e-Paper IP Display

Project Overview

This project implements an e-paper IP display application.

Hardware Requirements

• Raspberry Pi (Zero or any model with 40-pin GPIO)
• Waveshare 2.13" Touch e-Paper HAT Version 4
• Required interfaces: SPI and I²C enabled

System Requirements

• Raspberry Pi OS (Debian Bookworm or compatible)
• Python 3.9+
• System dependencies: python3-venv, fonts-liberation

Quick Start

1. Hardware Setup

1. Power off the Raspberry Pi
2. Align the e-Paper HAT with the 40-pin GPIO header
3. Ensure proper pin 1 orientation
4. Reconnect power

2. Enable Interfaces

sudo raspi-config
# Navigate to: Interfacing Options → SPI → Enable
# Navigate to: Interfacing Options → I²C → Enable
sudo reboot

3. Installation

Option A — curl (recommended)

curl -fsSL https://github.com/William12556/e-Paper-IP-Display/releases/latest/download/install.sh -o install.sh
chmod +x install.sh && ./install.sh

Or with wget:

wget -qO install.sh https://github.com/William12556/e-Paper-IP-Display/releases/latest/download/install.sh
chmod +x install.sh && ./install.sh

Option B — pipe to bash (no prior inspection)

curl -fsSL https://github.com/William12556/e-Paper-IP-Display/releases/latest/download/install.sh | bash

The install script handles all dependencies, creates a virtual environment at /opt/epaper-ip/venv/, and registers the systemd service. The service starts automatically and persists across reboots.

For development deployment or full installation options see the Installation Guide.

4. Verification

Check service status:

sudo systemctl status epaper-ip-display
sudo journalctl -u epaper-ip-display -f

Operation

• Display clears on boot
• Shows hostname, plus the IPv4 address of the usb0 and wlan0 interfaces (or "no IP" per interface when unavailable)
• Detects pi-netconfig access point mode (wlan0 address 192.168.50.1) and adds an "AP mode active" line when detected
• Polls network status every 15 seconds
• Updates display only when an interface address or AP mode status changes
• Runs as systemd service with root privileges (required for GPIO access)

Waveshare Resources

Download the Version 4 driver and examples:

• Waveshare e-Paper GitHub Repository
• Navigate to: RaspberryPi_JetsonNano/python/
• Driver file: epd2in13_V4.py

Official product page:

• 2.13" Touch e-Paper HAT

Troubleshooting

Display does not refresh:

• Verify SPI enabled: ls -l /dev/spidev*
• Confirm Version 4 driver in use

Service fails to start:

• Check service logs: journalctl -u epaper-ip-display -n 50
• Verify hardware access: ls -l /dev/spidev* /dev/gpiomem

Touch not functional:

• Verify I²C enabled
• Detect controller: sudo i2cdetect -y 1

Documentation

Detailed guides available in docs/:

• e-Paper IP Display Installation Guide.md - Full installation, update, uninstall, and troubleshooting procedures
• Waveshare 2.13" Touch e-Paper HAT (Version 4).md - Hardware configuration

Project Structure

• src/ - Python package source
• docs/ - Technical documentation
• tests/ - Test scripts
• dist/ - Built wheel (generated)
• ai/ - Governance and operational rules
• workspace/ - Development workspace
• deprecated/ - Superseded files

Important Notice

Actual fitness for purpose is not guaranteed.

License

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2025 William Watson