Using e-ink tablet as monitor for Linux

(alavi.me)

211 points | by yolkedgeek 5 days ago ago

81 comments

  • ChuckMcM 14 hours ago ago

    I backed this project: https://www.crowdsupply.com/modos-tech/modos-paper-monitor on Crowd Supply to see how close they can come to a "monitor" experience with an e-paper display.

    • skeptrune 13 hours ago ago

      Ooh, crowdsupply looks interesting. This is my first time seeing it.

      • iamflimflam1 7 hours ago ago

        CrowdSupply is great - I ran a successful project through them. And I would definitely recommend anyone doing some hardware taking a look.

        There are a couple of things to be aware of - everything is shipped to the US and then distributed from there (using Mouser US).

        From the project point of view this means, depending on where things are manufactured) tariffs can come into play. The terms of shipping to mouser are delivery duty paid - so it’s the shipper who pays.

        For backers it does mean people outside of US can pay quite high shipping costs.

        The other thing from a project point of view is that mouser is a distributor. They want a reasonable (around 40%) margin on the things they ship.

        With CrowdSupply there are two sets of orders:

        Orders placed during the campaign - the project gets the full money (minus fees etc…)

        Orders placed after the campaign and any additional bulk orders - the project gets the wholesale price.

        I wrote a fairly detailed write up of it here: https://www.atomic14.com/2025/07/21/crowd-funding-retro

        • eggfriedrice 3 hours ago ago

          This was a really interesting read! Back in the day a friend and I started a company and Kickstartered a RPi add-on. The kickstarter campaign failed, but we ended up building anyway after one of the silicon manufacturers spotted the project and provided some FoC devices which changed the economics.

          We spent oodles of time on it, learned lots, build a fairly simple product but ended up selling it through some of the bigger RPi retailers. It was all an excellent learning experience, and ignoring our time we made about 50p out of the entire batch of a thousand. Factor in our time and it was a complete financial disaster, but we were young and carefree and had fun doing it!

    • disdi 13 hours ago ago

      Same here. I saw a demo in Fosdem which was pretty smooth.

  • niceguy1827 12 hours ago ago

    Dasung 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.

    • thefounder 3 hours ago ago

      I couldn’t make it work on macOS (I.e Mac Studio 2).

      • summarity 3 hours ago ago

        What problems did you run into?

        • thefounder 28 minutes ago ago

          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.

    • danielsokil 10 hours ago ago

      Does it support linux based systems?

      • bbarnett 9 hours ago ago

        When I tried (and returned) one of their monitors, it was absolutely horrific with ghosting. This was perhaps 5 years ago.

        There was no manual, and it had a closed source application to time or force refresh. Of course, being closed source it wouldn't work on a Pi (arm64), nor did I feel comfortable about unknown code, or it working in a few years on a newer version of Linux.

        It was all exceptionally poorly done. Amazon says it was a Dasung E-Ink Paperlike 3 HD Front-Light and Touch 13.3" Monitor.

        If the app had been OSS, or it had an open API via the cable, I could have scripted an auto-refresh upon scrolling in vi or some such. Or just hacked into something seeing change scope under X. Point is, I could have made it work for me.

        The default modes were terrible.

        I hope things are better, but no way will I install some weird closed source client.

        I have a fairly new tablet, and it handles refresh incredibly well, but I'm sure that's with strong integration into the display stack. Which is fine, of course, but that doesn't help me with coding.

        EDIT: one of the things which makes some of these e-ink tablets incredible for refresh, is partial, very well done sectional refresh. So if a small part of the screen changes, BAM!, it's refreshed instantly for ghosting.

        Again, I suspect this is tied into the display stack. The monitors I've seen don't seem anywhere as good. I'd love to to be wrong on newer models.

      • pumphaus 5 hours ago ago

        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.

        • overfeed 33 minutes ago ago

          > 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

      • captn3m0 10 hours ago ago

        Page does mention Linux but there’s a separate Mac variant (which also needs an app) and a warning never to plug a Mac on the standard variant. What about people who use both?

      • tuananh 6 hours ago ago

        the 60hz version says it doesn't

        > Only Support Mac, Windows > Linux is not supported

    • cmrdporcupine 12 hours ago ago

      I want one of those but I keep waiting for the price to drop significantly. Seems like it'll take forever.

    • logicallee 9 hours ago ago

      the version you linked is a monochrome one, right? Don't you find it difficult to read and work on it without color?

      • pumphaus 5 hours ago ago

        I have both, a Boox Mira pro (monochrome only) as well as a Dasung Color EInk Monitor.

        You actually get used to the monochrome thing. I've adjusted my syntax highlighting to use more italic, underline, bold etc so you get by without the semantic coloring.

        The color eink is way better though. Only downside is that it has less contrast than the purely monochrome one. Color makes up for it nicely, though. Plus the refresh rate on the Dasung is way higher, so you can actually use a mouse without going insane trying to predict cursor movement.

        Where the monochrome monitor was more of a secondary display primarily used for coding, I'm now using the Color EInk one as my main display.

  • bmsleight_ 8 hours ago ago

    I hacked together a HDMI e-ink monitor https://barwap.com/projects/okmonitor/

    I wanted an e-ink screen I could just plug-in. Versatile, big and cheap. Connection is via a VGA or HDMI. Works like an appliance. All automated. Wireless.

    Specifications: 1024x768, 6fps, lag: ~1.2s, Connection: VGA or HDMI Specifications Single Screen: 1024x768, 5fps, lag: ~1.2s, Connection: VGA or HDMI

  • jwrallie 15 hours ago ago

    I’d really like a Linux laptop with an e-ink screen. I’m well aware of the downsides.

    It seems Android tablet with a keyboard or Windows laptop with double screen exist but to live with the limitations of such a screen, nothing would top having full control of the OS interface.

    • norman784 5 hours ago ago

      This sounds like a good opportunity for a 3rd party e-ink screen for the framework laptops.

    • larodi 13 hours ago ago

      incredible, isn't it, that no single usable e-paper device is being sold. like no Mac with e-ink, no Surface with e-ink, no ASUS with e-ink, even though this is the best thing an operator can do to his tired eyes.

      • baobun 8 hours ago ago

        I think PineNote qualifies by now?

        https://pine64.org/devices/pinenote/

        Also https://usetrmnl.com/

      • shakna 6 hours ago ago

        Whilst they're certainly not Apple, you can walk into most retailers, and out with one of Boox's offerings.

        (Just be aware they're open GPL violators.)

      • ablob 12 hours ago ago

        I'd wager that the whole modus operandi for desktop environments is not made with e-ink in mind. E-ink fits in a situation where only a few updates are ever required, and completely breaks down for anything requiring higher framerates.

        The market might just not be big enough to warrant creating a product.

        • axiolite 7 hours ago ago

          > the whole modus operandi for desktop environments is not made with e-ink in mind

          It used-to be in the DOS and terminal days, and it wouldn't take much to get us back there. Shut off all the eye-candy transition effects. Make your web browser, PDF viewer, etc., always scroll a full page at a time, instead of scrolling 1mm when you click on the button or use the mouse wheel. Just those few changes and you'll have something that'll work pretty well.

          • nottorp 5 hours ago ago

            The problem is, you can't doom scroll 1 minute videos on e-ink.

            It's a feature of course, but most people don't realize it.

        • folmar 4 hours ago ago

          It's not usual for PC, but if you select "remove animation" on Android you're good on 2 fps. Many applications do like crap as the first placeholders are given little attention, but there are only big refreshes, and only handful of apps written so bad that they ignore the setting and make animated placeholder.

          The only thing is that you need to stick to Page Up/Page Down for scrolling.

        • shaky-carrousel 9 hours ago ago

          But it was. 90s laptops had a refresh rate comparable to e-ink. That's why the windows mouse cursor can be configured to leave a trace.

        • jwrallie 8 hours ago ago

          It could be sold without any dedicated software, and let the community come up with the interface. Just an LVDS display that fits a widely available Thinkpad would do it.

        • fragmede 12 hours ago ago

          https://shop.dasung.com/products/dasung-paperlike-103-the-wo...

          This is that product. A 60 Hz eink monitor, for $340.

          • nihiven 12 hours ago ago

            I have one of these. It's only 'ok'. There is significant ghosting and it's not very good when the scene is dark, but it's much better than my BOOX tablet. I just got it so I'm still experimenting with different uses.

            Here's a clip of it playing video: https://youtu.be/povlk3hKTVA

            • danparsonson 10 hours ago ago

              I had no idea such a thing existed, thanks - did you need to install anything to get it working or does it just plug and go like a normal monitor?

              • nihiven 4 hours ago ago

                It functions like a normal monitor. It connected to my Macbook air (M2) and Windows machine without installing anything. It has a USB-C video port, but an HDMI->USB-C converter works too. It has an 1872x1404 (4:3) resolution, which is why I used Miami Vice for the video. It would not connect to my PS5, which I think comes down to the PS5 only supporting 16:9/21:9.

            • j_bum 11 hours ago ago

              Wow that’s far more impressive than I expected. I want a laptop with this for programming…

            • OtomotO 9 hours ago ago

              On the product page "Linux is not supported"... What a bummer!

          • dotancohen 9 hours ago ago

            It's specifically says no Linux support. It seems to me that excludes a large portion of tinkerers and those willing to accept the downsides of bleeding edge technologies, which is probably also their target market. Such as me.

        • anthk 7 hours ago ago

          CWM or any light WM could perfectly fit. Once you either use terminal tools or ancient Motif applications (or QT with no animations at all), everything looks usable. Forget Gnome 4 or Plasma with all the bells and wistles on.

      • Zambyte 4 hours ago ago

        I'm replying to this comment on a Daylight Computer.

  • somat 11 hours ago ago

    I don't really want an e-ink "monitor" as that does not really play into the advantages of an e-ink display. By the time the e-ink display is uprated enough to act as a monitor It feels like a lot of the advantages of e-ink are lost and the display server does not really downrate enough to utilize e-ink's strength.

    But an e-ink "terminal" would be nice, not an actual tty but something more like a tablet form factor that has a few buttons, little to no internal smarts and you can push images to it.

    • ibrahima 9 hours ago ago

      Funnily you're describing https://usetrmnl.com/ which also happens to be pretty hacker friendly.

      • wiether 7 hours ago ago

        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!

    • bgnn 9 hours ago ago
      • ahoef 9 hours ago ago

        No HDMI is really sad. This means there are probably closed source drivers. Linux is not mentioned as supported, so I suspect crapware.

    • the_gipsy 5 hours ago ago

      > not an actual tty

      Hold up, this could be good

    • baobun 8 hours ago ago

      PineNote?

  • butz 9 hours ago ago

    I love when a blog post starts with demonstration of end result.

  • engr 4 hours ago ago

    What I really want is an A3 e-ink display that is designed to have a pdf loaded onto it, then can be disconnected and taken around a machine shop. No WiFi or Bluetooth etc

    • malfist 4 hours ago ago

      You'll pay out the nose on that. From what I understand, the larger the e-ink screen is the harder it is to manufacture. Which is why small tablet ones reign supreme, and larger monitor sized ones are shockingly expensive, somebody else here has already linked to a 25 inch display for $1800

  • shekharupadhaya 8 hours ago ago

    Benefits aside, but the latency / refresh rate makes it not usable for practical purpose, ergonomics nightmare.

  • sgt 9 hours ago ago

    What's the cheapest eInk display one can get, like phone sized or tablet sized? I mean just for experimentation.

    • IshKebab 9 hours ago ago

      I'd look for an Inkplate on ebay. I got the 10 inch one for about £60 which is very good.

  • pluc 4 hours ago ago

    Using white text on a pink background? No wonder you need an e-ink tablet

  • bee_rider 15 hours ago ago

    So it is vim on the eink screen, mostly?

    When writing a lot of LaTeX I wished I had an eink monitor. LaTeX already takes a moment to compile. I’d probably want vim on a conventional monitor.

    • yolkedgeek 9 hours ago ago

      It's text on the E-ink screen mostly, be it in the browser, a plain text file, Logseq, Obsidian etc. But sometimes simple writing can be done too. I wouldn't suggest writing code because of the high latency.

      Most of my work is reading rather than writing so when I want to read something I use the E-ink screen.

  • ahamilton454 13 hours ago ago

    Reading this on my eink Bigme Hibreak pro :).

  • kalek 8 hours ago ago

    Since Boox runs android, you can also run a shell on it using termius and simply ssh to a host device instead of setting up vnc, if you have a terminal based workflow.

    • bbarnett 4 hours ago ago

      Boox devices are riddled with phone home to all sorts of domains, including to .cn domains, just run tcpdump on your firewall and watch. You should do absolutely nothing security conscious with them. For example, like putting keys on them, or sshing into a box with them.

      At least with vnc, you could create a private network between the boox and your linux box, and it'd be sharing the screen. Still an issue, but passwords and hidden fields would be typed on the keyboard on the Linux box, not the boox.

      I rooted mine, and installed afwall, and still won't ever used it for anything security conscious.

  • knubie 12 hours ago ago

    I've tried this setup (and a different setup using a capture card) with a BOOX Note Max but the input latency is just too high to be usable, even for simple cli work.

    Are the dedicated eink monitors (like Dasung) better in this regard?

    • yolkedgeek 9 hours ago ago

      I've been using this solution for about 4 days now. It's not meant to be used as your main monitor. I use it only when I want to read something I or someone else has written. I think it's also good for simple writing too. But if I try to use it as my main monitor, browsing the web, writing code, etc. it will become a real headache because of the latency.

      One huge plus is that it isn't *just a monitor*. because of the VNC connection, I just pick up my tablet and roam around the office while reading something, even making tiny edits, It can be also used as a great drawpad. I use it to explain things to my coworkers, since drawing freehand diagrams, shapes and text isn't very easy with a mouse.

      • timeforcomputer 5 hours ago ago

        How is the latency for drawing? I am going to start doing this, but it makes me think, it would be nice to have a way to disable full refresh while drawing, and doing tablet-side drawing over the current VNC frame while the stream is paused, and asynchronously forwarding the input which will hopefully recreate the same drawing path on the server.

        • yolkedgeek 3 hours ago ago

          I don't know how to do what you are describing, but right now, the drawing is OK. it's not instantaneous but good enough for me, not creating artworks. just doodles and scribbles. I just don't look at the tablet screen for drawing. I only use it as an input because the refresh rate is low for this. but the VNC latency itself is not annoying (I would guesstimate ~0.2s), although I think there are ways to make VNC latency less.

        • knubie 3 hours ago ago

          The latency for drawing on the Boox Note Max is excellent. Best on the market or close to it.

    • carlosjobim 5 hours ago ago

      Yes they are significantly better. But no battery so no portability.

  • hexo 8 hours ago ago

    This is basically impossible due to **** animations everywhere.

  • quijoteuniv 9 hours ago ago

    I wonder if xpra can be used for this, seems to work really nice on thin clients

  • RossBencina 15 hours ago ago

    The main thing I'd miss with this, versus using an actual e-ink monitor, is the ability to refresh/clear ghosting from a keyboard hotkey.

  • cramcgrab 2 hours ago ago

    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.

  • hartator 13 hours ago ago

    There are directly ekink monitors now.

    Dasung 13k color is workable-ish even on MacOS with no tweaks.

    • yolkedgeek 3 hours ago ago

      Well this is no replacement for them! The monitors you mention are from 700$ (Dasung 13k is 750USD currently) up to 2000USD. This is an old tablet you maybe have lying around or can get for 200USD maybe?

      And this is more than a monitor. the VNC provides you with an interface. you can use your tablet as the input device. and it's also portable.

  • simlevesque 14 hours ago ago

    I see btop in the video, I'd like to see a video of btop on that screen.

  • moneywoes 15 hours ago ago

    Any suggested eink tablet with higher refresh that this would work better for?

    • Zambyte 4 hours ago ago

      I'm writing this on a Daylight Computer. It's been my primary mobile device (instead of a smartphone) for all of 2025. I cannot recommend it enough.

    • RossBencina 14 hours ago ago

      Many if not all of the current generation Boox devices. Choose comparison category "Refresh Time" here:

      https://www.mydeepguide.com/daf-tool

      Be aware that Boox runs Android apps. Many other brands do not.

      • cons0le 13 hours ago ago

        I use the Boox 10.3 for reading emails, text-based sites like this, and manga. Its bliss and has replaced 80% of my ipad. The experience of using it outside completely trounces normal screens.

        As soon as they make larger, better 60hz panels I will 100% switch all my monitors over. I think making videos look worse is a positive. We don't need doomscrolling. We don't need 60fps react buttons with smooth gradients. We don't need to HDR the entire web. I primarily use text based sites anyways, so eink is perfect for me.

  • exasperaited 15 hours ago ago

    How long will the display last like this?

    • edent 13 hours ago ago

      I've been using an eInk screen for over 12 years - it is refreshed multiple times per day.

      It is as crisp and clear as the day I got it.

      Admittedly, I'm not trying to run video on it constantly and it doesn't get hot. But eInk seems remarkably durable.

      • exasperaited 3 hours ago ago

        That's probably, what, 200,000 refreshes?

        From what I gather, at book-reading speeds, newer e-ink displays may never wear out in a human lifetime.

        But at usable computer display speeds I rather suspect many of these panels have a lifetime one might measure in months.

    • ashirviskas 14 hours ago ago

      from 6.7 to 42 would be my guess.

      But being serious, I personally have not seen a degraded e-ink display.

      • Groxx 14 hours ago ago

        I've seen a couple minor, older-hardware cases when they've been powered off with something on the screen for years, but that's about it. in theory they can also "burn in" by not clearing the display occasionally (afaict it has something to do with accumulating charge) but most or all of those should clear eventually after cycling a bunch (afaict, though it can definitely persist to a minor degree for dozens of full refresh cycles). extreme ghosting, basically.

        they seem pretty durable to me.

      • sgt 9 hours ago ago

        Even in a lot of direct sunlight or leaving it out in the heat?