E-Ink+RaspberryPi laptop

Описание: Hi everyone.

I’ve been experimenting with building a “terminal-only laptop” — something inspired by old Unix workstations, but portable, modern and capable of running for a very long time on a single charge (24+ hours).

The idea is simple: a clamshell laptop with a 5.2" e-ink display, a 75% keyboard and a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W inside. No graphics, no video, no desktop environment — just a pure Linux console with zero distractions.

It’s meant for SSH, coding, vim/emacs, tmux, note-taking, system admin tasks, etc.

A nice side effect of E-Ink: it’s perfectly readable outdoors and in direct sunlight, unlike LCD/OLED screens that wash out. So it’s great for working outside, especially with long lasting battery.

Right now I only have a draft working prototype (no case yet, only 3D model), but the full stack works surprisingly well. E-ink drivers are optimized for fast text refresh (almost no visible lag — see video). The Pi Zero 2 W handles terminal workflows without issues. Early battery tests, even on an inefficient setup, are already 20+ hours and I expect much more with a proper power system. And keyboard was taken from my old Toshiba laptop for prototype.

I’m also planning to make the whole project open-source and fully hackable. Parts will be reproducible, affordable and easy to mod. And cheap.

This is still a work in progress — I’m currently working on the case design, hinge mechanism and firmware features (fonts, text decorations, e-ink refresh speed, maybe optional grayscale).

Would love to hear feedback. Anything obvious I’m missing? Any must-have features for a tiny terminal-only Pi laptop?