Customer:
What is the difference between Inkplate 4 TEMPERA with a glass panel and without it? Does the glass panel version allow using the touchscreen function or does it block the screen?
Originally submitted via email support on 29 September 2023. Migrated to the forum for community visibility.
Soldered Support:
The difference is purely aesthetic. Both e-paper panels underneath are completely the same, as well as the lighting and the touchscreen. Only the version with glass panel has factory-applied glass panel on the top, while the other has a 3D printed top. Glass looks better, of course.
Soldered Support:
The MicroPython library was originally a contribution by a user and we have adapted it and built on top of it due to the popularity of the language. The Arduino library is more comprehensive and comes with more comprehensive examples, but the MicroPython library has most of the core features you would need, albeit less optimized.
We’re currently working on an update to the MicroPython library which makes the examples more comprehensive and detailed. It’s not officially out but you can check it out on the /dev branch of the repository: GitHub - SolderedElectronics/Inkplate-micropython at dev · GitHub
I am not sure if CircuitPython can integrate seamlessly with MicroPython, but there isn’t a CircuitPython Inkplate driver if that’s what you’re referring to. If you can run the Inkplate driver on MicroPython and somehow also run CircuitPython alongside it on the same ESP32 - Inkplate is based on ESP32 which does support CircuitPython, so it could be possible.
One thing you could check out is Inkplate’s peripheral mode - it’s an Arduino sketch which comes pre-programmed on Inkplate. When you communicate over Serial with that sketch you can send commands to Inkplate and draw shapes, text, etc. and basically control the device. This makes Inkplate an end device which you can control using a different device on which you may want to run MicroPython or CircuitPython.