Ordinary readers may remember Inkplate, which is an open hardware electronic paper development board that combines ESP32 and recycled Kindle screens. With detailed documentation and full-featured support libraries for Arduino IDE and MicroPython, Inkplate makes it easy for hackers and manufacturers to write their own code for high-quality electronic paper displays.
Now, with everyone’s efforts [Guy Turcotte], this Inkplate series devices can now have feature-rich and fully open source e-reader firmwareThe project was launched in October last year, and the code base has been steadily updated and improved since then. When approaching version 1.3, EPub-plate It has most of the features that a modern e-reader should have, and there are some features that may surprise you.
on the one hand, [Guy] It makes full use of the ESP32 microcontroller at the core of Inkplate and implements a web server that allows you to manage the library of the reader through a browser. This allows books in EPUB v2 and v3 format to be uploaded and saved on Inkplate’s SD card without any special software. Currently supports JPG, PNG, BMP and GIF images, as well as embedded TTF and OTF fonts.
At the time of writing EPub-plate Supports 6-inch and 10-inch Inkplate variants, and uses the touchpad on the side of the screen for navigation. Although it is on the final version 1.3 wish list, the project does not currently support Inkplate 6PLUS; it uses a backlight and touch-compatible display from Kindle Paperwhites. According to reports, the new 6PLUS model will be shipped in November, and it is hoped that its enhanced features will be supported soon.
With the increasing popularity of e-books, it is more important than ever that we have open hardware and software readers that meet our requirements.Although they may never be able to compete with Kindle in terms of sales, we are eager to see similar projects EPub-plate And the opened book is from [Joey Castillo] So mature that they are an effective choice for mainstream users who do not want to live under Amazon’s control.
thanks [Nathan] tip.