[Markus] grabbed an ESP32 and created a good-looking e-ink dashboard that can act as a status display for Home Automation. However, the hardware is generic enough that it could work as a weather station or even a task scheduler.
The project makes good use of modules, so there isn’t much to build. A Waveshare 2.9-inch e-ink panel and an ESP32, along with a power supply, are all you need. The real work is in the software. Of course, you also need a box to put it in, but with 3D printing, that’s hardly a problem.
Well, it isn’t a problem unless — like [Markus] — you don’t have a 3D printer. Instead, he built a wooden case that also holds notepaper.
The software uses ESPHome to interface with Home Assistant. There is a fair amount of configuration, but nothing too difficult. Of course, you can customize the display to your heart’s content. Overall, this is a great example of how a few modular components and some open-source software can combine to make a very simple yet useful project.
There are many ways to use an ESP32 in your home automation setup. Maybe you can salvage the e-ink displays. Just try not to get carried away.
Curious how this has been running now that it has been over a month. Two things in this article popped out at me with what I know about these smaller Waveshare ePaper displays. One is that they should not be powered on continuously and are best powered off between refreshes. With this project updating the display every minute, I am wondering if it is being left powered on continuously. Which brings up the second point, that these display should not be refreshed any sooner than every 3 minutes. So curious how it is holding up under one-minute refreshes assuming it has been running this whole time (many weeks continiously).
Reference: https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/2.9inch_e-Paper_Module_Manual#Precautions
While he nicely explains the yaml file on his blog, heres a link to the source https://github.com/mhaack/home-assistant-config/blob/master/config/esphome/home-display.yaml