Universal EInk Solutions

Electrophoretic displays (aka EPD, Eink, E-Paper) are reflective display devices which use colored granules suspended in clear oil to display text and graphics. Their unique property is that they can maintain their state without power. They've become ubiquitous as e-book readers, digital signage and as dynamic price displays in retail. Small, low cost displays are also desirable to use in personal and small maker projects. The challenge in using these displays compared to more traditional displays such as LCDs (liquid crystal displays) is that their unique properties require unique software, hardware and knowledge. Adding to this challenge are the lack of availability of all of the above. The manufacturers and resellers provide minimal software and documentation, so users are usually left frustrated. This project aims to greatly reduce these barriers to use through software, hardware and documentation. On the software side, are two new portable C/C++ (embedded + Linux) software libraries which can generate text and graphics on the vast majority of these displays, using a common API. For the hardware side, the goal is to make the hardware available at a reasonable cost to individual users through open source hardware definition files and the ability to buy finished PCBs through worldwide retail channels. The documentation will come in the form of detailed info about the physical displays, their controllers and ample example code to show their use. There are two main types of EPDs, one has a controller built into the glass of the display and needs a few external components for a DC-DC boost circuit. The other type requires an external CPU and multiple external power rails to control all aspects of the display updates. Both will be supported by this project.