Embedded Linux

The e-Paper Device Ecosystem

Gabriella Morgan

— 1 min read

The e-Paper Device Ecosystem

Python · TypeScript · Embedded Linux

A family of projects built around small Waveshare e-paper displays and low-power single-board computers. This is the "little ePaper guy" project and everything that has grown up around it.

Projects in this orbit

  • epd-dashboard — a Python application launcher for the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 + 2.13in e-paper display.
  • epd-xmpp — a Node.js XMPP client for the device, so the e-paper can receive messages over the federated chat protocol.
  • epd-middleware — shared middleware for driving the Waveshare display across projects.
  • NomadNet-EPD — a fork of NomadNet for the e-paper series, bridging the low-power display to NomadNet/Reticulum comms.
  • gpiozero & OPi.GPIO — GPIO library forks bringing compatibility to the Orange Pi Zero 2W (Allwinner H618).

What ties it together

Static e-paper screens are a great fit for long-lived, low-power devices that should just *exist* in a room without demanding attention — a dashboard, a message ticker, a status pane. Working across these projects is how I got deep into the embedded ecosystem: toolchains, GPIO, the quirks of specific SoCs, and writing code that has to be careful about power and memory.

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*Tagged: Embedded Linux, Projects, Self-hosting*

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