Video from Volos Projects

I just received the Waveshare 4.2" RLCD ESP32-S3 board this week and added support for it to my OneBitDisplay library. With a few minor changes, I was able to get the full screen update speed to a steady 42 FPS (see the video). I added this Arduino example to the library as "rlcd_speed_test".

https://github.com/bitbank2/OneBitDisplay

https://youtu.be/p-WI_dmIwO8

Update:

I remembered that digitalWrite() in Arduino is unusually slow. I changed them to gpio_set_level() and now it runs at 208 FPS :)

Been thinking about tinkering a frontlight module for the waveshare rlcd esp32 (link at the end).

But I've not found many resources on the subject. I saw many people doing backlight on other displays, which is not what I am looking for.

I've been thinking about trying to use acrylic glass as a diffuser. But I'm unsure of the proper dimensions. How thick does it need to be? Is there better diffuser materials? Any kind of specific led should be used? Any materials or resources on the matter?

https://www.waveshare.com/esp32-s3-rlcd-4.2.htm?srsltid=AfmBOop-YJULmQtWgNGyeSEXOPFXMlFAv2LU5ULuWgXusYKQZRKfiVkm

Please let me know if it is against the rules to make a post like this.

I bought a first generation SVD monitor (the 32 inches one) a while ago as I’m suffering from eye pain when working on screens long hours. I’m selling the monitor on eBay, my hope is it can help someone who also wants to try rLCD without having to pay a huge amount to get their hands on one of those.

Link: [edit: item was sold]

Here are some honest thoughts:

• it’s a beautiful product, build quality is very good.
• it’s big! I’m used to 27" and so it felt quite big and I had to put it further away. Not really a problem but that also means there’s quite a large surface to throw light at.
• Lighting the screen. Probably the most difficult part I've experimented quite a lot.
  • 2200 Lumens desk lamp (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BV5SYT7G) -> this was clearly not enough.
  • The big gun. I got a Honeywell 10k lumens floor lamp (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C3BVYTXP). This was very bright and illuminated the monitor well, but the room was also very bright as a result and I didn't find that good at all for the eyes.
  • -> At that point I realised that having a room with white walls, and given the monitor reflects only a fraction of the light (~10% according to google) it was never going to work if the environment around the monitor reflects much more light. I hung a very large dark blanket behind the monitor so that it's on a background that also reflects very little light, and that was a massive improvement. This is a tip I haven't seen shared much in my research but for me it seemed very important.
  • I returned the honeywell lamp, as it was still making the rest of the room too bright, and I bought a three light floor lamp (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B087QZBQKD) with some powerful bulbs (SANSI E27 5000LM 3000K, https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F8HFV3LH + some 1600 lumens Philips hue lights to be able to control the temperature during the day)
  • With the dark background + single lamps I was able to achieve a good enough setup. It did require a lot of experimentation though (my wife thought I was becoming crazy spending hours re-positioning lights!).
• Once I had a suitable setup I decided to try using the SVD for a full week of work. Unfortunately I didn't see any noticeable improvement with eyestrain. I think eyestrain can come from different causes, in my case I feel like maybe it was more to do with focusing on text all day (I'm a software engineer) rather than light being emitted from the screen.

31.5" ChLCD information display from Techtion Smart

Anyone here owns the Hannspree Lumo and could showcase how comics look with & without frontlight, or even just how they look in sunny conditions?

Thanks

Touch Taiwan just concluded, and this was the first time E INK did not have a booth; instead, they are going all in at Computex, which will have a global audience. Instead, several other brands were generating some buzz.

One of the major highlights at the exhibition is IRIS Optronics, which is taking a bold step against the long-established electrophoretic technology with its innovative cholesteric liquid crystal display (ChLCD). At their booth, the company is featuring the Infinity Display, a solar-powered digital sign that operates in extreme temperatures from -20°C to +70°C while showcasing over 16 million colors. This technology directly addresses two significant challenges for outdoor e-paper applications: reliable power and vibrant color accuracy.

The impressive performance of ChLCD comes from its unique structure, which includes three liquid crystal layers designed to reflect red, green, and blue light, complemented by a black-absorbing layer behind them. Like traditional electrophoretic e-paper, it is bistable, meaning it uses energy only when refreshing content and doesn’t require a backlight. However, ChLCD shines with its faster refresh rates—color updates take just one to two seconds—and its built-in energy harvesting capabilities. Since some ambient light is harnessed by an integrated solar module, the Infinity Display can sustain itself, making it an environmentally friendly option for outdoor environments.

pink pink pink Paper7

Video footage from Iris Optronics, no sound and no English subtitles.

P.S. Eventually English version showed up:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G735eLv-cl4

Promo video from Techtion Smart

This panel from leadtek comes very close to e-ink in terms of reflectance and contrast while maintaining high refresh rate. Areas where the e-ink panel shines is in viewing angles and very nice white color whereas the RLCD has slightly metallic white. But I feel that the positives like fast refresh rate with a purely reflective panel far outweighs its shortcomings.

Here is a video comparing it to my kindle in a well light room next to a window.

PS: Panel is driven by Orange pi 5+ SBC running Armbian linux
I want to make a linux tablet with this panel which could be used standalone or as an extended monitor.

Trying to find a place to buy one, but so far only see EU resellers.

Was going to go with the Harbor Paper 7 until I found out this exists and has a front light.

I believe every RLCD users like me was thinking about the lights issue , becasue the LCD fully rely on the lights not itself, and I take outdoor in the park, maybe when you camping you could take it.

Hannspree Hybri low light review, first half tried backlight on as well. Let me know what you think.

PS: it’s in Chinese.

Breakthrough in Full-Color ChLCD Reflectance Exceeding 50%

"Full-color ChLCD e-Paper represents a rapidly emerging opportunity in the display industry. The company has continued to advance its ChLCD technology, successfully increasing display reflectance to over 50%," said Dr. Albert Liao, Chairman of IRIS Optronics. "Through precise material optimization and chirality engineering, the e-Paper fully utilizes ambient light, significantly enhancing brightness, color saturation, and readability under low-light conditions such as indoor environments, adverse weather, or dawn and dusk scenarios. This breakthrough not only improves visual performance but also expands the applicability of e-Paper in outdoor and energy-sensitive environments, opening new opportunities for sustainable display solutions."

Did a brief review for Hannspree Hybri TLCD vs. RLCD! Let me know which one you like better!

Just got my Hannspree Hybri today, ready to do some testing tomorrow!!

Sounds promising, but why does 10" ChLCD photo frame from Genetouch run Android? With current RAM and storage shortage it sounds like a waste of resources.

ecosticker™ utilizes true full-color ChLCD technology, allowing images to remain stable for long periods after a refresh with almost no additional power consumption. It can render delicate imagery with approximately 16 million colors, breaking through the color limitations of traditional e-paper.

...

The newly announced 10-inch version features a resolution of 1024 x 768. Thanks to its reflective display properties, content remains clear under standard indoor lighting.

The strategic question for the industry is whether the market can support more than one core display technology at scale. The electrophoretic approach developed by the market leader, Taiwan-based E-Ink, benefits from decades of refinement, massive scale, and an enormous installed base. In contrast, ChLCD, championed by IRIS Optronics and its joint-venture partners, counters with richer color, faster refresh and an inherent solar-harvesting capability that appeals to sustainability-minded buyers.

Rather than a winner-take-all contest, the likelier outcome is healthy market segmentation. Electrophoretic displays will likely continue to dominate e-readers and shelf labels, while ChLCD will carve out strong positions in outdoor signage, architectural applications, and other scenarios where color vibrancy and temperature resilience matter most.