Features​

• Uses E Ink Spectra 6 (E6) technology, requires no backlight, and can retain the last displayed content for a long time after power-off
• Very low power consumption, mainly only consumes power during refresh
• Provides comprehensive supporting documentation: driver board schematic, Raspberry Pi / Jetson Nano / Arduino / STM32 / ESP32 example programs, etc.
• The following applies only to the module version (with driver board)
  • Designed based on the Raspberry Pi 40PIN GPIO interface, suitable for Raspberry Pi, Jetson Nano
  • Reserved SPI communication interface for easy connection to master controllers such as Raspberry Pi / Arduino / STM32 / ESP32
  • Onboard level shifter chip, compatible with 3.3V and 5V logic levels

Specifications​

• Refresh Time: The refresh time is based on experimental test data. The actual refresh time may vary; please refer to the actual performance. Flickering during the full refresh process is normal.
• Refresh Power Consumption: Power consumption data is based on experimental test data. Actual power consumption may vary due to the presence of the driver board and different usage conditions; please refer to the actual performance.
• Refreshing at low temperatures may cause color shift. It is recommended to let the screen stand at 25°C for 6 hours before refreshing.

Communication Interface​

• CSB (CS): Slave chip select signal, active low. The chip is enabled when this signal is low.
• SCL (SCK/SCLK): Serial clock signal.
• D/C (DC): Data/Command control signal. A low level indicates a command is being written; a high level indicates data/parameters are being written.
• SDA (DIN): Serial data signal.
• Timing: CPHA=0, CPOL=0, i.e., SPI mode 0.
• Note: For specific information regarding SPI communication, you can search online for more details.

Working Principle​

The e-Paper used in this product employs "Microencapsulated Electrophoretic Display" technology for image display. The basic principle involves charged nanoparticles suspended in a liquid migrating under the influence of an electric field. The e-Paper display relies on reflecting ambient light to show patterns and does not require a backlight. Under ambient light, the e-Paper display is clearly visible, with a viewing angle approaching 180°. Therefore, e-Paper displays are ideal for reading.

Programming Principle​

• For black and white images, we can define black as 0 and white as 1. Thus, we have a way to represent colors:
  • White: □, corresponds to 1
  • Black: ■: corresponds to 0
• A point on an image is generally called a pixel. Since the color is either 1 or 0, 1 bit can represent a pixel: 1 Pixel = 1 bit. Therefore, one byte contains 8 pixels.
• Take 16 pixels as an example. Suppose the first 8 pixels are black and the last 8 pixels are white. We can consider pixels 1-16 correspond to bits 0 to 15, where 0 represents black and 1 represents white:
  
  
  For computers, data storage is typically Most Significant Bit (MSB) first, and one byte consists of only 8 bits. So, there is a slight adjustment:
  
  
  In this way, only 2 bytes are required to represent 16 pixels.
• Now suppose we have six colors, so at least three bits are needed to represent all colors. However, for ease of computation, we add a 0 in front, i.e., use four bits to represent the color of one pixel, so one byte (1 Byte) can represent two pixels. In fact, the controller of this module uses this method.
  
  
• Taking four pixels as an example, assume the colors of these four points are yellow, blue, red, and green in order. According to the table above, human logic would store them sequentially as:
  
  
• For a computer, data is stored with the most significant bit first and the least significant bit last, and one byte has only eight bits, so it is stored in bytes as:
  
  

Precautions​

Image Processing​

• Image preparation and conversion for multi‑color e-Paper

Image Preparation​

Preparation

• Required software: Adobe PhotoShop CC, Paint

Introduction

• The Floyd‑Steinberg dithering algorithm is very suitable for displaying rich gradation when only a few colors are available. This allows for more color combinations and better shadow rendering of the original image. It is especially suitable for various use scenarios of e-Paper screens.
• The following describes how to convert a normal image into a Floyd‑Steinberg dithered image.
• If you are interested in the actual algorithm, you can look at our porting for ESP32 and ESP8266. Here, no further elaboration will be given.

Operation steps

• Preparation: Download Color table to your PC, and extract it to get the following file, we need to use N-color.act or 4-color.act, 6-color.act.
  
  
  1. Create a new Photoshop project, set the width and height according to the actual resolution of the e-Papre screen, and use RGB color in the color mode. If the screen resolution used is 800*480, change the width to 800 pixels and the height to 480 pixels.
     
     
  2. Prepare the corresponding materials, copy them into the project, and adjust parameters such as size and contrast (similar to the steps involved in general Photoshop image processing).
     
     
  3. Select File -> Save for Web in the format used for the Web and device.
     
     
  4. Select Load Color Table as shown below. Load the Color Table provided in the Preparation section.
     
     
  5. For seven-color pictures, load N-color.act, then click Save to save as a gif file. Then convert it to BMP format.
     For four-color pictures, load 4-color.act, then click Save to save as a gif file. Then convert it to BMP format.
     For six-color pictures, load 6-color.act, then click Save to save as a gif file. Then convert it to BMP format.
     
     
     
  6. Use Paint to open the gif file and save it as a 24-bit bmp image.
     
     
  7. The image is now ready. It can be used on the Raspberry Pi or e‑Paper Shield module via TF card, or converted into an array for use with other embedded devices as described in the next section.

Image Data Conversion​

Download Programs

• Four‑color conversion application: Four‑color image conversion application
• E6 full‑color conversion application: E6 full‑color image conversion application
• Seven‑color conversion application: Seven‑color image conversion application
• Source code: Program source code

Bug Resolution

• If you are using Windows 10/11 and have not installed VS (Microsoft Visual Studio) or other Microsoft development tools, you may encounter the following errors when using this program:
  
  
  
  
• This indicates that your computer is missing these two components. Solutions:
• 1. Install VS (Microsoft Visual Studio) or other Microsoft development tools (e.g., Visual C++ Redistributable).
• 2. Use the two component files
     
     
     Place these two files in the directory C:\Windows\System32, then restart your computer.

Conversion Steps

• Place the prepared image(s) and the corresponding .exe application in the same folder (multiple images can be placed).
• Drag and drop the image onto the .exe file; the program will convert the image into a .c file with a fixed name.
• Double‑click the .cmd file; the program will convert all images of the correct size in the folder into .c files with corresponding names.
• Four-color single image demonstration (click the image to see the demonstration)
  
  
• Four-color multiple image demonstration (click the image to view the demonstration)
  
  
• Seven-color single image demonstration (click the image to see the demonstration)
  
  
• Seven-color multiple image demonstration (click the image to view the demonstration)
  
  

Hardware Connection​

• Connect using the 9PIN cable. Refer to the pin mapping table below:
  • Raspberry Pi pin mapping

    e-Paper	Raspberry Pi Pin Mapping
    	BCM2835 Pin	Board Physical Pin Number
    VCC	3.3V	3.3V
    GND	GND	GND
    DIN	MOSI	19
    CLK	SCLK	23
    CS	CE0	24
    DC	25	22
    RST	17	11
    BUSY	24	18
    PWR	18	12

Enabling the SPI Interface​

• Open the Raspberry Pi terminal and enter the following command to access the configuration interface:

  sudo raspi-config
  

  Select Interfacing Options -> SPI -> Yes to enable the SPI interface

  
  

• Reboot the Raspberry Pi:

  sudo reboot
  

• Check /boot/config.txt, you should see that dtparam=spi=on has been written

  
  

• To ensure SPI is not occupied, it is recommended to temporarily disable other driver overlays. Use ls /dev/spi* to check the SPI occupancy. The terminal output /dev/spidev0.0 and /dev/spidev0.1 indicates that SPI is functioning normally.

  
  

Running the C Example​

• Install the lg library

  #Open the Raspberry Pi terminal and run the following commands:
  wget https://github.com/joan2937/lg/archive/master.zip
  unzip master.zip
  cd lg-master
  make
  sudo make install
  # For more information, please refer to the source code: https://github.com/gpiozero/lg
  
  Install gpiod library (optional)

  #Open the Raspberry Pi terminal and run the following commands:
  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt install gpiod libgpiod-dev
  
  Install BCM2835 (optional)

  #Open the Raspberry Pi terminal and run the following commands:
  wget http://www.airspayce.com/mikem/bcm2835/bcm2835-1.71.tar.gz
  tar zxvf bcm2835-1.71.tar.gz 
  cd bcm2835-1.71/
  sudo ./configure && sudo make && sudo make check && sudo make install
  # For more information, please refer to the official website: http://www.airspayce.com/mikem/bcm2835/
  
  Install wiringPi (optional)

  #Open the Raspberry Pi terminal and run the following commands:
  sudo apt-get install wiringpi
  #For Raspberry Pi systems after May 2019 (those earlier may not require execution), an upgrade may be necessary:
  # project-downloads.drogon.net has been discontinued. Please use the GitHub method below for installation.
  # wget https://project-downloads.drogon.net/wiringpi-latest.deb
  # sudo dpkg -i wiringpi-latest.deb
  gpio -v
  # Run gpio -v and version 2.52 will appear. If it does not appear, there is an installation error.
  
  #Bullseye branch system uses the following command:
  git clone https://github.com/WiringPi/WiringPi
  cd WiringPi
  ./build
  gpio -v
  # Run gpio -v and version 2.60 will appear. If it does not appear, there is an installation error.
  

• Download the example (skip if already downloaded)

  # Download and extract the example package from the resources page, then enter the directory:
  cd 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano/
  
  Alternative extraction method

  sudo apt-get install p7zip-full
  7z x 9.7inch_e-Paper_E.zip -O./9.7inch_e-Paper_E
  cd 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano/
  
  Download the program via GitHub (alternative method, skip if already downloaded)

  • Accessing GitHub may not be very smooth at present. It is recommended to use the above method to download from our official website.

    git clone https://github.com/waveshareteam/9.7inch_e-Paper_E.git
    cd 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano
    

• Compile the program (Note: -j4 uses 4 threads for compilation; you can modify the number)

  # Now in 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano
  cd c
  sudo make clean
  sudo make -j4
  

• Run the program

  sudo ./epd
  

Running the Python Example​

• Install libraries

  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get install python3-pip
  sudo apt-get install python3-pil
  sudo apt-get install python3-numpy
  sudo pip3 install spidev
  
  Install libraries (python2)

  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get install python-pip
  sudo apt-get install python-pil
  sudo apt-get install python-numpy
  sudo pip install spidev
  
  Install gpiozero library (pre-installed by default, if not, install using the following commands)

  sudo apt-get update
  # python3
  sudo apt install python3-gpiozero
  # python2
  sudo apt install python-gpiozero
  

• Download the example (skip if already downloaded)

  # Download and extract the example package from the resources page, then enter the directory:
  cd 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano/
  
  Alternative extraction method

  sudo apt-get install p7zip-full
  7z x 9.7inch_e-Paper_E.zip -O./9.7inch_e-Paper_E
  cd 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano/
  
  Download the program via GitHub (alternative method, skip if already downloaded)

  • Accessing GitHub may not be very smooth at present. It is recommended to use the above method to download from our official website.

    git clone https://github.com/waveshareteam/9.7inch_e-Paper_E.git
    cd 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano
    

• Run the program

  # Make sure you are in 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano/
  cd python/examples/
  python3 epd_9in7e_test.py

Hardware Connection​

• Connect using the 9PIN cable. Refer to the pin mapping table below:
  • Arduino pin mapping

    e-Paper	Arduino UNO	Mega2560
    VCC	3.3V/5V	5V
    GND	GND	GND
    DIN	D11	D51
    CLK	D13	D52
    CS	D10	D10
    DC	D9	D9
    RST	D8	D8
    BUSY	D7	D7
    PWR	D6	D6

Installing the IDE​

Arduino IDE Windows Installation Tutorial

Running the Program​

• Select a download source from the 9.7inch_e-Paper_E Example, then extract and enter the 9.7inch_e-Paper_E directory to see the following:
  
  
• Open the test program: 9.7inch_e-Paper_E\example\Arduino_R4\Arduino_R4.ino
  
  
• In the Arduino IDE toolbar (Tools), select the corresponding Board and Port:
  
  
• Finally, click Upload. A successful upload is shown below (Arduino 1.8.13):
  
  

Hardware Connection​

• Connect using the 9PIN cable. Refer to the pin mapping table below:

  Jetson Nano pin mapping

  e-Paper	Jetson Nano Developer Kit
  	BCM2835 Pin	Board Physical Pin Number
  VCC	3.3V	3.3V
  GND	GND	GND
  DIN	10(SPI0_MOSI)	19
  CLK	11(SPI0_SCK)	23
  CS	8(SPI0_CS0)	24
  DC	25	22
  RST	17	11
  BUSY	24	18
  PWR	18	12

Running the C Example​

• Download the example (skip if already downloaded)

  # Download and extract the example package from the resources page, then enter the directory:
  cd 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano/
  
  Alternative extraction method

  sudo apt-get install p7zip-full
  7z x 9.7inch_e-Paper_E.zip -O./9.7inch_e-Paper_E
  cd 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano/
  
  Download the program via GitHub (alternative method, skip if already downloaded)

  • Accessing GitHub may not be very smooth at present. It is recommended to use the above method to download from our official website.

    git clone https://github.com/waveshareteam/9.7inch_e-Paper_E.git
    cd 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano
    

• Compile the program (Note: -j4 uses 4 threads for compilation; you can modify the number)

  # Now in 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano
  cd c
  sudo make clean
  sudo make JETSON -j4
  

• Run the program

  sudo ./epd
  

Running the Python Example​

• Install libraries

  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get install python3-numpy
  sudo apt-get install python3-pip
  sudo pip3 install Jetson.GPIO
  

• Download the example (skip if already downloaded)

  # Download and extract the example package from the resources page, then enter the directory:
  cd 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano/
  
  Alternative extraction method

  sudo apt-get install p7zip-full
  7z x 9.7inch_e-Paper_E.zip -O./9.7inch_e-Paper_E
  cd 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano/
  
  Download the program via GitHub (alternative method, skip if already downloaded)

  • Accessing GitHub may not be very smooth at present. It is recommended to use the above method to download from our official website.

    git clone https://github.com/waveshareteam/9.7inch_e-Paper_E.git
    cd 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano
    

• Run the program

  # Make sure you are in 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/RaspberryPi_JetsonNano/
  cd python/examples/
  python3 epd_9in7e_test.py

Hardware Connection​

Use a 9PIN cable to connect, please refer to the pin corresponding table below:

STM32 Pin Mapping

Running the Program​

• Select a download source from the 9.7inch_e-Paper_E Example, then extract and enter the 9.7inch_e-Paper_E directory to see the following:
  
  
• Use Keil to open epd-demo.uvprojx in the 9.7inch_e-Paper_E/example/STM32-F103ZET6/MDK-ARM directory.
• Open the Keil compile toolbar (usually already open):
  
  
• Click Build.
  
  
• Ensure a suitable programmer is connected, then click Load to download the program to the microcontroller.

Hardware Connection​

ESP32 Pin Mapping

Environment Configuration​

Online installation requires the use of VPN software, while offline installation does not require the use of VPN software

• Install Online

Running the Program​

• Select a download source from the 9.7inch_e-Paper_E Example, then extract and enter the 9.7inch_e-Paper_E directory to see the following:
  
  
• Open the test program: 9.7inch_e-Paper_E\example\ESP32\ESP32.ino or 9.7inch_e-Paper_E\example\ESP32-S3\ESP32-S3.ino
  
  
  
  
• In the Arduino IDE toolbar (Tools), select the corresponding Board and Port:
  
  
• If using a core like the ESP32-S3 with PSRAM, please enable PSRAM
  
  
• Finally, click Upload. A successful upload is shown below (Arduino 2.2.1):
  
  

1. Example​

• 9.7inch_e-Paper_E Example (Github)

2. Hardware Resources​

• 9.7inch_e-Paper_E Driver Board Schematic (GitHub)

3. Technical Manuals​

• 9.7inch e-Paper (E) Datasheet (GitHub)

4. Software Tools​

• Arduino IDE Official Download Link
• Chinese Character Conversion Software
• Image2Lcd Image Bitmap Conversion Software

5. Other Resources​

• Creating Dithering Images with Photoshop

• API Analysis

• E-Paper Font Library Tutorial

• Image2Lcd Image Bitmap Conversion Steps

• pwnagotchi Porting Guide

• Related Links

  • Raspberry Pi Getting Started Tutorial
  • E-Paper Dashboard (Inkycal)
  • Quectel-Pi e-Paper Reader
  • GPS Tracker (papertrail)
  • TuyaOpen e-Paper Driver

• ESP32-Arduino Official Documentation

Support

Monday-Friday (9:30-6:30) Saturday (9:30-5:30)

Email: services01@spotpear.com