Spiros BondKey Features Showcase
Current Capabilities
- Native EPUB parsing - No conversion required, reads .epub files directly
- Full gesture navigation - Swipe left/right for pages, up/down for chapters
- Complete library management - Browse, select, and organize your book collection
- SD card storage - Load books via microSD card for massive storage capacity
- Adjustable backlight - 64 levels of brightness control for any lighting condition
- Progress tracking - Automatically saves your reading position
- Multiple font options - Choose from serif, sans-serif fonts in various sizes (only adjustable from code currently)
- Image rendering - Display book covers, illustrations, and diagrams natively
- Automatic pagination - Smart text flow with chapter detection
- Partial screen refresh - Fast page turns with minimal full screen flicker
- Battery monitoring - Real-time battery level display
- Battery charging - Built in charging capability
- Automatic EPUB indexing - Fast navigation and page caching
- 3-D Printable Case - Case designed and provided for free from Inkplate
Performance Highlights
- Battery life: Over 1 week of continuous use
- Display: 6" e-paper with 1024×758 pixel resolution
- Refresh rate: Under 1 second for page turns
- Storage: Virtually unlimited via microSD cards
- Icons: Support for Icon rendering for enhanced UI experience
- Language support: English characters (with plans for expansion)
Images and Videos Section
Hardware Overview:
- InkPlate 6 Flick board with e-paper display
- SD card slot and battery connection
- Touch-responsive screen surface
- More info at Inkplate Docs
Software Interface:
- Main library browser showing book collection
- Reading interface with text and image rendering
- Settings menu with backlight controls and other features
- Progress tracking and chapter navigation
Video Demos:
Components List
Core Hardware
- InkPlate 6 Flick Development Board - Main processing unit with ESP32 and 6" e-paper display
- MicroSD Card - For book storage (32GB+ recommended)
- Lithium Battery - 3.7V LiPo battery for portable operation
- USB-C Cable - For charging and programming
Optional Accessories
- 3D Printed Case - Protective enclosure (STL files can be created)
- MicroSD Card Reader - For transferring books from computer
Development Tools
- Arduino IDE - Primary development environment
- USB-C Cable - For code upload and debugging
Future Development Roadmap
Software Improvements Ideas
- WiFi connectivity - Over-the-air library management and book upload
- Enhanced user settings - More customization options
- Reading statistics - Track reading speed, time spent, books completed
- Note-taking system - Highlight text and add personal annotations
- Hyperlink support - Chapter-to-chapter navigation within books
- Multi-language support - Unicode character handling for international texts
- Advanced search - Full-text search within books and library
Hardware Improvement Ideas
- Custom PCB design for even smaller form factor
- Solar charging integration for indefinite battery life
- Improved case design with better ergonomics
Credits and Acknowledgments
External Libraries and Partners
- Soldered Electronics - For the excellent InkPlate 6 Flick hardware platform and Arduino library support
- TinyXML2 by Lee Thomason - Lightweight XML parsing library enabling EPUB file processing
- Arduino Community - For the development environment and extensive documentation
- Espressif - ESP32 microcontroller and development frameworks
Development Tools
- Arduino IDE - Primary development environment
- InkPlate Arduino SDK - Hardware abstraction and display drivers
Hardware Reference
This project is built upon the InkPlate 6 Flick reference design and documentation provided by Soldered Electronics. Their open-hardware approach made this project possible.
Community Contributions
Special thanks to the open-source hardware community for inspiration and the existing e-reader projects that paved the way for this implementation.
License and Open Source
This project is released under an open-source license, encouraging modification, redistribution, and community contribution. All source code, documentation, and design files will be made available through public repositories.
Repository Structure:
/src- Main firmware source code/libs- Custom library implementations/docs- Build guides and technical documentation
Get Involved
This project welcomes contributions from the community:
- Code contributions - Bug fixes, feature additions, optimizations
- Documentation - Improve build guides, add language translations
- Testing - Try different EPUB files, report compatibility issues
- Hardware mods - Share case designs, battery upgrades, mounting solutions
- Feature requests - Suggest new capabilities and improvements
Join the growing community of open-source e-reader enthusiasts and help make digital reading more accessible and customizable for everyone!
Ready to build your own? Get started with your custom InkBook and begin your journey into open-source reading technology!