Soldered Inkplate ESPHome

ESPHome external component for Inkplate e-paper displays.

Important

This repo will be migrated to the official ESPHome repo, until then use this one.

Supported boards

Model	Resolution	Colors	Partial update	MCU	PSRAM
Inkplate 13	1200 × 1600	6-color ACeP	Yes	ESP32-S3	Octal, 80 MHz
Inkplate 6 Color	600 × 448	7-color ACeP	No	ESP32	Quad, 40 MHz
Inkplate 2	104 × 212	Black / White / Red	No	ESP32	Quad, 40 MHz

Warning

PSRAM is required — the framebuffer is too large for internal RAM. Inkplate 13 needs ~960 KB (octal PSRAM on ESP32-S3). Inkplate 2 and 6 Color need ~27 KB and ~135 KB respectively (quad PSRAM on ESP32).

Usage

Add to your ESPHome .yaml:

external_components:
  - source:
      type: git
      url: https://github.com/SolderedElectronics/Soldered-Inkplate-ESPHome
      ref: main

Then declare the display:

esphome:
  name: my-inkplate
  on_boot:
    priority: -100    # run after all components initialised
    then:
      - component.update: my_display

spi:
  clk_pin: GPIOX
  mosi_pin: GPIOX    # MISO not needed — display is write-only

display:
  platform: inkplate_spi
  model: inkplate13         # inkplate13 | inkplate6color | inkplate2
  id: my_display
  update_interval: never    # trigger manually; use a time interval for auto-refresh
  lambda: |-
    it.fill(Color(255, 255, 255));
    it.print(10, 10, id(my_font), "Hello!");

The on_boot trigger is needed because the display does not draw automatically on startup — component.update kicks off the first refresh after all components have initialised.

update_interval: never is recommended for battery-powered use and for ACeP panels where refresh rate must be controlled. Use a time component or interval: block to trigger updates instead.

Configuration options

Key	Required	Default	Description
model	yes	—	Board model (see table above)
update_interval	no	—	How often to trigger a full refresh
full_update_every	no	1	Trigger full refresh every N updates
rotation	no	0°	Display rotation (0 / 90 / 180 / 270)
lambda	no	—	Drawing lambda

Pin defaults match the stock Inkplate hardware. Override any pin by adding e.g. pin_rst: GPIO4 to the display block.

Caution

Inkplate 13 enforces a 30 second minimum between full refreshes. The component will reject a shorter update_interval at config validation time. ACeP panels can be permanently damaged by too-frequent refreshes.

Inkplate 13 — partial update

Inkplate 13 supports refreshing a subregion without a full-panel redraw:

// inside a lambda or interval action
if (!id(my_display).is_busy()) {
    id(my_display).filled_rectangle(x, y, w, h, Color(255, 255, 255));
    id(my_display).print(x, y, id(my_font), "updated");
    id(my_display).display_partial(x, y, w, h);
}

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Check license details in the LICENSE file. Long story short, use these open-source files for any purpose you want to, as long as you apply the same open-source licence to it and disclose the original source. No warranty - all designs in this repository are distributed in the hope that they will be useful, but without any warranty. They are provided "AS IS", therefore without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The entire quality and performance of what you do with the contents of this repository are your responsibility. In no event, Soldered (TAVU) will be liable for your damages, losses, including any general, special, incidental or consequential damage arising out of the use or inability to use the contents of this repository.

Have fun!

And thank you from your fellow makers at Soldered Electronics.