Customer:
I bought an Inkplate 10 in late 2021 and had significant problems getting it to work with Arduino IDE. I encountered many compilation errors and tried rolling back library versions, but kept getting the same errors and could never compile code for the Inkplate.
I was able to load working code to the ESP32 Wrover, which hosted a working website, proving the board itself functions. However, the E-Ink display never updated to show any image.
Could the display be defective? Do you have pre-compiled firmware available?
Originally submitted via email support on 30 October 2024. Migrated to the forum for community visibility.
Soldered Support:
First, ensure you have the latest version of the library and board definitions installed in Arduino. There’s no reason to roll back versions—this is only recommended in very specific cases.
To determine if the e-Paper panel is working properly, try both board definitions that come in the board definition package. Since your Inkplate 10 is from late 2021, test both the “e-radionica Inkplate 10” and “Soldered Inkplate 10” board definitions, as they differ in how they drive the e-Paper and one should work for your model. Load the basic black and white example with each board definition and report which works.
Customer:
I updated to Arduino IDE 2.3.3 and updated the board and libraries. I’m using Windows 10 Pro. My Inkplate 10 has a blue PCB marked “e-radionica”. I loaded the basic black and white example and it’s now working!
Customer:
I attempted the openweatherOneCall sketch but encountered an issue: the API key is version 2.5 and returns an error stating it’s too old (needs to be from before approximately early 2023).
The basic black and white example loaded and ran correctly.
I then tried loading the e-reader, which I installed via Windows PowerShell. After editing my parameters and running ./upload.bat, it connected and started uploading. The upload shows:
Leaving...
Hard resetting via RTS pins...
but I never see the Inkplate 10 reset when the loading completes. Am I using the wrong file? I downloaded release-2.0.1-inplate_extended_Case_6.zip. It would be helpful if there were an Arduino sketch available.
Soldered Support:
The EPub-InkPlate project (GitHub - turgu1/EPub-InkPlate: An EPub Reader for the ESP32 based InkPlate e-Ink devices. · GitHub) is external to us, so we can’t offer full technical support for it.
“Hard resetting via RTS pins” is the correct final step in ESP32 code upload, so your code uploaded successfully.
The e-reader version must be specifically for Inkplate 10, since the ePaper is driven differently than the 6, 5, and other versions. If you upload code for Inkplate 6 to an Inkplate 10, nothing will display. Ensure you select the Inkplate 10 version during installation.
Customer:
The linked project shows instructions for both Inkplate 6 and 10, but doesn’t clearly specify which e-Ink screen the installation is for. The loading appears to proceed as described, with the “Leaving… Hard resetting via RTS pins…” message, but I never see the Inkplate 10 reset when loading completes as the instructions indicate.
Soldered Support:
If the Inkplate isn’t resetting after upload, it’s likely due to one of these reasons:
- Uploading code for the wrong model (6 instead of 10)
- Uploading with the wrong board definition (e-Radionica vs Soldered Inkplate, as discussed)
I’d recommend reaching out to the original developers of that code for further assistance.