Creator “speedyg0nz” has developed a new project called MagInkDash, which is a successor to the MagInkCal project, the site hackster.io reported. The goal of the project is to transform the ePaper calendar into a versatile and information-rich dashboard. The source code for MagInkDash has been made available by the pseudonymous maker.
“Back in September 2021, I shared about my E-Ink Calendar project (MagInkCal),” speedyg0nz explains, referring to their Android Magic Calendar-inspired ePaper frame project. “While the calendar has been serving me extremely well, I wanted a dashboard that offered additional information that was rich, timely, and glanceable, such as the weather for the next hour just before leaving the house. While there were many projects that might achieve a similar outcome, I wanted something that met my specific needs. Hence, this project was born.”
MagInkDash is a project that consists of two parts: a Raspberry Pi server for content retrieval and image processing, and an Inkplate 10 which receives the generated imagery via a Wi-Fi connection using its integrated Espressif ESP32 microcontroller. By using the Raspberry Pi as a server for rendering content and having a separate battery-powered E-Ink display, MagInkDash is able to achieve a much longer battery life. According to the maker, the display can last 3-4 months on an hourly refresh cycle using a 1,500mAh battery.
While the original MagInkCal project was solely focused on displaying calendar information, MagInkDash aims to present a wider range of information while still maintaining ease of use. In addition to showing upcoming calendar events for the next three days on the right side of the display, it also provides weather forecasting for the next hour and next three days in a quick and easy-to-read format. Moreover, MagInkDash includes a feature that displays a random fact generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT text-generation engine.
“OK, I’ll admit that this is gimmicky,” speedyg0nz admits of this latter feature. “I’m getting ChatGPT to generate random facts about animals, countries, historical figures, notable events, world records, etc. However, the kids at home love it! They’ll stand in front of the dashboard and wait for it to refresh on the hour so they can read about the next fact!”
Similar to MagInkCal, the creator “speedyg0nz” has made the complete source code and instructions for using MagInkDash available on GitHub. The project is licensed under the permissive Apache 2.0 license.
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.
