Summary
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This ESP32 e-ink project displays the calendar, weather and date on a retro Pokémon battle screen.
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The sprites and background change depending on the weather and day of the week, while the HP bars show the progress of the day and month.
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Pulls Home Assistant calendar and weather data and wakes up every 30 minutes from deep sleep.
I love projects that combine e-ink displays with DIY chips. You’ll typically find them emerging in the smart home and productivity niches, as the e-ink display’s low refresh rate is well suited for photo frames, calendars, and displays. However, why settle for a normal user interface when you can make it look as good as possible?
Such is the case of this incredible project based on ESP32 that tells you what your day was like using a Pokémon battle. looks like a regular retro themed piece at first glance, but when you start looking at all the details, you start to see all the information that the screen tells you. Plus, it’s Pokémon; What is it not to love?
This ESP32 e-ink display is perfect for gamers and productivity fanatics alike
Plus, he’s really smart.
On the ESP32 subreddit, user i_bri posted his latest pet project. It’s called LilyGo EPD47 Home Assistant Calendar and the idea is that it shows everything you want to know in a retro Pokémon battle scene. See how many items you can identify in the images above before seeing the full list of features:
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Date display (day/month/year) with a dark background panel
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Home Assistant weather conditions, temperature and humidity
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Today’s calendar events of an HA calendar entity
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Pokémon battle scene background that changes depending on the day of the week
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Pokémon sprite that changes according to weather conditions
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Wakes up every half hour through deep sleep and then refreshes the screen
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HP bars represent how much is left of the day and how much is left of the month.
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It’s a really clever way to fit as much information as possible into the classic Pokémon battle screen. Plus, it gives a really nice retro vibe to any room you put the screen in, which is always a plus. If you want to make your own, head to LilyGo EPD47 Home Assistant Calendar GitHub Page for all the source code, hardware bill of materials, and how to set it all up.
