Inky Impression 5.7" (7 colour ePaper/eInk HAT)

by Pimoroni

Bold, will hold! A big, beautiful, 5.7" (600 x 448 pixel) 7 colour electronic paper display for Raspberry Pi.

This display is considerably bigger than Inky wHAT (check out the comparison photo!) with plenty of screen real estate for text or graphics. The low power consumption e-paper display is crisp and readable in bright sunlight and the image will persist when unpowered. In a first for the Inky series, we've also added four tactile buttons so you can control what's on the screen without the need for extra hardware. The buttons are side-press, so they're accessible even if the display is mounted on a wall.

But the best bit is that this time you get seven whole colours to play with, which means this Inky is very suitable for displaying graphics, drawings or art - we've found pixel art, panels from comics and retro video game art look particularly good.

We can think of tons of uses for this lovely display - its size makes it ideal for displaying detailed graphs and charts from weather stations and sensors. You could build your own e-ink reader, or set it up as a digital dashboard for your kitchen with calendar info and reminders. It would also make a nice rotating display for showing off children's art (or your own art!).

Please note that Inky Impression takes around 30 seconds to refresh the screen, so is best suited to projects that don't rely on constant screen updates.

Features

  • 5.7" EPD display (600 x 448 pixels)
    • E Ink Gallery Palette™ 4000 ePaper
    • ACeP (Advanced Color ePaper) 7-color with black, white, red, green, blue, yellow, orange.
    • Ultra wide viewing angle – >170°
    • Dot pitch – 0.1915 x 0.1915mm
  • 40-pin extension header included to boost height for full-size Pis
  • Standoffs included to securely attach to your Pi
  • Additional pins, including I2C and SPI, broken out
  • Compatible with all 40-pin header Raspberry Pi computers*
  • Python library
  • Comes fully assembled

Multi-colour EPD displays, like the one on Inky Impression, use ingenious electrophoresis to pull coloured particles up and down on the display. The coloured particles reflect light, unlike most display types, meaning that they're visible under bright lights. It takes approximately 30 seconds to refresh the display.

Everything comes fully-assembled, and there's no soldering required (as long as your Raspberry Pi has a 40 pin header attached). The display is securely stuck down to the Inky Impression PCB and connected via a ribbon cable. Just pop Inky Impression on your Pi and run our installer to get everything set up!

We've also broken out some handy pins including I2C and SPI, on the back of Inky Impression, letting you connect additional devices like our breakouts and allowing you to show their data right on the display.

Inky Impression will work with any version of the Pi that has a 40 pin header, including Zero variants. If you want to use it with a Raspberry Pi 400, you'll probably also want to pick up a GPIO extender cable (unless you're into using screens at a highly unusual angle).

Software

Our Python library takes the stress out of displaying text and images on Inky Impression, and we've put together a few new examples to show off Inky Impression's capabilities. 

Notes

  • The Inky Impression display is made from glass so it's pretty fragile. Be careful not to drop it or press too hard on it, or it will crack. When fitting it to your Pi, grip at the edges of the board rather than pressing on top of the screen.
  • Take care when using your own fixings! It is possible to damage the display if you use standoffs/bolts with longer screw threads than those supplied in the kit.
  • We got best results from this display when refreshing it at an ambient room temperature, if the screen is cold you might find that the colours are less vibrant. Solidarity to our chilly production team who discovered this!
  • Overall dimensions: 125.4 x 99.5 x 9mm (W x H x D, depth includes header and display)
  • Display usable area dimensions: 114.9 x 85.8mm (W x H)
  • Licensed Image: Bobbi Freelance / Pixels.com

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