inky is a brand new you ship we ship by [hack club].
your goal? create a program that runs on an [orpheus pico] and an [b&w e ink display] using python or [C].
what the heck is e-ink?
e-ink is a display technology made in 1997 that tried to mimic paper! the screen only uses power when changing the image, which means your project can run for weeks on a single charge! if you want to read more about how e-ink works, check out this [wikipedia article].
how do i make a program for it?
we recommend using python, but c also works! if you already know python, you can use [pygame] and create a 250 × 122 window to display your project. once you get your e-ink device, you can change this to use the official e-ink library. we're glad you asked.
if you don't know python, there are many resource to learn it, [w3school's course] is a great place to start. once you know it, you can start making your project using [pygame]! pygame is a python library that makes it easy to create games and other interactive programs. We will use this now, as you don't have the physical e-ink screen with you. Once you get it, you can change this to use the official e-ink library.
if your using c, you should use [SDL] to display graphics. again, once you get your actual e-ink device, you can change this to use the official e-ink library.
we also have a [slack channel] where you can ask questions and get help on making your awesome project.
what should i build?
build anything that solves a problem for you or your friends.
here are some ideas:
- a to-do list dashboard
- a local news digest that summarizes the stories of the day
- a display that shows the music currently playing on your computer using the spotify or last.fm apis
- a display to show off your hackatime activity and how much time you've coded.
- a weather display that pulls weather data and to display them
- a display showing your slack addiction by showing your slack stats using the slack api
the possibilities are endless!
what's the guidelines?
projects should be unique, creative and uses an e-ink display, and should work with a [orpheus pico]. track at least 3 hours of on [hackatime] to track your hours. make it your own! make something that you're proud of and would want to show off to your friends or use everyday. projects should be made in c and python, and made in black and white (250x122). projects should:
- three distinct layouts/views
- communicate with apis, or fetch data from a server
- if images are included, images should be dithered.
- must use partial refreshing or scheduled full refresh
what's the timeline?
inky ends on september 31st, so make sure to submit your project by then!
is this double dippable with summer of making?
[insert the answer]
my question wasn't answered, who do i ask?
feel free to ask in our [#inky] channel!