Hacks Paperwhite colour temperature -> warmer?

[PRS-T2]

Has anyone ever tried to change the Paperwhite's colour temperature to a warmer tone, e.g. toward amber/orange?

I'd like to buy one and might try this, because I'm very sensitive to white or blueish light, especially at night. Therefore I always use filter film (scott gold/amber) from the photo studio lights to tone my clip-on reading lights. Would love to have that build in
So any advice would be highly appreciated.

• filter film? The one I use needs replacement every 2-3 months (colour fade due to led heat)
• orange paint, the kind used for colouring bulbs back then?
  - but they are allowed for bulbs up to 25 watts - how hot are the leds in the paperwhite?
  - maybe paint the edge of that light distribution layer, where the light enters the layer?
• swap the leds for warmer ones?

Thanks for any advice, info or crazy idea!

[induna]

Why don't you take a look at the teardown on Ifixit.com and see what you think?

[Marseille]

I used to read with black background and green foreground on lcds at night, but since getting f.lux on my PC, I've been more interested in warming light at night, but I have a K4 and use a small snip of amber film over the lighted case's bulb similar to what you do now.

Are you thinking of putting the film or paint onto a screen protector? If the paperwhite heat is enough to fade the film (I don't know), perhaps that extra insulation would help. And of course, you aren't thinking of painting the kindle itself, right?

I've also read of some folks getting naturally warmer units and really not liking it because they want it to be really white. You could try to acquire one of those if you're not opposed to used electronics.

[PRS-T2]

Why don't you take a look at the teardown on Ifixit.com and see what you think?

I already did, of course. I'm just not sure about the materials, e.g. dipping lacquer, filter film etc. and the PW led's heat emission... looking for some inspiration here

And of course, you aren't thinking of painting the kindle itself, right?

Jeez no That would seem a bit harsh haha. Atm I have the filter film inside my MightyBright (knock-off) reading lamp, close to the leds, on top of the reflector. After a while of use, a blotch appears, where the color is faded to almost clear film.
I just wonder if the smd leds inside the PW will to the same to the filter?

But maybe there is some really heat resistant filter film out there which I'm just not aware of?

Using a painted screen saver seems like a harmless way to start, but that orange dipping lacquer reacts with plastic surfaces (it's meant for glass bulbs), tarnishing them. Also, it's not really scratch resistant. But I'd like to colour the light itself, not the screen, since in daylight it looks good with the light turned off. Only the light itself gives me a headache from looking at it, and it's not my way of reading. Need orange light for that. Having this inside a device would be a blast for me.

Oh and yes, f.lux rocks big time!! For the same reason.

[kristalana]

Super interested in what you come up with! I too am a huge fan of f.lux and I use a similar (Android) app on my phone and my tablet for the same effect. So I find it funny to see people discussing the creamy light on the PW as a bad thing, as in fact I'd love to get it even warmer.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by PRS-T2

Has anyone ever tried to change the Paperwhite's colour temperature to a warmer tone, e.g. toward amber/orange?

I got three that were "warmer tone" and sent them back. I think you're more likely to get one that's warmer in color if you don't order the ones with Special Offers. The whiter ones I got were Wifi, Special Offers. I originally ordered plain wifi and got decidedly warmer toned models.

[PRS-T2]

and I use a similar (Android) app on my phone and my tablet for the same effect. So I find it funny to see people discussing the creamy light on the PW as a bad thing, as in fact I'd love to get it even warmer.

You mean the Twilight app for Android? I use it, too. And I'm so with you on finding the whole "Whiter! Whiter!" mania quite irritating

The whiter ones I got were Wifi, Special Offers. I originally ordered plain wifi and got decidedly warmer toned models.

Thanks for pointing that out. Could you see wether the light itself was warmer or the layer on top of the screen?

However, there hasn't been an orange/amber tone amongst those or has it? See when I say I'm colouring my reading lights, I mean really really amber/orange, not just a slight hue. Imagine the worst orange light bulb you ever had in your life, and then add some more tint Sounds crazy but that's what I'm looking for.

Another thing is the possibility that the warmer screens might end up in the US market and the colder screens in EU/Germany.
Unfortunately, over here, the customers are all raging about the whitest light being the best for us, whereas among US customers, a certain awareness has risen, that blue light in night-use can severely disturb wake/sleep rhythm.
That's another reason for me to look for such a hack: During day, I enjoy the daylight for every activity, including reading. When the daylight is gone, I enjoy warm, orange light for reading or hanging out. I always read in bed, too and fall asleep with a good book. Especially then I can't stand neutral or cold light at all...

[kristalana]

Originally Posted by PRS-T2

You mean the Twilight app for Android? I use it, too. And I'm so with you on finding the whole "Whiter! Whiter!" mania quite irritating

Yep that's the one! Loved it so much I bought the pro version. Yeah a while back someone mentioned adjustable lighting warmth on one of our feature wishlist threads here and it's been haunting me ever since. I'd pay an unreasonable amount for that feature.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by PRS-T2

Thanks for pointing that out. Could you see whether the light itself was warmer or the layer on top of the screen?

However, there hasn't been an orange/amber tone amongst those or has it? See when I say I'm colouring my reading lights, I mean really really amber/orange, not just a slight hue. Imagine the worst orange light bulb you ever had in your life, and then add some more tint Sounds crazy but that's what I'm looking for.

The ones I returned were rather "cat pee yellow" as someone else described the color, definitely more towards the amber side. That said, it appeared to be the lighting and not the screen. Like different batches had different LEDs. They honestly reminded me of paperbacks, though not that dark, and I hate old, dingy paperbacks.

I need the the more white of the Voyage and the PWs that I chose because my eyes are older, and when compared side-by-side, the lighting looks brighter on mine vs. the ones I returned. I need that extra bump in brightness for down the road. As you age your eyes don't deal with the dark as well - very sucky - and that little bit of extra brightness will save me later.

[Marseille]

Originally Posted by PRS-T2

Has anyone ever tried to change the Paperwhite's colour temperature to a warmer tone, e.g. toward amber/orange?

Originally Posted by kristalana

Super interested in what you come up with! I too am a huge fan of f.lux and I use a similar (Android) app on my phone and my tablet for the same effect. So I find it funny to see people discussing the creamy light on the PW as a bad thing, as in fact I'd love to get it even warmer.

There's actually three of us. That's more than I figured. It's a cold, cold world out there.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by David Marseilles

There's actually three of us. That's more than I figured. It's a cold, cold world out there.

It appears so.

[pghaworth]

I wouldn't mind having that Twilight app for my pc or tvs. I don't use my phone a lot during the evening as it's a business phone so that's not an issue, but my tv really bugs me. I use it to sleep by for about an hour each night and it would be great if I could tone down some of the bright white screens they put up.

Any time I'm reading on a tablet or phone I have something like sepia or even black as my background. Hurts too much otherwise. I don't have that problem with my PWs though.

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by PRS-T2

You mean the Twilight app for Android? I use it, too. And I'm so with you on finding the whole "Whiter! Whiter!" mania quite irritating



Thanks for pointing that out. Could you see wether the light itself was warmer or the layer on top of the screen?

However, there hasn't been an orange/amber tone amongst those or has it? See when I say I'm colouring my reading lights, I mean really really amber/orange, not just a slight hue. Imagine the worst orange light bulb you ever had in your life, and then add some more tint Sounds crazy but that's what I'm looking for.

Another thing is the possibility that the warmer screens might end up in the US market and the colder screens in EU/Germany.
Unfortunately, over here, the customers are all raging about the whitest light being the best for us, whereas among US customers, a certain awareness has risen, that blue light in night-use can severely disturb wake/sleep rhythm.
That's another reason for me to look for such a hack: During day, I enjoy the daylight for every activity, including reading. When the daylight is gone, I enjoy warm, orange light for reading or hanging out. I always read in bed, too and fall asleep with a good book. Especially then I can't stand neutral or cold light at all...

: Seriously : NO. The PW2 I ordered in Germany in September has a warm tone, quite similar to my Voyage (bought in the US).

[PRS-T2]

Wow missed alot here while I was asleep and at work

Originally Posted by David Marseilles

There's actually three of us. That's more than I figured. It's a cold, cold world out there.

one for each of you fellas :-)

The ones I returned were rather "cat pee yellow" as someone else described the color, definitely more towards the amber side. That said, it appeared to be the lighting and not the screen. Like different batches had different LEDs. They honestly reminded me of paperbacks, though not that dark, and I hate old, dingy paperbacks.

Thanks for clarifying! To be honest: I'm glad I got rid of these old paperbacks, too When I visited London before e-reading times, I found the worst looking copies imaginable: the pages came in dark, cold, blueish grey with unsharp text on them. It seemed pretty much a standard there. You have no idea how happily I arrived back home to my cat pee yellowish collection

I need the the more white of the Voyage and the PWs that I chose because my eyes are older, and when compared side-by-side, the lighting looks brighter on mine vs. the ones I returned. I need that extra bump in brightness for down the road. As you age your eyes don't deal with the dark as well - very sucky - and that little bit of extra brightness will save me later.

Now that's a really good point, and thank you for taking the time and explaining it! Hum, maybe I should make that amber mod reversible then...
It's interesting though, how differently we react on colors. For example in the blue hour after sunset, I use to wear yellow-tinted glasses when thrashing my old GT through the woods, because I can see the ground better than without.

I wouldn't mind having that Twilight app for my pc or tvs. I don't use my phone a lot during the evening as it's a business phone so that's not an issue, but my tv really bugs me. I use it to sleep by for about an hour each night and it would be great if I could tone down some of the bright white screens they put up.

For PC and MAC there is f.lux, which is even better than twilight regarding ease of use. For the TV: I don't own one and haven't used one for over a decade now. Have you made sure there really isn't a bunch of slots to save individual screen settings in? If computer screens have them like mine does (even an extra set with various "much less blue light" settings), I don't see why modern TVs shouldn't have them as well...

: Seriously : NO. The PW2 I ordered in Germany in September has a warm tone, quite similar to my Voyage (bought in the US).

Ah thanks! Good starting point. I should hurry before that feature gets kicked out of the market

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by PRS-T2

For PC and MAC there is f.lux, which is even better than twilight regarding ease of use. For the TV: I don't own one and haven't used one for over a decade now. Have you made sure there really isn't a bunch of slots to save individual screen settings in? If computer screens have them like mine does (even an extra set with various "much less blue light" settings), I don't see why modern TVs shouldn't have them as well...

After some re-reading of the thread last night, prompted by the Twilight app info, I found the part about f.lux and am trying it out. I currently use something called "NoSquint" for Firefox that removes the bright white and so I don't notice it as much in the evening on my pc.

F.lux is taking a bit of getting used to. It was too orange at first so I adjusted it just a bit. Tonight will be my second night with it and it is exactly what I need for my TV. Maybe someone will come up with a Roku app that makes it easy. By the time I'm ready to sleep, if I make any changes or do anything much I won't want to sleep any more. The great thing about f.lux is that it handles the transition in the background. Set it once and you're done.

My Paperwhites and the Voyages I got were pretty much the same in terms of the lighting. A nice white, clean, like a hardback book. I wouldn't like anything overly blue, but I do like a nice white, not too bright page for reading. I noticed that with my current Paperwhites I can set them much lower than I needed to in comparison to my PW1 - it was/is a disaster that I had been putting up with for far too long.

ETA - I haven't noticed any slots for settings on my TV. I'll check again. As far as I remember, once you change it the settings are there until you change it again unless you choose one of their presets.