Soldered Electronics has made ESP32-based e-paper displays for years, starting with the launch of the Inkplate 6 in 2019. The Inkplate 13SPECTRA is their latest model based on an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth SoC and a 13.3-inch E-Ink Spectra color display with 1600 x 1200 resolution.
More specifically, it’s powered by an ESP32-S3-WROOM-2-N32R16V module with 32MB SPI flash and 16MB PSRAM, features a microSD card slot for data storage, a USB-C port for data and power, a JST connector for an optional 3,000 mAh LiPo battery, and expansion capabilities through three Qwiic connectors and GPIO expander pins.
Inkplate 13SPECTRA specifications:
- Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-2-N32R16V
- SoC – ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor (up to 240 MHz) with wireless connectivity
- System Memory – 16 MB PSRAM
- Storage – 32 MB flash
- Wireless – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz), Bluetooth 5 (LE),
- Storage – MicroSD card slot
- Display
- 13.3-inch E-Ink SPECTRA color e-paper with 1600 x 1200 resolution (six colors: black, white, yellow, red, blue, green)
- Refresh time – 19 seconds
- USB – 1x USB Type-C port for data and power/battery charging
- Expansion
- 3x Qwiic ports
- GPIO expander pins (pads with through holes)
- Misc
- Power and Wake buttons
- PCF85063A RTC and CR2032 battery backup
- Power Supply
- 5V via USB-C port
- 2-pin JST connector for 3.7V Li-ion batteries with battery charging circuit onboard; optional 3,000 mAh battery
- Ultra-Low Power: 14 µA deep-sleep current
- Dimension – TBD (about A4 paper size)
The 3,000 mAh battery allows the board to last 40 to 50 days on a charge when updating the screen every hour (i.e., 24 times a day), taking about 8 seconds to download data over WiFi and 19-20 seconds to refresh the display, before going to deep sleep, drawing about 14 microamps in this low power mode.
The Inkplate 13SPECTRA will be fully open-source hardware and software. It can be programmed using the Arduino IDE with LVGL or the Inkplate library, or MicroPython. The Inkplate library enables users to draw shapes, text, and images, and features ready-made examples such as a Calendar, an OpenMeteo Weather Station, a Spotify “Currently Playing” display, and a photo frame demo reading images from a microSD card. The wireless display also supports ESPHome firmware for Smart Home integration with Home Assistant or other home automation solutions. The full schematics, KiCad board files, high-level documentation, and tutorials will be released on the Soldered Electronics GitHub account after the crowdfunding campaign is over.
The Inkplate 13SPECTRA design is quite close to the XIAO ePaper DIY Kit EE02 13.3-inch color E-Ink display reviewed by Suthinee earlier this month, since it comes with the same panel, an ESP32-S3 board, and supports LiPo batteries. The Inkplate display has some extra benefits, though. It comes with 16MB PSRAM and 32MB flash (instead of 8MB/16MB), integrates a microSD card socket and an RTC with battery backup, and supports expansion through Qwiic connectors and GPIO expander pins, while the Seeed Studio display does not come with any user-accessible GPIOs.
Soldered Electronics has just launched the Inkplate 13SPECTRA on Crowd Supply with a $9,270 funding target, which has already been surpassed. Two rewards are available: the Inkplate 13Spectra with a USB Type-C cable for $309, and a kit adding an enclosure and a 3,000 mAh battery for $359. Shipping is free to the US, and adds $12 to the rest of the world, with deliveries scheduled to start by the end of June 2026. For reference, the XIAO ePaper DIY Kit EE02 13.3-inch color E-Ink display goes for $163.90 barebone or $279.90 for with a 5,000 mAh battery and an enclosure (it’s then called the reTerminal E1004), but it’s more limited in its capabilities.
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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