Seeed Studio Launches an Espressif ESP32-C3-Powered ePaper Smart Display for Home Assistant and More
Energy-efficient display gets a claimed three months out of the integrated 2Ah battery, with full ESPHome-driven Home Assistant integration.
Embedded and hobbyist electronics specialist Seeed Studio has launched a new sunlight-readable ePaper smart display, powered by the company's XIAO ESP32C3 development board: the XIAO 7.5" ePaper Panel.
"We're thrilled to announce the latest addition to our XIAO gadget family," Seeed Studio's Lily Li says of the company's latest launch, "the XIAO 7.5″ ePaper Panel! This elegant smart home companion combines the power of Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C3 with an energy-efficient ePaper display, designed specifically for Home Assistant enthusiasts and makers."
Built primarily with smart home dashboard use in mind — though equally applicable to anything you might want to put up on a grayscale display with a slow refresh rate — the XIAO 7.5" ePaper Panel is an 800×480 electrophoretic display that requires power only when it's changing states. Driving the ePaper panel is a XIAO ESP32C3 development board, itself built around the Espressif ESP32-C3 microcontroller, which offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy (BLE) connectivity alongside a single 32-bit RISC-V core running at up to 160MHz.
The combination of a low-power microcontroller and ePaper display means, Seeed says, an impressively long battery life: according to the company's internal testing, the 3.7V 2Ah lithium-ion battery is good for around three months per charge, assuming the display is only refreshed once every six hours. The company also promises full Home Assistant integration via the ESPHome firmware, or by exporting the dashboard as a PNG, as well as support for writing custom firmware using the Arduino IDE.
The new display is currently up for pre-order on the Seeed Studio store, priced at $59 for the first 100 units sold rising to $69 thereafter for an "early build" beta version; all units include a 3D-printed housing with retractable stand, and are expected to begin shipping later this month.
