Adam Wilk, creator of the distraction-free Zerowriter ePaper typewriter, has teamed up with Soldered Electronics to construct a commercialized — however nonetheless open-source — model dubbed the Zerowriter Ink.
“Zerowriter Ink is an ePaper phrase processor with a low-profile mechanical keyboard, sensible readability, and marathon-ready battery life,” Wilk explains of the brand new design. “That is an thrilling new collaboration between Zerowriter and Soldered Electronics, makers of the Inkplate collection of ePaper shows. We purpose to construct an lively, strong neighborhood round this product, and we hope you’ll be part of it!”
The Zerowriter has a modern new makeover, with the shiny new Zerowriter Ink heading to Crowd Provide quickly. (📷: Adam Wilk)
The unique Zerowriter was unveiled late final 12 months, constructed by Wilk utilizing a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W single-board laptop and a Waveshare 4.2″ ePaper show with a compact mechanical keyboard. The housing was 3D-printed clamshell affair, impressed by Penk Chen’s Penkēsu, or ペンケース, whereas the software program was a customized Python phrase processor designed to ship distraction-free typing.
The brand new Zerowriter Ink design opts for a flat, strong format just like that of the Alphasmart household of equally distraction-free typing instruments — or, for those who return far sufficient, the traditional Tandy TRS-80 Mannequin 100 transportable microcomputer. The show is an Inkplate 5, nonetheless utilizing electrophoretic ePaper expertise however with a boosted 1280×720 decision, whereas the 60% format mechanical keyboard beneath makes use of low-profile switches and keycaps.
The brand new design boasts a bigger, higher-resolution show and strikes away from the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W of the unique Zerowriter (pictured). (📷: Adam Wilk)
The Raspberry Pi has additionally been changed within the new design. “Zerowriter runs on [an Espressif] ESP32 [microcontroller], and is written fully in Arduino,” Wilk explains. “It is one of many best languages to study and work with for {hardware} initiatives. Our aim is to maintain issues extraordinarily approachable. By the point Zerowriter Ink ships to backers, we’ll publish the code base on GitHub and launch our {hardware} design recordsdata.”
These concerned about selecting up a Zerowriter Ink at launch can enroll on Crowd Provide to be notified when the undertaking’s crowdfunding marketing campaign goes reside.