The tiniest e-reader in the world, and you can build one yourself

What's really nice about tiny e-readers is that you can read without having to move your eyes horizontally.

If there are only four words per line, you can slide your eyes down the middle and take in all the words in a chunk like you would for normal speed-reading.

I have an xteink X4 and X3 and I swear I can read for much longer without strain. You can also just crank your margins way up on most other e-readers.

I'm not that fond of eInk, having tried a PocketBook Verse e-reader (more open than a Kindle, has a microSD slot for my 70+GB fully DRM-free eBook collection) with a fairly grainy screen.

A recent article on HN convinced me to try the M5Stack Paper S3. Much nicer screen with 16-level grayscale touchscreen, microSD slot, ESP32-S3 with WiFi and Bluetooth, supports the Crosspoint Reader software. It's got a magnetic back but won't fit on the back of a Magsafe phone like the Xteink4 can. It's double the price, but well worth it.

My current e-reader is an Openbook Abridged designed by Joey Castillo of Oddly Specific Objects. It is larger than this tiny device, but smaller than something like a smartphone, and I think it is the PERFECT size. It's a similar kind of device which actually has even less features than this O24. I love it so much, and have been reading so much more than I used to since I soldered the kit together ~6 months ago.

"Since the ESP32 only supports 8MB of onboard storage" - an SD card breakout with SPI interface costs 2 bucks. That would be an easy addition. I think there are also ESP32 boards with SD card slot but this would also make for a nice custom PCB.

I feel like this article was made for me specifically because I have a handful of Waveshare ePaper HATs for the Pi Zero that are currently sitting unused, they have standard GPIO connections in addition to the HAT interface that I should use along with an ESP32, because battery life would be much more important than running a full linux install for this!

What's really nice about tiny e-readers is that you can read without having to move your eyes horizontally.

If there are only four words per line, you can slide your eyes down the middle and take in all the words in a chunk like you would for normal speed-reading.

I have an xteink X4 and X3 and I swear I can read for much longer without strain. You can also just crank your margins way up on most other e-readers.

Is it really worth the tradeoffs of having significantly smaller storage space, reduced screen size, and clicking through way more often, just to not have to move your eyes as much horizontally?

I can't imagine this tiny thing being able to refresh fast enough to keep up with my reading speed (not crazy fast).

Agreed, the x3 is incredible. You'll pay 2x what this costs but the ux is phenomenal with Crosspoint

Is it really worth the tradeoffs of having significantly smaller storage space, reduced screen size, and clicking through way more often, just to not have to move your eyes as much horizontally?

For me seems to be. I keep it in my front shirt pocket, pull it out to read all the time. I've gone through 8 books on it so far this year. That's 7 more books than I read on my Kobo by this time last year given how convenient it is to take it everywhere. Granted I'm usually a paper book reader so my Kobo was always just a travel device, but the Xteink makes it so easy to squeeze reading in everywhere.

The biggest benefit for me is the size of the device. I always have it on me, so I rather read than doomscroll

Just wait until you get older and need to increase the font size. Now you're down to 2 words/line and you get carpal tunnel or De Quervain's from the constant clicking to page. I'm only half kidding.

I'm not that fond of eInk, having tried a PocketBook Verse e-reader (more open than a Kindle, has a microSD slot for my 70+GB fully DRM-free eBook collection) with a fairly grainy screen.

Wait, are they suggesting using the Heltec Lora ESP32 board? That is a super odd choice. Adafruit has the boards you speak of and they have tri-color too and more features in the same form factor. Why buy a Heltec Lora board to use as an e-reader and waste money on a perfectly good Lora chip on it...

Is this actually out? I saw him with demo units at Supercon last year. I would love to get one

I can't imagine this tiny thing being able to refresh fast enough to keep up with my reading speed (not crazy fast).

The biggest benefit for me is the size of the device. I always have it on me, so I rather read than doomscroll

Just wait until you get older and need to increase the font size. Now you're down to 2 words/line and you get carpal tunnel or De Quervain's from the constant clicking to page. I'm only half kidding.

Agreed, the x3 is incredible. You'll pay 2x what this costs but the ux is phenomenal with Crosspoint

Try the M5Stack Paper S3 instead. I am running a community build of Crosspoint Reader on mine, it actually has a touchscreen and a microSD card reader, supposedly limited to 16GB but handles my 128GB card just fine.

Is this actually out? I saw him with demo units at Supercon last year. I would love to get one

I think were using the Heltec Wireless Paper board https://heltec.org/project/wireless-paper/

tiny e-reader

YouTube / Paul Lagier

TL;DR

A YouTuber has built a tiny e-reader with a 3D-printed shell and DIY electronics.
The e-reader, only slightly bigger than an adult human thumb, can hold roughly six to 10 books.
The creator estimates that the cost of building it is around $30.

Despite being available for nearly two decades, e-readers have largely been limited to a small sect of users who demand a distraction-free experience tailored for reading. While they have been nowhere near as popular as smartphones, e-readers have recently seen a surge in interest, especially among people who wish to escape the deluge of notifications. But despite being in high demand, they can’t fully replace smartphones (yet), and are reduced to the category of secondary devices, and wanting to carry them around might elicit more determination than most people can easily muster. But a YouTuber may have solved this problem by building a pocket-friendly e-reader that you can’t easily carry with you everywhere without even feeling its presence.

YouTuber Paul Lagier recently documented their process of building a compact e-reader, nearly the size of a car keyfob, from scratch. The tiny device diminished the pull of other devices by letting you fill the time between activities, rather than treating reading as a dedicated action. And instead of taking the route of some Android-based devices with E-Ink displays that offer wide app support and the potential to be a smartphone, the tiny e-reader specializes in letting you just read.

What’s more exciting is that Lagier built the device by themselves. That involves designing and 3D printing the outer shell, assembling key components like the logic board, with an ESP32 microcontroller, and attaching it to a battery and a Heltec Wireless Paper display. In a follow-up video, the creator has shared updates on iterating on various aspects, improving the firmware, and even resources for anyone who wants to build their own tiny e-reader.

The newer version brings design improvements that make it easy to print on a diverse set of 3D printers. The tactile button on the side is slightly adjusted, too, but the biggest improvement comes in the form of the firmware changes. Along with better visibility on the tiny screen, the creator has enhanced the web interface that is used to sync ebooks and store bookmarks. Another big improvement is the addition of folders, which will let users segment various books into different categories. It’s up to you whether you sort them based on genre, length, difficulty, or any other aspect.

The updated firmware also lets you replace the screensaver with a custom one. The firmware has also been updated for better power efficiency, more languages, and better system stability.

Since the ESP32 only supports 8MB of onboard storage, the creator has also optimized the space used by system files to make more room for books. According to them, it can now fit six to 10 books with roughly 300 pages. Note that these books are in simple TXT format and not PDF or EPUB. Finally, a new lists feature was also added, so you can not only save the titles you want to read but also your to-do lists.

The creator has shared all the files and instructions on their Ko-Fi, and you can unlock them for €4.90 (~$5.80). You’ll also have access to all the future updates without having to pay again. Add that to the roughly $30 estimate for filament, display, and the battery module, and you have a pretty useful reading accessory for about a fifth of a basic Kindle.

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The tiniest e-reader in the world, and you can build one yourself

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