For some, knowing what the weather is like today is something that might be “nice to know.” But for others, it might be important. It might be deciding what to wear, whether to bring an umbrella, and so on. If you like the idea of weather trackers but don’t want to look at your phone all the time, user Mammoth-Grade-7629 on Reddit built an e-paper weather tracker that lasts almost 1.5 years on a single charge.
This e-paper weather tracker lasts 1.5 years on a single charge
The idea of standalone smart displays isn’t new. We’ve seen many by companies like Google or Amazon, but those can be expensive and sometimes come with extra features that might not be necessary for some. However, this ESP32 e-paper weather tracker is honestly as minimalist and as simple as it gets.
The fact that it was a largely DIY project also means you can build it yourself if you’re so inclined. According to Mammoth-Grade-7629, “I spent the last couple weeks building this minimalist, comfort and health-focused e-paper weather station. It uses a Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-C3, a 4.2-inch e-paper display, a custom PCB, and a translucent frosted resin enclosure.”
Also, instead of it being plugged in, it runs on a 1,500mAh Li-Po battery. This means that you can bring it with you wherever you go, like on camping trips or even overseas. To achieve the estimated 1.5 years of battery life, Mammoth-Grade-7629 made tweaks to the total active wake-up time. They dropped it from ~10 seconds to ~4.3 seconds per refresh.
So, you want to make it yourself?
Like we said earlier, this is a largely DIY project. The good news is that Mammoth-Grade-7629 was generous enough to share the details of the project by posting the instructions and guide on Instructables. They also shared the open-source code repository on GitHub.
For the most part, you can buy all the components from AliExpress. As for the actual housing, you might need access to a 3D printer. You could always try and come up with a different enclosure design yourself. However, if you want to achieve a similar look, you should be able to find all the files on GitHub.
The post This DIY E-Paper Weather Tracker Runs for 1.5 Years on a Single Charge appeared first on Android Headlines.