The inky:bit for the BBC micro:bit is a low energy, high contrast, three colour electronic paper (ePaper / eInk / EPD) display. The inky:bit has been designed specifically for micro:bit V2 and will not work with V1. An ePaper display has been in the works for years but it wasn't until microbit V2, with its increased RAM, that it finally became possible.

The high contrast display is ideal for displaying simple graphics and rendering text which, just like paper, is readable in bright sunlight. ePaper displays have very low power consumption which makes them ideal for powering with batteries. Once you've written an image to the display it doesn't require any power to keep it there. Ideal for use as a name badge, a clock, for displaying QR codes or pixel art, or for displaying data from your micro:bit's sensors.

Multi-colour EPD displays, like the ones on inky:bit, use ingenious electrophoresis to pull coloured particles up and down on the display. The coloured particles reflect light, unlike most display types, meaning that they're visible under bright lights. It takes approximately 15 seconds to refresh the display, with a typical 8mA current draw during refreshes.

The easiest way to code inky:bit is with the block-based Microsoft MakeCode editor. There are custom drag and drop blocks that will help you get started drawing text, shapes and images. To add the inky:bit library in MakeCode, click on the cog at the top right-hand corner, then "Add Package", then enter the URL https://github.com/pimoroni/pxt-inkybit. There is also a library for MicroPython, more information on that here.

inky:bit's e-ink display is mounted on a slightly oversized PCB to protect it. This display does still involve a thin sheet of glass though, so it's worth taking a little bit of care to avoid direct impacts to the screen.

Features:

• It's a high contrast, three colour electronic paper (ePaper / eInk / EPD) display.
• 2.13" EPD display (250x122 pixels).
• Designed specifically for micro:bit V2.
• Microsoft MakeCode support.
• MicroPython support.
• Comes pre-assembled and ready to use.
• Ultra-low power consumption.
• Usable in bright sunlight.
• Ideal for use as a name badge, a clock, for displaying QR codes or pixel art, or for displaying data from your micro:bit's sensors.

Contents:

• 1 x Pimoroni inky:bit for BBC micro:bit V2.

Dimensions:

• Length: 67mm.
• Width: 44mm.
• Height: 12mm.
• Display Width: 48.5mm
• Display Height: 23.8mm
• Display Diagonal: 2.13" (54.1mm)

Requires:

• BBC micro:bit V2.
• USB cable.

Resources:

• MakeCode editor.
• GitHub repo for MakeCode blocks.
• MicroPython library for inky:bit.