Over 50% Funded – Thank You!

After three years of development, the first week of our campaign launch has been encouraging: 56% funded with 79 backers on board! To every backer and to everyone who has shared the project, asked questions, or offered feedback, thank you. You’ve helped shape this project and keep the momentum going.

Our next goal: reach 65% funded by the end of this week.

Every backer, share, and mention moves us closer to making e-paper more open, more accessible, and more versatile, and helps shift the industry toward a future where e-paper is an open platform.

Save the Date: August 28th

Teardown Session 55: Ultra Low-Latency Open Hardware E-Paper with Modos

On August 28th, we’ll be joining Helen Leigh for a Teardown Session livestream all about how we’ve made e-ink fast. We’ll share the process, the challenges, and the techniques that let our open-hardware paper dev kit hit ultra-low latency and high refresh rates.

If you haven’t already, check out Wenting’s Teardown 2024 talk, Making E-Ink Go Fast

I’d love for you to join us, mark August 28th on your calendar.

Modos in the Press

• Yanko Design – Modos Paper Dev Kit Brings High-Refresh E Ink to Designers and Makers
• Hackster.io – Modos Opens Crowdfunding for "the Fastest ePaper Display," the Modos Paper Dev Kit
• Liliputing – Modos Paper Dev Kit cranks E Ink monitor refresh rates up to 75 Hz (crowdfunding)
• Tom’s Hardware – E-paper hits 75 Hz to better suit productivity tasks — kits in two screen sizes go up for pre-order, starting at $199
• Notebookcheck – Modos: E Ink display supports impressive 75 Hz refresh rate
• CNX Software – FPGA-based Modos Paper Dev Kit supports a wide range of E-Ink displays, up to 75 Hz refresh rate (Crowdfunding)
• ArchUp – Modos Paper Dev Kit: Redefining the Future of Creative Displays and E Ink Technology?

This Week’s Livestream

“A 75Hz frame rate sounds too good to be true, are you sure Modos isn’t using a reflective LCD?”

One of the biggest surprises for people is discovering how fast e-ink can be. Most people’s first encounter with an electrophoretic display is in an e-reader, digital sign, or tablet device with slow refresh rates. We’re here to change that perception and narrative. The best way to do that is to have the device in your hands, but the next best option is for us to show you.

That’s why this week’s livestream, from Wednesday to Saturday, is all about pushing e-ink beyond what you thought possible: 75 Hz refresh, low latency, and smooth interaction.

• 3-5 PM EDT – Your content on our display! We’ll be running Anthias digital signage on a Raspberry Pi 5 to showcase your sketches, images, videos, and art in real time. Submit sketches and videos on Modos Sketch
• 6–8 PM EDT – Daily driving with Modos: KDE, GNOME and XFCE.
• Gaming on E Ink – We’ll also be playing Return of the Obra Dinn, here's a short demo.

Watch live at: https://modos.tech/live

Livestream Suggestions

Here’s what we plan to show and what you’ve suggested:

Planned Demos

• Multiple windows in action
• Fast application switching
• Dragging items between windows

Suggestions from Mastodon

• Lightweight video game (e.g., SCUMMVM)
• YouTube video playback
• cmatrix in a terminal
• Writing code in an IDE (e.g., VS Code with syntax highlighting)
• Browsing a moderately complex website/app
• Ghosting behavior switching from mostly black to mostly white images
• High-framerate timer with milliseconds to showcase 75 Hz
• LCD vs e-ink side-by-side comparison

Get Involved

Want to see something specific? Have an idea for a test? Join our Discord or Matrix communities and let us know! This is your chance to help shape what we show next.

And don’t forget to back our campaign on Crowd Supply!