Waveshare recently launched a series of dot matrix ESL color e-paper displays with Bluetooth and NFC connectivity designed for various IoT, retail, industrial, and similar applications. These Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) displays can be updated through a wireless base station that enables device management using Waveshare’s cloud platform.
The displays come with a 1,200mAh coin cell battery which according to Waveshare can last approximately 5 years and support four colors: red, yellow, black, and white. With a wide 178° viewing angle and housed in a durable ABS plastic case, they are ideal for applications such as price tags, shelf labels, asset tracking, and conference name tags.
Waveshare ESL color e-paper displays specifications
- Display technology – E-Paper (Electrophoretic)
- Display colors – Red, Yellow, Black, White
- Display sizes – 2.13″, 2.66″, 2.9″, 3.5″ (Dot Matrix)
- Resolution / Pixel density / Display area
- 2.13″ – 250 × 122 pixels / 130 DPI / 48.55 × 23.7mm
- 2.66″ – 296 × 152 pixels / 125 DPI / 60.09 × 30.7mm
- 2.9″ – 296 × 128 pixels / 112 DPI / 66.9 × 29.06mm
- 3.5″ – 384 × 184 pixels / 122 DPI / 79.68 × 38.18mm
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth 5.1 Low Energy for remote updates
- NFC for local updates
- Power
- Ultra-low power, only required for content refreshing
- Built-in replaceable 1200mAh battery
- Up to 5 years of battery life
- Outline Dimensions
- 2.13″ – 71 mm x 34.7 mm
- 2.66″ – 85 mm x 41 mm
- 2.9″ – 92 mm x 41.5 mm
- 3.5″ – 101.5 mm x 50 mm
- Operating Temperature – 0°C to 40°C
The only downside of the product is its operating temperature since it has a max operating temperature of 40°C which is a bit low to work with. While checking out the specifications, I also found that the ESL-ePaper-2.9G display supports Bluetooth 5.0, not 5.1, like the other displays, which may be a typo but this is not made clear by the company. Note that Bluetooth 5.4 introduced ESL support, but it’s clearly not using the new standard due to the Bluetooth version used. More information about the product setup process and other documentation can be found on Waveshare’s wiki page.
The displays are designed to work with the wireless BLE base station which gives access to the ESL Waveshare cloud platform through which you can control individual displays. The base station features dual-band WiFi (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and can operate within a range of 10–30 meters indoors. It is powered by a 48V PoE supply and supports data speed of up to 1167 Mbps. The device measures 180 × 180 × 33mm and has an operating temperature range of -10°C to 60°C.
Previously we have written about various types of connected e-paper displays like the inky Frame 7.3″ which is a Pico 2 W ePaper display featuring a 7.3-inch E Ink screen with 7-color support. We have also written about Waveshares 4-inch e-Paper HAT+(E) which is a Spectra 6 full-color e-paper module designed to work with the Raspberry Pi. We have even seen Android smartphones and smartwatches made with paper displays. But this is the first time we have seen a paper display designed for ESL applications.
The ESL e-paper displays are available on Amazon for $467.99 as part of a full kit with the gateway, four displays, a power supply, and mounting brackets. The kit can also be found on AliExpress for $459.99 plus shipping. If you want to purchase the displays separately there are also some bundles available on Amazon. If you want to buy specific displays, you can check out the Waveshare store.
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
