Here is where the differences in the tri-color/monochrome and chipset/dimensions start mattering. Check carefully to make sure you are running the right example and creating the matching ThinkInk type for your display or you won't see anything happen on the EPD (or the image may be really weird looking).

2.13" Monochrome 250x122 Pixel Display

For the 250 x 122 monochrome display, 250 x 122 monochrome FeatherWing, or 212x104 Flexible Display we will run a monochrome demo.

Front of E-Ink display with monochrome graphic and "2.13 inch E-Ink Monochrome" text
Easy e-paper finally comes to microcontrollers, with this breakout that's designed to make it a breeze to add a monochromatic eInk display. Chances are you've seen one of those...
$22.50
In Stock
E-Ink display connected to Feather, refreshing itself
Easy e-paper finally comes to your Feather, with this breakout that's designed to make it a breeze to add a monochrome eInk display. Chances are you've seen one of those...
Out of Stock
Hands flexing a 2.13" Flexible Monochrome E-Ink display.
Woah, the cyber-future is here! Flexible E-Ink has been demo'd at high-tech events for years but now you can actually get your paws on it. This display is true E-Ink / E-Paper,...
Out of Stock

Open up FileExamplesAdafruit_EPDThinkInk_mono

If you are not sure whether you have an older or newer display, you can try both drivers and see which one works.

2.13" Tri-Color 250x122 OR 212x104 Pixel Display

For the 250x122 OR 212x104 Tri-Color display, we will run the tricolor demo.

Video of a 2.13" tri-color eInk display assembled on a breadboard with jumper wires and a QT Py. Friendly snake in white-and-red, Blinka, appears on the display.
Easy e-paper finally comes to microcontrollers, with this breakout that's designed to make it a breeze to add a tri-color eInk display. Chances are you've seen one of those...
$19.95
In Stock
E-Ink display connected to Feather,  with image of friendly snake
Easy e-paper comes to your Feather, with this breakout that's designed to make it a breeze to add a tri-color eInk display. Chances are you've seen one of those new-fangled...
Out of Stock
The demo updates every 15 seconds which is fine for demonstrating the functionality for a short time, but we recommend not updating more often than 180 seconds if you are planning on running any code long term.

Open up FileExamplesAdafruit_EPD→ThinkInk_tricolor

Configure Pins

For the FeatherWing you must be sure both EPD_RESET and EPD_BUSY are set to -1 since neither of these lines are connected or the E-Ink will not update.

No matter what display you have, you will need to verify that your pins match your wiring. At the top of the sketch find the lines that look like:

#define EPD_DC      10
#define EPD_CS      9
#define SRAM_CS     6
#define EPD_RESET   8 // can set to -1 and share with microcontroller Reset!
#define EPD_BUSY    7 // can set to -1 to not use a pin (will wait a fixed delay)

If you are using the FeatherWing only: Change both EPD_RESET and EPD_BUSY to -1 since neither of these lines are connected on the FeatherWing.

If you wired the display differently than on the wiring page, adjust the pin numbers accordingly.

Configure Display Type & Size

Find the part of the script where you can pick which display is going to be used. The eInk displays are made up a combination of a Chipset and a Film in different sizes. We have narrowed it down to just a few choices between the size of the display, chipset, and film based on available combinations. In the sketch, we have sorted it by size, so it's easy to find your display.

You will need to uncomment the appropriate initializer and and leave any other type commented.

For the older 2.13" 250x122 Monochrome breakout or 2.13" 250x122 Monochrome FeatherWing with SSD1675, you will use ThinkInk_213_Mono_B72 display initializer.

For the newer 2.13" 250x122 Monochrome breakout or 2.13" 250x122 Monochrome FeatherWing with SSD1680, you can use either theThinkInk_213_Mono_BN or the ThinkInk_213_Mono_B74 display initializer.

For the 2.13" 212x104 Monochrome Flexible Display, you will use the ThinkInk_213_Mono_M21 display initializer.

For the 2.13" 250x122 Tri-Color breakout or 2.13" 250x122 Tri-Color FeatherWing, you will use the ThinkInk_213_Tricolor_RW display initializer.

For the 2.13" 212x104 Tri-Color breakout or 2.13" 212x104 Tri-Color FeatherWing, you will use the ThinkInk_213_Tricolor_Z16 display initializer.

For example, for a tri-color 250x122, uncomment this line, and comment any other line that is creating a ThinkInk display object

// 2.13" Tricolor EPD with SSD1680 chipset
ThinkInk_213_Tricolor_RW display(EPD_DC, EPD_RESET, EPD_CS, SRAM_CS, EPD_BUSY);

Upload Sketch

After checking the pinouts and the display type one more time, go ahead and upload the sketch to your board. Once it is done uploading, open the Serial Monitor.

The display should start running a series of display tests

This guide was first published on Mar 15, 2021. It was last updated on Mar 28, 2024.

This page (Arduino Usage) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

Text editor powered by tinymce.