2. Inkplate Features

2.1. Important note

When our rebranding happened from E-Radionica to Soldered, we also changed some Inkplate features. There are some important differences to note between older and newer models of Inkplate boards. Here is a table for a quick overview:

Feature

Older Inkplate boards

Newer Inkplate boards

Board Definition

e-Radionica Inkplate

Soldered Inkplate

Board color

Blue (usually)

Purple

Has touchpads (*)

Yes

No

GPIO Expander (**)

MCP23017

PCAL6416A

(*) Not all boards have this feature, please see the table below for more details

(**) There is no functional difference for the end-user between the two GPIO expanders, please see this page for more details.

If you are purchasing your Inkplate directly from Soldered.com, you will recieve a newer model with all the corresponding features which are listed on that particular Inkplate’s product page. If you are purchasing Inkplate from a distributor and want to be sure which version you’re getting, please make sure to check with them, as they might have a different version in stock.

We still fully support all our boards with the latest version of the Inkplate library.

2.2. E-Radionica Inkplate Comparison (older models)

Feature

E-Radionica Inkplate 10

E-Radionica Inkplate 6

E-Radionica Inkplate 6PLUS

Screen Size

9.7”

6”

6”

Resolution

1200x825

800x600

1024x758

Pixels

990,000

480,000

776,192

Grayscale levels

8

8

8

All-In-One

Yes

Yes

Yes

Low-Power

Yes

Yes

Yes

Wi-Fi

Yes

Yes

Yes

Touchpads

Yes

Yes

Yes

Touchscreen

No

No

Yes

Backlight

No

No

Yes

MicroSD

Yes

Yes

Yes

Full refresh time

1.61s

1.26s

1.27s

Fast refresh time

0.62s

0.26s

0.64s

2.3. Soldered Inkplate Comparison (newer models)

Feature

Soldered Inkplate 10

Soldered Inkplate 6

Soldered Inkplate 6PLUS

Soldered Inkplate 6FLICK

Soldered Inkplate 6COLOR

Soldered Inkplate 5

Soldered Inkplate 5 V2

Soldered Inkplate 4TEMPERA

Soldered Inkplate 2

Screen Size

9.7”

6”

6”

6”

5.8”

5.2”

5.2”

3.8”

2.13”

Resolution

1200x825

800x600

1024x758

1024x758

600x448

960x540

1280x720

600x600

202x104

Pixels

990,000

480,000

776,192

776,192

268,800

518,400

921,600

360,000

21,008

Grayscale levels

8

8

8

8

.

8

8

8

.

Color

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

All-In-One

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Low-Power

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Wi-Fi

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Touchpads

No

No

No

No

Some(*)

No

No

No

No

Touchscreen

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

No

Backlight

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

No

MicroSD

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Additional sensors and actuators

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes(**)

No

Full refresh time

1.61s

1.26s

1.27s

1.55s

12s

1.02s

1.13s

0.86s

21s

Fast refresh time

0.62s

0.26s

0.64s

0.23s

0.12s

0.26s

0.18s

(*) Some older initial models of Inkplate 6COLOR do have touchpads, but more than likely none that are available from distributors

(**) For a detailed list of the sensors please see further on this page.

2.4. Inkplate 6

2.4.1. Front-Mounted Components:

_images/inkplate6_front.jpg

2.4.2. Rear-Mounted Components:

_images/inkplate6_back.jpg

2.4.3. Other Technical Specifications

Physical Interface: three capacitive touch pads, hardware power switch, one LED battery indicator and hardware reset button
Connectors: USB-C, easyC, and GPIO
Wired Connectivity: USB, I²C, and SPI
USB to UART converter: CH340C
Storage: MicroSD card reader
Power Management: based on Texas Instruments (TI) TPS65186, MCP73831 lithium battery charger with a standard JST-PH 2-Pin right angle connector.
Temperature Sensor: Internal TPS65186

2.5. Inkplate 6PLUS

2.5.1. Front-Mounted Components:

_images/inkplate6plus_front.jpg

2.5.2. Rear-Mounted Components:

_images/inkplate6plus_back.jpg

2.5.3. Other Technical Specifications

Physical Interface: touchscreen, backlight, hardware power switch, one LED battery indicator and hardware reset button.
Connectors: Micro USB, easyC, and GPIO.
Wired Connectivity: USB, I²C, and SPI.
USB to UART converter: CH340C.
Storage: MicroSD card reader.
Power Management: based on Texas Instruments (TI) TPS65186, MCP73831 lithium battery charger with a standard JST-PH 2-Pin right angle connector.
Temperature Sensor: Internal TPS65186.

2.6. Inkplate 10

2.6.1. Front-Mounted Components:

_images/inkplate10_front.png

2.6.2. Rear-Mounted Components:

_images/inkplate10_back.png

2.6.3. Other Technical Specifications

Physical Interface: three capacitive touch pads, push button for power and additional user button, form factor that is optimized for custom enclosures.
Connectivity: a USB Type-C port for programming and power, plenty of additional GPIO pins and support for I²C, SPI, and easyC/Qwiic connectivity.
Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) support thanks to the on-board ESP32 module.
USB to UART converter: CH340C
Storage: MicroSD card reader
Power Management: based on Texas Instruments (TI) TPS65186, MCP73831 lithium battery charger with a standard JST-PH 2-Pin right angle connector.
Temperature Sensor: Internal TPS65186

2.7. Inkplate 6COLOR

2.7.1. Front-Mounted Components:

_images/inkplate6color_front.jpg

2.7.2. Rear-Mounted Components:

_images/inkplate6color_back.jpg

2.7.3. Other Technical Specifications

Physical Interface: three capacitive touch pads, push button for power and additional user button, form factor that is optimized for custom enclosures.
Connectors: USB type C, easyC, GPIO and battery.
Wired Connectivity: USB, I²C, and SPI.
USB to UART converter: CH340C.
Storage: MicroSD card reader.
Power Management: onboard SPD1656 Chip on Glass (also used as Active Matrix EPD Display Driver) for power supply, MCP73831 lithium battery charger with a standard JST-PH 2-Pin right angle connector.

2.8. Inkplate 2

2.8.1. Front-Mounted Components:

_images/inkplate2bwrExample.jpg

2.8.2. Rear-Mounted Components:

_images/inkplate2_back.jpg

2.8.3. Other Technical Specifications

Physical Interface:GPIO pins, reset button and form factor that is optimized for custom enclosures.
Connectors: USB type C, easyC, GPIO and battery.
Wired Connectivity: USB, I²C, and SPI.
USB to UART converter: CH340C.
Storage: 4MB internal flash memory for user data.
Power Management: onboard Chip on Glass (also used as Active Matrix EPD Display Driver) for power supply, MCP73831 lithium battery charger and pads on board to solder battery.

2.9. Inkplate 5

2.9.1. Front-Mounted Components:

_images/inkplate5.jpg

2.9.2. Rear-Mounted Components:

_images/inkplate5_tech.jpg

2.9.3. Other Technical Specifications

Physical Interface: hardware power switch, GPIO pins, reset button and form factor that is optimized for custom enclosures.
Connectors: USB type C, easyC, and GPIO
Wired Connectivity: USB, I²C, and SPI
USB to UART converter: CH340C
Storage: MicroSD card reader
Power Management: based on Texas Instruments (TI) TPS65186, MCP73831 lithium battery charger with a standard JST-PH 2-Pin right angle connector.
Temperature Sensor: Internal TPS65186

2.10. Inkplate 5 V2

2.10.1. Front-Mounted Components:

_images/Inkplate5_v2_front.png

2.10.2. Rear-Mounted Components:

_images/Inkplate5_v2_back.png

2.10.3. Other Technical Specifications

Physical Interface: hardware power switch, GPIO pins, reset button and form factor that is optimized for custom enclosures.
Connectors: USB type C, easyC, and GPIO
Wired Connectivity: USB, I²C, and SPI
USB to UART converter: CH340C
Storage: MicroSD card reader
Power Management: based on Texas Instruments (TI) TPS65186, MCP73831 lithium battery charger with a standard JST-PH 2-Pin right angle connector.
Temperature Sensor: Internal TPS65186

2.11. Inkplate 4TEMPERA

_images/tempera.jpg

2.11.1. Front-Mounted Components:

_images/tempera_front.jpg

2.11.2. Rear-Mounted Components:

_images/tempera_rear.jpg

2.11.3. Screen

Display Type: 3-bit grayscale; black, white, and six shades of gray. 1-bit black-and-white mode available.
Resolution: 600 x 600 pixels.
Partial-Refresh Time: 0.18 seconds in 1-bit mode.
Full-Refresh Time: 0.86 seconds in both 1-bit and 3-bit modes.
Touchscreen: Multi-point touchscreen capability.
Frontlighting: Customizable LED, programmable for dimly lit environments.
Eco-Friendly: Sourced from recycled e-paper screens.

2.11.4. Key Electronic Components

Microcontroller: ESP32 with 8MB flash and 4MB RAM.
USB-UART Converter: CH340.
GPIO Expander: PCAL6416.
Storage: Onboard microSD card slot.

2.11.5. Connectivity

Wireless: Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE.
USB Port: Type-C for programming and power.
Peripheral: easyC (qwiic / STEMMA QT) connectors.

2.11.6. Sensors

Environmental Sensor: BME688 for temperature, humidity, pressure, and air quality.
Gesture Sensor: Side-mounted APDS-9960.
Motion Sensing: Built-in LSM6DS3 gyroscope and accelerometer.
Real-Time Clock: PCF85063A, backed up by an auxiliary battery.

2.11.7. Power

Consumption: 18 µA in low-power mode.
Power Supply: Special e-paper TPS65186.
Battery Charger: Onboard MCP73831.
Battery Status: BQ27441DRZR for tracking SoC and more.
Battery: 1200-mAh Li-ion, within the enclosure.

2.11.8. Physical

Dimensions: 3.54 x 3.27 x 0.94 inches (90 x 83 x 24 mm).
Variants: Available with or without a glass panel.

2.12. Inkplate 6FLICK

2.12.1. Front-Mounted Components:

_images/Inkplate6flick_front.png

2.12.2. Rear-Mounted Components:

_images/Inkplate6flick_back.png

2.12.3. Other Technical Specifications

Physical Interface: touchscreen, backlight, hardware power switch, one LED battery indicator and hardware reset button.
Connectors: USB-C, easyC, and GPIO.
Wired Connectivity: USB, I²C, and SPI.
USB to UART converter: CH340C.
Storage: MicroSD card reader.
Power Management: based on Texas Instruments (TI) TPS65186, MCP73831 lithium battery charger with a standard JST-PH 2-Pin right angle connector.
Temperature Sensor: Internal TPS65186.