Uploaded December 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
I wanted to create a "magic book" escape room prop, using an e-Ink / e-Paper display connected to an Arduino, to which I could send dynamic messages that would be displayed to players. I hoped that the nature of the display would make it appear more "book-like", rather than an obviously harsh technological display like an LCD/LED. In practice, it didn't really work, because although the screen is not backlit, it still really doesn't look like writing on paper, and it is has an inevitable flickering when the screen refreshes. The refresh rate itself is also pretty slow (1-2 seconds to update the whole display), and the screens themselves are expensive compared to alternatives.
Nevertheless, I thought I'd post this video to demonstrate how these screens look in practice - and perhaps you can still use them for an application! I'm using a 4.2" screen similar to this: amzn.to/349FAKa
Since it requires 3.3V logic, and also the image byte array requires a reasonably large amount of memory, I'm using an ESP32s chip, available from banggood.com/custlink/KDG3NrVpFZ
You can program these in exactly the same way as a regular Arduino, use many of the same libraries, but they have built in Wi-Fi, a faster processor, more memory, and run at 3.3V logic, so don't require a logic-level convertor to inerface to 3.3V devices like the e-Ink display.
The Image2LCD application is a useful tool for converting images into byte arrays for using on any Arduino display - e-Ink, LCD, or LED - available from waveshare.com/w/upload/3/36/Image2Lcd.7z
Part of my Escape Room Tech Advent Calender for 2019!
For more of my Escape Room tech projects, see patreon.com/playfultech
I wanted to create a "magic book" escape room prop, using an e-Ink / e-Paper display connected to an Arduino, to which I could send dynamic messages that would be displayed to players. I hoped that the nature of the display would make it appear more "book-like", rather than an obviously harsh technological display like an LCD/LED. In practice, it didn't really work, because although the screen is not backlit, it still really doesn't look like writing on paper, and it is has an inevitable flickering when the screen refreshes. The refresh rate itself is also pretty slow (1-2 seconds to update the whole display), and the screens themselves are expensive compared to alternatives.
Nevertheless, I thought I'd post this video to demonstrate how these screens look in practice - and perhaps you can still use them for an application! I'm using a 4.2" screen similar to this: amzn.to/349FAKa
Since it requires 3.3V logic, and also the image byte array requires a reasonably large amount of memory, I'm using an ESP32s chip, available from banggood.com/custlink/KDG3NrVpFZ
You can program these in exactly the same way as a regular Arduino, use many of the same libraries, but they have built in Wi-Fi, a faster processor, more memory, and run at 3.3V logic, so don't require a logic-level convertor to inerface to 3.3V devices like the e-Ink display.
The Image2LCD application is a useful tool for converting images into byte arrays for using on any Arduino display - e-Ink, LCD, or LED - available from waveshare.com/w/upload/3/36/Image2Lcd.7z
Part of my Escape Room Tech Advent Calender for 2019!
For more of my Escape Room tech projects, see patreon.com/playfultech
