Minimal E-Ink Clock with a Raspberry Pi (Tutorial)
One Sentence Summary:
This video demonstrates how to build a customizable, low-power 7.3-inch e-ink display using a Raspberry Pi with a web UI for updates.
Main Points:
- The display uses a 7.3-inch, 7-color Inky Impression for paper-like visuals without glow.
- It’s powered by a Raspberry Pi 20W, chosen for low power and Wi-Fi capabilities.
- Components include the display, Raspberry Pi, micro SD card, and micro USB power cable, totaling around $110.
- Assembly involves inserting the SD card, connecting the Pi to the Inky display with GPIO headers, and framing.
- The frame is a repurposed Ikea picture frame, customizable with 3D-printed or other cases.
- Software setup involves flashing Raspberry Pi OS, configuring network, SSH, and hostname.
- The Inky display is controlled via a GitHub-repo installation script, enabling I2C and SPI interfaces.
- The web UI allows for updating images and clock faces, with future plans for advanced scheduling.
- Custom plugins can be created by inheriting from a base class, defining display functions, and registering them.
- The project is open source, encouraging community contributions and future plugin development.
Takeaways:
- Use low-power components like the Raspberry Pi 20W for energy-efficient projects.
- Customize your display with open-source code and create new plugins for unique functionalities.
- The 7-color e-ink display refreshes slowly, so plan updates accordingly.
- A simple frame can be repurposed or customized for aesthetic flexibility.
- Building such a display offers a minimal, distraction-free visual tool with endless customization options.