How it works?

E Ink displays use tiny capsules filled with white particles (with a positive charge) and black particles (with a negative charge), all floating in liquid. When electric charges are applied, the particles move to the top of the capsules, forming text or images. These displays rely on surrounding light to show content, so they don't need a backlight. This makes them use very little power. They only need energy when the screen needs to change what's displayed.

Refresh mode

One of the main drawbacks of this display module is its refresh speed, which is relatively slow. When updating the display, it flickers between black and white multiple times before settling on the final image (the number of flickers depends on the refresh time). When I first used the module, I was confused and thought I was doing something wrong. However, after further research and watching videos, I realized this was normal behavior.

Some variants support a Partial Refresh Mode, including the 1.54-inch module we are using. With partial refresh, the e-paper screen updates without the noticeable flickering seen during a full refresh.

That said, it is highly recommended to perform a full refresh after several partial refreshes. Failing to do so can cause ghosting effects and may eventually damage the screen.

Precautions

Unlike other display modules, the e-ink display module was a bit finicky. I struggled a lot with this module while trying to figure it out. You need to be careful when working with it as well.

I recommend you to read the precautions from the official website before uing the module.