Caster: An Open-source E-Ink Controller
summary
Caster is an open-source E‑Ink controller IP with fully published RTL, PCB and enclosure designs and an FPGA reference monitor built on a Spartan‑6. It runs at up to 70 MHz using about 2.6K LUTs for ~280 megapixel/s processing, supports USB‑C and DVI input, multiple dithering modes and waveform tables, and implements per-pixel timers and a hybrid binary/grayscale auto‑switch that yields usable interactivity (15–20 FPS with contrast tradeoffs). The prototype draws ~2 W and all sources are on GitLab.
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chapters (15)
- 0:00Caster project intro
- 1:02E-Ink displays overview
- 2:50Existing controller challenges
- 3:52Designing new controller
- 4:55Caster core features
- 6:39Waveform tables & grayscale
- 7:21High refresh rate & latency
- 8:47Faster typing with regions
- 9:50Cursor movement & grayscale
- 11:58Hardware & FPGA details
- 13:21Final open-source release
- 14:02Q&A: API & interface
- 15:12Q&A: Power use & comparison
- 16:13Q&A: Incremental updates
- 16:44Q&A: ASIC future & lifespan
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