Post #1108162

2026-04-12 14:25 UTC

Has anyone tried modifying store e-ink shelf displays to turn them into useful gadget displays? I see them in many stores now - some are around 4 inches square, quite a useful size, with several colours. I looked on Aliexpress, and they certainly don&#39;t seem cheap in unit quantities - £35ish? There must be economies of scale for shops. Pimoroni sell their &#39;Inky wHAT&#39; 4.2&quot; 4-colour display for £36. Are there cheaper options? #eink #electronics #display #hamradio (ish)

Replies (6)

@bjoerngoettler@mastodon.social 2026-04-12 14:30

@M0CUV@mastodon.radio @atc1441@m.youtube.com This guy does a lot with them. I spole to a shop owner, and she pays pretty much the same price as the rest of us, so not much savings buying bulk there

Open ##2392395
@k8quinn@social.vivaldi.net 2026-04-12 14:53

@M0CUV@mastodon.radio Check out the Adafruit MagTag.

Open ##2392397
@ClubTeleMatique@mstdn.social 2026-04-12 15:05

@M0CUV@mastodon.radio @thelastpsion@oldbytes.space Your best bet is of course from the master, Dimitri: https://dmitry.gr/?r=05.Projects&proj=29.%20eInk%20Price%20Tags I call him master because he ported Linux to the 4004!! see https://dmitry.gr/?r=05.Projects&proj=35.%20Linux4004) then there is https://hackaday.com/2019/02/25/e-ink-price-tags-fall-off-store-shelves-onto-your-workbench/ and also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvOkOANCmMk

Open ##2392399
@WiteWulf@cyberplace.social 2026-04-12 15:09

@M0CUV@mastodon.radio someone else has already posted a link to dmitry’s work. Unsurprisingly, the tech is proprietary and kept closed, otherwise those devices would be walking out of stores at quite a rate, I imagine! 😀

Open ##2392400
@RueNahcMohr@infosec.exchange 2026-04-12 17:52

@M0CUV@mastodon.radio I think there have been a number of hacks.

Open ##2392405
@ftg@mastodon.radio 2026-04-12 18:45

@M0CUV@mastodon.radio They also sometimes get replaced when superficially damaged. Or when there is a refresh. Which sometimes leads to large joblots popping up on eBay.

Open ##2392406