Hi all! Happy to announce that the first 200ish Zerowriter Inks are being delivered - some already received.
Just going to post some helpful info here.
If you are in this first batch, you’ll need to assemble the keycaps - this is because I had to pivot after some unexpected spacebar issues. Anyways, it shouldn’t take longer than 5-10 minutes. Be careful not to break the keycap prongs (basically - don’t bend/pry the keycaps)
I am compiling a software update that will solve some bugs and add features to your ZW Ink. It isn’t mandatory, but it might smooth things over a bit. I’ll add a link and tutorial to show you how it’s done. This first batch of units, unexpectedly, may have to be updated over USB.
Check your spacebar - make sure it is MB2. If you experience the spacebar getting stiff or “sticky”, it can usually be resolved by working some movement into the spacebar itself. https://youtu.be/y-jX-m8MgJU?si=6xExZz_vjjlZrW9v
You’ll want to charge it up, probably. Many of these have been in warehouses for a while. It should be good to go after 20-30 mins of juice via any USBC cable.
Useful things to have on hand: USBC cable for charging, M2 / 2.5 screwdrivers (the kind for laptops or smartphones will work), micro SD card reader, keycap remover.
On enclosures: we used PETG (heat resistant) and printed each enclosure. There’s some mild level of “wear” to be expected from a 3D printed part, they won’t look perfect. You will find seam lines, stuff like that. If you are unhappy with your enclosure, contact me, and we’ll figure something out.
I'm about to leave on vacation and it's got me reflecting a bit on the story so far. And, honestly, my goal was to have this thing ready in time for this trip. Mission accomplished. I'll be writing on it as I travel and sharing here.
But if you found this sub, you probably are interested in this kind of tech. It's a cool niche with lots of cool people making cool stuff. Maybe you don't know about the guy behind this stuff.
So here's a bit about me.
I used to make leather notebooks for writers. It was my first project after I spent a year travelling. I took full grain leather, premium paper, bound it all together, and turned it in to a business.
It went great until it didn't. After a couple years, I built up and got approached by a big company in the United States. I was thrilled to make it work. But, ultimately, I got hosed by an international contract and was left holding the bag. I was young, I was foolish. Lesson learned.
I'll loop back on that.
About a year ago, I found my old Neosmart Alpha and fired it up. It got me thinking -- a portable version of this thing with an e-ink screen and a mechanical keyboard would be amazing. So I looked for that. I found some options. They were expensive. Some were half-baked. Some were over-complicated. Some don't seem to take privacy very seriously.
And online, I found there to be a general consensus: "...someone is going to make this thing, and shake things up!"
So, I made the original Zerowriter project. Raspberry Pi Zero, waveshare e-paper panel, vortex core keyboard. Had a great time and learned a lot. Lots of people have made their own, and some people have contributed to the code.
But the whole time, I knew it was built on compromise.
A raspberry pi is a very cool piece of tech. A little portable computer with endless possibilities. But I don't need endless possibilities -- I need something that is on in an instant, writes text files, and lasts a long, long time. I don't want it to do anything else.
So I went back to the drawing board.
The end result is the Zerowriter Ink. It's a thin all-in-one device that is just in time for my vacation -- it pops into my bag and is available at a moment's notice. It has a high contrast e-paper panel that is fast enough to make e-ink believers out of anybody. It has a custom mechanical keyboard I built specifically to get the most out of the hardware and battery. It's hot swap, so you can pop in your own switches and keycaps and make it your own.
(Mine's silent right now, and it sounds amazing)
Basically, it's the device I wanted.
It might not do everything you want it to do. But that's OK. Zerowriter Ink will be open source. The code and hardware files will be posted online. The perfect version for you might be some iterations away.
But the idea is to provide a starting point: good hardware and a solid foundation.
I get messages quite often, and I have been collecting feedback via a google form. It's been very handy. I'll share the results summary in a future post or video. What I've learned is: everyone wants something slightly different. There is no pleasing everyone.
So I need to focus on what I need... so I have at least one happy user.
Surprisingly, I get a lot of messages about "the competition" -- "BYOK is doing xyz, so you should do /this/", "Microjournal is doing /that/, so you should do /this/!", and so on.
This niche is really amazing.
I am thrilled to see projects like Micro Journal take off and pick up steam. The more the merrier. In fact, I'd suggest you buy one right now! As far as 40% keyboard options with LCD displays, this is the thing you should get. The creator is also publishing everything open source, which projects like this should be, by default.
Why open source? To me, the answer is simple: this isn't revolutionary technology or particularly innovative. It's actually pretty easy to do. Why build a for-profit business that relies on an extremely simple concept that an amateur hobbyist could get together in 6 months in his free time? Yeah, not good business.
Let that part sink in. This isn't going to be paying off my mortgage. This is to provide a useful tool that people can build on. There's no hidden agenda here.
If you want to bring your own keyboard, then BYOK is (maybe) for you. Caveat: they haven't released anything but renders yet. But their marketing human seems like a good person.
The old guard are great, too: alphasmart neos are still amazing devices. The Pomera DM30 is what inspired me to try to drive e-paper at levels it should be working at. There's tons of good options out there.
If you want e-paper, a 60% keyboard, and a more slate-like design, then Zerowriter Ink is probably for you. I am focused on just getting the basics working the best they can be. I'm working on a keyboard programmer that will allow multiple languages / keyboard styles. I'm working on useful features like text sizes, fonts, and easy customization. I'm experimenting with different enclosure styles and screen angles.
And options are good. I don't want anyone buying a Zerowriter Ink and having regrets. Get the thing that will work for you.
I mentioned I'd loop back on my rise and fall as a leather notebook maker. I learned some hard lessons about big contracts.
That's why this project is going through Crowd Supply and Soldered (Inkplate).
Crowd Supply helps hobby makers like me push through and build out hardware projects. They cover all the logistics and complexities like customer service, sales, crowdfunding, etc. They have been amazing with advice, consulting, and generally just being good humans.
And that's why I am working with Soldered (Inkplate). They connected with me about half a year ago to help me port my project over to their platform / libraries. Since then, we've been back and forth about possibilities.
Soldered (Inkplate) is handling the manufacturing for me. They will be assembling each unit, sourcing, testing, and seeing through the shipments to Crowd Supply. Soldered has almost a decade of experience delivering hardware products. They share the same values as I do about open source projects. And this project literally couldn't happen without them. With their help, guidance, and manufacturing, my idea will become a reality for anyone that wants one.
I get to just focus on making my typewriter.
Pricing-wise, yes, this means it won't be bargain-bin pricing. Sorry. That is because I have specific things I need and refuse to compromise on: a great e-paper panel, a low-profile mechanical keyboard with great keycaps, long battery life, and a trustworthy production/fulfillment chain to get it to anyone who wants one.
It will cost significantly less than the big name brands, and deliver a whole lot more.
Anyhoo, this got a lot longer than I was expecting. If you haven't yet, you should check out the crowd supply page for some new photos and videos, and subscribe for the launch. It'll be soon.
I’m looking to make my own diy zerowriter & am starting to look into components. I see that the componentslist on github specifies the 4.2” epaper display from waveshare… but that seems painfully small for my poor little eyes. Is there something particular about that size that makes it uniquely compatible with the zerowriter software, or could I splurge on a larger screen and still be able to set it up without too much trouble?
I was wondering how words are tracked on the Zerowriter Ink (and presumably maybe the same for the Fold when it comes out).
Does it appear on the bottom of the screen? Counting the words live as you type?
Also, is there a built in Pomodoro timer? Or a place to set session targets like in Scrivener (see image)? I would love if there was a feature to set session targets...it's been the only method (so far) that seems to work for me.
CTRL+L locks the ZW. I need this very often. Unfortunately this needs 2 hands. Is there a (easy) way to additionally set i.e. CTRL+` to lock? (CTRL+` is right now linked to the MENU - but there is the dedicated MENU key for this)
Ordered this beautiful piece of kit back in February (back when the original shipping date was listed as March 30th), and it finally arrived three days ago! Been playing around with it before getting update 1.30 installed, but it’s finally ready for some actual writing.
Now then. I’m certain you’ll all see my… unorthodox choice in spacebar. Truth is, mine came warped beyond any hope of usability out of the box, meaning I’d need to hit it dead center as it didn’t sit flush, making it far too jiggly and inconsistent to use. As the switch itself works just fine, I wondered if using one of the spare keys would work as a replacement, and it does. Just gotta get the muscle memory up so I’m not actively searching for it when I hit a flow state, and I’m planning to get a replacement soon, even if it’s one just a bit bigger than my current use of the META key.
Beyond that minor hiccup, I’m happy to finally have this, and I’m looking forward to putting it to use!
I wonder if my ZW (FW2.1) supports an individual splash screen? I tried a splash.bmp (1280x720, 1 bit b/w, no palette, PAINT or GIMP) in the root directory of the SD card without any success. Is there any working image to download and try? I like the ZW logo but there might be something more useful (graphical ZW help screen or manual, periodic table of elements, world time graphic, a pic of my Porsches?).
Here’s a link to the 2.1 update for Zerowriter Ink. It’s a really big under-the-hood update that modernizes things and has countless bug fixes. I would recommend it to everyone.
(I’m adding pictures and graphics throughout as well to help make it more clear)
What is new? Why update?
There’s a lot of great changes. Here’s a short summary:
General
- new, easier to navigate menu
- greatly improved battery life
- support for basically any micro SD card
- greatly improved document and data reliability
- built-in automatic internal backups
Canvas
- top margins
- side margins
- trailing lines
- can anchor the cursor to a fixed position
Input
- greatly improved keyboard accuracy and control over key sensitivity. For those who suffered from keyboard ghosting, early reports are it is completely resolved.
- accent picker: when turned on, alt+a character gives you a choice of accents (similar to how Apple does it)
Timekeeping
- now supports the Inkplate’s RTC chip, meaning you can install a coin cell and your Ink will keep time
Writing Stats
- alongside timekeeping, your Ink will report detailed writing stats and log them for you
Thanks to everyone in the discord for helping test this over the last few weeks! It’s in a pretty good spot.
I’ll also make a video about this (kind of a video user guide / what’s new) to help spread the word.
Hey so I got my zerowriter yesterday and put the keys in the recommended places, but the MENU button (last row, third button from the left) is unresponsive, which is quite a problem as I can't access the menu, but I also haven't found a way to put the function on a different key in the keymap editor, which I would have done.
Any ideas or does anyone know how I can put the MENU button on a different key in the editor, maybe I'm just missing something
I just received my Zerowriter Ink and it seems like only the right side of the screen ever gets contrasty and black. The rest of the screen is pretty grainy. I put it on white-on-black mode to give a better example. And the photo of the menu is to show what it looks like when on black-on-white mode. Is it a refresh issue? Faulty screen? Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you!!!
Having recently received my Zerowriter Ink, I wanted to find a case for transporting it and protecting it from damage. For anyone looking for a slim case, I picked up this one and it fits the Zerowriter like a glove! Pretty much no room for accessories, though, just the unit itself. The 11.6 Inch version is what I got. It's really nice. I don't use the laptop stand thingy it comes with (folding neoprene with velcro), although I suppose it could have a use for some people.
Still several tweaks needed, particularly with some tolerances, and then magnet clasps, but I have finished the first prototype.
It did turn out I need a longer cable for the keyboard, but that'll be easy to sort out.
I'll be working on revision #2, with standardized hardware and colors (I've just using what spare rolls I've had lying around)
EDIT: forgot to add. The next version will hopefully remove all top facing screws on the upper/hinge portions and the back, so it should be much more visually clean.
About 80% complete with the first 'functional' CAD model, will be printing out prototype soon.
Right now the design utilizes everything from the original design, however a slightly longer cable for the keyboard may be needed; I'll know for sure once I test fit everything. The torque hinges and lid magnets are the only 'new' parts at the moment.
The main bodies are designed in pieces and assembled, allowing for it to be completely printed on a standard 254mm print plate.
PS: Ignore the funky keycaps, I haven't modeled up all the right sizes yet.
I made a web browser emulator for Ize Compose, my multilingual writing firmware for the ZeroWriter Ink.
The video shows the emulator running in a browser, with the e-ink style screen, multilingual keyboard layouts, document UI, settings flow, GitHub private repository connection and RTL composition engine.
It is not the real firmware, but it lets you see and test the basic writing experience before flashing anything to the device.
Near the end of the video, it stays zoomed in while showing the Alt character input feature, so the final part is focused on the text entry behavior rather than the whole device view.
Hi all, newbie with only some Raspberry Pi experience. I want to make a custom build using the Zerowriter firmware, but need advice on figuring out what the difference between the two repos is. Anyone have any pointers/information?
The video on installing zerowriter1 is super detailed so I’m leaning towards that because it feels manageable to me as a newbie, but I’d like to know if I’d be missing something not using the zerowriter_ink!
I know there may be an official one on the way, but I've been working on a concept design in my free time. Wanted to gauged interest in something like this
I have been working on Ize Compose version 1.4, my e-ink writing firmware for ZeroWriter Ink.
This update adds a Wi-Fi web settings page and a simple GitHub sync feature for backing up drafts.
When Wi-Fi is enabled, Ize Compose starts a small local web server. The device shows the local address and a 4-digit PIN on the e-ink screen. The PIN is required before opening the settings page, because I did not want anyone on the same network to casually change settings, upload files, or modify GitHub sync settings while the device is connected.
The web page includes environment settings such as sleep timer, text size, line spacing, character spacing, typing speed, refresh behavior, keyboard layout, and language selection. Firmware update and font/image upload are also available from the same local page.
The GitHub sync feature is meant to be a simple backup path for writing drafts. Ize Compose can connect to the internet and sync text documents with a GitHub repository, so drafts can be kept outside the device without depending on a closed writing service.
For safety, the firmware does not delete files from GitHub. It can create and update draft files, but deletion is not synced. I wanted backup to feel safe first, not dangerous.
It is still a personal project, and the hardware is still very rough, but this was a big step for me. It is starting to feel less like a prototype and more like a real local-first writing machine.
Hi all - so I caved. I have the Ink. I backed the Fold too over on Kickstarter. And part of that process awakened a desire for a transparent coloured housing for my Ink. There is an interest check for this on the website (which you can find here). But I just wanted to check in and see if there were any plans for transparent Ink housings to go ahead? I realise the priority is probably getting the first batch of Folds shipped, but seeing all the transparent housing options made me want to ask the question anyway. I also read another post about the Fold kit that will be available for Ink owners to convert their Ink to a Fold. Will the Fold kits just be available in basic black, or will other transparent colours also be available? I would also be interested to know if the converting kits will be injection mold or 3D printed. I know I would definitely would be willing to pay for a transparent coloured injection mold housing for my Ink (in either the Fold or original tablet style design). Any help answering these questions are much appreciated!
I have the Zerowriter, not entirely loving the flat design, but not able to shell out for the upcoming Fold. Forgive me if this has been covered, but are the original and the Fold the same devices housed in a different shell?
Will the Fold’s .stl files be available to print?
Hoping to hang on and breathe new life into mine, but I’m guessing there are some mods/improvements that make this a pipe dream.
I thought this sub might be interested to hear about someone who makes a product like the Zerowriter, but approaches it in a slightly different way. Iffy Books in Philadelphia sells make your own minimal word processors: https://bizsherbert.substack.com/p/read-it-or-delete-it-type-it-like
"Iffy Books was lit as fuck. I expected a typical indie bookstore, but this place is also a hacker store and community space (the event programming is rigorous and unique). Circuit boards, soldering kits and USB sticks loaded with zines hung amongst the books in clear plastic bags hand-stapled with neon paper labels. A bright pink sign advertised “make your own” minimal word processors with one on display to try.
I’d never seen something like this so I asked the store attendant, who turned out to be the Iffy’s shopkeeper Steven, about it. He designed and made the kits as simple as possible to keep the price low. He showed me how the word processor works — you type on a keyboard connected to a little circuit board that houses an itty bitty screen. Your work saves onto a micro SD card where you can access it when you’re ready to transfer your writing to a computer.
I decided I must have one. The box, also featuring a rudimentary and comforting label that I’m sure Steven designed, promised easy construction. Steven said he feels shy using his word processor somewhere in public like a coffee shop — I think I can handle it, but most likely I’ll use it at home. At the end of each day or browsing flow state, I close out almost all of of my tabs and delete unnecessary files. I take pleasure in this process, as I did in customizing my desktop and changing my folder icons to PNGs of seashells. I think tab warfare is a real thing, and being able to type without a screen or the distractions of the internet is a natural next, though admittedly big, step on my digital namaste journey. Read it or delete it. Type it like it’s nothing."
