Sep 10, 2025 20:00:00

E-paper displays reach LCD realm, with Modos unveiling an open-source e-paper display with a 75Hz refresh rate

It has been reported that a high refresh rate of 75Hz has been achieved for e-paper displays such as the

Amazon Kindle . An open-source development kit has been released.

Modos Paper Monitor | Crowd Supply
https://www.crowdsupply.com/modos-tech/modos-paper-monitor

E-Paper Display Refresh Rate Reaches New Heights - IEEE Spectrum
https://spectrum.ieee.org/e-paper-display-modos

Unlike LCDs, which use backlights, or OLEDs, which emit light directly, e-paper displays adjust the display content by reflecting external light. They incorporate pigment particles inside and apply voltage to them to make them appear on the display surface, creating a variety of colors. Because they don't emit light, they're gentle on the eyes, and consume little power, making them popular in devices designed specifically for reading.

On the other hand, it has some drawbacks due to its characteristics, such as its difficulty in fine-tuning colors (

it is said that it took more than 20 years to move from black and white to full color), its low resolution, and its low refresh rate (most products are only around 10Hz or less).

Now, a startup called Modos has released an open hardware e-paper display and its development kit, which is said to have significantly improved the refresh rate, one of its drawbacks.

Here's a glimpse of it in action: The monochrome puzzle game ' Return of the Obra Dinn ' is being played on an e-paper display. It's so smooth you'd never guess it was e-paper.

Return of the Obra Dinn on 75 Hz E Ink Monitor - YouTube


The game also features footage of the adventure game ' Blanc ' being played. The footage is displayed in a maximum of 16 shades of gray.



Modos' e-paper display development kit, the 'Modos Paper Dev Kit,' breaks away from the pixel-by-pixel management method used in conventional e-paper control, which limits the display to just two states (static and update), and instead manages each pixel independently. The ability to update pixel states immediately upon receiving a signal from the computer allows for the display of images with high frame rates and excellent contrast.

Modos' e-paper display 'Modos Paper Monitor' achieves a 75Hz refresh rate, but if you have a development kit, you can achieve 75Hz even if you use a different panel. The development kit is equipped with adapters compatible with dozens of e-paper displays ranging from 4.3 inches to 13 inches, so it seems that you can reuse displays such as old Amazon Kindles.

The Modos development kit is open hardware built using open source software, with all design files and source code publicly available on GitHub.

Modos is continuing development through crowdfunding, and is pre-selling a 6-inch development kit for $199 (about 29,000 yen) and a 13-inch development kit for $599 (about 88,000 yen).