Insane! Quality on the ANT too!
Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer
11–20 of 134 posts
Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer
#12Does this work well in direct sunlight? I know a lot of e-paper panels struggle to refresh in strong sunlight. The waveshare panels look very faded if they update while exposed to UV.
i have ridden with this unit over five hundred miles and not had any issues. though SF Bay Area summers arent as tough as other places.
Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer
#13Hey this looks neat, I’ve been thinking on trying something similar. I’ve not encountered the ANT protocol, what bike ya using? Is it a higher level thing that your display is giving you, or something your controller uses? I know Bafang uses CAN protocols in their newer e-bike systems and a lot of manufacturers (especially Chinese) use a proprietary UART protocol to stitch things together on the cheaper end. The mess…
ant+ is a garmin protocol that is very common with fitness gadgets and in the bike world. It's a bit like bluetooth, but lower energy usage.
Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer
#14I love this. How do you house & secure your lily on your bike?
Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer
#15This is great, I just saw your post on X. I'm also building a bike computer!
eInk is the right display tech. I think this will do really well. It might need a UV filter.
That said, I don't love needing a separate device (hence, I don't own any bike computer). This is just my preference, but I really prefer to just plop my phone on my handlebars. So I'm building a bike computer app for iPhone: https://x.com/mholt6/status/2090529441944687087 (trying to get Apple to approve my developer account / business info, but they're hung up on my website of all things).
Phones are definitely not ideal in terms of display and energy use, but, I have found that with proper optimizations, energy use is a non-issue. To offset display problems, the app has several ride modes: a rich map display with 3D road or satellite view; a high-contrast wireframe map that looks great at both high and low refresh rates because it has no analog-style gauges; an instrument panel dashboard view; and a voice-only mode that has big touch zones for on-demand voice updates, using a state of the art mobile voice synthesis model. For connected radars, the app also renders radar data and has a screen like Tesla/Rivian's autonomy displays.
The app automatically manages thermals by switching modes to preserve battery life.
In my testing so far, by managing energy, making really good voice feedback, and using high-contrast screens (every mode other than the "rich" map), even a dimmed iPhone display is quite a usable bike computer in high-altitude sunlight.
But man, that eInk looks so clean and nice. Definitely the superior display! Nice work and I hope to learn some things from it!
EDIT: Woah, you got ANT+ support using BLE radio? I am not surprised that that is possible, but dang, that must have been a clever LLM.
Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer
#16I've found e-ink displays super fragile for this use case. They break from a little fall, or even from the constant shaking.
Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer
#17Hey this looks neat, I’ve been thinking on trying something similar. I’ve not encountered the ANT protocol, what bike ya using? Is it a higher level thing that your display is giving you, or something your controller uses? I know Bafang uses CAN protocols in their newer e-bike systems and a lot of manufacturers (especially Chinese) use a proprietary UART protocol to stitch things together on the cheaper end. The mess…
Ant+ is for connecting sensors and other stuff. Like heart rate monitor, power meter, control resistance on a trainer etc.
Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer
#18I can't imagine using this in the Netherlands with random rain. The tradeoffs are hard to accept, wondering how it looks and performs in various weather conditions, and if a physical buttoned shell is worth it...
Garmin Edge 10X0 series is touch only (except for pause and lap button). Was a bit apprehensive myself moving to 1040 from my old 5X0 series with buttons only, but no issues in weather so far. More reliable than a phone display with droplets.
Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer
#19Very cool. I was messing around vibe-coding an HR monitor on a LilyGo T5.
My thought was I'd love to set an HR zone and then connect it to my e-MTB and have it change power to keep me in a zone.
The refresh rate on my device was horrible, and the models (this was a few months ago) struggled to create a historical line plot of my HR.
Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer
#20I've found e-ink displays super fragile for this use case. They break from a little fall, or even from the constant shaking.
For all their readability benefits under direct sunlight, prolonged exposure also damages or kills them. You need at least a UV blocker for outdoor use, but the heat cannot be avoided.