E-Ink Standalone Writing Environment
Budget: $30 – $250 USD
I am trying to write a novel, and I’m pretty far into it. But I get distracted by all the things on my computer too easily, and I need a distractions-free writing environment that I can take with me when I travel. I am looking to have an E-Ink smart typewriter. There are a few out there, like the Freewrite and the Pomera DM30, but these are too expensive. I am needing someone to make something like it with the following specifications:
• At least a 4.2 Inch backlit E-Ink display with a refresh rate greater than .8 seconds (I hear this can be challenging to lower, but obviously the lower the better?)
• Standard American-layout backlit keyboard (About 12 Inch size, not too big, and not travel-size either)
• Clamshell design for easy travel (Can be plastic chassis, whether 3D printed at home or improvised. Just needs to be tough enough for long-term use and travel)
• ONLY can do basic text editing. Bold, italics, TAB indent and being able to move the cursor
• At least a 20-hour battery life (Rechargeable with a USB-C cable)
• Can make multiple documents (Chapters)
• USB-A slot to move files to flash drive (RichText format)
This seems pretty basic, but I do not know anything about coding, so I guess that’s up to you to decide how hard it is. Below I have some concept art as to what the UI and case should look like:
TEXT EDITOR
(See photo)
Just a simple page where you would write text. Font not too big, normal size 12. At the bottom of the page is a line, and below that are that file’s total word count and the battery life. The arrow keys would be used to move the cursor and navigate the document.
FILE LIST
(See photo)
Taking up about 1/3 of the page on the left-side would be a list of files (Chapters). There does not need to be files inside of files, a simple list will work. The list could be organized be creation date, from the top down. Taking up the remaining 2/3 of the screen would be a preview of the file that is selected. Just use of the arrow keys to navigate up and down on the files would work. At the bottom of the file list would be a button to make a ‘New File’. Once pressed a dialogue appears asking what the name of the file is. Then is saves it to the list, and enters it in the text editor. (Pressing enter on a file in the list will also open it up in the editor.) The ability to rename and delete a file would also be great, maybe when you press TAB or something on it a dialogue could appear with those two options.
FLASH DRIVE DIALOUGE
(See photo)
A dialogue would appear when a flash drive is plugged in, asking the following: ‘TRANSFER FILES TO FLASH DRIVE?’ Two simple ‘YES’ ‘NO’ boxes would work, and could be selected by using the arrow keys back and forth, then enter. Pressing no will exit the dialogue. If there is a simpler way to do the same thing, please let me know about it. It would need copy the files over to the flash drive and maintain the names of those files.
CHASSIS DESIGN
(See photo)
The chassis would be 3D printed. The keyboard and screen and the rest of the electronics would need to be firmly secured, so they wouldn’t break when being moved around. (Typing in an airplane or in a car or bus.) The hinges would need to be friction hinges (Or something else), like what a laptop has, so the screen won’t be floppy and will stay in place. It would also need a single on-off switch somewhere. The UI would be simple, with sharp corners. The buttons would be white with black centered text, and would invert when selected to show which is being looked at. (Like a Kindle E-Reader).
I am wanting to see how expensive this would be to make so I know whether to go with this or buying one commercially. The Freewrite currently sells at $450, but will be raised to $600 soon. The Pomera DM30 is currently $450, but was $250 when it came out and should return to that price soon. So, in order for this project not to break the bank, and to be practical, it would need to be around $250. Let me know if you can do it!
• At least a 4.2 Inch backlit E-Ink display with a refresh rate greater than .8 seconds (I hear this can be challenging to lower, but obviously the lower the better?)
• Standard American-layout backlit keyboard (About 12 Inch size, not too big, and not travel-size either)
• Clamshell design for easy travel (Can be plastic chassis, whether 3D printed at home or improvised. Just needs to be tough enough for long-term use and travel)
• ONLY can do basic text editing. Bold, italics, TAB indent and being able to move the cursor
• At least a 20-hour battery life (Rechargeable with a USB-C cable)
• Can make multiple documents (Chapters)
• USB-A slot to move files to flash drive (RichText format)
This seems pretty basic, but I do not know anything about coding, so I guess that’s up to you to decide how hard it is. Below I have some concept art as to what the UI and case should look like:
TEXT EDITOR
(See photo)
Just a simple page where you would write text. Font not too big, normal size 12. At the bottom of the page is a line, and below that are that file’s total word count and the battery life. The arrow keys would be used to move the cursor and navigate the document.
FILE LIST
(See photo)
Taking up about 1/3 of the page on the left-side would be a list of files (Chapters). There does not need to be files inside of files, a simple list will work. The list could be organized be creation date, from the top down. Taking up the remaining 2/3 of the screen would be a preview of the file that is selected. Just use of the arrow keys to navigate up and down on the files would work. At the bottom of the file list would be a button to make a ‘New File’. Once pressed a dialogue appears asking what the name of the file is. Then is saves it to the list, and enters it in the text editor. (Pressing enter on a file in the list will also open it up in the editor.) The ability to rename and delete a file would also be great, maybe when you press TAB or something on it a dialogue could appear with those two options.
FLASH DRIVE DIALOUGE
(See photo)
A dialogue would appear when a flash drive is plugged in, asking the following: ‘TRANSFER FILES TO FLASH DRIVE?’ Two simple ‘YES’ ‘NO’ boxes would work, and could be selected by using the arrow keys back and forth, then enter. Pressing no will exit the dialogue. If there is a simpler way to do the same thing, please let me know about it. It would need copy the files over to the flash drive and maintain the names of those files.
CHASSIS DESIGN
(See photo)
The chassis would be 3D printed. The keyboard and screen and the rest of the electronics would need to be firmly secured, so they wouldn’t break when being moved around. (Typing in an airplane or in a car or bus.) The hinges would need to be friction hinges (Or something else), like what a laptop has, so the screen won’t be floppy and will stay in place. It would also need a single on-off switch somewhere. The UI would be simple, with sharp corners. The buttons would be white with black centered text, and would invert when selected to show which is being looked at. (Like a Kindle E-Reader).
I am wanting to see how expensive this would be to make so I know whether to go with this or buying one commercially. The Freewrite currently sells at $450, but will be raised to $600 soon. The Pomera DM30 is currently $450, but was $250 when it came out and should return to that price soon. So, in order for this project not to break the bank, and to be practical, it would need to be around $250. Let me know if you can do it!