eSign is a battery-powered, energy-efficient system for ePaper-based display of information gathered via Wi-Fi, used for room signage, for example as a display front-end for the SeatSurfing desk sharing system. It features RTC-based power control allowing for low power consumption, the project includes 3D-printed case, a custom PCB and an epaper display.
Fully assembled 4.2" eSign with ePaper display and 3D-printed enclosure. Click the image to view full-resolution version.
eSign 4.2" operating: realtime clock switching on the device (LED on), pico connects to WIFI and gatheres current booking of desk (originally, desk is free), epaper is refreshes with the new information, device is switching off (LED off). Click the image to view video.
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ePaper Display Support Compatible with Waveshare 7.5" V2 and 4.2" V2 displays.
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Automatically synchronizes with the seats booked via seatsurfing Shows current booking state and name, layouts and display content can be adjusted for room types (office, conference, seminar).
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Wi-Fi Connectivity Periodically fetches content via HTTP, refresh time freely programmable.
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Multi-Page Display Up to 8 user-selectable display pages via pushbuttons.
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Battery Voltage Monitoring
- Monitoring of AA / AAA batteries via adc and logged via Wi-Fi, hardware-controlled voltage divider activated only when needed for RTC supply.
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- Energy Efficiency Hardware-controlled shutdown and wake-up via RTC and MOSFET switching — no software sleep required, operated by standard AA or AAA batteries. About 10.000 iteration for large version (7.5", 3 x AA batteries) and about 5.000 iteration for small version (4.2", 3 X AAA batteries). Runtime (depending on wake-up frequency and thus iterations) up to years. For estimation use the script power_consumption_estimate.py
Log of the AA battery voltage of prototype of the 7.5" version, running for 198 days, refreshing every 1800 seconds each day of the week. Longer runtimes can be achieved with less frequent updates. Click the image to view full-resolution version.
This repository provides all design files, documentation, and code to build your own eSign:
- 3D-Printed Enclosure Files and documentation for the modular eSign enclosure - (STLs and FreeCAD files).
Click to watch the 3D enclosure demo video on MakerTube
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Electronics Custom PCB design with RTC, Pico W, and power management for ultra-low energy consumption (schematics, pcbs, docs).
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Firmware C-based firmware for RTC wakeup, Wi-Fi sync, ePaper display handling, and modular room configuration (C code, build instructions, docs).
esign/
├── LICENSE # Top-level: explains dual-licensing
├── hardware/ # Schematics, pcb, 3D printable case
│ ├── LICENSE # CERN-OHL-S v2.0
│ ├── enclosure/ # 3D printable STL files and documentation
│ ├── circuit/ # KiCAD files and documentation
│ └── ...
├── firmware/ # C firmware source, headers, build system
│ ├── LICENSE # Apache 2.0
│ └── ...
├── docs/ # Markdown docs, tips, and background
├── images/ # Photos, renderings, examples
└── README.md # This file
This project contains both hardware and software components, which are licensed under separate terms:
- All content in the /hardware directory is licensed under the CERN Open Hardware License v2 - Strongly Reciprocal (CERN-OHL-S-2.0).
- All content in the /firmware directory is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.
See the LICENSE files in the respective directories for full license texts and terms.
🟢 Active development — repository being built step-by-step.
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