Inkplate 2 — Arduino-compatible Board with 2.13″ E-paper Display

Soldered Electronics, which specialized in the designing and manufacturing of electronic products, has unveiled its Inkplate 2 on Kickstarter for crowdfunding. Inkplate 2 is not the first of its kind that the company will be introducing. They had successfully crowdfunded four other models of the Inkplate. However, while previous models rely on larger-inch ePaper displays, the Inkplate 2 features a 2.13-inch 3-color ePaper display. It is by far the smallest the company has ever designed.

“The Inkplate 2 is an Arduino-compatible board that features a 2.13″ three-color e-paper display,” the company explains. It is a ‘Plug ‘n’ play device, programmable via USB port, and controller by ESP32 microcontroller. Moreover, it connects to the internet via WiFi or Bluetooth. Since it uses only 8uA in low-power mode, it can last months on a single Li-ion battery charge. It’s simple enough to be used by beginners, but it also offers plenty of features and a simple platform for advanced users. Simply said – it’s the easiest way to add an e-paper display to your project.”

The simple, easy-to-use Arduino-compatible device has a lot packed in a small factor board. It is driven by a low-cost low-power ESP32 dual-core microcontroller with integrated WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. It also has 8MB PSRAM and 4MB flash storage as well as a USB-UART converter with a Type-C port for easy programming. The board can be programmed with Arduino IDE or Micropython.

The device’s hardware is plug ‘n’ play; simply connect it to your computer using the USB cable that comes with it and it starts working, nothing more. There’s also an onboard Li-ion charger that charges your battery and makes it last for a long.

The 2.13-inch e-paper display has a natural look with high contrast and beautifully clean lines. It works well in any environment and has a really wide viewing angle (almost 180°). It has a 212 x 104-pixel resolution, 15-second full-screen refresh time, and is able to show text and images in three different colors at the same time (red, black, and white).

Specifications:

• ESP32-WROVER-E wireless module equipped with ESP32 dual-core MCU with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, 8MB PSRAM, 4MB flash
• External flexible IPX antenna
• 2.13-inch ePaper display with:
  • Screen resolution: 212 x 104 pixel
  • Screen colors: Black, white and red
  • Pixel size: 0.229 mm x 0.228 mm
  • Pixel density: 111 dpi
  • Full screen refresh time: 15 seconds
• 1x USB Type-C port
• 20-pin header with GPIOs, I2C, UART, 3.3V and GND
• easyC I2C connector with the Qwiic connector
• Power Supply:
  • 5V via USB Type-C port
  • Li-ion battery, MCP73831 charger IC
• Power consumption: 8uA
• Dimensions: 65.2 mm x 35.3 mm

Applications

Inkplate 2 offers makers the opportunity to program and develop a wide range of projects from scratch. It has amazing flexibility, so there is almost no limit to what you can use it for. It can be used to display weather reports, investment or stock tracking, sensor dashboard, or just as a simple e-paper picture frame.

Soldered Electronics launched the Inkplate 2 on Kickstarter this time with a $10,000 funding goal. The project has surpassed its target by far and still has more days for fundraising. Rewards are listed from $35 for a standard package comprising the Inkplate 2 board and a USB cable. You could pledge $45 if you want a 3D enclosure to be included, or, $55 if you want the kit with the enclosure and a 500mAh Li-ion battery. An additional $12 or $15 shipping fees apply to customers within the European Union or USA respectively. Others outside these places will pay $19. Deliveries are scheduled to start in April next year.

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