Waveshare 4-inch E-Ink Spectra 6 is a Full Color E-Paper Display for Raspberry Pi

Waveshare has recently launched the 4-inch E-Ink Spectra 6 (E6) Full-Color E-Paper Display, designed to work with Raspberry Pi 5. It is a flexible and low-power display with a resolution of 600×400 pixels. It uses SPI communication so it is compatible with several platforms such as Jetson Nano, RDK X3, Arduino, and STM32. In addition, the display has high contrast and saturation, with E-Ink Spectra 6 technology offering full-colour images by using red, yellow, and blue as primary colours. It can maintain its last image without power and requires minimal energy for refreshing. Besides, this display is perfect for things like price tags, shelf labels, etc and other tools used in factories.

It supports the Raspberry Pi HAT+ standard so that you can enhance collusion and simplify development. This display has a wide viewing angle(over 170°), so you can see it clearly from almost any angle. And then its matte finish display makes it easy to see even in daylight. The optional driver board further expands its capabilities with a 40PIN GPIO header for easier integration with various controller boards.

Previously, we have covered some similar E-Paper Displays like the Lilygo T3S3 2.12-inch E-Paper Display, the Inkplate 6 Motion, the Lilygo 7.5-inch ESP32-based E-Paper Display, and much more. Therefore, feel free to check those out if you are interested in the topic.

Waveshare 4-inch spectra 6 (E6) E-Paper Display for Raspberry Pi Specifications:

• Display size: 4.0 inches
• Display Panel: E-Paper
• Resolution: 600×400 pixels (200 PPI)
• Display colours: E6 full-colour (Red, Yellow, Blue)
• Greyscale: 2
• Viewing angle: >170°
• Interface: 3-wire SPI, 4-wire SPI
• Grayscale: Two shades of grey in addition to black and white.
• Operating voltage:
  • Raw display: 3.3V
  • With driver board: 3.3V / 5V
• Full refresh time: 19 seconds
• Refresh power consumption: <70 mW
• Refresh Time:
  • Full refresh: 19s
  • Partial refresh: Not supported
• Standby power:
  • Raw display: <0.01 µA
  • Driver board version: <0.01 mW (typ.)
• Standard: Raspberry Pi HAT+ (for improved interoperability)
• Compatibility: It is compatible with several platforms, for example
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Jetson Nano
  • RDK X3
  • Arduino
  • STM32
• Features:
  • Ultra-low power consumption
  • No backlight retains the image after power down
  • Paper-like effect
  • Suitable for price tags, shelf labels, industrial instruments, etc.
• Optional: In general, It has a Driver board with a 40PIN GPIO header
• Temperature Range:
  • Operating: 0 ~ 50°C
  • Storage: -25 ~ 60°C
• Outline dimensions:
  • Raw display: 99.00 × 66.00 × 0.85 mm
  • With driver board: 101.00 × 68.00 mm
• Display area: 84.6 × 56.4 mm
• Dot pitch: 0.141 × 0.141 mm

As far As I understand, the E-Ink Spectra 6 is a full-colour E-Paper technology that improves colour, resolution, and contrast using red, yellow, and blue as primary colours. In addition, it features Micro-cups with suspended particles for sharper, more vibrant images. Due to its up to 200 ppi resolution, faster refresh rates, and low power consumption, it follows that it’s energy-efficient. What’s more, this display creates six colours using blue particles and dithering for rich visuals. Besides, the E-paper uses microcapsule electrophoresis to reflect light like printed paper, working well in natural or artificial light with a wide viewing angle, often seen in e-readers for a paper-like experience. For further information like, picture processing, working with Raspberry Pi, and resources you can visit the product’s Wiki page.

Lastly, the E-Ink Spectra 6 (E6) full-colour E-Paper Display is available on Waveshare’s official store at $52.99. It is also available on Aliexpress for $50.30. In general, this E-Paper Display weighs 0.012 kg and includes several components: one 4-inch e-Paper (E) display, one 4-inch e-Paper HAT+ (E) display, a GH1.25 9-pin cable (20 cm), and a screws pack for easy assembly. However, the Raspberry Pi 5 is NOT included in the package.

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