Commercial notice boards and price tags as ereaders

[jago25_98]

The tiny screens used for price tags are really cheap. We can control them with NFC, Bluetooth and WiFi.

It would probably be unwieldy to use one as an ereader, turning each page via a phone. But maybe that could be fixed?

The screens run in a multitude of sizes. Perhaps constantly pushing page updates via phone volume keys could be a way to get past the price bloat in the ereader market?

[hobnail]

Originally Posted by jago25_98

The tiny screens used for price tags are really cheap. We can control them with NFC, Bluetooth and WiFi.

It would probably be unwieldy to use one as an ereader, turning each page via a phone. But maybe that could be fixed?

The screens run in a multitude of sizes. Perhaps constantly pushing page updates via phone volume keys could be a way to get past the price bloat in the ereader market?

I think I'd buy an e-ink digital picture frame but all of the ones I've seen are regular color lcd.

But I don't think I'd want to juggle my phone as well as a separate screen for reading a book.

[jago25_98]

There's a few that update via wifi. It seems doable at home but not it's not portable. Would need to be half price and the price difference isn't that much for bigger screens. For smaller screens the devices are pretty cheap anyway

[baljo]

Don't want to spoil the fun, be aware of the refresh time for certain type of e-ink screens though. I have a Waveshare 7.5" tri-color e-ink screen used as a calendar, the time needed for a full refresh is 16 (yes, sixteen) seconds!

[jago25_98]

Originally Posted by baljo

Don't want to spoil the fun, be aware of the refresh time for certain type of e-ink screens though. I have a Waveshare 7.5" tri-color e-ink screen used as a calendar, the time needed for a full refresh is 16 (yes, sixteen) seconds!

Thanks for the warning!

[binaryhermit]

wait, 16 seconds?

I mean, I guess it's fine for something like a grocery store price tag, but... damn...

[baljo]

Yes, 16 seconds, sometimes it's an eternity... you can feed the cat, fetch the mail, drink a cup of your favourite liquid and glance at your favourite social media before the refresh is complete... or fall asleep :-)

Edit: But I guess there might be faster displays than this

[hobnail]

Originally Posted by baljo

Yes, 16 seconds, sometimes it's an eternity... you can feed the cat, fetch the mail, drink a cup of your favourite liquid and glance at your favourite social media before the refresh is complete... or fall asleep :-)

Edit: But I guess there might be faster displays than this

Do the specs say that it's 16 seconds? Could there be a software bug or wiring bug?

[baljo]

The specs says it, and I can confirm it myself, at least for this display:
https://www.waveshare.com/product/di...aper-hat-c.htm
Obviously there are different types of displays as e-ink readers refresh fairly quickly.

Edit: changed from .html to .htm

[hobnail]

Originally Posted by baljo

The specs says it, and I can confirm it myself, at least for this display:
https://www.waveshare.com/product/di...per-hat-c.html
Obviously there are different types of displays as e-ink readers refresh fairly quickly.

This url worked for me. And yep, it's there in the specs. Does your setup remove the power to the display when you're not updating it? I hadn't thought about how eink doesn't need power to display the last image which is great for saving battery power.



https://www.waveshare.com/7.5inch-e-paper-hat-c.htm

[baljo]

Originally Posted by hobnail

This url worked for me. And yep, it's there in the specs. Does your setup remove the power to the display when you're not updating it? I hadn't thought about how eink doesn't need power to display the last image which is great for saving battery power.



https://www.waveshare.com/7.5inch-e-paper-hat-c.htm

Thx for pointing out the incorrect link, I've now changed it. As calendar software I'm using this https://github.com/aceisace/Inky-Calendar, am not sure if power is disconnected to the display when not in use, but I'd guess it is. I've configured the rPi to update the display every 20 minutes, mainly needed for the weather forecast part.

[hobnail]

Originally Posted by baljo

Thx for pointing out the incorrect link, I've now changed it. As calendar software I'm using this https://github.com/aceisace/Inky-Calendar, am not sure if power is disconnected to the display when not in use, but I'd guess it is. I've configured the rPi to update the display every 20 minutes, mainly needed for the weather forecast part.

Thanks, that's a nice package. I'm generally all thumbs with hardware but that looks tempting.