Hackers took up screens on the basis of electronic ink magazine Esquire
September 10, 2008, 8:02 pm
Only recently put on sale October issue of Esquire, about which we were told yesterday, has already been nadelala noise among the community of hackers-electronics. Use the cover of two flexible display based on electronic ink can be excellent for mass testing experiments with the technology developed by E Ink. Recall:Esquire this year marks 75 years, bringing the wording decided to equip 100 thousand copies of the anniversary of the October issue of general circulation at 720 thousand. cover with displays based on electronic ink that will display flashing text and drawings. In doing so, its retail price is only U. S. $ 6. Given that the cost of official sets E Ink to develop devices that use electronic displays based ink is U. S. $ 3000 per kit, Esquire magazine looks for fans pokopatsya in the internal electronics this gift. We can confidently say that over one hundred thousand mass kits for experimenting with E Ink technology are waiting for their Kulibinyh. At the moment, thanks to reverse engineering, electronic Affairs masters unable to determine:pins cable connecting a fee with screens, model and the findings used programmable microcontroller, models remaining chips contained on the board, as well as feeding scheme, carried out with Six aid batteries. Below is a list of general facts: • In the system used universal 8 - Bit Microcontroller Microchip PIC 12F629 production, with the possibility of reprogramming; • Meals implemented from six flat CR2016 batteries with voltage of 3V each; • Both are segmented screen:external contains 11 segments, while domestic - 3; • Development date - June 4, 2008; • PCBs manufactured by Forewin. What is the most interesting in this situation - edition of the journal itself directly actively supports the hacker community and its intentions. The site journal published treatment to those who have decided to experiment with car electronics magazine:Welcome, hackers. A special edition of Esquire contains two flexible display, whose work should last for several months. But information on them could blink longer if you can find a way to replace the state power source other elements. If you can crack the printed circuit board, screens, or the very technology of electronic ink, let us know by sending letters to our e-mail, and we will publish your results on the site Esquire.com. For those who do not have the opportunity to meet personally with the anniversary issue of the journal, resource TechSpank prepared a special report, which tells about the cover of Esquire and used in its displays. This video is here (direct link to the file). Naposledok want to talk about the production so extraordinary cover, which, according to the editorial, carried in the path of ten and a half thousand kilometres, before finding a buyer. Photo capsules electronic ink displays one of Esquire So, flexible displays, electronics, as well as batteries were set up in China at seven different plants. The editorial notes that at the time of manufacture more than 250 thousand batteries were destroyed by flooding in the area which was a factory to produce them. Activation of cells was carried out at the factory, so counting their life in 90 days, started much earlier in the journal sale proceeds. After that, all electronics in freezing cells to extend the service life of batteries, was delivered to Mexico, where production covers. It is noteworthy that each cover 100 thousand, consisting of several layers of paper, as well as a thin layer of foam to protect the electronics from the environment, was collected manually. then finished covers were taken to the U. S. to plant, a publishing house to print circulations Esquire, added to already covers ready journals. And only then, visiting the different corners of the globe, and breaking thousands of kilometres, заветный number hit counters at American stores and kiosks.
