https://hackaday.com/2023/03/15/e-paper-wall-paper/ Skip to content Logo Hackaday Primary Menu * Home * Blog * Hackaday.io * Tindie * Hackaday Prize * Submit * About * Search for: [ ] [Search] March 19, 2023 E-Paper Wall Paper 7 Comments * by: Matthew Carlson March 15, 2023 * * * * * Title: [E-Paper Wall Paper ] Copy Short Link: [https://hackaday.com] Copy [E-Paper-Wa] Just like the clock clock of old, there's something magical about a giant wall of smaller pieces working together to make a larger version of that thing. The E-Paper Wall 2.0 by [Aaron Christophel] is no exception as it has now upgraded from 2.9'' to 7.4'' screens. On the 1.0 version, the bezels made it harder to make out the image. The larger screens still have bezels but the larger screen area makes it much easier to make out the image. 3D-printed clips hold the displays onto a plywood backer. We can marvel that e-ink price tags brought the price of e-ink down so that building a wall is still expensive but not eye-wateringly so. The 5x9 array likely uses a module sold on DigiKey for $47 each. So aside from being willing to drop some money on a custom piece of art, what's special about this? The real magic comes with the firmware and tooling that [Aaron] developed to flash custom firmware onto each of the 45 displays. A 100MHz ZBS243/SEM9110 8051-based controller lives inside each display and [Aaron] even has a Ghidra plugin to reverse-engineer the existing firmware. It only has 64kb of flash onboard, so [Aaron] devised a clever compression technique that enabled him to store complex images on the displays. A 3D-printed jig with pogo pins means flashing them doesn't require soldering pins or headers, just drop it on and flash it with an Arduino with a helpful library [Aaron] wrote. A central station communicates with the various displays over ZigBee to send image updates. The 8051 has a funny way of showing up in projects like this portable soldering iron or the TV Guardian. In many ways, it is a boon for us hackers as it makes it easier to reverse engineer and write new custom firmware when so many devices use the same architecture. * [share_face] * [share_twit] * [share_in] * [share_mail] Posted in Art, MicrocontrollersTagged 8051, e-ink, e-paper, e-paper display, SEM9110, ZBS243, zigbee Post navigation - Spin Up To Speed With This Stroboscope Unconventional Computing Laboratory Grows Its Own Electronics - 7 thoughts on "E-Paper Wall Paper" 1. Victor Martelli says: March 15, 2023 at 5:11 pm I plan to build one of these as soon as my bank allows me to withdraw my savings. Meanwhile, a new Samsung 65'' Class 4K Crystal UHD LED TV will get me through these dark days for well under $500. I know it's not a hack, but it's getting really expensive to be a hacker - even when the parts are available. Report comment Reply 1. James says: March 16, 2023 at 2:09 am Neither is really a hack, just using a product in a clever/ interesting way. Report comment Reply 1. volt-k says: March 16, 2023 at 5:37 am I'd say it fits into the definition of "hacking" very well: "The 7.4'' PCB holds an undocumented Marvell 88MZ100 ARM SoC which was reversed and a custom firmware written for it which offers Compression and NFC uploads." Report comment Reply 2. Ostracus says: March 15, 2023 at 5:24 pm E-ink as a wallpaper would be an interesting niche. Or maybe floor tiles. Report comment Reply 3. Aaron Christophel says: March 16, 2023 at 4:01 am Aaron here, something got mixed up pretty bad, the 7.4'' E-Paper displays do not use the 8051 ZBS243 that only counts for the 2.9'' The 7.4'' PCB holds an undocumented Marvell 88MZ100 ARM SoC which was reversed and a custom firmware written for it which offers Compression and NFC uploads. That firmware and flasher tool can be found here: https:// github.com/atc1441/88MZ100 This firmware was made compatible to the ZBS243 displays so the same Access Point can be used to upload images via Zigbee Report comment Reply 1. Matthew Carlson says: March 16, 2023 at 8:50 am My apologies Aaron! I was a little confused since I noticed most of the ZBS243 code didn't mention the 7.4'' display. I'll update this later tonight Report comment Reply 2. Greg A says: March 16, 2023 at 10:23 pm pfew! i know you just use what comes with the display module but it's 2023 and i'm ready to never see an 8051 again :) Report comment Reply Leave a Reply Cancel reply Please be kind and respectful to help make the comments section excellent. (Comment Policy) This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Search Search for: [ ] [Search] Never miss a hack Follow on facebook Follow on twitter Follow on youtube Follow on rss Contact us Subscribe [ ] [ ] [Subscribe] If you missed it * [memory-thu] The Singularity Isn't Here... Yet 108 Comments * [program-th] The X Macro: A Historic Preprocessor Hack 43 Comments * [d-219-thum] Review: XHDATA D-219 Short Wave Radio Receiver 89 Comments * [PCIe_thumb] PCIe For Hackers: The Diffpair Prelude 33 Comments * [2023030122] A Hacker's Introduction To DIY Light Guide Plates 31 Comments More from this category Our Columns * [hovercraft] Study Hacker History, And Update It 6 Comments * [microphone] Hackaday Podcast 210: Living In The Future, Flipper Mayhem, And Samsung Moons The World 5 Comments * [darkarts-t] This Week In Security: Kali Purple, Malicious Notifications, And Cybersecurity Strategy 2 Comments * [mobidic-2] Retrotechtacular: Military Graphics In The 1960s 26 Comments * [hackaday_b] Hackaday Berlin: The Badge, Workshops, And Lightning Talks 10 Comments More from this category Search Search for: [ ] [Search] Never miss a hack Follow on facebook Follow on twitter Follow on youtube Follow on rss Contact us Subscribe [ ] [ ] [Subscribe] If you missed it * [memory-thu] The Singularity Isn't Here... Yet 108 Comments * [program-th] The X Macro: A Historic Preprocessor Hack 43 Comments * [d-219-thum] Review: XHDATA D-219 Short Wave Radio Receiver 89 Comments * [PCIe_thumb] PCIe For Hackers: The Diffpair Prelude 33 Comments * [2023030122] A Hacker's Introduction To DIY Light Guide Plates 31 Comments More from this category Categories Categories[Select Category ] Our Columns * [hovercraft] Study Hacker History, And Update It 6 Comments * [microphone] Hackaday Podcast 210: Living In The Future, Flipper Mayhem, And Samsung Moons The World 5 Comments * [darkarts-t] This Week In Security: Kali Purple, Malicious Notifications, And Cybersecurity Strategy 2 Comments * [mobidic-2] Retrotechtacular: Military Graphics In The 1960s 26 Comments * [hackaday_b] Hackaday Berlin: The Badge, Workshops, And Lightning Talks 10 Comments More from this category Recent comments * Chris Lott on The $50 Pen Plotter * Gravis on The Intricacies Of Starting A Rocket Engine * Ben on Annoying Cicada Magnet Is Nonetheless Authentic * Tom Warfel on Building A Truss-Braced Model Airplane: Sense Or Nonsense? * mrehorst on DOOM Ported To A Single LEGO Brick * NQ on Annoying Cicada Magnet Is Nonetheless Authentic * Hirudinea on Tiny PCB PiezoPiano Plays Just One Octave * Hirudinea on Annoying Cicada Magnet Is Nonetheless Authentic * SkriptDaddy on Compact Mouse Jiggler Keeps Boss Off Your Back * BV on Annoying Cicada Magnet Is Nonetheless Authentic Now on Hackaday.io * lion mclionhead has updated the log for Auto tracking camera. * Eric Hertz has updated details to Random Ridiculosities and Experiments. * Jacksee has added a new log for VU Meter Deck. * Jacksee has updated the project titled VU Meter Deck. * Jacksee has added a new log for VU Meter Deck. * deltaterminal01 has added A simple fume extractor for $20 to Portable workstation / lab. * deltaterminal01 has added A simple fume extractor for $20 to Portable workstation / lab. * bgvlda0k started following hackerspace.gr. * Jan B. has added a new log for Part-DB - Open Source inventory software. * Olya Gry has added a new log for uMyo - wearable EMG sensor with wet/dry electrodes. Logo * Home * Blog * Hackaday.io * Tindie * Hackaday Prize * Video * Submit A Tip * About * Contact Us Never miss a hack Follow on facebook Follow on twitter Follow on youtube Follow on rss Contact us Subscribe to Newsletter [ ] [ ] [Subscribe] Copyright (c) 2023 | Hackaday, Hack A Day, and the Skull and Wrenches Logo are Trademarks of Hackaday.com | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Digital Services Act Powered by WordPress VIP [impression] [close] By using our website and services, you expressly agree to the placement of our performance, functionality and advertising cookies. Learn more OK