Inkplate 10 broken display corner and upload issues with COM port reconnecting

TECHNICAL SUPPORT Inkplate
1

Customer:

I received an Inkplate 10 with a small piece missing from the bottom left corner of the display where there is normally a white silicone surface. The pixels themselves appear unaffected.

My main issue is that I cannot reliably flash programs to the device. I have installed the Arduino IDE with everything necessary and attempted to flash a sample program (Inkplate10_Black_And_White). Sometimes the upload completes without problems but the display does not change. Most of the time after uploading, the board behaves erratically: the COM port connects and disconnects approximately once per second (I can hear this in Windows audio notifications), and a red LED on the board lights up briefly once per second. To flash another project, I had to repeatedly press and release the reset button while the IDE searched for the COM device.

Is this a hardware defect, or has there been a hardware change that the sample projects have not been updated to account for?

Originally submitted via email support on 1 May 2024. Migrated to the forum for community visibility.

2

Soldered Support:

Regarding the broken corner: Inkplate 10 panels are sourced from recycled panels, so corner damage can occur. The panels and Inkplate devices are tested before shipping to ensure they work. If all pixels display with satisfying contrast, the functionality is considered acceptable.

Regarding the upload issue: which board definition are you using? There are Soldered Inkplate board definitions and e-Radionica Inkplate board definitions. These handle hardware changes. Try one and then the other depending on which model you have. If your Inkplate 10 is newer (Purple PCB), it’s most likely ‘Soldered Inkplate 10’.

The repeated reconnecting and disconnecting of the USB device could be due to a USB cable fault or poor connection. Try different USB-C cables if you have them available.

Try these things and report back.