Show HN: Trmnl, a hackable e-ink dashboard that helps you stay focused

21 points by ryanckulp 7 months ago | 16 comments
hi folks, i'm the founder of TRMNL.

we launched a KS over the summer, and now ship devices same-day.

open source firmware, no subscriptions, no ads, 50+ native plugins already, and a simple API to build your own for private or public use.

happy to answer any questions!

Ryan

  • lykahb 7 months ago
    I wish exploring the integrations were easier. The plugin details are behind the sign-up barrier. I'd like to see a short description and a screenshot.
    • Dyac 7 months ago
      Hi. I have wanted something like this for YEARS, but have never had the motivation to hack something together.

      A few questions:

      1. Is the dev edition hardware different?

      2. If not, it possible to upgrade to a dev edition later, ie. Is it just a config thing on the server end?

      3. If I have multiple trmnls how do I manage them? Is it possible? Do I need multiple accounts? Do they show the same stuff etc? Is "dev edition" for my account or per-device?

      4. Using multiple apps - is it a split screen display, or do it cycle through the apps every x seconds? Is there a button to advance to the next one?

      5. What's the resolution in real terms? Ie. Can I get a full month calendar to show and still be able to read entries? How many lines of Todo-list items can I have? What happens to over-flowed items?

      6. how does it get updates? does it connect to my phone via Bluetooth or to my WiFi? Can it store multiple WiFi networks, for if I want to take it places?

      • ryanckulp 7 months ago
        so glad to hear this.

        1/2. hardware is the same, just a permissions switch. you can upgrade any time in-app.

        3. one account can manage them all, there is a device switcher in top corner that makes it easy to jump between playlists, content orderings, preferences etc. you can also “mirror” a device like child<>parent but they are independent by default. dev edition currently device specific but if you say “hey not cool” we can bump both your devices on the same account. ;)

        4. yes and yes and yes. you can choose from several layouts (full screen, split, 3-way split etc) and you configure refresh intervals per device, per plugin, per time of day. so maybe you want calendar only from 8-9a, or reddit / hn only in the evening. there is a skip btn on the device which can also be double-clicked to do other stuff (go backwards, email me this, etc).

        5. res is 800x480. not amazing but we make it work. built our own design system with special fonts. preview: https://usetrmnl.com/framework. yes we have calendar in Month view and it looks fine IMO. you can fit in /read a lot of text. for overflow we have some JS magic that auto truncates and you can control these params as well. see “Overflow” section in Framework docs above.

        6. connects via wifi, yes supports multiple SSID, and receives OTA updates automatically (which you can disable). firmware is open source as well.

        hope to see you on the inside!

        Ryan

      • rrr_oh_man 7 months ago
        Alternative in the EU: https://www.invisible-computers.com/
        • konschubert 7 months ago
          Hi, that one is my device.

          Trml honestly looks like a straight rip-off, but it’s well made and has a battery. So - fair game.

          I also have a kickstarter for a display that’s bigger:

          https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/invisible-computers/e-p...

          • ryanckulp 7 months ago
            i never heard of you, and you had 77 backers. no offense but that accusation doesn’t make sense. let’s focus on making great products and the market will decide.
            • konschubert 7 months ago
              Hey, I said fair game. I hold no grudges.

              But if you’ve never heard of me, that means we should definitely collaborate because your architecture and many other choices is a 1:1 match of mine :)

          • ryanckulp 7 months ago
            respectfully - TRMNL is licensed to sell all over the EU, is less expensive, does a lot more than just calendar, and looks better too. if it didn’t meet these criterion (at minimum) i wouldn’t have built it.
          • eterpstra 7 months ago
            Saw your comments in the MomBoard post. This is exactly what I've been looking for. Ordered a dev edition in white :)
            • ryanckulp 7 months ago
              too cool, thanks so much. assembling + shipping your device myself in a few minutes.
            • latexr 7 months ago
              As someone who did some hacking on a Kobo, this looks pretty interesting. Important question: it doesn’t seem like it can work as an ebook reader at all. Can it? If yes, which formats does it support? Does it do .epub? .pdf? .cbz?
              • ryanckulp 7 months ago
                this is not for reading ebooks, because the screen refreshes based on a time-based interval (configurable by you).

                our intent is to help you stay informed on stuff without needing a bunch of open browser tabs, push notifications, etc.

              • kmos17 7 months ago
                this looks really cool, will be reading through the dev docs and most likely purchasing one. Love that the server is also available to self host.

                ps. the mobile navigation bugs sometimes (with the animation loading randomly it seems) so I couldn’t find the plugin docs at first, and there is no navigation back to the main page from the plugin directory it seems. hope that helps.

                • ftigis 7 months ago
                  Have you heard of Blotch? How feasible is selling a device with a 13.3 inch e-ink screen under 200 USD?
                  • nchong128 7 months ago
                    Any discount codes for hackers :D