This display technology has been around for a while now and is popular in both consumer and industrial products, but it’s been a little slow to take off in the maker world. E-paper displays historically have been expensive and hard to work with, but that’s starting to change now. Smaller displays are now available from a range of maker manufacturers, and larger displays – such as this one from e-radionica – are becoming more affordable.
At its heart, the Inkplate 6PLUS has a recycled Carta panel from a Kindle Paperwhite (or similar) e-reader. This has a resolution of 212 PPI, and a 1.27 second refresh time (this can be decreased with partial refreshes). An ESP32 microcontroller sits alongside this display and brings in WiFi control – it also has excellent support for low-power operation. In sleep mode, it consumes just 22 µA, so it’s a good choice for battery-powered applications.
We’re really enjoying seeing more and more e-paper displays become available for makers. The Inkplate 6PLUS looks like it’ll become a great option.
Price: From $159 | Delivery: November 2021
