How about an eBook reader that you can build on your own? That is exactly what Joey Castillo’s Open Book Project envisages, with the obvious benefit being that you can build your own ebook reader at dirt cheap prices. The initial model served the purpose all right but it exactly wasn’t as simple as the makers had wanted it to be.
So, while the initial model took as many as 114 different components to be assembled before you have a working eBook reader on your hands, the present version is a lot simpler in that it requires 45 parts at the most, with the Raspberry Pi Pico making up the core. That will make for an evolution over the previous model that used the SAMD51 processor usually found in the Arduino boards and the Adafruit Feather boards.
Forming the base is the $4 circuit board that hosts the RP2040 microcontroller and 133 MHz dual-core AQM Cortex-M0+ processor. That makes it just right for low power applications that won’t require the sort of computational power that the Raspberry Pi Zero provides for.
The new eBook reader which Castillo has named the Open Book Abridged Edition will however come with a circuit board that has been tailor-made for the device. Also, one unique aspect of the circuit board is that it has documentation printed right on the board itself which explains various features of the device. Those include the input and output functions, battery, power, button, and so on.
There is also a guide section that includes information about the GPIO pins, and what purpose those serve. Plus, there is also information about where additional hardware needs to be soldiered, precautions, if any that needs to be followed, how those function, and such.
At the end of it all, you will have on your hand an eBook reader with a 4.2-inch iPaper display that is powered by a 4.2-volt Li-Io power source. There will be a microSD card reader too to ensure enough storage at your disposal.
Of course, you can add more features which again will add to the price. However, in its most basic configuration, each of the Open Book Abridged Edition eBook reader is expected to cost much less than the $15 that the previous-gen Open Book printed circuit board costs.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
