Seeed Studio XIAO 7.5″ ePaper Panel interfaces an XIAO ESP32-C3 USB-C board and mainly targets the Smart Home market with support for ESPHome, but the monochrome ePaper display is also programmable with the Arduino IDE for a wider range of applications.
The display offers a resolution of 800×400 and includes a 2,000mAh battery good for three months per charge with updates every 6 hours. Seeed Studio says the display can operate in the -40°C to 85°C temperature range, so it would be suitable for outdoor use as long as it’s not exposed to rain or dust. The USB-C port of the ESP32-C3 module and the Boot and Reset buttons are easily accessible for charging the display and programming it.
XIAO 7.5″ ePaper Panel specifications:
- Wireless module – XIAO ESP32C3
- SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C3
- CPU – Single-core RISC-V microcontroller @ 160 MHz
- Memory/Storage – 400KB SRAM, 384KB ROM, 4MB flash
- Wireless – Wi-Fi 4 & Bluetooth LE 5.0 connectivity
- Antenna – External u.FL antenna
- USB – USB Type-C port for power and programming
- SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C3
- Display
- 7.5-inch Monocolor ePaper display with 800×480 resolution
- Refresh rate – “1 to 5 seconds”
- Misc
- Boot and Reset buttons
- Battery On/Off switch
- Operating Voltage – 3.3V to 5V
- Battery – 2000mAh Rechargeable Li-ion Battery (3-month battery life in deep sleep mode with 6-hour refresh interval on a single charge)
- Dimensions – 178 x 131 x 19 mm (3D printed PLA enclosure with stand)
- Weight – 218 grams
- Temperature Range – -40°C to 85°C
Seeed Studio provides detailed documentation for ESPHome firmware with Home Assistant integration and Arduino programming. The Home Assistant instructions explain how to show weather, sensor and calendar entries in a way similar to the photo at the top of the article. The Arduino documentation describes how to configure the Arduino IDE for the XIAO 7.5″ ePaper panel and provides four Arduino code samples (Bitmap, Clock, Clock_digital, and Shape).
There are plenty of other ePaper displays with ESP32 chips from companies like LILYGO or Inkplate. However, the Seeed Studio XIAO ePaper panel looks easier to use, especially for Home Assistant users, and it ships with a 3D printed enclosure by default, although it’s also an option for some Inkplate models.
Seeed Studio takes pre-orders for the XIAO 7.5″ ePaper panel for $59 (regular price $69) with shipping scheduled to start by April 15.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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