Customer:
I received my Inkplate 2 and followed the Arduino IDE setup guide. I loaded the Red/White/Black sketch and tried to upload it. The upload progresses to this message:
Leaving…
Hard resetting via RTS pin…
Then nothing else happens, no matter how long I wait. I tried pressing the reset button on the device but that didn’t help. Someone on Kickstarter suggested disconnecting and reconnecting the e-ink screen, but that didn’t change anything. All I see is the ladybug splash screen. What should I do next?
Originally submitted via email support on 9 June 2023. Migrated to the forum for community visibility.
Soldered Support:
The hard reset message means the upload to Inkplate was successful. The flat cable connection is usually what causes this issue. Could you take close-up photos of the panel from the front, the sides and the connector? That will help us diagnose what’s happening.
Customer:
Here are some photos of the board.
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Soldered Support:
The photos show that the flat cable isn’t pushed in all the way. Release the flat cable, then re-insert it deeper (until you barely see any of the black part of the flat cable connector, as it should be all the way in) and secure it back with the latches. The black_white_red example should work then.
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Customer:
The device is now working, though I had to push the flat cable much harder than expected to get it past what felt like a stopping point. The device works fine when connected to USB, but as soon as I remove the cable the picture freezes, even though the battery should be charged from several hours of USB connection. The battery seems to add only extra weight.
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Soldered Support:
Upload the Inkplate 2 > Simple Deep Sleep sketch, but remove the line esp_sleep_enable_timer_wakeup(TIME_TO_SLEEP * uS_TO_S_FACTOR); (line 54 in the standard IDE). Let the Inkplate sleep while charging via USB. While in sleep mode it won’t draw current, only charge the battery. After an hour of charging, upload the Black_White_Red sketch and unplug the USB. Inkplate should switch to battery automatically.
Customer:
That worked perfectly. I’ve now tried the YouTube subscriber tracker example but can’t get it to work. I see the splash screen but nothing else. I’ve entered my SSID, passcode, YouTube channel ID and API key. I’m not sure if there’s anything else needed in the code, or if I made a mistake activating the API, or even if the device is connected to the internet. How can I tell where the problem is?
Soldered Support:
Debug messages are printed over Serial. Plug in your Inkplate via USB, open Arduino IDE, select the correct serial port, and open the Serial Monitor at 115200 baud. This will show messages about the sketch’s progress.
To check if the device connects to the internet, try the Web-WiFi > Show Pictures From Web example. It also needs your SSID and password. If Inkplate 2 can show pictures from the web, then it can connect to the internet, and the issue with the YouTube Subscriber Tracker example is likely in the Channel ID or API key.