Introduction¶

CircuitPython displayio driver for EK79686-based ePaper displays

Dependencies¶

This driver depends on:

Adafruit CircuitPython

Please ensure all dependencies are available on the CircuitPython filesystem. This is easily achieved by downloading the Adafruit library and driver bundle or individual libraries can be installed using circup.

Installing from PyPI¶

On supported GNU/Linux systems like the Raspberry Pi, you can install the driver locally from PyPI. To install for current user:

pip3 install adafruit-circuitpython-ek79686

To install system-wide (this may be required in some cases):

sudo pip3 install adafruit-circuitpython-ek79686

To install in a virtual environment in your current project:

mkdir project-name && cd project-name
python3 -m venv .venv
source .env/bin/activate
pip3 install adafruit-circuitpython-ek79686

Installing to a Connected CircuitPython Device with Circup¶

Make sure that you have circup installed in your Python environment. Install it with the following command if necessary:

pip3 install circup

With circup installed and your CircuitPython device connected use the following command to install:

circup install adafruit_ek79686

Or the following command to update an existing version:

circup update

Usage Example¶

import time
import board
import displayio
import adafruit_ek79686

# Used to ensure the display is free in CircuitPython
displayio.release_displays()

# Define the pins needed for display use on the Metro
spi = board.SPI()
epd_cs = board.D10
epd_dc = board.D9
epd_reset = board.D5
epd_busy = board.D6

# Create the displayio connection to the display pins
display_bus = displayio.FourWire(
    spi, command=epd_dc, chip_select=epd_cs, reset=epd_reset, baudrate=1000000
)
time.sleep(1)  # Wait a bit

# Create the display object - the third color is red (0xff0000)
display = adafruit_ek79686.EK79686(
    display_bus,
    width=264,
    height=176,
    busy_pin=epd_busy,
    highlight_color=0xFF0000,
    rotation=90,
)

# Create a display group for our screen objects
g = displayio.Group()


# Display a ruler graphic from the root directory of the CIRCUITPY drive
with open("/display-ruler.bmp", "rb") as f:
    pic = displayio.OnDiskBitmap(f)
    # Create a Tilegrid with the bitmap and put in the displayio group
    # CircuitPython 6 & 7 compatible
    t = displayio.TileGrid(
        pic, pixel_shader=getattr(pic, "pixel_shader", displayio.ColorConverter())
    )
    # CircuitPython 7 compatible only
    # t = displayio.TileGrid(pic, pixel_shader=pic.pixel_shader)
    g.append(t)

    # Place the display group on the screen (does not refresh)
    display.show(g)

    # Show the image on the display
    display.refresh()

    print("refreshed")

    # Do Not refresh the screen more often than every 180 seconds
    #   for eInk displays! Rapid refreshes will damage the panel.
    time.sleep(180)

Documentation¶

API documentation for this library can be found on Read the Docs.

For information on building library documentation, please check out this guide.

Contributing¶

Contributions are welcome! Please read our Code of Conduct before contributing to help this project stay welcoming.

Table of Contents¶

Examples

Simple test

API Reference

Tutorials

Adafruit 2.7" eInk Display Breakouts and Shields