https://www.crowdsupply.com/modos-tech/modos-paper-monitor Crowd Supply * Browse * Apply * About [ ] * Unknown Avatar My Account * Cart Modos Tech E-Paper FPGA Boards Modos Paper Monitor A fast, low-latency, open-hardware e-paper monitor and dev kit [modos-both-horizontal_jpg_aa-md] ^$69,005 raised of ^$110,000 goal 63^% Funded 3 updates 37 days left 92 backers Back this project to help bring it into existence. Funding ends on Sep 18, 2025 at 04:59 PM PDT. ^$199 - ^$599 View Purchasing Options Recent Updates * Aug 12, 2025 We're Halfway There! Live Demo, Upcoming Stream, and Press Highlights * Aug 04, 2025 Our Campaign Is Live! * Dec 12, 2024 Teardown Sessions Livestream Today [ ] [ ] Subscribe You'll be notified about news and stock updates for this project. Modos Paper Dev Kit includes nearly everything you need to create an open-hardware e-paper monitor with a fast 75 Hz refresh rate, low latency, various screen-update configurations, multiple image modes, and flexible dithering options. It can be connected through HDMI or USB, and it works on Linux, macOS, and Windows. We are offering 6-inch and 13-inch monochrome kits, but the controller that powers both kits can be used with other panels as well. [modos-paper-monitor-13-front-back-wide-crop-01_jpg_md-xl] [modos-paper-monitor-6-front-back-wide-crop-01_jpg_md-xl] At the Cutting Edge of E-Paper Twenty years ago, the release of the first e-paper devices marked a significant milestone in display technology, giving rise to e-readers and digital signage. Electrophoretic displays stand out for their unique qualities: they are easy on the eyes, mimic the aesthetics of paper, conserve power when idle, and offer high contrast with wide viewing angles even in direct sunlight. In recent years, improvements in e-paper technology have expanded its applications beyond traditional e-readers. Despite these advancements, however, key challenges still hold back widespread adoption of e-paper devices: * Proprietary Hardware and Software: Most e-paper devices operate on closed, proprietary systems. * Lack of Standards: There is a shortage of best practices and guidelines for designing user interfaces optimized for e-paper. * High Costs: The expense of e-paper panels limits experimentation and broader adoption. We built the Modos Developer Kit to allow engineers, product designers, programmers, and enthusiasts to re-purpose e-paper screens in creative ways. We're also building a community that's committed to establishing the standards, best practices, and guidelines needed to realize the full potential of e-paper technology. Join us on Discord and by following us on Mastodon, Bluesky, Matrix, and Twitter. High Refresh Rate Our Developer Kit leverages Caster, an open-source FPGA-based electrophoretic display controller engineered for low-latency performance and capable of driving e-paper screens at up to 60 Hz. By dividing the screen into multiple update regions, the Caster processes and displays new images or text instantly, without waiting for previous updates to complete. Each pixel is managed independently, and early cancellation techniques ensure that pixels update as soon as new data is available. The result is smooth, responsive performance with high frame rates and superior contrast, ideal for dynamic content and fluid interactions. Compatible With a Variety of Screens [modos-mono-color-16x9_jpg_md-xl] Got a spare e-paper screen gathering dust or looking to re-purpose a display for your project? Our Developer Kit makes it simple. Compatible with a wide range of screens--from 6-inch up to 13.3-inch, in both monochrome and color--the kit lets you easily connect and reuse unused displays. With our monitor enclosure design files, you can build a custom monitor housing that perfectly fits your project's needs. Explore our GitHub repository for a complete list of compatible screens. User-Defined Modes & API While commercial e-paper products rely on preset driving strategies (text, graphics, video modes) to cope with the technology's limitations, our Developer Kit goes further. It offers full customization so you can tailor the display experience to your specific needs. For example, the Hybrid Greyscale Mode allows the Caster to switch between a fast binary mode for quick updates and a slower, detailed greyscale mode for refined rendering. This minimizes latency and visual flashing by updating in binary first, then refining in greyscale as the image stabilizes. With our C API, you gain direct control over screen and mode selection, letting you optimize the display for a wide range of applications. Our broader vision includes developing native e-paper applications and a protocol for seamless mode transitions based on content type. Features & Specifications [modos-pcb-front-back-01_jpg_md-xl] Driver Board Hardware Reference Design * Xilinx Spartan-6 LX16 FPGA running Caster gateware * DDR3-800 framebuffer memory * Video input supporting: + USB Type-C DisplayPort Alt-Mode with on-board PTN3460 decoder + DVI (via microHDMI connector) video input with on-board ADV7611 decoder * E-paper power supply with up to 1 A peak current on the +-15 V rail to support large panel sizes. * VCOM kick-back voltage measurement support * On-board STM32H750 microcontroller for USB communication, firmware upgrades, and standalone applications. Processing rate up to 133 MP/s when error-diffusion dithering enabled and 200 MP/ s when disabled Caster FPGA Gateware Reference Design * Supports electrophoretic display panels with parallel interfaces (E Ink, OED, and DES) * Compatible with both monochrome and color-filter-array screens * Extremely low processing delay (<20 us) * Supports binary, 4-level grayscale, and 16-level grayscale output modes * Latency-optimized binary and 4-level grayscale driving modes * Hybrid automatic binary and 16-level grayscale driving mode * Host software runtime controllable regional updates and mode switching * Hardware bayer dithering, blue-noise dithering, and error-diffusion dithering with no additional latency Comparisons E-Paper Monitors Modos 13" DASUNG 13.3" Boox Mira Waveshare Paper Dev Kit Paperlike 13.3" E-Ink EINK DISP 133 HD-FT Monitor Eink Carta Eink Carta Eink Carta Eink Carta Display 1000 1000 1200 1000 (ED133UT3) (ES133TT3) (ES133TT5) (ED133UT2) Screen Size 13.3" 13.3" 13.3" 13.3" Screen 1600 x 1200 2200 x 1650 2200 x 1650 1600 x 1200 Resolution Maximum Frame 75Hz 40Hz ~20Hz ~15Hz rate Interfaces HDMI & USB HDMI HDMI & USB HDMI Type-C Type-C Touchscreen No Yes No No Frontlight No Yes Yes No Open Hardware Yes No No No Programmable Yes No No No Modes API for Display Yes No No No Controller Price $599 $798 $800 $679 E-Paper Dev Kits Modos 6" Waveshare Inkplate 6 EPDiy Paper Dev Kit e-paper HAT MOTION Controller FPGA-based None ESP32-based ESP32-based Display E Ink E Ink E Ink E Ink Technology Screen Size 6.0" 6.0" 6.0" 9.7" Programming Rust, Python, Python, C, MicroPython, MicroPython, Language Support C C++ C, C++ C, C++ Screen 1448 x 1072 1448 x 1072 1024 x 758 1200 x 825 Resolution Maximum Frame 75Hz < 2Hz 11Hz Unknown rate Interfaces HDMI, USB SPI, GPIO USB Type-C, GPIO Type-C GPIO Touchscreen No No No N/A Frontlight No No Yes N/A Open Hardware Yes No Yes Yes Programmable Yes Yes Yes Yes Modes API for Display Yes No No No Controller Works With Other Yes No No Yes Panels Power High Low Low Low Consumption Price $200 $113 $195 N/A Support & Documentation The Modos Developer Kit is open hardwayore built using open-source software, with all design files and source code available on GitHub. Our documentation offers extensive information on electrophoretic displays, drawing from both public sources and our original research. This serves as a comprehensive guide for anyone looking to dive deeper into e-paper technology. For additional support or to join the discussion, please visit Discord and follow us on Mastodon, Bluesky, Matrix, and Twitter. Manufacturing Plan The Modos Developer Kit has passed pre-production revisions and undergone thorough validation and testing. We have established partnerships with contract manufacturers in China, our chosen partner will handle board manufacturing and assembly. The panels are sourced directly from E Ink Corporation. With the Caster completed and the design finalized, we now have a full Bill of Materials (BOM) and supplier quotes in place as we prepare for production. Once the campaign concludes, manufacturing will commence, and we'll keep you updated via campaign emails. Fulfillment & Logistics After our production run is finished, we will package everything and send it to Crowd Supply's fulfillment partner, Mouser Electronics, for distribution to backers worldwide. For more details about Crowd Supply's fulfillment service, please refer to their guide under Ordering, Paying, and Shipping. Risks & Challenges The development of the Modos Developer Kit has been ongoing for over a year. Throughout this time, the core functionalities of our display controller board have proven stable, allowing us to focus on refining the hardware design and solving engineering challenges. We are confident in the robustness of our final product. That said, as with any hardware project, the production process and supply-chain management present inherent risks. To mitigate these risks, we have built strong partnerships with our suppliers and manufacturers. In the event of any setbacks, we are committed to minimizing delays and will keep our backers informed with transparent, timely updates throughout the process. Thank You to the NLnet Foundation and the NGI Zero Etrust Fund Our team would like to acknowledge partial funding for development of Caster from the NGI0 Entrust Fund, a fund established by NLnet with financial support from the European Commission's Next Generation Internet program. [nlnet-grant-logo_jpg_md-xl] Modos Paper Monitor is part of AMD FPGA Playground Key Components Spartan-6 XC6SLX16-3CSG324I * FPGA image processing In the Press [hackster-logo-mark] Hackster News "The idea behind the Modos Paper Monitor... is to provide a more eye-friendly display than the backlit LCD panels commonly in use. " [tomshardwaremaxresde] Tom's Hardware "This project is the brainchild of Alexander Soto, who describes a journey starting in February 2021 to defeat the eyestrain that comes with daily extended use of standard displays." --------------------------------------------------------------------- [golem-de-logo_jpg_pr] Hacker News Logo [lili_png_press-logo] [electromaker-logo-at] [yd-logomark-retina_p] [notebookcheck_jpg_pr] [inkl-logo-no-tagline] [cnxsoft-logo_png_pre] [archup-logo-png_webp] Ask a Question Ask Crowd Supply about an order Ask Modos Tech a technical question Submit a field report about how you used this project Produced by Modos Tech in Boston, MA. Sold and shipped by Crowd Supply. [modos-kit-6-inch-sailboat_jpg_md-fixed-xl] 6" Modos Paper Dev Kit Pre-assembled development kit for the 6-inch version of our low-latency, 1448 x 1072 e-paper display. Includes a screen, a mainboard, an adapter, and a ribbon cable. Comes with a USB Type-C cable. ^$199 Free Worldwide Shipping Orders placed now ship Jan 25, 2026. Back This Project 66 claimed [modos-kit-13-inch-sailboat_jpg_md-fixed-xl] 13" Modos Paper Dev Kit Pre-assembled development kit for the 13-inch version of our low-latency, 1600 x 1200 e-paper display. Includes a screen, a mainboard, an adapter, and a ribbon cable. Comes with a USB Type-C cable. ^$599 Free Worldwide Shipping Orders placed now ship Jan 25, 2026. Back This Project 49 claimed About the Team [modos-cropped-symbol-black-] Modos Tech Boston, MA * discord.gg/6ktE6VxSyh * modos@fosstodon.org * modostech.bsky.social * Modos-Labs * modos.tech/matrix * modostech Our mission is to help you live a healthy life by creating technology that respects your time, attention, and well-being. We are creating an open hardware and open-source ecosystem of e-ink devices. [alex-1_jpg_avatar-xl] Alexander Soto alexsotodev [wenting_jpg_avatar-xl] Wenting Zhang zephray_wenting zephray See Also Qomu Qomu An MCU + eFPGA dev kit with 100% vendor-supported open source tools that fits inside your USB port Funded! In Stock ^$15,438 raised 3 updates 257 backers GGtag GGtag A programmable e-paper badge with 125 kHz RFID emulation 318^% Funded! In Stock ^$14,310 raised 8 updates 246 backers Inkplate 6PLUS Inkplate 6PLUS Versatile, easy-to-use, Wi-Fi-enabled 6" e-paper display with a touchscreen and frontlighting 420^% Funded! In Stock ^$66,800 raised 5 updates 336 backers Subscribe to the Crowd Supply newsletter, highlighting the latest creators and projects [ ] [ ] Subscribe Company * Announcements * Contact * Security * Distributors * Events * In the News Terms * Terms of Use * Shipping * Returns * Privacy Nuts & Bolts * Account Login * The Crowd Supply Guide * Project Application * Submit a Field Report Follow Us * Discord * Twitter/X * Bluesky * Instagram * YouTube * Fediverse * LinkedIn Based in Portland, Oregon. Accepting projects worldwide.