Inkplate 6PLUS ESP32 ePaper display gets higher resolution, a touchscreen, a frontlight (Crowdfunding)

Inkplate 6PLUS is an updated version of Inkplate 6 ESP32 powered 6-inch ePaper display that was introduced in 2019, wand comes with a higher 1024 x 758 resolution, and the addition of a touchscreen and a frontlight.

Just like the original product, Inkplate 6PLUS makes use of recycled e-paper displays without thousands of screens currently in stock. Refresh performance per pixel is faster and similar to Inkplate 10, which leads to a complete screen refresh being about as fast as on the original Inkplate 6 despite the higher resolution.Inkplate 6PLUS ESP32 wireless display

Inkplate 6PLUS specifications:

  • Wireless module – ESP32 WROVER module with dual-core ESP32 processor with Wi-Fi 4 & Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) connectivity, 8MB PSRAM, 4MB flash
  • External storage – MicroSD card socket
  • Display  – 6-inch, 1024 x 758 e-paper display with support for grayscale, partial updates, and quick refresh cycles
    • 1.27 second refresh time in black & white mode
    • 1.52 second refresh time in grayscale mode
    • 0.64 seconds for a partial update
    • Capacitive touchscreen with support for two simultaneous touches
    • 5-LED frontlighting with 64 levels of brightness
  • USB – 1x USB Type-C port for programming and power
  • Expansion – Headers for GPIO pins, I²C, SPI, and easyC/Qwiic connectivity
  • Misc – RTC and backup battery, 3x capacitive touch pads, power and user/wake push-buttons
  • Power Supply
    • JST input and MCP73831 charger for Lithium battery power
    • Texas Instruments (TI) TPS65186 PMIC
    • Power consumption – 22 µA sleep state that can work for months on a single battery
  • Dimensions – 155 x 112 x 8 mm
  • Weight – 120 g

Inkplate 6PLUS board

Software support remains the same with Arduino libraries 100% compatible with Adafruit GFX and a MicroPython module that facilitates the rendering of text, images, and line art. Tools to prepare images or design a user interface for the wireless ePaper display include an Online Image Converter and a GUI Designer. Hardware and software resources can be found on e-Radionica’s GitHub account.

The display can be used as a high-latency information panel (e.g. calendar, temperature, weather, and/or air quality data), a minimalist e-paper typewriter, an open-hardware e-reader, a collaborative task tracker, and for all sort of art projects.

Inkplate 6PLUS vs Waveshare EPD
The company has also updated its comparison table to show the benefit of the new model against previous versions, and a standard, non-connected e-Paper display from Waveshare.

While Inkplate 6PLUS is the only ePaper display with a touchscreen from the list above, there’s at least one alternative courtesy of M5Paper ESP32 IoT development kit with a 4.7-inch e-Ink touchscreen display. It should be noted that for projects that require longer-term supplies, Inkplate relies on recycled displays, so the company may not be able to source the display in a couple of years, and may have to switch to another supply of new, likely more expensive, e-Paper displays.

Inkplate 6PLUS is available now on Crowd Supply for $159 or $179 with a 3D printed enclosure with free international shipping. The project is about 50% funded out of its $15,900 goal at the time of writing, and backers should get their reward(s) ship around mid-November 2021.

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5 Replies to “Inkplate 6PLUS ESP32 ePaper display gets higher resolution, a touchscreen, a frontlight (Crowdfunding)”

    1. I’ve noticed e-Ink/ePaper displays always have odd resolutions. I’m not sure why, but there must be a technical explanation.

  1. Looks like the e-book reader I reverse engineered in the past: http://linux-sunxi.org/PocketBook_Touch_Lux_3 except that this doesn’t have a full Linux capable SoC, and looks more hackable.

    Even the display PMIC is the same. I wonder if display is also one of those ED060XD4 or similar variant. Those did cost $15 on aliexpress a few years ago. More with touchscreen and front light. (~$50-60).

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