Modos Tech has announced that its fast and responsive e-Paper monitors for productivity users are now available for pre-order. The new displays are being provided in dev-kit form, touted as the “world’s fastest open-hardware e-paper monitor.” Central to these claims are the shared performance figures, which indicate the Modos Paper Dev Kit display delivers refresh rates up to 75 Hz and sub-100 ms latency.
This e-paper endeavor has taken quite some time to get to this stage. We remember reporting on a Modus Paper project update back in May 2024.
Those monitor performance stats might be pedestrian in the colorful world of the best monitors, which, in the majority, use IPS and OLED tech. However, there are users out there who don’t need to be distracted by color, and are wary of the eye-strain and fatigue that can stem from the use of backlit or emissive displays. In fact, some would prefer simple, efficient paper-like, sunlight readable displays – if it were not for the performance penalties that seem to be inherent to e-Ink and e-paper implementations so far.
“From writers and engineers to accessibility advocates and digital minimalists, people are tired of the distraction, eye strain, and fatigue of mainstream displays,” said Alexander Soto, CEO of Modos Tech. “E-paper offers a better path, and we’ve built tools that make it fast, flexible, and accessible to all.”
Real-time performance thanks to an FPGA controller
Modos thinks it has the answer to making e-paper acceptable for modern productivity, and it asserts it is largely down to its implementation of its own open-hardware reference designs.
Specifically, the Modos Paper Dev Kit displays pack the Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA, a DDR3 framebuffer, an STM32H750 microcontroller, and custom power-supply circuitry.
This open-hardware electronic design should prevent e-paper from being “held back by proprietary controllers and slow performance.” In short, users should be able to benefit from e-paper ergonomic niceties, without cliff-face drawbacks.
The offer to consumers
So, what do you get with a Modos Paper Dev Kit? Whichever kit you pick, you will experience the aforementioned 75 Hz screen refresh rate and low latency performance.
Connectivity seems sufficient, with both HDMI and USB Type-C ports promised to offer plug & play on Linux, macOS, and Windows. It looks like the USB Type-C connection also delivers power, as expected. But if using this as an HDMI driven monitor, you will likely also need a power source of some kind attached to the USB Type-C port.
There are multiple screen modes supported by these monitor kits. Modus says that the devices offer “binary, 4-level, and 16-level grayscale, plus a hybrid mode that refines images dynamically.” Support for color e-paper displays is present in the design/architecture, but they aren’t being marketed right now.
Those interested in acquiring one of these monitors can head on over to the project Crowd Supply. On that site, you will be choosing between a compact 6-inch, or more laptop-scale 13.3-inch kit.
There are two configurations, with rather disparate prices:
- $199 for the 6-inch Modos Paper Monitor kit
- $599 for the 13-inch Modos Paper Monitor kit.
- Delivery is expected in Q4 2025.
We often warn about crowdfunding campaigns, but note that Crowd Supply has a decent reputation for pushing projects to completion. It asserts that it is highly selective, looks for good plans to raise funds, and equally credible plans for manufacturing. Meanwhile, Crowd Supply handles fulfillment, media production, and more. Having said that, the platform admits “backing a product before it goes to market does entail some inherent risk. Delays, shortages, design problems, and other unforeseen issues can delay or prevent a project from getting to market.” So, take heed.
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