That’s pretty neat! I’ve been looking at ESL e-ink displays for a while as a more static status display, but the lack of standards and open source software is a problem.
Using e-ink tablet as monitor for Linux
81–90 of 104 posts
Re: Using e-ink tablet as monitor for Linux
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
Does it support linux based systems?
Input is just HDMI, so works on Linux without issue. There might be an app or something that lets you control the settings, but I've never used that once. All relevant stuff can be configured from the front panel buttons. I think the Mac issue is that macos slightly dithers/moves the image with a high rate which would kill the EInk pixels quickly. There appears to be an app to deactivate this behavior though.
> Input is just HDMI, so works on Linux without issue
HDMI is not always plug and play. I unfortunately encountered a situation where a Phillips HDMI display only worked with Windows, but not Linux due to EDID/Nvidia driver issues
Re: Using e-ink tablet as monitor for Linux
#83Earlier quoted context omitted.
I couldn’t make it work on macOS (I.e Mac Studio 2).
What problems did you run into?
Over HDMI I’ve got a no-signal error. I think I’ve tried display port or something else and got very bad ghosting and a kind of very bad contrast issue. You couldn’t really read text(unlike what I’ve seen on YouTube videos). Tried different kinds of settings still couldn’t get it into a working state. Like it needs a special driver or something like that.
Re: Using e-ink tablet as monitor for Linux
#84As much as I like e-ink, it has terrible refresh rates. I'd love a larger version of the Sharp Memory display technology that could support at least 80 characters wide, and perhaps 8 bit greyscale. The current ones support 60hz refresh and sip power but are limited to black and white only.
Re: Using e-ink tablet as monitor for Linux
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
Funnily you're describing https://usetrmnl.com/ which also happens to be pretty hacker friendly.
Until now, I had resisted the urge to order one But now that they have a bigger version, with controls and a clear case... I'm not sure that I should be thanking you for making me spend money!
Yeah... I bought the regular version a few months before the bigger one was announced. Now I kinda want it but can't really justify it at this point. It's a cool product though and a lot of the code is open source or has open source alternatives (e.g. the official backend is not but they have sponsored the development of open source alternatives so that if they go out of business or something you can host your own backend).
Re: Using e-ink tablet as monitor for Linux
#86Re: Using e-ink tablet as monitor for Linux
#87Dasung 253 is a 25.3 inch eink display. https://shop.dasung.com/products/dasung-25-3-e-ink-monitor-p... I bought it two years ago for over $1800, and I have to say, it was worth every single dollar. I can read on it, work on it, (kind of) watch youtube videos on it, play (some) RTS game on it. And mine only had 33hz refresh rate, not the latest 60hz.
Does it support linux based systems?
I cannot make guarantees but I do remember temporarily using it for my Debian installation for my home server -- can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work though. For both Windows and Mac it's just plug and play.
Re: Using e-ink tablet as monitor for Linux
#88Dasung 253 is a 25.3 inch eink display. https://shop.dasung.com/products/dasung-25-3-e-ink-monitor-p... I bought it two years ago for over $1800, and I have to say, it was worth every single dollar. I can read on it, work on it, (kind of) watch youtube videos on it, play (some) RTS game on it. And mine only had 33hz refresh rate, not the latest 60hz.
I couldn’t make it work on macOS (I.e Mac Studio 2).
Weird. I have a work MacBook Pro m3 and a personal m1 MacBook Pro. Both are just plug and play for me. I actually have my displayed connected to a CalDigit TS3 dock and just connect different computer to the same dock.
Re: Using e-ink tablet as monitor for Linux
#89Dasung 253 is a 25.3 inch eink display. https://shop.dasung.com/products/dasung-25-3-e-ink-monitor-p... I bought it two years ago for over $1800, and I have to say, it was worth every single dollar. I can read on it, work on it, (kind of) watch youtube videos on it, play (some) RTS game on it. And mine only had 33hz refresh rate, not the latest 60hz.
the version you linked is a monochrome one, right? Don't you find it difficult to read and work on it without color?
Yes, it's basically a large Kindle.
For reading and work, I actually prefer this experience. The contrast for text is way better and more crisp than regular LED/LCD/OLED displays, unless you turn the regular display's brightness way up, until which point my eyes hurt from all that light emitted. This was my primary reason for buying such a display -- I love my Kindle and want to use it more, but I couldn't.
Now for entertainment you are obviously limited. For informational Youtube videos you could be getting by alright -- you don't really need to see colors for those. Games is tricky since you could only do non-demanding ones. Shopping gets tricky since you can't see colors. Sometimes I find myself hopping on my iPhone to check before placing orders.
Re: Using e-ink tablet as monitor for Linux
#90Dasung 253 is a 25.3 inch eink display. https://shop.dasung.com/products/dasung-25-3-e-ink-monitor-p... I bought it two years ago for over $1800, and I have to say, it was worth every single dollar. I can read on it, work on it, (kind of) watch youtube videos on it, play (some) RTS game on it. And mine only had 33hz refresh rate, not the latest 60hz.
Forgot to mention one benefit, for the ultra-lazy like myself.
You can just leave the display on forever and you never have to wait for the screen to wake up again. I use amphetamine on macOS and just set a session forever. I'm more comfortable this way since eink displays don't emit light and thus should consume less power.