Even before that Sharp made some cheap typewriters with a two line LCD and a thermal ribbon printer. They were small and lightweight. They all had varying amounts of onboard memory for storing your typing and print later.
Thank you very much! Today I thought about making this my summer project perhaps :) I have never felt the need to solder electronics, but this made me wanna get to it right away! Thank you for inciting a spark in me.
Go for it! I have another version I am working on that is solderless, but I think the soldering in this project is a good starting point! it gives you the nice low profile to work with
sudo is needed to run commands as the root account from the user account. the root account is like a Windows administrator account. sudo (short for Super-User-DO) switches you to the root account just to run that one command, and then switches back to the regular user account. this is done for security purposes. so, if everyone knows sudo, how is this secure? when you SSH'd into the raspberry pi, you entered your password. and as raspberry pi OS is configured, doing that alone means you don't need to enter the root account password for the rest of your SSH session, just typing it in once to log in is enough. you still need to be in the root account to install software though, so you still need to switch accounts for those commands. if you want to skip writing sudo every time, you can run "sudo su", which will switch you into the root user account until you run the command "exit" or shut down the system. this is obviously not exactly secure, but useful when running a lot of commands that require the root account.
Also, the reason it is required frequently because, unlike windows, Linux defaults to staying in userspace for most things and doesn't just open the gate for everything. Hence why it's generally more secure.
I'm sure I'll get down-voted into oblivion considering the other comments, but that $50 DIY price tag feels really disingenuous. To start, and this is my problem with most Pi projects I encounter, the cost of tools, 3d printed materials, and components just isn't included (particularly for those of us who don't just happen to have soldering tools, 3d printer, and spare parts laying about). My friend looked up the keyboard used, it's a $90 Vortex keyboard(currently sold out), you're already close double the price. I'm also noting the wear and warping on the hinge point of the printed case which I don't know how long you'd been using the case, but it doesn't really bode well for the longevity and portability of what you made. I appreciate the time and effort that you donated in creating the software packages that go along with this, but I wouldn't necessarily fault a company for charging for that time in their price (though I'm a huge supporter of FOSS in general) In all this is not a $50 DIY project even in the most ideal circumstances this is probably closer to $150 when including the price of tools, materials, and you know the keyboard. Given all that I'd still have concerns about the case, and honestly the average person's ability to put all this together (me I'm the average person....probably below average to be honest). I do believe the Freewrite is too damn expensive, but better plastic and build quality, development costs...I don't know, everything that goes into making a Traveler puts their margins at something that still doesn't feel good, but not in line with comparing this absolutely not $50 DIY project, and probably closer to thinning out their margins at like $200-250.
All good! The costs can get up there, especially if you go for what is pictured with the vortex core. There's a few people in the discord that have made their own units with more inexpensive keyboards and simpler enclosures. Regardless, it does require access to some tools, like a 3d printer and soldering tools -- so certainly not for everyone. That said -- I'm working on some pretty cool things for those who don't want something so DIY. Hope you'll continue to check out the channel.
Overall, I think that ALL of those Freewrite models are too EXPENSIVE for just a STANDALONE word processor. That's why I just bought myself an Alphasmart word processor from Amazon, which only costs me between $100.00 and $200.00. That's more within my personal budget.
@@saffirechanning7286 You get what you pay for. Your device might last a year, two years at most, and then you are prompted to buy another one. The Freewrite smart typewriter you can make lasts forever, the keys are swappable, the internals are easy to work with, and it's a hefty aluminum shell. It doesn't feel like shit when you type on it, like crappy chiclet laptop keys (even scissor switches are AWFUL). I couldn't stand to type on something so shitty and awful.
IF ONLY someone would make and mass produce these devices for purchase. Many of us want to hit the ORDER key without having to go through all the hoops of downloading this and that and buying all these little extras.
maybe it will come in time! For now, I am OK with this being an enthusiast / hobby project for like minded people. But as the software matures and the design comes together, maybe I will do a small run of them.
I thought about the Pomera DM250 as well, but I emailed the company to see if the lithium-ion battery is user-replaceable and was told that the battery could only be replaced by the company, in Japan, and that the shipment would not be accepted from abroad and payment would have to be made in Japanese Yen. So when the battery goes for users stateside, it's the end of use unless you could fly to Tokyo. In that case, simply buying a new one would be wiser. I love my DM30, but the placement of the right shift key is a PITA.@@PlaydatePlayer
2:17 The WLAN country dropdown sets the regulatory country your device is under for things like allowed channels, power limits, DFS/radar detection on 5GHz etc. It's a good idea to set it otherwise you may end up violating your country's radio-frequency laws. Some devices will also refuse a wifi connection if the country is set incorrectly. (e.g router on US, client on GB)
Great stuff, I'm waiting for further videos. For a long time I was considering wonder that I create own distractions free typewriter but software setting was difficult to me (I'm writer, not IT developer ;) ). I consider using kind of Rasbeery with wi-fi module - that will enable connect v.e. with some kind of cloud to syncing our work. Do you thinking about some like that?
yes! cloud support is very doable, like google docs kind of thing. I have implemented it myself but removed it for simplicity sake for now. Will likely find a solution later
At the risk of seeming picky, I'm trying to follow this in 1080p, on my 1080p monitor, and I can't make out what's on your screen. You'll reach more people if you aim to be readable on 720p instead of using your high resolution monitor on the settings you're used to.
@@ZeroWriter The problem is that your maybe 4k monitor doesn't match the most common YT format. I would guess the majority of people watch at 1080p or less, due to the resolution of their monitor or the speed or reliability of their connection. It's a common mistake, unfortunately. Unless you set a much larger font or zoom level, then show the monitor full screen, a lot of people won't be able to read anything on it.
Does e-paper screen have to have some specific features? I would like to change the screen for 6", but I'm not sure if it can be any screen. And also is this possible to use non-latin alphabet letters?
you can use any USB keyboard - non Latin should be fine, you might need to modify the code a bit. And a raspberry pi can use any display, but this software is specifically for the waveshare 4.2” displays. I’ll probably release versions for other screens in the future!
I really love this concept, and wanna make my own. Are you running this from an external battery pack? I was thinking it looked like there was space inside for a battery to be mounted?
yo! Yeah, I am using an external battery pack because it’s so easy. But, you could definitely find room inside for a lipo + ups. I did that originally but opted with something easier for sharing.
@@ZeroWriter I've been pricing this project up and the keyboard is the costly bit, really annoying I can't find a 40% keeb I had 🤦🏽♂ how much extra work do you think it would be to mount the battery internally?
It would be so nice to see a variant built using EU-sourceable components. The Waveshare display alone is around 40 Euro here, any Vortex KB virtually impossible to get...
Yeah! You could swap out the font and size, just be sure to update the code to match (characters per lines and total lines displayed) - I may add some toggleable settings in the future.
This is awesome! I currently have an anne p2 pro 60%, i wonder if theres any way to get the freewrite to draw power from its battery while hooking up to it. Otherwise, what fo you like for a battery soluton
yeah - the display + pi zero + an existing usb keyboard gets you up and running for $50. To do the build as pictured, with the 3d printed parts and keyboard, more like $150-200
The finished build in the video is around $150, with the vortex core being $100 or so. You could use any usb keyboard and your own enclosure to keep it cheap. For an affordable 40% keyboard, if you are into DIY, maybe check out the github.com/jluisalegria/Happy-Keyboard happy keyboard project. It's an open source 40% board that could be printed and assembled for under 50 bucks, I'd say. There's some other options out there, but finished 40% keyboards are pretty rare.
@@ZeroWriter Thank you! Of course, as soon as I sent that I found one on Amazon for $76! I don’t love all the RGB lighting, but I’m sure I can either turn it off or set it as a dim white backlight.
yeah, it is saved on the SD card inside and can be accessed however you want. I just get to it from a networked computer. The case is 3D printed locally. The STL files are included on GitHub!
i meant like physically removing the keys and placing them on different positions and yet it works on the same zerowriter and we save the text files.@@ZeroWriter
@@jeekakrishna yes, you could remove the keys and swap them to whatever you like. the keyboard is programmed through this tool: tsdo.in/much-programming-core/
@@jeekakrishna Waveshare is a Chinese company so may also ship e-paper screens to India, and if you can get a raspberry pi zero 2w and a keyboard, that's all the hardware you need.
Hey I’ve never built any electronic device but I would love to do this since I’m a writer. I find this tutorial difficult to understand. What should I be looking for in sources as someone who’s never done this at all before and doesn’t understand certain terminology? Id like to better understand your tutorial.
Hey! For sure, I think it’s a doable project to start out as a hardware newbie. I’d recommend joining the discord ( discord.gg/3yQKAPaJpzand ) people there would help you out, myself included! otherwise, you could check some raspberry pi / Linux tutorials for a head start. I’m working on making some easier to follow options, as well, without all the technical setup.
no, this uses a specialty driver to output directly to the e-ink display. HDMI output doesn't work with my software. You could, however, install any Linux word processor and hook up an HDMI output and it would work without any issue. But if you want a dual-display type setup, the drivers don't work that way.
$50??? Really? How much was that keyboard? I mean, don't get me wrong, thanks for the video, and I'm sure it'll come in handy for those building this thing but ... if you claim $50, then maybe you should make one for that price instead of showing one that's closer to $200, not including the price of a 3D printer. Just a thought :)
This only shows, how overpriced the FreeWrite actually is. For a long time, I was wondering, why is it so expensive, when it is basically some cheap "Raspberry-Pi" type processing unit with tiny e-ink display, wi-fi module, mechanical keyboard and couple of switches.
@@El-um6ox not really, $20 for wavershare 4.1in eink, $5 for PCB (min 5 batch), $5 switches, $15 basic xda caps, $5 rp pico = $50 (aliexpress pricing) of course extra for 3d printing, some bits of wire & solder and your time to actually put it all together so no, what dont see why "other devices" cost so much, unless you factor in very comfortable profit margins
Someone finally did it! This is soooooo beautiful, I hope this gets enough attention. I certainly want one.
Reminds me of the alpha smart type word processors of the mid 2000s. Awesome project!
I’ve got one in my garage - great device.
Even before that Sharp made some cheap typewriters with a two line LCD and a thermal ribbon printer. They were small and lightweight. They all had varying amounts of onboard memory for storing your typing and print later.
Thank you very much!
Today I thought about making this my summer project perhaps :) I have never felt the need to solder electronics, but this made me wanna get to it right away! Thank you for inciting a spark in me.
Go for it! I have another version I am working on that is solderless, but I think the soldering in this project is a good starting point! it gives you the nice low profile to work with
sudo is needed to run commands as the root account from the user account. the root account is like a Windows administrator account. sudo (short for Super-User-DO) switches you to the root account just to run that one command, and then switches back to the regular user account. this is done for security purposes.
so, if everyone knows sudo, how is this secure? when you SSH'd into the raspberry pi, you entered your password. and as raspberry pi OS is configured, doing that alone means you don't need to enter the root account password for the rest of your SSH session, just typing it in once to log in is enough. you still need to be in the root account to install software though, so you still need to switch accounts for those commands. if you want to skip writing sudo every time, you can run "sudo su", which will switch you into the root user account until you run the command "exit" or shut down the system. this is obviously not exactly secure, but useful when running a lot of commands that require the root account.
Also, the reason it is required frequently because, unlike windows, Linux defaults to staying in userspace for most things and doesn't just open the gate for everything. Hence why it's generally more secure.
I'm sure I'll get down-voted into oblivion considering the other comments, but that $50 DIY price tag feels really disingenuous. To start, and this is my problem with most Pi projects I encounter, the cost of tools, 3d printed materials, and components just isn't included (particularly for those of us who don't just happen to have soldering tools, 3d printer, and spare parts laying about).
My friend looked up the keyboard used, it's a $90 Vortex keyboard(currently sold out), you're already close double the price. I'm also noting the wear and warping on the hinge point of the printed case which I don't know how long you'd been using the case, but it doesn't really bode well for the longevity and portability of what you made. I appreciate the time and effort that you donated in creating the software packages that go along with this, but I wouldn't necessarily fault a company for charging for that time in their price (though I'm a huge supporter of FOSS in general)
In all this is not a $50 DIY project even in the most ideal circumstances this is probably closer to $150 when including the price of tools, materials, and you know the keyboard. Given all that I'd still have concerns about the case, and honestly the average person's ability to put all this together (me I'm the average person....probably below average to be honest). I do believe the Freewrite is too damn expensive, but better plastic and build quality, development costs...I don't know, everything that goes into making a Traveler puts their margins at something that still doesn't feel good, but not in line with comparing this absolutely not $50 DIY project, and probably closer to thinning out their margins at like $200-250.
All good! The costs can get up there, especially if you go for what is pictured with the vortex core. There's a few people in the discord that have made their own units with more inexpensive keyboards and simpler enclosures. Regardless, it does require access to some tools, like a 3d printer and soldering tools -- so certainly not for everyone.
That said -- I'm working on some pretty cool things for those who don't want something so DIY. Hope you'll continue to check out the channel.
thank you! I love the idea of a freewrite but I could never get over the price.
....nor their unreliability. The Alphasmart Neo2 is THE BEST!
@@Xingqiwu387 that’s what I have!! I love it ☺️
The FreeWrite around my neck of the woods they are charging $900 for their main model, which is insane. This is neat.
Overall, I think that ALL of those Freewrite models are too EXPENSIVE for just a STANDALONE word processor. That's why I just bought myself an Alphasmart word processor from Amazon, which only costs me between $100.00 and $200.00. That's more within my personal budget.
It's only $650 in America and I used a coupon for $40 off.
@@saffirechanning7286 You get what you pay for. Your device might last a year, two years at most, and then you are prompted to buy another one. The Freewrite smart typewriter you can make lasts forever, the keys are swappable, the internals are easy to work with, and it's a hefty aluminum shell. It doesn't feel like shit when you type on it, like crappy chiclet laptop keys (even scissor switches are AWFUL). I couldn't stand to type on something so shitty and awful.
i recognize that quote.
based off of the penkesu?
You should REALLY REALLY do a build video, I'd be really excited to watch it.
I’ll see what I can do :)
IF ONLY someone would make and mass produce these devices for purchase. Many of us want to hit the ORDER key without having to go through all the hoops of downloading this and that and buying all these little extras.
maybe it will come in time! For now, I am OK with this being an enthusiast / hobby project for like minded people. But as the software matures and the design comes together, maybe I will do a small run of them.
I'm enjoying my Pomera DM 250 although the keyboard will not be a patch on this one!
I thought about the Pomera DM250 as well, but I emailed the company to see if the lithium-ion battery is user-replaceable and was told that the battery could only be replaced by the company, in Japan, and that the shipment would not be accepted from abroad and payment would have to be made in Japanese Yen. So when the battery goes for users stateside, it's the end of use unless you could fly to Tokyo. In that case, simply buying a new one would be wiser. I love my DM30, but the placement of the right shift key is a PITA.@@PlaydatePlayer
@@ZeroWriterI’d buy one 😊
you can approach someone who can do this for you @@ZeroWriter
2:17
The WLAN country dropdown sets the regulatory country your device is under for things like allowed channels, power limits, DFS/radar detection on 5GHz etc. It's a good idea to set it otherwise you may end up violating your country's radio-frequency laws. Some devices will also refuse a wifi connection if the country is set incorrectly. (e.g router on US, client on GB)
thanks!!
Great stuff, I'm waiting for further videos. For a long time I was considering wonder that I create own distractions free typewriter but software setting was difficult to me (I'm writer, not IT developer ;) ). I consider using kind of Rasbeery with wi-fi module - that will enable connect v.e. with some kind of cloud to syncing our work. Do you thinking about some like that?
yes! cloud support is very doable, like google docs kind of thing. I have implemented it myself but removed it for simplicity sake for now. Will likely find a solution later
Great tutorial with easy explanation! Thank you so much
truly enlightening. makes us wonder if there's a possibility to collab!
At the risk of seeming picky, I'm trying to follow this in 1080p, on my 1080p monitor, and I can't make out what's on your screen. You'll reach more people if you aim to be readable on 720p instead of using your high resolution monitor on the settings you're used to.
@@TooSlowTube definitely - this was my first video so was filmed pretty low res.
@@ZeroWriter The problem is that your maybe 4k monitor doesn't match the most common YT format. I would guess the majority of people watch at 1080p or less, due to the resolution of their monitor or the speed or reliability of their connection. It's a common mistake, unfortunately. Unless you set a much larger font or zoom level, then show the monitor full screen, a lot of people won't be able to read anything on it.
I would love a video about how to build the whole thing. How did you make the housing?
the housing is 3D printed. I’ll do a full build video down the line when I do the next revision to the files, for sure
Does e-paper screen have to have some specific features? I would like to change the screen for 6", but I'm not sure if it can be any screen.
And also is this possible to use non-latin alphabet letters?
you can use any USB keyboard - non Latin should be fine, you might need to modify the code a bit. And a raspberry pi can use any display, but this software is specifically for the waveshare 4.2” displays. I’ll probably release versions for other screens in the future!
Thanks, Man! That helps a lot
@@ZeroWriterconsidering the price of the 7.5” eink screen, I’d love to see software for other screens 😀
I like it. Thank you. Young rebels will always prevail, if they write well.
I really love this concept, and wanna make my own. Are you running this from an external battery pack? I was thinking it looked like there was space inside for a battery to be mounted?
yo! Yeah, I am using an external battery pack because it’s so easy. But, you could definitely find room inside for a lipo + ups. I did that originally but opted with something easier for sharing.
@@ZeroWriter I've been pricing this project up and the keyboard is the costly bit, really annoying I can't find a 40% keeb I had 🤦🏽♂
how much extra work do you think it would be to mount the battery internally?
nice work, keep going.
I wonder if it could be made into a modern Canon Cat ?
I went down this rabbit hole and this is a very cool machine..
how did you make the case ? Can we buy any such case ?
very cool project!
William Gibson fan, eh?
What gave it away? 😅
Doesn't overcooking shorten the life of the processor?
It would be so nice to see a variant built using EU-sourceable components. The Waveshare display alone is around 40 Euro here, any Vortex KB virtually impossible to get...
working on making more options built around Inkplate -- an EU company!
you can customize font and font size right? nice work! very satisfying clicking keyboard🎉
Yeah! You could swap out the font and size, just be sure to update the code to match (characters per lines and total lines displayed) - I may add some toggleable settings in the future.
This is awesome! I currently have an anne p2 pro 60%, i wonder if theres any way to get the freewrite to draw power from its battery while hooking up to it. Otherwise, what fo you like for a battery soluton
Display Itself is 35 plus shipping
yeah - the display + pi zero + an existing usb keyboard gets you up and running for $50. To do the build as pictured, with the 3d printed parts and keyboard, more like $150-200
You do know they are to buy, and if you want this EXAct thing, it would be more than $50
hi! is it possible to make it a a widescreen that fills out much more space?
for sure -- lots of possibilities to swap in other displays. I am working on a few different versions. Follow the channel and I will post updates :)
Where does one find a 40% keyboard for less than $50?
The finished build in the video is around $150, with the vortex core being $100 or so. You could use any usb keyboard and your own enclosure to keep it cheap. For an affordable 40% keyboard, if you are into DIY, maybe check out the github.com/jluisalegria/Happy-Keyboard happy keyboard project. It's an open source 40% board that could be printed and assembled for under 50 bucks, I'd say. There's some other options out there, but finished 40% keyboards are pretty rare.
@@ZeroWriter Thank you! Of course, as soon as I sent that I found one on Amazon for $76! I don’t love all the RGB lighting, but I’m sure I can either turn it off or set it as a dim white backlight.
Silly question but the software save what was typed so it can be accessed later and whered ya get the case?
yeah, it is saved on the SD card inside and can be accessed however you want. I just get to it from a networked computer.
The case is 3D printed locally. The STL files are included on GitHub!
Ah okay, thanks and God bless ya@@ZeroWriter
amazing
Is it possible to input other languages like Chinese?
Someone would have to program a PINYIN type input or something I think - this just handles characters from USB straight to the screen.
can we save our files somehow ? What file formats are supported ?
All files are saved as .TXT files. I'll do another video going over the software and what is being worked on.
@@ZeroWriter man thats great...also do a video on what customers need to buy to assemble this at home...we need clarity on that as well .
@@jeekakrishnathe parts list is on the github link
Can we change the layout ? to like colemak dh ? or is it just qwerty ?
yes, you could use any layout on any USB keyboard!
i meant like physically removing the keys and placing them on different positions and yet it works on the same zerowriter and we save the text files.@@ZeroWriter
@@jeekakrishna yes, you could remove the keys and swap them to whatever you like. the keyboard is programmed through this tool: tsdo.in/much-programming-core/
thanks man.. i hope this is available internationally to 3rd world countries like India soon as well...at a economical price@@ZeroWriter
@@jeekakrishna Waveshare is a Chinese company so may also ship e-paper screens to India, and if you can get a raspberry pi zero 2w and a keyboard, that's all the hardware you need.
Hey I’ve never built any electronic device but I would love to do this since I’m a writer. I find this tutorial difficult to understand. What should I be looking for in sources as someone who’s never done this at all before and doesn’t understand certain terminology? Id like to better understand your tutorial.
Hey! For sure, I think it’s a doable project to start out as a hardware newbie. I’d recommend joining the discord ( discord.gg/3yQKAPaJpzand ) people there would help you out, myself included! otherwise, you could check some raspberry pi / Linux tutorials for a head start. I’m working on making some easier to follow options, as well, without all the technical setup.
@@ZeroWriter thank you for your response! I find what your doing to be really cool, other eink options are so over priced in my opinion.
Is it just me or are the links in your description unclickable?
Yeah - TH-cam disabled my links cause I haven’t posted videos in a little while - will be more active again soon and the links will get reactivated
@@ZeroWriter Ouch, that sucks. What a poo policy.
EDIT: Can't believe I forgot to say how freaking awesome this is and how in awe of your work I am.
can we use it as a keyboard as well to a pc via USB ?
the keyboard could be connected to a PC, yeah - it’s just a regular usb keyboard
@@ZeroWriter How to order this ? whats the cheapest way to get it to India ? use stackry and avoid custom duty ?
@@jeekakrishna this is a DIY project right now, I am not selling prebuilt units.
how to get the stuff to make it ourselves in that case ? @@ZeroWriter
Can you run vim on the command line?
No, this won’t emulate a terminal console / command line
Is there a way to output to hdmi?
no, this uses a specialty driver to output directly to the e-ink display. HDMI output doesn't work with my software. You could, however, install any Linux word processor and hook up an HDMI output and it would work without any issue. But if you want a dual-display type setup, the drivers don't work that way.
does this work with any 40% keyboard?
@@bjoernschumacher5852 it should, any low power usb keyboard.
$50??? Really? How much was that keyboard?
I mean, don't get me wrong, thanks for the video, and I'm sure it'll come in handy for those building this thing but ... if you claim $50, then maybe you should make one for that price instead of showing one that's closer to $200, not including the price of a 3D printer. Just a thought :)
What is the keyboard?
It’s a Vortex Core 40% - but any USB keyboard would work
What keyboard are you using? It looks nice
that is a vortex core 40%! I like it. takes some getting used to with the modifier keys but I think it is appropriate for the way I work.
Hi can I order from you please
hello! now, you can: www.crowdsupply.com/zerowriter/zerowriter-ink
89 plus shipping the keyboard
The idea is cool, but I just watched someone type with no thumbs.
i feel exposed
would bluetooth keyboards work too?
Yep!
@@ZeroWriter nice!
i'm thinking about using a m5 paper to achieve something similar. would be interested what you think about it
@@benjaminsgs5799 m5 paper looks interesting! if it handles partial updates cleanly that would be a solid option.
@@ZeroWriter do you mean updating only parts of the screen?
I'll stick with my freet write smart typewriter it was $650 and worth every penny.
This only shows, how overpriced the FreeWrite actually is. For a long time, I was wondering, why is it so expensive, when it is basically some cheap "Raspberry-Pi" type processing unit with tiny e-ink display, wi-fi module, mechanical keyboard and couple of switches.
No. What he made here would be $200 at least.
Free writes are not really overpriced.
@@El-um6oxfreewrites are between $500-750, they’re not just overpriced, they’re extremely overpriced
how is this 50$ when only the keyboard itself is 89$?
clickbait much?
you can use any USB keyboard and enclosure you want. $50 for a pi zero and the display
@@ZeroWriterso….$50 if you already have everything lying around?
Now maybe people can see why other devices cost what they do.
@@El-um6ox not really, $20 for wavershare 4.1in eink, $5 for PCB (min 5 batch), $5 switches, $15 basic xda caps, $5 rp pico = $50 (aliexpress pricing)
of course extra for 3d printing, some bits of wire & solder and your time to actually put it all together
so no, what dont see why "other devices" cost so much, unless you factor in very comfortable profit margins
So much crap for so little functionality.