a smartphone, easier than a compass and map
The TrailNAV is a navigator that’s not designed to replace your primary navigation device, whether that’s a smartphone with offline mapping or a dedicated modern GPS unit. The author claims that the project was designed to provide a navigation aid that could keep working for days without depending on mobile networks or chargers.
The navigator points you in the right direction rather than being a full replacement for a map and compass. It uses a low-power 2.7” E-Ink display, the NEO-M8N GPS module, an integrated QMC5883L magnetometer (compass), solar-assisted charging via a small photovoltaic panel, and tactile buttons.
WeatherPaper minimalist weather display
A small and rechargeable weather monitor
WeatherPaper is a minimalist weather monitor that shows current conditions on a small 2.9” E-Ink display. It uses an ESP32-C3 and is powered by a 500mAh lithium-polymer battery, with deep sleep compatibility helping the device last several months on a single charge.
The housing is 3D printed, and some soldering is required to complete the project. Don’t worry, the author has provided a full diagram and step-by-step guide to building the device. Simplicity is the key to this project, and since it’s completely wireless, you can stick it anywhere you like, whether that’s your desk, in the kitchen, or on the nightstand (as long as you have Wi-Fi).
Alternatively, take on a more involved build that uses a larger 5.79” display to show a forecast, rather than just current conditions.
One to watch: Diptyx eReader
This looks too good to ignore
The Diptyx eReader is a dual-panel open-source eReader that has been under development for several years. The original prototypes borrowed heavily from build-your-own-Kindle projects like this one, with the Diptyx author receiving a warm welcome on Reddit whenever they shared project progress updates.
You can back the project on CrowdSupply, though the author notes on Hackaday.io that the design files will eventually be published closer to the time backers receive their orders.
Wondering why E-Ink displays are still so expensive after all these years? It turns out there’s a simple reason for this.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
