Customer:
I’m a complete beginner with a few questions about Inkplate 6COLOR. I can’t find documentation specifically for this board on GitHub. Compiling the code takes extremely long. Since I want to test program parts individually, I’d like to address the ESP32 and components with corresponding libraries directly. I need information about the internal wiring, pins used, and driver chips used (excluding e-paper). Can you provide this information or direct me to where I can find it?
Originally submitted via email support on 17 February 2023. Migrated to the forum for community visibility.
Soldered Support:
Documentation is being prepared for GitHub. The schematics are available, and more about Inkplate documentation can be found at the Inkplate docs site.
Customer:
The schematics PDF didn’t arrive. I need a drawing with board dimensions, especially exact distances between the connector strips and holes so I can plug the board onto another board with other components. I also need to know how the three touchpads are routed on the circuit board.
Attachment omitted in migration: inkplate-6color-back-annotate_jpg_md-xl.jpg
Attachment omitted in migration: verb.JPG
Soldered Support:
The touchpads are connected to the PCB and can be found in the schematics. Dimension information is available.
Attachment omitted in migration: Inkplate6_color_V2.2.0.pdf
Attachment omitted in migration: image.png
Customer:
Is the spacing 1 mm between the connector strips? How are the touchpads electrically connected to the board - which pins or contact points? I also have a problem: the Arduino IDE cannot upload to the board. The port is recognized but I get this error:
Globale Variablen verwenden 56596 Bytes (17%) des dynamischen Speichers, 271084 Bytes für lokale Variablen bleiben. Das Maximum sind 327680 Bytes.
esptool.py v4.2.1
Serial port COM4
Connecting…
A fatal error occurred: Failed to connect to ESP32: No serial data received.
For troubleshooting steps visit: Troubleshooting - ESP32 - — esptool latest documentation
Der ausgewählte serielle Port ist nicht vorhanden oder das Board ist nicht angeschlossen
Removing the Inkplate and reinserting it worked once, but now the error appears continuously. Are you aware of this problem?
Attachment omitted in migration: ~WRD0000.jpg
Attachment omitted in migration: image002.jpg
Attachment omitted in migration: inkplate.JPG
Soldered Support:
The spacing is 1 mm. The touchpads are connected to capacitive touch buttons which can detect and measure anything conductive - that’s why there’s copper around the printed buttons. Try another USB cable or a different port for power. Your USB hub or port may not provide enough power for Inkplate. When you connect Inkplate, is the PWR LED on? Which Arduino IDE version and board definition version are you using?
Attachment omitted in migration: image.png
Customer:
The error message was in the text. Here’s the relevant part:
c:/users/[redacted]/appdata/local/arduino15/packages/inkplate_boards/tools/xtensa-esp32-elf-gcc/gcc8_4_0-esp-2021r2-patch3/bin/../lib/gcc/xtensa-esp32-elf/8.4.0/../../../../xtensa-esp32-elf/bin/ld.exe: C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_574045\libraries\Adafruit_GFX_Library\Adafruit_GFX.cpp.o: in function `Adafruit_GFX::writeLine(short, short, short, short, unsigned short)':
C:\Users\[user]\Documents\Arduino\libraries\Adafruit_GFX_Library/Adafruit_GFX.cpp:133: multiple definition of `Adafruit_GFX::writeLine(short, short, short, short, unsigned short)';
C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_574045\libraries\Inkplate-Arduino-library-master\libs\Adafruit-GFX-Library\Adafruit_GFX.cpp.o:C:\Users\[user]\Documents\Arduino\libraries\Inkplate-Arduino-library-master\src\libs\Adafruit-GFX-Library/Adafruit_GFX.cpp:133: first defined here
c:/users/[redacted]/appdata/local/arduino15/packages/inkplate_boards/tools/xtensa-esp32-elf-gcc/gcc8_4_0-esp-2021r2-patch3/bin/../lib/gcc/xtensa-esp32-elf/8.4.0/../../../../xtensa-esp32-elf/bin/ld.exe: C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_574045\libraries\Adafruit_GFX_Library\Adafruit_GFX.cpp.o: in function `Adafruit_GFX::startWrite()':
C:\Users\[user]\Documents\Arduino\libraries\Adafruit_GFX_Library/Adafruit_GFX.cpp:180: multiple definition of `Adafruit_GFX::startWrite()';
C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_574045\libraries\Inkplate-Arduino-library-master\libs\Adafruit-GFX-Library\Adafruit_GFX.cpp.o:C:\Users\[user]\Documents\Arduino\libraries\Inkplate-Arduino-library-master\src\libs\Adafruit-GFX-Library/Adafruit_GFX.cpp:180: first defined here
c:/users/[redacted]/appdata/local/arduino15/packages/inkplate_boards/tools/xtensa-esp32-elf-gcc/gcc8_4_0-esp-2021r2-patch3/bin/../lib/gcc/xtensa-esp32-elf/8.4.0/../../../../xtensa-esp32-elf/bin/ld.exe: C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_574045\libraries\Adafruit_GFX_Library\Adafruit_GFX.cpp.o: in function `Adafruit_GFX::startWrite()':
C:\Users\[user]\Documents\Arduino\libraries\Adafruit_GFX_Library/Adafruit_GFX.cpp:180: multiple definition of `Adafruit_GFX::endWrite()';
C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_574045\libraries\Inkplate-Arduino-library-master\libs\Adafruit-GFX-Library\Adafruit_GFX.cpp.o:C:\Users\[user]\Documents\Arduino\libraries\Inkplate-Arduino-library-master\src\libs\Adafruit-GFX-Library/Adafruit_GFX.cpp:180: first defined here
U8g2 for Adafruit GFX includes Adafruit GFX:
#ifndef U8g2_for_Adafruit_GFX_h
#define U8g2_for_Adafruit_GFX_h
#include
#include "u8g2_fonts.h"
This creates a conflict with inclusion by Inkplate.h. I also have a question about platform.io - which board should I choose? The examples produce numerous error messages.
Attachment omitted in migration: ~WRD0000.jpg
Attachment omitted in migration: U8g2_for_Adafruit_GFX.h
Attachment omitted in migration: image002.jpg
Soldered Support:
If you need custom fonts, you can use them in the Inkplate library. Download a font from https://www.dafont.com/ or https://fonts.google.com/, convert it using a font converter, include it in your sketch, and set it using display.setFont(&yourFont); before use. There is no official platform.io board definition for Inkplate, but you can use ESP32 WROVER instead.
Customer:
This is an error that can occur with any library that uses Adafruit GFX. U8g2 integrates Adafruit GFX, and so does Inkplate.h, but this shouldn’t produce errors. I’ll use the converter for my one Inkplate project. I have a question about power supply: what voltage can be connected to Vin? A TPS7A2633DRVR is installed - does it have enough cooling surface to work with 15V? At 500mA that would be 6W of dissipation. Also, in the documentation section 3.2.1.4 Inkplate::getPanelDeepSleepState(), isn’t that an error? The description matches a set function, not a get function - it should return the status.
Attachment omitted in migration: image001.jpg
Attachment omitted in migration: ~WRD0001.jpg
Soldered Support:
In theory, you can connect 2.4 to 18V to the Vin pin, but we recommend maximum 6-7V for safety reasons. The TPS7A2633DRVR has a thermal pad behind it to keep the IC cold, but we don’t recommend connecting 15V. Yes, there is an error in the documentation - thank you for noticing. It will be corrected soon. getPanelDeepSleepState() returns the status of the panel deep sleep.