Project page: hackaday.io/project/192688-th... (includes design files and links to source code repositories) This is my submission for the 2023 Hackaday Prize: an open hardware e-book reader designed to be built and understood.
Uh...so only supporting plaintext and not having any navigation? What exactly is it that you want them to copy? This is clearly a hobby project. Manufacturers make consumer products.
@@geometerfpv2804 Well it is a start. Adding navigation, or even a full-on online library of public domain books should be quite easy to add since hardware is quite powerful.
A _very_ laudable project - thank you, people! Just a note on file format: File formats were never an obstacle to e-reader interoperability - DRM is. Plain UTF-8 text should be displayable on this device, of course. But expanding it to HTML, markdown etc would be a laudable endeavour. Yes, plain text content is 95% or more of the value in a typical piece of literature (perhaps little less in textbooks and such), but adding features such as cross-references, index, TOC etc would not be too difficult. Perhaps even dictionary lookup, using some of free dictionary databases in a format that will enable enthusiast to contribute their own. EPUB is ISO standardized open format (ISO/IEC TS 30135) and no company controls it. It is less complex than it appears at the first glance, and supporting it, too, should not be a huge undertaking - there are tons of free EPUB reader apps for all possible platforms - perhaps one in marvelous open source tool "Calibre" could be used as a template for developing one for this device. Expanding the software driving this device in this way would remove _any_ advantage the proprietary ones have over it.
I agree; you lose a lot of intentional formatting by going plain text. If epub is a platform independent standard it would make sense to support and promote it.
EPUB is probably the way to go, it supports images and such as well which are crucial for quite some nicely formatted EPUB and comic can be made to work with epub as well, although cbz and cbr are more common and less fussy.
What I don't really understand (and this is only vaguely related) is why we don't have a standard for zipping up simple HTML / CSS / JS websites for offline use. It shouldn't be all that hard, and yet our options are either to have a bunch of loose files, or... Electron. EPUB is basically proof that it's possible but it gets a bad rap because publishers are lazy as hell and tend to make awful EPUBs even though, like you said, it's not a very complicated format. It's just a markdown language. It's 80% HTML.
So this looks like a very nice idea and pretty well thought through in its execution, especially for a homemade project. However, I think that if it *only* supports plaintext files, that'll probably be too big of a compromise for many readers. Even if they're willing to accept a lack of illustrations on the cover and inside the book (a big if), there are still readability considerations such as having page breaks before a new chapter, footnotes and end notes, larger font sizes and center alignment for headings, italics and bold text for emphasis, etc. Also, I suspect people these days expect some navigation features from an e-book reader, such as being able to jump to a specific chapter from the table of contents, or from one chapter to the next. I've personally used these extensively when looking up recipes in an EPUB-formatted cookbook.
you said it. my kindle has a bunch more features and capability and works out of the box. its just a tool that works better. the spirit of this project rocks though
Agreed. I really love the both the concept and execution of this project, but as it exists now, it's so limited. Luckily EPUB is an open standard and there's nothing stopping a future open source ereader from supporting it (maybe even a continuation of this one). The higher requirements might increase material costs, but I'm optimistic.
@@DerMBen Agreed; here's hoping this is a successful project at least to the level of being a springboard for more open/libre designs and software in this space.
well i guess an alternative firmware could be developed that supports all those features! that’s supposed to be the advantage of having an open and accessible design :)
@@t0k4m4k7 In principle I agree, but it also depends on whether the platform's hardware would support more advanced layout processing without unacceptable tradeoffs in lag/battery life or not. I'd love to see some planning stage documentation of what features would be desired vs what could be achieved without more expensive hardware.
I was onboard until you suggested that .txt is the one book format that will stand the test of time. I'd actively want to use this if it supported epub. Although I guess the magic is that it's open source, somebody can add epub support.
I know, i don't know if my ESP32 can unzip the file, maybe I need one having PSRAM to try :,D, but we really need the epub format or rtf at least. I can have notes on txt but trying to read a book there will be a mess x.x
@@oienu if in doubt, host software can convert/preprocess any format into an other format. SD-Card storage is cheap. if in doubt, splinting the book in to pages and storing the pages uncompressed should reduce RAM requirements and processing times.
Epub is too heavy for esp32, my experience is that it is too heavy for my phone. My idea to solve this would be a ebook targeting version of markdown as a first step and a openbook targeting folder structure for ebooks with picture support and other things needed as a second step (using ebook md as the text base).
@@sarowie or we can keep epub format but change to zip no compression, this will need add an extra step to use the file, since mostly they are compressed, but zip can store the file to keep all unify and you can read the content independly.
I love this project, and when possible id love to build one myself, but the most major turnoff is of course lack of EPUB (or even PDF) support, and seemingly not very rich navigation features (ie. specifying page number to jump to) It would be doable in theory, and im sure in future revisions or community modifications, they'll get sorted through and added.
@@shawnsorbom8907we could increase the computing power, spending a little more money and then running epub. It's better than txt for sure, as epub is already established as a chosen format. Epub or mobi. I'm not sure which one is lighter
This looks like a great project! Those buttons are a little on the small side, though. I also agree that EPUB support would take it to the next level. Keep it up, though. There definitely needs to be more competition in that space and an open source option would be great.
@@Cobalt985 you are right, but this is the trade off of opensource hardware: Either go bigger/thicker (which is unattractive) or use smd buttons without cap (which is awkward to use). 3D printing just is not injection molding. But there is a trick: most EBooks and Smartphones life in a protective case. By marrying protective case and product case, the product can become a brick like the Nokia 3310.
I never understood why going after what you want to see or read was so hard on those streaming platforms. I'm trully tired of all those barriers preventing us from what was the main reason for the internet: connections without walls. It makes me happy to see that there are other people thinking about ease and openness for everyone, if I were in the United States, I would certainly find a way to join you
Indeed, all providers of digital content really need to be transparently available via an open standard web interface(& file format) - likewise with movies etc. Digital content availability is a complete shambles, caused almost entirely by wilfully proprietary standards and devices, it's ridiculous. Ideally governments would step in to enforce, but there seems bugger all chance of that happening. It's particularly ridiculous in the supposedly environmentally aware age, where devices are simultaneously incapable of using content from numerous providers &/or are permanently incapable of doing basically anything useful once the company decides to kill off a device/service.
With the kindle you can just hook it up to a computer and move the book on to it. I have never even had it connected to the internet or spent a single cent on any amazon books.
Simple, money. Personally, I think people should just recognize that in a world where the internet exists a LOT of traditional business models become unusable, rather than enforcing traditional business models with garbage DRM, but that's what's happened. Being an author isn't something that can make you money in a truly free market where information is freely distributable. (I also wish the general public would recognize that and pay authors anyways, but so it goes.).
@@dannymundo7538 true, I do the same, there are so many mobi and epub version of book out there, that you can transfer with Calibre eBook, but still i hope that project keeps on going !
This is an awesome project. This should be at high schools as a course project. This way every student would have an ereader, they would learn the other side of tech, the side of openness and control over their devices and software; and those devices would be made by themselves, so they could repair them, expand them... Even if someone is not really interested in tech, being alien to it is a luxury we can't afford anymore.
This is really cool, and a step in a very cool direction! My only concern is that there doesn't seem to be EPUB support. My other thoughts, like a larger screen or a backlight, could probably be solved with using different parts rather than any design changes (excluding the case ofc).
I found your project a few months back! Awesome to see you're still working on it as it seemed a bit in limbo at the time. Ill probably poke my head into the repo soon as I'm excited to make my own!
It needs to be able to display images as well. I think you need this to allow something like markdown or a markup language, as well as a format that will let you have a standard (or several) page sizes of texts so that there can be some forward caching. It also looks to me like there could be room for larger through-hole components, easier for new makers. I'd also like to see AAA size used instead of double for a lower profile, even if that means using 4x instead of 2x.
Version of the project in github uses aaa batteries, so its okay on that side. I didnt watched the video yet, but it seems like book uses raspberrypi as mainboard and proprietary text format for displaying. It kinda odd for me because its cuts a lot of functions (Im real fan of kindle’s search, notes, time to read and send to device via cloud functions. But it’s raspberry so software wise it could be upgraded to your needs by community. (image, pdf display, etc.)
"I think you need this to allow something like markdown or a markup language" EPUB. EPUB is a standardized markup language designed specifically for ebooks and it's much better than it's poor reputation suggests.
@@colbyboucher6391My worry would be hardware constraints, XML is very verbose. I haven't done a lot of processing on the pico, and only some with esp32, but parsing a lot of json can be slow, and it is less verbose than XML.
@@colbyboucher6391rather than cross compatibility, I'd rather see optimizations made for this specific device, with just "good enough" features to cover your bases. I would rather a conversion be done on an epub, that optimizes that format specifically for this device, to allow for a crisp UI and reading experience. Now maybe that means have both options, accept a slower epub, and accept a customized format.
This is an amazing project. I love that you touched on helping to save great literature. I see this as a STEM tool as well. I'll buy two if you get them made. Thanks for sharing this.
This is awesome, I’ve kicked this idea around in my head, but this is so well done. I really love the ethos around getting others to try it themselves and let the technology be demystified. I’m going to try and make one myself. You are awesome!
This is an amazing project. Thank you for sharing! It goes to show that keeping information open and accessible is in our hands. We are fortunate to be at a point in technological progression that projects like this can be done by hobbyists.
Bravo, bravo, bravo! What an accomplishment! There is still the DRM fight to be had, but this is a fantastic alternative. I don't have the soldering skils for DYI, so will be drilling down to find a source. 5hanks for all the hard work that went into this!
This is an awesome project. I have a sense the creator is more of a hardware person, but by making it open source, that opens it up to all sorts of collaborative software improvements. Really amazing work.
This is excellent stuff man! Main thing I would add is antialiasing and generally improve text rendering. That would really give this a professional feel
Unifont is a bitmap font which means it is just pixelated like that. I think it should be as simple as switching out the font. He is using Unifont since it is one of the few fonts that implements basicallye every character in every language.
This looks really great! I’d like some more features on the software side, like epub support and different fonts, but the glory of open-source means someone out there is probably going to do just that.
Amazing! Thank for thinking for the collective! I really think this will improve the life of the ones became ocross of it! Thank you a lot! Also, really cool video, I’m a professional editor and its on point! Doesn’t need tricks like white music on background or flashout transitions, streight entretening and timing!
Thank you thank you. A thousand times thank you. My dream Is to contribute to open projects like this. Made for people and by people who don't want to make profit of data or obscuring technology to build empires
Oh, this is _beautiful._ Assuming the capabilities of such devices improve in the future (people here are mentioning links and similar navigation features; and possibly Epub or PDF support [though I'm not sure the micro used would be capable of such things] or some sort of basic markup language at least), this is how I want technology to present itself. Open hardware, open software, assembly instructions built-in; designed to be made, repaired, and used by real human beings, respecting them all the way... it's just a beautiful artifact, even separate from its utility.
What a wonderful idea. If I was able to I would generously fund your project, but I am but a simple peasant in today's society that struggles to make it month to month. However, your this creates a sense of hope for our culture to see the value not just in the printed word, but in the accessible, standardized and free formats to share information with each other. Best of luck with your project, my friend.
Don't buy that White Savior BS. Those things are for hipsters and electrobics hobbyists; the real people have much better and much cheaper devices available for them.
this is amazing. its a project i've had kicking around in my head for a long time, but i never pulled the trigger on starting it. now i feel like i can let it go because someone else has done it haha
Just a month ago I was considering to DIY e-reader since it would be amazing to have and big company ones cost so much that it just simply does not make any sense anymore. Your project is a saving grace for me since I really was looking at how to do this but delved into many wrong turns instead of finding a proper solution. thank you.
I also wanted to create a e-reader from scratch, though I had abandoned the plan because I was not able to find a reasonably price >8 inch screen, however seeing that the 4.2 inch screen looks good too.
You should take this to Futo. This is brilliant. And they'd likely pay you well to bring it to reality. I'd to love see this in an injected molded mass-market good.
Wow someone actually made this a real thing! I have this same idea of using esp32 and reused kindle e paper because of how cheap it was, but I'm just an amateur and I don't know how to reverse engineer the displays. I also kinda imagined it to have 2 displays running just like a book and that's the beauty of open source, anyone can modify and customize it. A lot of people complained about the .txt only format but this is actually what I need. And epub format would be nice but someone could probably add that feature if they wanted to. This year hackaday really is amazing. Great job!
thing is: you don't have to reverse engineer the display of an old Kindle. If you search online you'll find this has already be done by previous projects using ESP32 as the display controller (I wish I could remember the name of the github project I'm thinking of, sorry ). Other than that, Kindle can be jailbroken and the whole hardware surrounding the display gives you way more possibilities than the ESP32.
There are at least 4 other brands in the same class. Waveshare in particular did work to get eink operational directly from an esp32 (or other microcontroller) without requiring Linux or special driver chips.
I absolutely love the idea. I would love to make it however the fact that it can only read pain UTF-8 text does bother me. Being able to open pdfs would also allows me to use the device for a lot of my school and assignment documents which would be very convenient. Looking forward that such a firmware update so I can get right into building! :)
would love to see pdfs and 2 pages so I can open it up and read music books. An open source version of that would be so incredible. Thank you for pushing these ideas further
This is exactly what I've been looking for. Just a device I can read books on the go with eBooks I already have. I don't have any experience in making anything like this, but I want one, even if I have to find out how to make it myself
right? I've been wanting to go down this road, but don't have the hardware design chops... but I should be able to build one OK (here's hoping kits will become available??), and I look eagerly forward to using it for not only reading, but various other things too where such a display is a useful UI paradigm (e.g. calendar displays, etc. etc.) Looking forward!
This is amazing !! I have been looking for a simple pocket e-reader that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Then this pops up where you get to make it yourself and I can use my 3d printer as well I'm in !
