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Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer

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Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer

#61

Post by matsemann »

loeg wrote: post #51
mattlutze wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This device has a backlight enabled by a physical button, and navi refresh rate doesn't matter because you're riding and not staring at it. 1Hz is fine for a reference. Not sure why needing less battery or having better at-a-glance visibility would be such a bad thing. One need not love a device, that's ok. But digging to invent a reason to hate it also doesn't seem necessary.

Refresh rate does kind of matter. 1Hz imposes an average 0.5s latency on any update, which would be obnoxious in some situations.

Quite normal on most bike computers already with a slow refresh, even if they're able to refresh faster. You can't really read a number if it keeps changing all the time.

Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer

#62

Post by matsemann »

robot_jesus wrote: post #26
mholt wrote: post #15

This 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/sta…

To each their own and the e-ink computer is a neat project. But I'm personally with you on not wanting a separate device. I have my iPhone and a quad lock case I swap on for rides. Not sure I'm 100% on board with the visual style of your interface (some of the metrics look like they'd be nearly impossible to read while riding 30mph down a gravel road) but I'd love to check it out once it's released. Do you have a way…

For many, a separate device is a feature. Not using the phone battery and not poosibly damage my phone (fall) is good.

Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer

#63

Post by insane_dreamer »

awesome stuff. I have a Wahoo bike comp but would love to use an OSS alternative

the dealbreaker for me is whether it could eventually work with the Garmin Vario radar (which the Wahoo supports with a nice visualization) -- that is _literally_ a life saver and I no longer ride without it.

Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer

#64

Post by ianburrell »

mholt wrote: post #42
mmooss wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> eInk is the right display tech. It's interesting and I clicked on the OP, but why? The variable ambient light conditions, refresh rate, etc would seem to favor standard LCD/etc. Battery capacity isn't much of an issue for a small screen, and weight carried by the bicycle.

eInk is like a piece of paper, which gets MORE visible in the sun, but standard touchscreen LCDs/OLEDs get harder to see. I am not sure about the physics/reasons for this. Phones also aggressively dim screens to conserve energy and lower temperatures. Phones absorb a lot of sunlight, so a white eInk display is brilliant in that regard. Refresh rate is a solved problem for eInk as well, but it comes with energy tradeo…

Transflective LCDs, which most bike computers use, are also reflective but have better contrast than eink making them more visible in sunlight. They are different than phones.

Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer

#67

Post by mmooss »

usern20260720 wrote: post #58
mmooss wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> eInk is the right display tech. It's interesting and I clicked on the OP, but why? The variable ambient light conditions, refresh rate, etc would seem to favor standard LCD/etc. Battery capacity isn't much of an issue for a small screen, and weight carried by the bicycle.

LCD screen are pitch black by default. Eink can be white without extra energy

Yes, and there are many other tradeoffs. How do the tradeoffs fit this use case?

Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer

#68

Post by lostlogin »

Wow, amazing work.

My use case is a bit more basic than most. I am nearly always on routes I know and just want a few basic stats, but…

I require a bike radar to work. I use a Varia. I like the beep, and need the indication for a car behind. Is there any compatibility with this?

If this question is already answered somewhere, apologies.

Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer

#69

Post by lostlogin »

loeg wrote: post #51
mattlutze wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This device has a backlight enabled by a physical button, and navi refresh rate doesn't matter because you're riding and not staring at it. 1Hz is fine for a reference. Not sure why needing less battery or having better at-a-glance visibility would be such a bad thing. One need not love a device, that's ok. But digging to invent a reason to hate it also doesn't seem necessary.

Refresh rate does kind of matter. 1Hz imposes an average 0.5s latency on any update, which would be obnoxious in some situations.

> 0.5s latency on any update, which would be obnoxious in some situations.

What situation?

Re: Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer

#70

Post by itsdesmond »

mattlutze wrote: post #35
wiether wrote: post #23

I love my eInk displays, I love my bike head unit. But I don't see how they both fit together honestly. The pros of eInk: - low energy usage -> don't matter, current GPS units have +30 hours of battery life already - low eye strain -> don't matter, you don't look at the screen for hours at a time - visibility -> don't matter, current GPS units adapt to ambient light - angle visibility -> don't matter, the screen is r…

This device has a backlight enabled by a physical button, and navi refresh rate doesn't matter because you're riding and not staring at it. 1Hz is fine for a reference. Not sure why needing less battery or having better at-a-glance visibility would be such a bad thing. One need not love a device, that's ok. But digging to invent a reason to hate it also doesn't seem necessary.

You’re responding really inappropriately to someone participating productively in a discussion.
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