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mmoossyesterday at 7:24 PM4 repliesview on HN

> eInk is the right display tech.

It's interesting and I clicked on the OP, but why? The variable ambient light conditions, refresh rate, etc would seem to favor standard LCD/etc.

Battery capacity isn't much of an issue for a small screen, and weight carried by the bicycle.


Replies

Gualdrapoyesterday at 7:42 PM

In my humble experience the gold standard for bike computer screens was the Wahoo Elemnt Roam 2. It had like 64 colors or so but you could see it everywhere.

That being said, seeing that there are now eink displays capable of 60Hz, I wish they (and projects like this one) could take over in this specific market.

mholtyesterday at 7:40 PM

eInk is like a piece of paper, which gets MORE visible in the sun, but standard touchscreen LCDs/OLEDs get harder to see. I am not sure about the physics/reasons for this. Phones also aggressively dim screens to conserve energy and lower temperatures. Phones absorb a lot of sunlight, so a white eInk display is brilliant in that regard.

Refresh rate is a solved problem for eInk as well, but it comes with energy tradeoffs and... might still be proprietary. But 60-120 fps eInk exists AFAIK.

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usern20260720yesterday at 9:13 PM

LCD screen are pitch black by default. Eink can be white without extra energy

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carlosjobimyesterday at 11:28 PM

Because most people cycle outdoors and when the sun shines, and eInk is much better than any other display type in bright environments.