EINK CLICK - WITHOUT DISPLAY
PID: MIKROE-3683
Weight: 17 g
eINK Click is an adapter Click board™, used to interface a compatible eINK display
with the host MCU. The most distinctive feature of the eINK displays is their very low
power consumption and the ability to retain the information, even after disconnecting
from the power source. The power is consumed only when the display content is
changing. The Click board™ comes shipped with the 172x72 eINK display, driven by
the integrated SSD1606 controller and it can display 4 shades: black, dark gray, light
gray and white. The same type of display is used on the popular Kindle E-readers.
eINK click is supported by a mikroSDK compliant library, which includes functions that
simplify software development. This Click board™ comes as a fully tested product,
ready to be used on a system equipped with the mikroBUS™ socket.
The eINK is a reasonably new technology with a promising future. The displayed
content does not degrade when exposed to direct sunlight, the display actually behaves
like a real paper; it is more readable when there is more light hitting its surface. There is
a wide range of applications, where eINK can be implemented: it can be used for very
low power consumption applications that require display output, such as mobile phones
and wearables, industrial and packaging applications, electronic reading and writing,
electronic shelf labels and similar applications that can utilize this type of display.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The eINK displays are using the SPI communication protocol for the communication
with the host MCU. These displays features inherently wide viewing angle and high
contrast, as well as good readability in daylight conditions. The click board™ itself
carries the supporting electronics, used to provide all the necessary voltages for the
proper operation of the eINK display. The display driver pins are routed through the flat
cable of the display and connected via the 24pin, 0.5mm ZIF connector on the click
board. For example, SSD1606 - 4GS Active Matrix EPD, 128 x 180 Display Driver with
Controller is widely used, and pretty common choise when it comes to eINK displays.
From there, the command and data lines are routed to the appropriate pins on the
mikroBUS™ of the eINK click.
The eINK click also contains the LM75 thermal sensor, which uses I2C protocol to
communicate with the display driver IC. This is required for thermal compensation of the
display, so it can be operated in a wide temperature range, from 0°C to +50°C. The total
power consumption of this device is very low. The power is only required when
rearranging of the microcell pigments is required, while no power is required to sustain
the content of the display. The display retains the content, even when the power is
disconnected.
This Click Board™ uses both I2C and SPI communication interfaces. It is designed to
be operated only with up to 3.3V logic levels. Proper conversion of logic voltage levels
should be applied, before the Click board™ is used with MCUs operated at 5V.
The supplied click library contains easy to use functions, that simplify the workflow with
the eINK click. Their usage is demonstrated in the provided example application, which
can be used as a reference for the custom design.
EINK DISPLAYS
The eINK click - without display can be used as adapter for connecting any e-paper
display from our offer:
E‐Paper display 1,54" 200x200 dots
E‐Paper display 2,9" 296x128 dots
E‐Paper display 2,13" 122x250 dots
Note: this click is coming without display in its package.
SPECIFICATIONS
Type
Adapter
Applications
eINK click can be used for applications that require a low power
consumption display, which is readable during daylight
On-board
modules
EA-EPA20-A, a 2 inch,172x72 pixels ePAPER display with the
integrated SSD1606 driver/controller, from Electronic Assembly.,
LMA75 temperature sensor, onboard.
Key Features
The eINK display retains the display content, even when the
power is off, very low power consumption, clearly visible during
the daylight
Interface
SPI
Compatibility
mikroBUS
Click board
size
S (28.6 x 25.4 mm)
Input Voltage
3.3V
PINOUT DIAGRAM
This table shows how the pinout on eINK click corresponds to the pinout on the
mikroBUS™ socket (the latter shown in the two middle columns).
Notes
Pin
Pin
Notes
NC
1
AN
PWM
16
D/C
Data/Config
Reset
RST
2
RST
INT
15
BSY
Busy indicator
SPI Chip select
SDN
3
CS
RX
14
NC
SPI Clock
SCK
4
SCK
TX
13
NC
NC
5
MISO
SCL
12
NC
SPI data input
SDI
6
MOSI
SDA
11
NC
Power Supply
3.3V
7
3.3V
5V
10
NC
Ground
GND
8
GND
GND
9
GND
Ground
SOFTWARE SUPPORT
We provide a library for the eINK click on our Libstock page, as well as a demo
application (example), developed using MikroElektronika compilers. The demo can run
on all the main MikroElektronika development boards.
Library Description
The library covers all functionalities of EPA20-A eINK display.
Key functions:
eink_fill_screen( uint8_t color ) - Fills the screen with provided color.
eink_text( uint8_t *text, uint8_t x, uint8_t y ) - Writes text on the screen.
eink_image_bmp( const uint8_t* img ) - Displays image on the screen.
Examples Description
The application is composed of three sections:
System Initialization - Initializes SPI module and CS pin, RST pin, PWM pin as output and INT pin as
an input.
Application Initialization - Initializes driver and configures the display
Application Task - (code snippet) - Repeats operations with a pause of 3 seconds between them.
Display black letters on a white background
Display white letters on a black background
Display external image
void applicationTask()
{
eink_fill_screen( _EINK_COLOR_WHITE );
eink_set_font( &guiFont_Exo_2_Condensed21x32_Regular[0], _EINK_COLOR_BLACK, _FO_HORIZONTAL );
eink_text( &_eINK_Text[0], 14, 50 );
delay_ms( 3000 );
eink_fill_screen( _EINK_COLOR_BLACK );
eink_set_font( &guiFont_Exo_2_Condensed21x32_Regular[0], _EINK_COLOR_WHITE, _FO_HORIZONTAL );
eink_text( &_eINK_Text[0], 14, 50 );
Delay_ms( 3000 );
eink_image_bmp( &_mikroe_bmp[0] );
Delay_ms( 3000 );
}
The example carries bmp image converted to an array using Visual TFT.
The full application code, and ready to use projects can be found on our Libstock page.
Other mikroE Libraries used in the example:
SPI
Additional notes and information
Depending on the development board you are using, you may need USB UART
click, USB UART 2 click or RS232 click to connect to your PC, for development systems
with no UART to USB interface available on the board. The terminal available in all
MikroElektronika compilers, or any other terminal application of your choice, can be
used to read the message.
MIKROSDK
This click board is supported with mikroSDK - MikroElektronika Software Development
Kit. To ensure proper operation of mikroSDK compliant click board demo applications,
mikroSDK should be downloaded from the LibStock and installed for the compiler you
are using.
For more information about mikroSDK, visit the official page.
https://www.mikroe.com/eink‐click‐without‐display/8‐14‐19