Lifespan of the E-ink monitor（screen）

[digitalnut]

E-ink（screen）monitor has been released for 2 years, and I'm just curious to know how long I can expect a E-ink monitor（screen） to keep working for if it's treated well?

Unfortunately, I've not seen any reports of lifetime of e-ink screen monitor.......

So I decide to estimate the average life of E-ink monitor（screen）.

That's the principle behind E-ink screen.


White and black microbeads have been realigned under the action of the electric field, and then the picture will change.That's an act of refresh.

Over too many times of refresh, White and black microbeads will lose their magnetism and then E-ink screen will fail.

Eink.com says “Over 90% of E Ink screen displays will last more than 10 years with typical usage(as E-Book Reader)”.

Most people believe that their kindle screen can last more than 15 years, even 20 years.

How many times you can refresh your 6inch kindle in 20 years??

1. A 6inch kindle, 250 words /frame; reading speed: 250 WPM; every 1 minute, refresh 1 time.

2. You read kindle books 2hrs/day; refresh 120 times /day; refresh 876000 times /20 years

3. You use your e-ink monitor（screen）for web surfing, 6hrs/day; Every 15 sec, Scroll (mouse) wheel 1 time, e-ink monitor refresh 1 time; refresh 1440 times /day.

4. Hypothesis : e-ink monitor（screen）can also refresh 876000 times（like a kindle） in its lifetime.

5. e-ink monitor（screen）can last 608.33 days for web surfing, and Lifespan of the E-ink monitor（screen）is about 1.66years.

All in all, I estimate that Lifespan of the E-ink monitor（screen）is about 1.66years(surfing web: 6hrs/day).

Am I Wrong?

[tracey1]

That would be disappointing. Imagine paying so much money that will only last for one year and a half

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by digitalnut

All in all, I estimate that Lifespan of the E-ink monitor（screen）is about 1.66years(surfing web: 6hrs/day).

Am I Wrong?

I don't know, but there are several things that may go wrong before that.

It's getting increasingly hard for me to get a good USB connection with the Kindle Keyboard I'm now using. When it becomes impossible to use, I'll switch to one of our spares, and keep this one for the parts that are good.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by tracey1

Imagine paying so much money that will only last for one year and a half

That's why you should only buy used

P.S. Although I am guilty of buying my first Kindle Keyboard on the day it came out.

[Waiting4somethin]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

That's why you should only buy used

P.S. Although I am guilty of buying my first Kindle Keyboard on the day it came out.

Used....probably still 1000 bucks.

Will this ever become affordable?

[-Lesnikus-]

I think it will not be a problem to replace the matrix with a new one when the old matrix becomes unusable. If the flex cable is fixed to the latch, and not soldered, this should be easily replaced.

I have an e-book Nook which has a refresh rate of 8 frames per second. I do not use every day, but it works already 2 years. Sometimes I use it very actively, playing games on the PlayStation emulator. So far, everything is in order and the screen looks like new.

[Adoby]

Originally Posted by digitalnut

Over too many times of refresh, White and black microbeads will lose their magnetism and then E-ink screen will fail.

...

Am I Wrong?

The microbeads are not magnetic, so the mode of failure you suggest is wrong. The beads are electrically charged, not magnetic.

Why would the microbeads change over time? What could cause that?

I don't know what makes an E-ink screen fail over time, or even if they actually do degrade over time, other than by "accidents". Scratches, impacts, flexing, radiation, heat, freezing or strong electrical fields for instance.

Perhaps the microbeads somehow can loose their charge over time, or loose their ability to react to changing external electric fields? Perhaps there are chemical changes over time? I don't know and I haven't seen anything that actually describe why E-ink might degrade over time. Only vague assertions that they DO degrade and words like "stuck", "freeze" and "loss of contrast" but nothing about the actual causes.

Perhaps many page updates will cause degradation? Perhaps long storage WITHOUT page updates cause degradation? Perhaps the degradation is chemical and temperature dependent? Perhaps the display degrade faster in sun light? I don't know.

Perhaps someone can link to more information about this?

It could be interesting to compare the expected lifetime for E-ink displays with other technologies.

[Waiting4somethin]

Originally Posted by -Lesnikus-

I think it will not be a problem to replace the matrix with a new one when the old matrix becomes unusable. If the flex cable is fixed to the latch, and not soldered, this should be easily replaced.

I hadn’t thought of that, probably because yotaphone 2 eink screens often break due to an overheating issue, and I haven’t been able to find a screen replacement.

If this is truly possible for the dasung, it is very encouraging.

Originally Posted by -Lesnikus-

I have an e-book Nook which has a refresh rate of 8 frames per second. I do not use every day, but it works already 2 years. Sometimes I use it very actively, playing games on the PlayStation emulator. So far, everything is in order and the screen looks like new.

Have you used it at all for minimal internet browsing?

To browse the net is what I want primarily, from eink. I wrote elsewhere about the Nook simple touch and its fast refresh mode, I’m thinking of buying one to read web articles.

[Waiting4somethin]

Originally Posted by -Lesnikus-

have an e-book Nook which has a refresh rate of 8 frames per second. I do not use every day, but it works already 2 years. Sometimes I use it very actively, playing games on the PlayStation emulator. So far, everything is in order and the screen looks like new.

Oh I see now, you made the YouTube videos.

[Richwood]

I have Kindle 1 and early Sony ebook readers that have screens that still work great with no noticeable deterioration so life is at least 10 years+. No idea if number of page turns can wear out a screen but it seems like the switches on the early readers fail before the screen does.

[Waiting4somethin]

Originally Posted by Richwood

I have Kindle 1 and early Sony ebook readers that have screens that still work great with no noticeable deterioration so life is at least 10 years+. No idea if number of page turns can wear out a screen but it seems like the switches on the early readers fail before the screen does.

I think it’s a different situation, minimal page turns vs continuous scrolling someone might do on an eink monitor. If you’re reading that is a hundred screen updates in a session, vs on the monitor maybe as many updates in just a few motions. If the buttons are wearing out just from page turns they must be bad.

I don’t expect an eink monitor to last many years if used a lot every day.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by digitalnut

Am I Wrong?

Your figures don't seem to jive with reality. I buy basically nothing but older used eReaders (too many of them) and the only way I've seen eInk screens "wear out" is when they're broken. I guess it's possible they're degrading, but I sure don't notice it.

[Richwood]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Your figures don't seem to jive with reality. I buy basically nothing but older used eReaders (too many of them) and the only way I've seen eInk screens "wear out" is when they're broken. I guess it's possible they're degrading, but I sure don't notice it.

Agreed 100% Rcentros. I have multiple Kindle and Sony ebook readers from the K1 through the K4 and K5 as well as the Sony PRS-505 and PRS-X50 models and I cannot see appreciable screen degradation or screen performance differences for the E-ink Pearl and later screens. Hard to tell any e-ink Pearl screen from the K3 (Kindle Keyboard) onward to the current Kindle Generation 8 Basic apart, at least to my eyes. All have identical 167 DPI resolution.

Latest 300 DPI e-ink screens on Kindle and Kobo readers, which I also have, are a bit sharper but the difference is minor at reasonable reading distances with screen lighting off or minimized, at least to my 73 year old eyes.

[Waiting4somethin]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Your figures don't seem to jive with reality. I buy basically nothing but older used eReaders (too many of them) and the only way I've seen eInk screens "wear out" is when they're broken. I guess it's possible they're degrading, but I sure don't notice it.

His post is about eink monitors, where the refreshing must be hundreds or thousands more times more than an ereader.

Or are you using your ereaders as monitors? (If so how frequently? And I’d like to know what you’re experiences are)

[StevieJStarkey]

I stumbled here trying to find how long an e-Ready is supposed to last.

I have a Kindle WiFi. I haven't used it much. I then left it in its box for maybe a year or two, and now it's simply impossible to use. I have to refresh 5 to 10 times to start being able to read. So maybe by just not using your e-Reader or e-Screen for too long (drained battery or not connected), it can damage it.

Some interesting link https://e-ink-reader.ru/eink_degradation_en.php