I built Timeframe, our family e-paper dashboard
108 points
1 hour ago
| 11 comments
| hawksley.org
| HN
connorshinn
1 minute ago
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This is really cool, thanks for sharing the journey so far.

One potential idea - it might be worth looking at overseas manufacturers to see if they can offer a similar display at a better price point. I did a bit of digging on Alibaba, for example, and found a 25" E-ink display with the same resolution as the Boox for around $1000 (and the price goes down to $500 if you order 100 units or more): https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/25-3-inch-e-paper-dis...

Seems like they offer a color E-ink display option as well, which could be worth exploring.

Note: I don't have any affiliation with the above company, it was literally just the first one I found when searching. I'm sure there are many other options available as well.

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hinkley
1 minute ago
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[delayed]
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NikxDa
34 minutes ago
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This is super cool, and I wish something like this existed at my place, as it enables information sharing without the need for phones/actual screens that shine in your face when the lights are low or tempt you to doomscroll.

That said, the large primary display this uses is $2000. That's very hard to justify for any "normal" household, and that's without any mounts, backend, services etc.

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lakid
23 minutes ago
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You can make smaller ones for much much less. I’ll post pics of mine a bit later but waveshare 7.5” display in a photo frame and almost any ESP32 dev board and you are set for less than $100 (along with suitable HomeAssistant and ESPhome infrastructure to support it). The original article is a very slick bit of work, so well done
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fenykep
12 minutes ago
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The article also mentions using jailbroken kindles which I assume should be the cheapest way to get a decent sized epaper screen with builtin connectivity.

edit: https://github.com/sibbl/hass-lovelace-kindle-screensaver

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scary-size
6 minutes ago
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Yep, it’s super cheap. I wrote about mine here:: https://franz.hamburg/writing/kindling-e-ink-dashboard.html
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AuthAuth
5 minutes ago
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This is awesome but I still find it funny that he said he wants a healthy relationship with technology then goes and fits his entire house out with technology. It doesnt seem like any of this would really be useful as you'd have to enter all the useful data manually(calendar).

For example the washing machine. You dont need real time information because you know how long it takes since you've done it 1000s of times and it beeps. All these things are just managed in our heads subconsciously.

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ojagodzinski
8 minutes ago
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~3000€ to show information in some random places in the house even though the household members have a device with a screen called a smartphone next to them 24/7 ?

Well, it's cool, but the usability of it all is below average.

Declutter your life and don't install any more screens in your home ;)

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bengale
20 minutes ago
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I’m always surprised how much people seem to want to constantly know the weather.
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riston
15 minutes ago
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I think with more outdoor activities, it's important to know what is waiting you in a few hour. For cycling example wind and rain information is rather good to know.
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thechao
4 minutes ago
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I had Windows^(TM) installed in my house when it was built. We're on the top of a 700' hill, so The Weather is pretty accurate.
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chrisweekly
2 minutes ago
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Ooh that reminds me of my weather rock.
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hmokiguess
12 minutes ago
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This may due to geographical differences, not sure where you live versus OP but I have lived in at least 7 different cities throughout my life and in some of those I had to deal with really unpredictable weather whereas in others it was easier to just wing it and not regret leaving with a jacket or umbrella for example.
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pegasus
12 minutes ago
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It could be that they live in an area with more variable or more unpredictable weather than you. Or that they are much more outdoorsy. Or something else altogether. I'm surprised by your surprise. People live wildly different lifes and have correspondingly wide-ranging needs and preferences.
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SeriousStorm
12 minutes ago
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Agreed. Especially the current weather conditions. That's mostly useless info. Knowing the weather forecast for tomorrow or this weekend is actually useful.

It's strange that pretty much every weather widget assumes you want to know the current weather conditions and not the forecast.

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9dev
2 minutes ago
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Eh, depends. If you have a dog, and live in a place with actual seasons, February requires frequently checking the current conditions before you head out—at least where we live, it could be anywhere from -10°C to +12°C right now, raining, snowing—annoying to put on a light jacket because you let the sun fool you, and discover it's freezing and starting to rain once you're on the field.

That said: I seem to get by pretty well with a lowly smartphone so far.

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guide42
11 minutes ago
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Same. You can always tell how is going to be the weather by yourself. Depending on how much time have you lived in the same place you can predict the weather for the day when you get up or, if you are a completely stranger to the environment, at least half an hour before.
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bcyn
4 minutes ago
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This is really awesome! Dream home project for me as well, but can't justify the cost of large e-ink displays so far (was shocked at the nearly ~$2k sticker price of that Boox Mira Pro!)
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rsl1
1 minute ago
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Very nice, looks great
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riston
13 minutes ago
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That is one interesting experiment, also hoping for cheaper and larger panels.

Here is my ~75euros ESP32 eink panel experiment: https://github.com/riston/eink-assist-screen/tree/main

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seanieb
21 minutes ago
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Why is e-ink still so expensive?
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smcleod
20 minutes ago
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Patents
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candiddevmike
18 minutes ago
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I'm actively looking for someone who wants to create B2C devices like this for an app that I built. Email in my profile!
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scary-size
5 minutes ago
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Maybe the folks at TRMNL? https://trmnl.com/
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