There is no dearth of projects involving e-paper displays and ESP-32 microcontrollers. Be it picture frames, calendars, event planners, or those that perform some specialized function, DIY enthusiasts seem to tire of tinkering with these. Take for instance the one that developer Chris Twomey has come up with. As Hackster.io reported, Twomey created the lightweight dashboard for an e-paper picture frame display that can retrieve local weather information and display it using an Espressif ESP32 microcontroller. Twomey was inspired by a project called MagInkCal, which used a Raspberry Pi Zero WH to display events from a Google calendar on an E Ink display. However, Twomey seemed more inclined towards creating a weather station rather than a calendar display.
For the hardware, Twomey chose the Soldered Electronics Inkplate 10, an all-in-one smart display that features a 10-inch e-paper display panel, an onboard Espressif ESP32 microcontroller, and SD Card storage. The architecture of the project involves both a server and a client, with the main workload handled by the server. The server retrieves weather and map data from public APIs and generates a black-and-white PNG graphic, which is then transmitted to the client. Twomey notes that the client, powered by a 2,000mAh or 3,000mAh LiPo battery, can operate for several months without requiring a recharge.
To keep costs and power consumption low, Twomey used a Raspberry Pi Zero W for the server and the Inkplate 10 for the client. The server software is lightweight and efficiently renders the data for transmission. Twomey acknowledges MagInkCal and suggests that MagInkDash, a related project by “speedyg0nz” with a glanceable format for weather, calendar, and more, could be an alternative for those interested.
Meanwhile, the source code for Twomey’s project is available on GitHub under an unspecified open-source license, along with detailed instructions for usage.
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.
