Here comes yet another Raspberry Pi project that uses an E Ink display. However, this time it is unique in that the Raspberry Pi computer is used to share the latest message of a Discord server as chosen by the user on a Waveshare E Ink display. This way, as Tom’s Hardware stated, the Raspberry Pi project, the credit for which goes to Reddit user Android2771 is among the very few that use the Discord instant messaging platform.
The execution though is simple in its scope in that the Raspberry Pi computer is used to check Discord for the latest message which might include images as well. Explaining the working of the entire setup, Android2771 said he relied on a custom Discord bot which he used to interface with a local API that is taking care of the e-ink display output. The Raspberry Pi computer processes the information and converts them into the format that the E Ink display supports.
Image processing has been the purview of someone identified as Python Pillow who worked on those to turn them into monochrome images. This is crucial since the E Ink display used can only output things in black and white. Besides, Python Pillow is also tasked to make the images have a resolution that is small enough to fit the small 2.7-inch E Ink display.
However, the code isn’t open source though. That said, Android2771 has given enough hints for anyone interested to get started on this. Check the Reddit post for details on this. Also, while Raspberry Pi 4 has been used for the project, the result would be much the same if an older model like the Raspberry Pi 3B+ is used. The same goes for the E Ink display as well as any other E Ink screen would work just as fine.
The latest project comes close on the heels of another Raspberry Pi project that exuded old-world Mac charm and displayed weather and other information on an E Ink display.
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.