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Inkplate 6

SKU: CE07321 Brand: Maker Community

Retired Product

Replaced by: E-ink

This product has been replaced by: E-ink
This product is no longer available. This page is only for reference.

A powerful, Wi-Fi enabled ESP32 microcontroller makes this six-inch e-paper display – recycled from a Kindle e-reader – incredibly easy to control. Just plug in a USB cable, open Arduino IDE, and change the contents of the screen with few lines of code. Built on ESP32 & programmable with Arduino IDE or MicroPython

Features

Physical Interface:

Three capacitive touchpads
Hardware power switch
One LED battery indicator
Hardware reset button

Connectors: Micro USB, easyC, and GPIO
Wired Connectivity: USB, I²C, and SPI
USB to UART converter: CH340C
Storage: MicroSD card reader
Power Management:

Based on Texas Instruments (TI) TPS65186
MCP73831 lithium battery charger with a standard JST connector

Temperature Sensor: Internal TPS65186

Limited Only by Your

Imagination

Here is a random sampling of things you might want to see hanging from your wall, sitting on your desk, stuck to your refrigerator, tucked away in your bag, or surrounded by a custom frame:

High Latency Information Panel: Show calendar, temperature, weather, and air quality data. Track your stocks, learn a new word each day, display information about whatever song is playing, or tally up your likes on social media (if you must). Download updates, and only hit the battery when you do.
Collaborative Task Tracker: Maintain shared lists of groceries to buy, chores to do, and birthdays to remember. Or replace the power-hungry wall monitor in your office with an e-paper kanban on each desk. Give away your dry-erase markers.
Minimalist E-Paper Typewriter: Get those words out. Sync them to the cloud or store them on an SD card. And keep distractions like social media and email away from your line-of-sight.
Open Hardware E-Reader: Sweep aside the barriers put in place by restrictive, centralized platforms and e-read whatever you want.
Art: Frame photographs pulled from an SD card or an online camera roll, sure, but why not generate abstract art from sensor data? Or torment your house guests with a modern take on the classic, four-shot, black-and-white photo booth?

Whatever your e-paper idea might be, as long as it’s compatible with a six inch screen, Inkplate 6 probably represents your quickest path to it. And even if you’re working toward something larger or smaller, Inkplate 6 can still save you some headaches while you’re prototyping.

Kindles Have Nice Screens

We’d rather see them in your hands than in a landfill somewhere. And by recycling used Kindle screens, we are able to offer high-end features at an affordable price. You can find more information in the comparison table below, but some of the highlights include:

3-Bit Greyscale, which allows Inkplate 6 to display black, white, and six different
shades of grey (1-bit black & white mode also available)
264 ms Refresh, which is unusually fast for an e-paper screen of this size
Partial Updates, so you don't have to reset the entire screen to add content

ESP32 is the Place to Be

Inkplate 6 is built around one of today’s most popular microcontrollers. If you already have experience working with ESP32, then you’re in good company. Developing for Inkplate 6 should feel mighty familiar. And if you’re new to ESP32, this is a great way to start learning a set of skills that will serve you well for a long time to come.

The ESP32 WROVER module at the heart of Inkplate 6 features:

A dual-core microprocessor
8 MB of RAM
4 MB of flash
Integrated Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE)

Specifications

Screen Size: 6"
Resolution: 800x600
All-in-one Board: Yes
Low-Power Mode: 25µA
Wi-Fi: Yes
Battery Charger: Yes
TouchPads: Three
MicroSD slot: Yes
Greyscale: Yes
Partial Update: Yes
Refresh Time: 0.264s

Resources

This product is listed in:

Retired

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Exact shipping can be calculated on the view cart page (no login required).

Products that weigh more than 0.5 KG may cost more than what's shown (for example, test equipment, machines, >500mL liquids, etc).

We deliver Australia-wide with these options (depends on the final destination - you can get a quote on the view cart page):

$3+ for Stamped Mail (typically 10+ business days, not tracked, only available on selected small items)
$6+ for Standard Post (typically 6+ business days, tracked)
$10+ for Express Post (typically 2+ business days, tracked)
Pickup - Free! Only available to customers who live in the Newcastle region (must order online and only pickup after we email to notify you the order is ready). Orders placed after 2PM may not be ready until the following business day.

Non-metro addresses in WA, NT, SA & TAS can take 2+ days in addition to the above information.

Some batteries (such as LiPo) can't be shipped by Air. During checkout, Express Post and International Methods will not be an option if you have that type of battery in your shopping cart.

International Orders - the following rates are for New Zealand and will vary for other countries:

$11+ for Pack and Track (3+ days, tracked)
$16+ for Express International (2-5 days, tracked)

If you order lots of gear, the postage amount will increase based on the weight of your order.

Our physical address (here's a PDF which includes other key business details):

Unit 18, 132 Garden Grove Parade
Adamstown
NSW, 2289
Australia

Take a look at our customer service page if you have other questions such as "do we do purchase orders" (yes!) or "are prices GST inclusive" (yes they are!). We're here to help - get in touch with us to talk shop.

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