The single-chip wireless Electronic Paper Display solution uses Wi-Fi technology, allowing easy updates through remote maintenance in IoT applications.
Wi-Fi-enabledWi-Fi Electronic Paper Displays (EPDs) are increasingly important in today’s digital landscape, offering significant advantages that meet the demands of modern technology applications. These displays combine low power consumption—using energy only during content updates—with the ability to remotely change display content, making them ideal for various applications such as retail signage, information boards, and consumer devices like e-readers. Integrated into the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, these displays can communicate with other devices to provide timely and dynamic content updates, enhancing operational efficiency and user experience while supporting environmental sustainability by reducing paper use. The reference design from Texas Instruments (TI) showcases a single-chip solution for a wireless Electronic Paper Display (EPD) using Wi-Fi technology.
EPD displays, known for their low-power needs, require a way for users to update display information easily. This system enables user control through remote maintenance, a crucial feature in the expanding Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) market. The design incorporates the low-power TI SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3200 wireless MCU, which supports operation on two AA batteries for several months to over a year, depending on usage. Equipped with an integrated microcontroller and Wi-Fi network processor, this CC3200-based design facilitates EPD display management remotely or locally via the MQTT protocol.
The design’s featured applications include electronic shelf labels, name tags, indoor signage, and wearables. These diverse uses highlight the technology’s versatility and adaptability in various settings, from retail environments to personal identification and indoor directional aids.
The reference design boasts several key features, including low power consumption suitable for battery-powered operations, cloud connectivity for remote management, and local control for on-site adjustments. It supports five different display sizes and allows for custom graphics, enhancing visual appeal and versatility. Additionally, it offers a broadcast content option, enabling simultaneous updates across multiple displays.
Users can update multiple EPD panels for remote operations, regardless of their physical location or size, by assigning them the same identifier. This feature is particularly valuable in scenarios such as electronic shelf labelling, where pricing information needs to be updated across multiple locations simultaneously.
From a power management standpoint, this design leverages a key advantage of EPD technology—no power consumption between updates. The SimpleLink device can maintain a constant connection for immediate response updates or intermittently at set intervals to minimise power usage and extend battery life. The CC3200’s Cortex M4 MCU drives the EPD display quickly and efficiently, ensuring rapid updates and contributing to the system’s overall low power consumption.
TI has tested this reference design. It comes with a bill of materials (BOM), schematics, assembly drawing, printed circuit board (PCB) layout, and more. The company’s website has additional data about the reference design. To read more about this reference design, click here.
