Inkplate 10 display freezes after random time intervals

Soldered_Bot · June 25, 2025, 2:51pm

Customer:

I have struggled with this problem for several years and it still persists. I have now migrated to micropython and reimplemented my solution, but it has the same issue.

The CPU continues to work fine when the display stops updating. The problem is not resolved by rebooting the device - it is only solved by disconnecting and reconnecting the power, which means I cannot fix it in software.

The display appears to freeze part way through a refresh because often the frozen display has lower contrast than expected. It will freeze up after a random amount of time, sometimes hours, sometimes days or weeks.

Is there any kind of advanced reset commands I can send to the display controller which might resolve this? Something that could mimic the power-on sequence?

Originally submitted via the contact form on soldered.com on 25 June 2025. Migrated to the forum for community visibility.

Soldered_Bot · June 27, 2025, 3:53pm

Soldered Support:

This is a known issue with Inkplate 10 devices. Sometimes they get stuck after days, sometimes after weeks. The issue has been attributed to the TPS65186RGZ e-Paper power supply.

Recently, in a driver update, a user who had issues with this reported a fix:

github.com/SolderedElectronics/Inkplate-Arduino-library

src/Inkplate.cpp

ba4a93ace


      
              }
          #else
              // Enable all rails
              Wire.beginTransmission(0x48);
              Wire.write(0x01);
              Wire.write(B00100000);
              Wire.endTransmission();
          #endif
          
              // Modify power up sequence.
              Wire.beginTransmission(0x48);
              Wire.write(0x09);
              Wire.write(B11100100);
              Wire.endTransmission();
          
              // Modify power down sequence  (VEE and VNEG are swapped)
              Wire.beginTransmission(0x48);
              Wire.write(0x0b);
              Wire.write(B00011011);
              Wire.endTransmission();

This has been added in the latest version of the library. Try updating to the latest version - this may resolve your problem. If it does not work, the issue is likely a faulty TPS65186 chip which is failing at random times.

You can also try to modify the code yourself - see the datasheet for TPS65186RGZ: https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tps65186.pdf?ts= &ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.alldatasheet.net%252F

If the update does not fix the device, the hardware may need to be repaired or replaced.