Waveshare recently launched the 4-inch e-Paper HAT+(E), a E-Ink Spectra 6 full-color e-paper module designed to work with the Raspberry Pi using the HAT+ standard. This 600×400 pixel display includes E-Ink Spectra 6 technology and doesn’t have a backlight. The Spectra 6 allows for high contrast and color saturation whereas no backlight means the display consumes very low power. The device communicates using SPI and is compatible with various controller boards like Raspberry Pi and Arduino. These features make this device useful for places like supermarkets, unmanned stores, shelf levels, hospital wards, and more.
Waveshare has launched various e-paper displays in the past including the EINK-DISP-103 E-paper HDMI Display, the 4.2″ and 7.5″ Waveshare NFC-powered e-Paper display, and most interestingly the 7-Color e-Paper Display. Feel free to check those out if you are looking for high-quality displays.
Waveshare 4-inch spectra 6 color e-paper display specification
- Display – E-Ink Spectra 6 (E6)
- Full-color display with red, yellow, and blue primary colors
- High contrast and saturation for vivid images
- Microcup electrophoretic technology
- Resolution – 600×400 pixels (200 PPI)
- Viewing Angle – >170°
- Refresh Time
- Full refresh – 19s
- Partial refresh – Supported
- Grayscale – Two shades of gray in addition to black and white.
- Host Interface – SPI (3-wire, 4-wire)
- Operating Voltage
- Display only – 3.3V
- Display with driver board – 3.3V / 5V
- Power Consumption
- Refresh power – <70mW
- Standby power – <0.01mW (with driver board)
- Standby current (Raw display) – <0.01uA (almost 0)
- Temperature Range
- Operating – 0 ~ 50°C
- Storage – -25 ~ 60°C
- Dimensions
- Driver board – 101.0 × 68.0mm
- Outline – 99.00 × 66.00 × 0.85mm
- Display – 84.6 × 56.40mm
The full-color e-paper display board has a Raspberry Pi-compatible GPIO header and follows the Raspberry Pi HAT+ standard for simplicity. The display module uses SPI for communication so it’s also compatible with Jetson Nano, Sunrise X3 Pi, Arduino, and STM32, and the company provides instructions to get started all all these platforms on the wiki.
The E-Ink Spectra 6 is a new full-color e-paper technology that uses red, yellow, and blue as primary colors to create a wider gamut compared to previous generations. It features millions of microcups containing four different colored particles suspended in a clear fluid. By applying electrical charges, specific colored particles rise to the top, becoming visible to the user. Waveshare mentions that with this new technology, the e-paper display delivers a resolution of up to 200ppi, a wider operating temperature range, faster refresh times, and improved energy efficiency.
If you’re planning to buy the display module for yourself, you have the option to purchase the raw display only, which will cost you $49.52. Alternatively, you can buy the display with the driver board, which increases the price to $60.28. Both modules are available on AliExpress, or you can check the Waveshare store for additional purchase options. The display should soon be offered on the company’s Amazon store along with their other e-paper displays.
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
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Where did you see that partial refresh was supported on this screen? I can’t find any reference to that for this screen, whether on the Waveshare site or on the GoodDisplay site (the original provider of the screen). The Waveshare summary table says it’s not supported.
It being supported would make a huge difference for some applications which are just impossible with most colour e-ink screens at their refresh time is extremely long and very few support partial refreshes.