A Slow Display… E-Paper + Arduino

Most notable for its inclusion in the Kindel and other E-Readers, E-Paper has recently become very popular. But until very recently been out of reach to being used in personal projects. Luckily for us, SparkFun started selling and E-Paper display, and breakout board finally bringing this great technology to a place where we can slap it on the back of our Arduinos.A Slow Display… E-Paper + Arduino

If you are wondering, E-Ink is a brand of E-Paper, and this display is not of that brand so we will be calling it E-Paper.

E-paper has some properties that make it unlike almost any other display. Unlike a typical LCD screen, E-paper only needs power when it is changing what is being displayed. Think of it as an electrical etch-a-sketch – The image is there until you change it.

The E-paper actually does this by drawing the image by flipping over tiny balls in the display that are black on one side, and white on the other. When an electrical charge is applied to portions of the display it forces the balls in that area to all flip to one side, changing the color of that part of the display. Once these balls have been set into place, they stay there until a new instruction takes place.

E-paper also is not backlit like many LCDs and is more like actual paper where reading it is dependent on available light where you are. And, many people report E-Paper as being easier on the eyes and more like reading actual paper than a screen.

This particular display is a 20 character, 2 line, 16-segment display. So you wont be able to display graphics on it, and the type size is set as well. But… it is still very cool.

Hooking It Up

I wouldn’t try hooking up this display without the breakout board, so im not going to cover that at all (the break outboard bumps the 3.3 or 5[v] source to the 35V needed for the display) and there are like 400 connections on the 2 ribbon cables. Also, even with the breakout board it can be a little tricky.Schematic A Slow Display… E-Paper + Arduino

The ribbon cables of the display need to slide into the connectors of the breakout board, and I have read some people having issue with this. To do this you need to slide out the sides of the connector, then slide the ribbon cable into it, and slide the sides back in, locking it into place.

For more detail: A Slow Display… E-Paper + Arduino


About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer with a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan University. I have written for various industries, mainly home automation and engineering. My writing style is clear and simple, and I am skilled in using infographics and diagrams. I am a great researcher and am able to present information in a well-organized and logical manner.

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