ePaper Make or Break Issues
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ePaper Make or Break Issues
Are you interested in developing an EPD system? Here are a few things about the ePaper technology you need to know first.
Visibility
ePaper imitates a traditional paper sheet. That’s why the visibility of its content is reduced in poorly lit places; however, by locating your applications nearby sources of external lighting helps to solve this problem.
Colors
Melrose can deliver a 31,2” color panel with a total of 4096 colors displayed. This is more than enough for applications where you aim to exchange traditional paper sheets for ePaper. Another option is FPL, with additional pigment that comes in yellow or red color. If you choose this option, you will receive a display with three colors: black, white and red, or yellow. This solution works great for applications where pointing out the most important content is important – for example, on e-prices that want to mark discounts. In other cases, you can choose from a rich offer of black and white panels by E Ink.
Controllers
The most basic issue in ePaper applications is choosing a suitable controller that drives EPD. You can pick from two options: a ready-to-go platform or a more flexible option, low-power TCON.
For example, if you aim to install a significant number of displays in a short time and you have no time for developing your own host, the ready-to-go platform is the best choice. It offers benefits such as easy configuration, a CMS to manage content online, and a two-type connection (3G or WiFi). Note that you will also need cloud hosting to store the content for such applications.
The second option – low-power TCON – requires a bit more work. Since you need to use an SPI interface, having a local host is necessary. On the other hand, low-power TCON offers unique advantages such as a significant reduction in power consumption. Moreover, you can design the entire device exactly as you wish.
Power consumption
Power consumption is a complicated issue in ePaper components. In general, ePaper is bistable, and its main benefit is low power consumption. But consider how this plays out in the entire system. It’s the controller’s work that consumes the most power. But there are other factors involved too – for example, the communication protocol or localhost. Other factors to consider are the heating system and external lighting.
Take some extra caution while designing your system if you choose to apply external battery in place of a stable power supply.
Housing
Another important issue is the proper housing and front glass. The best solution is when the front glass is optically bonded to the ePaper component. This hardens the construction since EPD is very thin.
However, choose the front glass carefully – ensure that it includes all filters. If you design an outdoor application, the UV filter is a must-have. Also, note that EPD is very sensitive to moisture, and you need a truly hermetic housing to protect your component.
Temperatures below zero degrees
E-capsules are submerged in a fluid, and in negative temperatures, the fluid’s density increases. As a result, refreshing and changing the content might become problematic. If you don’t change the displayed content, all of the information will stay in place. One solution could be adding a heating system to the module.
MTBF – Mean Time Between Failures
MTBF is a parameter that indicates the mean time between failures. MTBF will depend on how you operate the ePaper display. If you take into consideration all of the issues we mentioned above, 8 million will be the available number of modifying the content.
If you alter your content every 10 seconds, 8 hours per day, you get eight years of constant work. But most applications involve content change more rarely. For example, if you change content every minute, 8 hours per day, you’ll get 48 years of continuous work.
TCO – Total Cost of Ownership
To give you an idea about the Total Cost of Ownership for ePaper solutions, have a look at these estimations:
- 1 set of 32” display, operating 16 hours daily, over one year
- Content on EPD updates every hour, it takes 1 second to complete image update
- Power consumption of 32” LCD signage system is 145 W (outdoor, model: Hyundai IBT, H325SSI)
- Power consumption of 32” EPD outdoor/indoor signage system: update image 23.7 W (includes control board), still image 1.3 W
- CO2 conversion: 1kWh = 1.5lbs of CO2 emissions (source: www.epa.gov)
- Total Energy Consumption (1 day, operating 16 hours)
- LCD: 2,3 kWh
- EPD: 0,02 kWh
- Total Energy Consumption (1 year, 16 hours per day)
- LCD: 846,8 kWh
- EPD: 7,6 kWh
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