Developer Joey Castillo’s Open Book project is a set of hardware, software, and instructions for folks that want to build, customize, and write code for their own DIY eReaders.

We first covered the project last year, when it was still in the early stages, and earlier this year the project won a contest that enabled the first 100 printed circuit boards (PCBs) to be manufactured.

Now you can buy a PCB for $15 and follow a set of instructions for assembling your own eReader – although they’re not for the feint of heart.

You’ll need to buy your own E Ink display, along with dozens of other components and solder many of them in place by hand.

The process doesn’t look super difficult, but it does look time consuming and it requires a bit of skill, a lot of patience, and familiarity with soldering tools. You can watch a complete build in a video Castillo posted to YouTube:

There are two difference PCBs available for purchase for $15 each:

Both come with instructions, but the latter packs some extra features and it’s tougher to build, so Castillo recommends opting for the FeatherWing version if you’re not experienced with a soldering iron.

Castillo has also been making progress with MVBook, a basic app for reading eBooks on Open Book devices. It now saves your reading position between sessions, allows you to flip through multiple pages, and enters low power (off) mode when you press the power button.

You can find the latest updates on the Open Book project at its GitHub page.

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4 replies on “Open Book: build your own eReader (soldering iron and a lot of patience required)”

  1. how long this device work?
    is possible to put emRuby ?

    very slow refresing, and no wifi. I like ssh and normal keyboard time to time

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