Two E-Paper Engineers Keep Turning to the Wisdom of the Crowd

Modos, a two-person startup, has launched a crowdfunding campaign for the Modos Flow, a 13.3-inch color e-paper monitor with a native resolution of 3,200 x 2,400 and touch input, enabled by a new open-source display controller called Enchanter [1]. The Flow is a complete monitor with a single USB Type-C port, intended for connection to a laptop or PC, unlike the company's prior Paper Monitor Dev Kit, which was a DIY kit [1]. The new Enchanter board uses a larger FPGA, double the DDR3 memory bandwidth, and a Chrontel CH7516 DisplayPort-to-LVDS converter that supports DisplayPort 1.1, making the higher resolution possible while keeping all documentation open and free of non-disclosure agreements [1]. The display achieves a 60Hz refresh rate [1]. Cofounder Wenting Zhang addressed skepticism about pixel response times, noting that the latest E Ink screen used in the Flow measures around 50 milliseconds using the standard 10-to-90 percent brightness metric, compared to roughly 100 milliseconds for older screens [1]. Zhang said the first-generation iPad shipped with an IPS screen that had a response time around 30 milliseconds, adding, "If people were okay with that, 50 isn’t far off" [1]. Zhang also argued that perceived latency depends more on when a pixel begins to change, and the controller is designed to minimize buffering to reduce the time from user input to on-screen response [1]. Cofounder Alexander Soto described manufacturing challenges, including a month spent perfecting a single shade of white for the display bezel [1]. Zhang recounted that during production of a prior 6-inch model, an initial 100 samples were good, but when 500 units were ordered for mass production, 300 screens were defective, requiring a teardown of assembled units and personal testing of more than 300 panels [1]. Development of the Enchanter board took eight months, even with an existing prototype [1]. Soto said the team remains committed to crowdfunding and open-source community building rather than seeking investment. "We’re seeding a community where each person has their own ideas to build," Soto said [1]. Zhang added, "If you have the idea and think it could work, just do it" [1]. The campaign is live on Crowd Supply [1].