Making an opensource eReader: Joey Castillo's OpenBook

[jago25_98]

An introduction here:
https://itsfoss.com/open-book/

Why I'm interested:
1) You can't buy this from a company.
I'm interested in it because I'm looking for a tiny device because we only read 1-3 lines at a time and scan a few words back and forward on each line, anyway. I already have an 12" eReader for pdf's. I'm looking for a much more portable eReader that I can take to the beach. A 6" screen is more than I need. 2.5-4" is fine for me.

2) Custom potential.
It would be nice to run it off of two AA batteries
It would be nice to choose a more durable screen.
It would be nice to choose a non eInk LCD screen for single word, speedreading support.

3) I like that I can put audiobooks on it and the audio jack means my headphones will not run out of battery again on the beach or on the campsite.

4) My hacked up NookSimpleTouch was alright but after it broke, there was nothing I could really do to fix it. The rubber degraded to mush. Only Renate on Xdadevs could probably help, and that's just one person in the world. Lesson learned: Taking a corporation's device and customising it only gets you so far. Starting with a proper opensource project that has attracted enough attention is much more reliable for options down the road.

5) It's rewarding to make your own thing.

6) It's basic. That can be less distracting.

Some details:

~$60 for the bigger screen version
~$40 for the smaller screen version

Questions:

1) Where do we get updates? I subscribed to the mailing list but no update so far
2) Do I really need a reFlow oven?

[MarjaE]

Interesting idea, but I for one need larger screens, because:

* Most articles and many books are still pdf-only.

* In epubs, I often need to check back a bit.

* Lists and tables.

* Navigation, such as picking books, picking search results within each book, etc.

I have trouble with the default font in the images, but I assume users can switch it. What are the interface options?

[jago25_98]

I think it's a mistake to mix reflowable text with non reflow text like a pdf.

I already have a 12" reader I use for that stuff that I use at home. I don't take it with me hiking because it's too big and the battery only lasts a day.

I want something that I can use instead of draining my phone battery. I don't think I need a 6" screen.

I wrote about a small screen vs big screen in a separate thread.

I think a lot of device addiction is related to device convergence. We're less aware of what we're doing.
Is that work you're doing or play... Really?

Originally Posted by MarjaE

Interesting idea, but I for one need larger screens, because:

* Most articles and many books are still pdf-only.

* In epubs, I often need to check back a bit.

* Lists and tables.

* Navigation, such as picking books, picking search results within each book, etc.

I have trouble with the default font in the images, but I assume users can switch it. What are the interface options?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by jago25_98

Why I'm interested:
1) You can't buy this from a company.
I'm interested in it because I'm looking for a ti

You'll ONLY buy it from a company:

When the hardware is ready, you should be able to purchase it from DigiKey. You should be able to fit the device as an eBook reader or experiment with it, if you feel like doing it.

It's a hobby project. Not a real alternative ereader to 6" Kobo / Amazon Kindle. Also the fact is that most people use their ereader like an oven, TV, DVD player or HiFi. It's an appliance to read ebooks (PDFs are not ebooks).
I've currently:
Palm Z22 (colour LCD, 160 x 160 pixels, 2.3" screen and two ereader apps), Sony PRS350 5", Kindle DXG, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle PW3, Kobo H2O original, Kobo Libra and a weird Binatone with an LCD screen. I have ereader apps or programs on my phone, tablet and laptop.

I've got a lab. I've been customising & patching stuff for 40 years. Also building and programming from scratch. I've no interest in this and very little in Arduino stuff as most can be built in less than an hour in a better form factor on stripboard or matrix board. For simple stuff I use a PIC 18F series and JAL. For more complicated stuff I use ARM or x86 industrial boards and Linux, with a mix of programming languages. I can solder anything except a BGA with an iron, a BGA needs a hot plate and a heat gun. I used a reflow oven years ago; it's for either solder paste or solder where all the SMT parts are placed at once. We screen printed the paste for the whole board and then pick&place all the parts, then oven.

Unless you are an Ardunio style tinkerer (Ardunio is sort of lego for people not wanting to learn design or soldering), this is a pointless project. I use opensource. I've released stuff as open source, but the fact this is open source is irrelevant for reading ebooks.

P.S. The only patch I have at present is the Sleepcover image for the Kindle DXG. I read books or test ebooks I've formatted. I don't need to patch. There are few things that annoy me about the current Kobo FW and Kindle FW, but a 4.3" low resolution screen would be worse.

[rkomar]

Are those prices just for the boards? What would the components cost (including the e-ink screen)? I have a feeling this would end up more expensive than the cheaper ereaders out there. And, once the hardware is assembled, you would need to put together your own OS and reader software for it. As far as hobbies go, this one could keep you busy for a long while. That's not a bad thing at the present time.

[jago25_98]

Why do you need a 6" screen for reflowable text though?

How's the battery life on the Z22?

[Richwood]

I have four makes of 5" screen readers, Kobo Mini, Sony PRS300 and 350, Ectaco Jetbook Lite and Aluratek. IMO 4.3" screen is too small for me though there is a Chinese ereader with that size screen commercially available on ebay. I prefer 6" or larger screens for reading though the 5" screens are usable and the smallest of my 6" screen readers is about the same size and weight as the 5" readers, with factory covers where available. An interesting hobbyist project but not that practical seeing as how used Kindles and Kobos are available so cheap on ebay or from places like shopgoodwill.com and customizing firmware info is available here for both. The Ectaco even uses 4 AA batteries for power, alkaline, NiMh or Energizer Ultimate lithium. The Ectaco and Aluratek use LCD screens while the others are eink.

[Quoth]

The Chinese seller's ereader is a 4.3" 800 x 600 pixel screen vs this 4.2 inch, 400 x 300 pixel project.

The Palm Z22 lasts an evening anyway, its cell is about 15 years old and you'd expect not much more than 6 years. Most original Kindle Keyboard need new cells about now (10 years old and about $15 for replacement, easily opened. No soldering.). I bought it recently out of curiosity. By 2005 the PDA was an almost dead thing, only surviving on price. So Z22 was relatively cheap compared to a smart phone at about $100. Main selling point was Digital Personal Organiser with Sync. I'm using a Linux program that was in the main Mint GUI Software Manager "store". The Z22 display was really obsolete even then. I had a Nokia Communicator in 2000 (the 486 based mono one) and then the ARM based mkII of the N9210i in May 2002. I still have the email from O2 with the settings for it. The earlier colour N9210 had a more limited Mobile modem and CCFL backlights. The "i" version has an LED backlight. It was a company phone. The innovation of the iphone was purely the data-package making internet browsing affordable. Capacitive touch was 15 years old, the GUI was bought in, CPU was Samsung. Basically off the shelf parts glued to a iPod. The competition had been copying the earlier Palm and early Newton by having high resolution stylus input for touch and handwriting (or in Win CE the stupid scaled down Win95 interface on 320 x 240 pixels typically). Most WinCE PDAs and phones had 320 x 240 screens (1/4 VGA), though one of the last Palm PDAs had 320 x 320 instead of 160 x 160. You don't want to play Mahjongg Solitare on 160 x 160, even in colour!

The best S/H Palm to get is one that takes batteries. Many of the ones using a built in cell can't easily be opened with cracking the LCD. Adobe did a PDF reader for it!

[Sirtel]

I want a 7'' screen. 6'' is too small. And no, I don't read PDFs, just regular ebooks.

The fact that the OP likes small screens doesn't mean that everyone else has the same preferences. I could never read novels on a 4'' screen. Besides, a low-res basic reader with few customization options isn't at all what I'd call a satisfying reading experience nowadays. But hey, YMMV. I just doubt the guy will find many fans for his project. People are used to better, more expensive devices.

[Fiat_Lux]

Originally Posted by Quoth

It's a hobby project. Not a real alternative ereader to 6" Kobo / Amazon Kindle. Also the fact is that most people use their ereader like an oven, TV, DVD player or HiFi. It's an appliance to read ebooks (PDFs are not ebooks).

This is not a mass market item. It is for people who have some very specific requirements:

• * Do not want to be constantly tracked;
  * Have the tech know-how to follow blueprints;
  * Have the tools to construct the device;

Claiming PDFs are not ebooks, is akin to claiming that the USS Wasp is not an aircraft carrier.

I've no interest in this and very little in Arduino stuff as most can be built in less than an hour in a better form factor on stripboard or matrix board.

The virtue of Arduino is that it is an ecosystem, in which most parts that one might desire are easily available. You don't have to hand make each and every item you need, for your project to work as expected.

There is a reason The Open Source Lab ISBN 978-0-12-410462-4 used Arduino's for most of the projects it described, even though the target audience knows how to assemble from breadboards.

Unless you are an Ardunio style tinkerer (Ardunio is sort of lego for people not wanting to learn design or soldering), this is a pointless project.

For people outside the target audience, this project is irrelevant.

It is pointless only to those who think that being tracked 7/24, with unknown third parties knowing what page in which books you are currently reading, is an extremely good thing.

I use opensource. I've released stuff as open source, but the fact this is open source is irrelevant for reading ebooks.

AFAIK, no ebook hardware vendors have deliberately bricked their devices, the way Spectrum did, when they announced that they were getting out of the security business,or Tesla does, as a matter of policy, when an insurance company writes off a Tesla. There are no legal obstacles to any ebook reader manufacturer bricking all existing devices, when they release their next downgrade in their ebook reader line.

For those who have such concerns, an open source ebook reader is a very comforting thought.

but a 4.3" low resolution screen would be worse.

Because the design is available, and the distribution license, in theory, allows for user modifications, that 4.3 inch low resolution screen can be replaced with a 4.3 inch high resolution screen. You may have to have to modify the screen drivers in software, but that is relatively straightforward process.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Fiat_Lux

It is pointless only to those who think that being tracked 7/24, with unknown third parties knowing what page in which books you are currently reading, is an extremely good thing.

How do they track me with wifi off? And yes, it's always off.

[j.p.s]

mobileread wiki page for project:
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Open_Book_Project

Earlier mobileread threads:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=324479
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=325832

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Fiat_Lux

This is not a mass market item. It is for people who have some very specific requirements:

• * Do not want to be constantly tracked;
  * Have the tech know-how to follow blueprints;
  * Have the tools to construct the device;

Claiming PDFs are not ebooks, is akin to claiming that the USS Wasp is not an aircraft carrier.

PDFs are electronic documents to proof paper prints. They are misused as electronic only documents. Claiming they are ebooks is laughable. An ebook is meant to be read on any size screen with the page size determined by the screen. The Fixed Layout KFX and epub3 are not real ebooks either. Anything where the producer picks the page size rather the actual device in use is not a real ebook.

Originally Posted by Fiat_Lux

For people outside the target audience, this project is irrelevant.

It is pointless only to those who think that being tracked 7/24, with unknown third parties knowing what page in which books you are currently reading, is an extremely good thing.

Some ereader apps certainly tracks usage.
It's trivial to set up a new Kindle with a $1 gift card and an email address with no payment method or physical address.
You can set up a Kobo with a fake email address.
No Payment details needed to setup a Nook.
None of those track anything if you don't use the WiFi.

If you don't at least give payment details you can't legally get books still in Copyright. I buy ebooks from Amazon and Smashwords and read ALL of my ebooks on ANY ereader I have. No Tracking or Wifi needed on the device. I copy via USB (sideload).

The tracking is a red herring.
The target audience is users of the very successful Arduino ecosytem, not readers.
The Arduino ecosytem appeals to a particular kind of hobbyist. It's not a very good form factor. I'd rather buy one of the many non-Arduino ARM boards and interface an eInk to that. But it would cost more than the €179 inc Irish VAT that I paid for a 7" 300 dpi Libra.

There are more useful things to spend the time and money on even if you want to use the Arduino ecosytem rather than get a clunky piece of HW with a far too low resolution screen even for 3.5" never mind 4.3". Also a larger decent resolution eink screen is close to the price of a Kindle Basic.

[Fiat_Lux]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

How do they track me with wifi off? And yes, it's always off.

Depending upon the specific device, any, or all of the following can be on, even though you explicitly turned them off:
* Cell tower data;
* GPS;
* Bluetooth;
* Wifi;
* RFD;

There is a reason why privacy advocates are looking for electronic devices with explicit hardware switches that turn wifi, blutooth, cellular service, etc. off, by physically disconnecting them from the rest of the device.

Software on/off switches are merely for the delusions that they fabricate in the mind of their victims.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Fiat_Lux

Depending upon the specific device, any, or all of the following can be on, even though you explicitly turned them off:
* Cell tower data;
* GPS;
* Bluetooth;
* Wifi;
* RFD;

There is a reason why privacy advocates are looking for electronic devices with explicit hardware switches that turn wifi, blutooth, cellular service, etc. off, by physically disconnecting them from the rest of the device.

Software on/off switches are merely for the delusions that they fabricate in the mind of their victims.

Well, if people want to live their lives offline, that's their business. For myself, I don't care. Life's too short for paranoia and I have too many other things to do. I keep wifi off because I don't want my devices to automatically update, not because I particularly care who tracks me. So far keeping wifi off has kept the updates off too and that's enough for me.