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Show HN: My solar-powered, ePaper digital photo frame (jamez.it)
154 points by jamez on May 16, 2023 | hide | past | favorite | 41 comments
This is version 2 of my ongoing heirloom device project, a digital photo frame built with the goal of lasting longer than your typical gadget.

There's a part of me that wishes to commercialize a polished version of this product, but the more I speak to people, the more I become convinced that I belong to a very small minority.




That's lovely! I've been experimenting using old eReaders for such a purpose - and you're 100% right about batteries being a pain to deal with.

Perhaps, instead of a polished version, you could sell the components as a kit?


Giving new life to an old eReader using solar power is as optimistic an image of the future as I can get right now. There are dozens of us... DOZENS! Ditto for the build-your-own kit.


My modest efforts are at

https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2020/02/turn-an-old-ereader-into-an...

And

https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2021/09/turning-an-eink-screen-into...


I really enjoyed the work you put into finding the best images for the medium. It matters! For instance, I noticed that in the black-white-red ePaper, photos with a subject containing a lot of red hue really pop out. Container and content should always go hand in hand.


Ahh very nice, been tinkering with this in my head for a while time.


This is inspiring work. Thanks for sharing it.


Some e-readers can run mainline Linux, making this super easy to build. Specifically I'm working on a UI for the Kobo Clara HD: https://github.com/bjesus/air


I think this is super cool.

That said, calling it a "forever" or "heirloom" doesn't match the reality of the lifespans of electronics. Hopefully it will last longer if there are no defects in the components, and since the components aren't drawing full power most of the time. Still, I think the lifespan issue is worth keeping in mind, and out of marketing.

But that's just my 2¢.


Thanks for your comment. You are definitely right about "forever" not matching reality, which is why I placed it between quotes. In this case, what this means to me is a device that could outlive its creator.

I take your point about lifespan of electronics, however I stick to my guns regarding the word "heirloom". Grandpa's clocks did not last forever either without some maintenance, but still managed to pass through generations with the help of repairing hands. My C64 from way back 1980s still works, and the only thing I ever needed to do is replace a fuse and... treat it nicely.


That's fair enough. :)

I would point out that one advantage the C64 had was thick wires carefully separated. Takes longer for things like tin whiskers to form and kill the SS transistors.

Still, awesome project, and I'll be happy to see more.


Would dipping electronics in some resin to cover the connections help?


Unless you are currently 75 years old, there isn't much chance of that. The solar cells and the ESP module probably have a lifespan measured in years, not decades.

Not even electronics built in the "good old days" of low component count circuits and hand-wired cabinets lasted more than a few decades.

Cheap flash memory, material diffusion effects, etc, will kill modern stuff much quicker. Not to mention WiFi becoming obsolete. And unlike your family's old mechanical clocks, once a part becomes unavailable, you can't make your own replacement.

Take pictures and print them instead!


Given the low price of an ESP32, I would include one or two spares (already programmed) in the frame, for easy replacement in the future.


I’ve been playing around with energy harvesting to make my ePaper weather display run on batteries. It’s kind of working, but the solar cell I’m using is pretty small and we really find get enough sun up in the north. It is still running though and if it can last until summer the battery should charge back up to full capacity.

https://atomic14.com/2023/03/23/energy-scavenging.html


Nicely done. Have you tried connecting it with a larger panel and see if you can get rid of that battery draining during Winter? I'm curious to hear how your battery copes over time.


I love this! I totally get it. If it was commercially available it's something I would definitely be interested in.

I also know some pretty serious photographers working with large format black and white film. I think they would be interested in something like this.

I think they would consider the eInk its own medium and try to shoot stuff that suits it in particular.


I really like this! There are some awesome premade boards with integrated eink displays using the RP2040 (pico) from pimoroni that could benefit from this clever periodic Solar-supercapacitor power source. Kinda surprised this is the first time reading about this concept as it makes tons of sense.


Use internal storage. Have a USB connection that can power it while transferring files. Files need to be "converted" to e-paper format when transferred.

Now it's a USB photo frame that anyone can use, requires no cord and no batteries. Everyone wants this.


Piggybacking on this: My parents recently changed their newspaper subscription and they now no longer receive a paper version but only a digital one (app + PDF). Can anyone recommend a cheap & lightweight e-ink device with a large screen that would be appropriate for newspaper reading? It should be able to open PDFs from some sort of network or cloud storage. It doesn't need to support handwriting or anything.

I imagine they would just have the device lying around on the kitchen table, with the front page open at all times.

Personally, I own a Supernote, which I really like but it's too small and also too expensive for using it just as a newspaper reader.


I love everything about this and wish I had the electronic skills to piece one together. While a wifi one is more versatile and hands off, I imagine an sd card version would be simpler and more robust. I love the idea of just changing the photo as soon as there's enough power available, and a nice attractive frame with integrated panels should be doable. I would get major karma with my mom, mother in law and wife if I could give each of them one of these


An ironic version could display the weather forecast.


it's hard for people to imagine what the finished, polished product will look like, until you show them

they just think it will look on their wall like it does now

I've worked with 3d artists in the past to turn my ideas into renders, but nothing sells the device like a finished beta that's pretty much ready to be boxed (or a hollywood mockup, if you have the budget)


That white, black, and red image is amazing! I remember a post here about optimizing 1 bit black and white images some time ago, which also was amazing, but it's crazy the colors that seem to pop out of that image when just adding red as an additional option.


I agree. The brain does a lot of the interpolation that fools us into thinking there's more colors. Here's another example of interesting results: https://twitter.com/liviopacifico/status/1361928583405391875


@jamez This is amazing! Though when i looked at the repo, there wasn't any instructions on building one...Because I would love to try my hand at it! :-) In any case, kudos for such a wonderful thing that you built!


So far, I've shared the instructions on how to build a custom solar engine, which was the most time-consuming portion of the project. Coming up next: high level directions on how to build one from scratch.


This is fantastic. I wonder... could you have a carpenter create a custom frame? The solar panels could slot into channel around the perimeter of the frame and look like part of a design. It would look seamless.


Just a few days ago I stumbled upon Exeger and its promising Powerfoyle material. Looks like Big E Ink is already on it: https://www.powerfoyle.com/news/exeger-and-e-ink-partner-to-... To me, the most elegant way of re-doing the frame would be to coat the entire visible surface in this material.


I think you can even do this yourself with some woodworking skills. I wonder though if there are "nice" solar cells for DIY projects or if those "all black" panels are just for larger installations.


I wonder if it's possible to create epaper display with solar panel behind it. I guess it'll have black background with white ink particles which might be perfectly OK for many kinds of images.


Interesting! Maybe using small cells like these might make the frame and cell blend together?

https://a.aliexpress.com/_oDCStIL


Hi!

I can't help with commercializing, but I love your work and I'd very much like to buy one from you. I don't mind to pay for a good craftsman's time.

I'll try to contact you through your site.


Love the concept of a solar engine and your implementation but be aware the ePaper doesn't like UV so be careful where you put it.


Indeed, it doesn't! I've been splurging on UV protecting glass for my frames and I hope that will make them last longer. Other than that, I try to position the frames close to windows, but not so much that they would receive many hours of direct light. I think there's a goldilock zone there somewhere.


Why not have the solar panels on the back facing the window with the frame facing the interior? Or angling the panels like a chevron in the back?


Love it, is there a secret to getting cheap useable old e-readers?


Ebay. You can buy an old Nook for about £25. It runs an ancient version of Android, but you can push images to it pretty easily.


I think he just bought the screens new?


I did, though I appreciate the appeal of recycling a screen no longer loved.


I really love this, awesome.


Very nice work!




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