Will I be able to disable/delay screensaver on current kindle?

AllesMeins · 11-08-2020, 04:50 PM

Hi, I'm thinking about buying a Kindle (the cheapest version) to use it as a digital recipe-display in my kitchen. One thing I'm concerned about is the screen-timeout I read about. I want the display of the device to stay on while I'm cooking.

So will I be able to somehow make sure that the screen stays on for at least an hour on an current gen kindle?

I've never owned a kindle before, but I'm tech-savvy enough that doing some "hacking" wouldn't be a problem.

Deskisamess · 11-08-2020, 05:13 PM

Kindle sleep screen time can't be altered in the normal Kindle menus. After 10 minutes of no activity, the sleep screen appears. E-ink Kindles aren't the best devices for cookbooks IMO, if that is what you're thinking. The small Greyscale screens just aren't the best option for that type of book, not to mention the navigation issues with badly formatted digital cookbooks.

Fire tablets have time-out options, as do other tablets like iPads.

I use the Kindle app on my iPads for cookbooks, and have most of my own recipes in the Evernote app, also on all of my iDevices. I've used e-ink Kindles since 2009, but never for cookbooks or recipes.

j.p.s · 11-08-2020, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllesMeins

Hi, I'm thinking about buying a Kindle (the cheapest version) to use it as a digital recipe-display in my kitchen. One thing I'm concerned about is the screen-timeout I read about. I want the display of the device to stay on while I'm cooking.

So will I be able to somehow make sure that the screen stays on for at least an hour on an current gen kindle?

I've never owned a kindle before, but I'm tech-savvy enough that doing some "hacking" wouldn't be a problem.

Automatic sleeping (screen-timeout) can be disabled on kindles by the magic search string ~ds. Unfortunately, on kindles without jailbreak it can only be re-enabled by restarting (rebooting). The power button short press (manual sleep) does not work when sleep is disabled and non jailbroken kindles can not be powered off.

If you are OK with rebooting after each use, you can disable sleeping on kindles, or you can buy a current paperwhite kindle (PW4) and jailbreak it, but you would still have to remember to re-enable sleep.

Many people do not like to use kindles to display recipes for other reasons, but some do.

AllesMeins · 11-08-2020, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

E-ink Kindles aren't the best devices for cookbooks IMO, if that is what you're thinking. The small Greyscale screens just aren't the best option for that type of book, not to mention the navigation issues with badly formatted digital cookbooks.

Thanks for the warning... I already have most of my recipes in a database and could serve them to the kindle via webserver/browser properly formated. So that shouldn't be a problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Automatic sleeping (screen-timeout) can be disabled on kindles by the magic search string ~ds.

Does this still work on current Kindles? I came across this command on my search but some people always claimed that it doesn't work anymore with current firmware...

j.p.s · 11-08-2020, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllesMeins

Does this still work on current Kindles? I came across this command on my search but some people always claimed that it doesn't work anymore with current firmware...

I do not know. My most recent kindle is the 2017 Oasis 2, on which ~ds works fine.

You can hope that someone reputable who knows or is in a position to test will report or you can download a recent firmware from amazon and use kindletool to check whether
/usr/bin/ds.sh exists, but that is more work than I am willing to do.

haertig · 11-09-2020, 12:54 AM

It sounds like your requirements make a traditional cookbook, on a stand, better for you. Or a recipe from your computer printed, then taped to a wall or kitchen cabinet for viewing.

What benefit are you expecting the Kindle to provide as a recipe display? A Kindle screen is much smaller than, and graphically inferior to, a cookbook or printed sheet of paper. At least your cookbook doesn't automatically close on you after 10 minutes.

The only place I see for an electronic device displaying a recipe, is in an advertisement to sell you that electronic device.

JSWolf · 11-09-2020, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllesMeins

Hi, I'm thinking about buying a Kindle (the cheapest version) to use it as a digital recipe-display in my kitchen. One thing I'm concerned about is the screen-timeout I read about. I want the display of the device to stay on while I'm cooking.

So will I be able to somehow make sure that the screen stays on for at least an hour on an current gen kindle?

I've never owned a kindle before, but I'm tech-savvy enough that doing some "hacking" wouldn't be a problem.

You would be better getting a Kobo. You can change the time before it sleeps or even turn off the sleep timer.

Quoth · 11-09-2020, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haertig

It sounds like your requirements make a traditional cookbook, on a stand, better for you. Or a recipe from your computer printed, then taped to a wall or kitchen cabinet for viewing.
The only place I see for an electronic device displaying a recipe, is in an advertisement to sell you that electronic device.

A €120 to €130 10" Android tablet works fine for patterns and recipes. Some current ones only take a 32G SD card, but the Lenovo one at about €130 works with a 256 G micro SD.

About €8 for a folio cover stand by Trust.

An ereader is monochrome and above 7" gets very expensive.

Our Colour laser print usage has collapsed since I got a 2nd 10" tablet

The savings in paper and toner will soon pay for it.

hobnail · 11-09-2020, 03:21 PM

I would also recommend an Android tablet. I have a bunch of recipes stored in Google Keep, which has very limited formatting, but it's a recipe so who cares. Even though I have a 10 inch tablet I almost always use my phone because it's near the kitchen and doesn't take much space.

Quoth · 11-10-2020, 10:01 AM

But ye canna beat eink for masses of text based fiction!

Gandulf · 11-10-2020, 01:52 PM

I converted all my recipes to an ebook, and when I find more I like just keep adding. So easy to find a recipe I want using the table of contents. My PW4 works perfectly for me even when it times out after the 10 mins.

Quoth · 11-10-2020, 03:21 PM

Yes, that works well for text, or recipes you write up yourself, but not for fancy PDFs with juicy photos

Gandulf · 11-10-2020, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

Yes, that works well for text, or recipes you write up yourself, but not for fancy PDFs with juicy photos

Find it easier making something from reading text, than from looking at a photo no matter how juicy it looks

11-08-2020, 04:50 PM	#1
AllesMeins Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2020 Device: none	Will I be able to disable/delay screensaver on current kindle? Hi, I'm thinking about buying a Kindle (the cheapest version) to use it as a digital recipe-display in my kitchen. One thing I'm concerned about is the screen-timeout I read about. I want the display of the device to stay on while I'm cooking. So will I be able to somehow make sure that the screen stays on for at least an hour on an current gen kindle? I've never owned a kindle before, but I'm tech-savvy enough that doing some "hacking" wouldn't be a problem.

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11-08-2020, 05:13 PM	#2
Deskisamess Wizard Posts: 2,683 Karma: 43102409 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Ohio Device: iPhone 7+, iPad mini, 2021 iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8"	Kindle sleep screen time can't be altered in the normal Kindle menus. After 10 minutes of no activity, the sleep screen appears. E-ink Kindles aren't the best devices for cookbooks IMO, if that is what you're thinking. The small Greyscale screens just aren't the best option for that type of book, not to mention the navigation issues with badly formatted digital cookbooks. Fire tablets have time-out options, as do other tablets like iPads. I use the Kindle app on my iPads for cookbooks, and have most of my own recipes in the Evernote app, also on all of my iDevices. I've used e-ink Kindles since 2009, but never for cookbooks or recipes.

11-09-2020, 12:54 AM	#6
haertig Wizard Posts: 1,804 Karma: 26951450 Join Date: Sep 2017 Device: PW3, Fire HD8 Gen7, Moto G7, Sansa Clip v2, Ruizu X26	It sounds like your requirements make a traditional cookbook, on a stand, better for you. Or a recipe from your computer printed, then taped to a wall or kitchen cabinet for viewing. What benefit are you expecting the Kindle to provide as a recipe display? A Kindle screen is much smaller than, and graphically inferior to, a cookbook or printed sheet of paper. At least your cookbook doesn't automatically close on you after 10 minutes. The only place I see for an electronic device displaying a recipe, is in an advertisement to sell you that electronic device.

11-09-2020, 03:21 PM	#9
hobnail Running with scissors Posts: 1,557 Karma: 14325282 Join Date: Nov 2019 Device: none	I would also recommend an Android tablet. I have a bunch of recipes stored in Google Keep, which has very limited formatting, but it's a recipe so who cares. Even though I have a 10 inch tablet I almost always use my phone because it's near the kitchen and doesn't take much space.

11-10-2020, 10:01 AM	#10
Quoth the rook, bossing Never. Posts: 12,354 Karma: 92073397 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper11	But ye canna beat eink for masses of text based fiction!

11-10-2020, 01:52 PM	#11
Gandulf Addict Posts: 208 Karma: 4491791 Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: South Africa Device: Kindle PW4	I converted all my recipes to an ebook, and when I find more I like just keep adding. So easy to find a recipe I want using the table of contents. My PW4 works perfectly for me even when it times out after the 10 mins.

11-10-2020, 03:21 PM	#12
Quoth the rook, bossing Never. Posts: 12,354 Karma: 92073397 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper11	Yes, that works well for text, or recipes you write up yourself, but not for fancy PDFs with juicy photos